I'm Married to the Devil... What Now?!!

Chapter 1: Wake Up from this Nightmare

"Detini! Wake up, now!" I hear as I turn over in bed and hit the snooze button for about the fifth time that morning. The annoying beeping is disturbing my sleep and I had a bad night of sleep already. Now, my dad is yelling at me. I hear his big work boots clomping up the stairs. I can smell him before I can see him in the dim light that somehow still manages to come through my black shades. "Detini Ann, you get up right now or you'll be late for school! It's your last day. Don't you have to look all pretty or something?" My dad never was the best with words, or girly things for that matter. He is more of the ancient, druggy hippie sort.

"Fine," I mumble as I roll out of bed. My four-leaf clover boxers and tank-top are all tousled and my hair looks like a fright, but in my personal opinion that's not any different from any other day. My dad just shakes his head and leaves. He'll be off to work before I get out of the shower, but there'll be French toast waiting for me on a plate and the majority of the bacon he cooked up. That's how it always is in the mornings around here. My mother died when I was only two. I don't remember much about her, but he must have loved her, because he never remarried. He says that I look like her, with my light brown hair (although right now it's more of a reddish-black color) and my chameleon eyes (they change color according to my moods). I think I look more like a younger version of my dad, before his cheeks sunk in and his grisly white beard grew. Of course, I would never wear his stained flannel shirts or the torn jeans that always look dingy. I would definitely not be caught dead in his woolen socks that have been darned one too many times, by his untalented, bony hands.

As Dad leaves, I relax in the shower, trying my best to wake up in the steamy heat. I even use my pomegranate shower gel that is supposed to be rejuvenating. It doesn't do much for me today, as I yawn while wrapping a towel around my wet body. I get dressed in a hurry. I just pull on my dark jeans that hugged my soccer thighs and my 'nice' butt, as all the guys seem to call it. Unable to find any clean soccer t-shirts, I pull on the dark purple shirt that is a little too tight for normal wear, but it is the last day of high school, I might as well look a little better today. I even do my make-up, which is normally saved for very special occasions or when my friends decide to make me look ridiculous. I even straighten my hair, deciding to take it to the extreme, as my long hair hangs halfway down my back.

"OMG! You look adorable girl! You totally rock that outfit! Like OMG!" Darla squeals as I come up to her locker, immediately regretting the decision to dress up today. I feel like I need to hide under my favorite ball cap, although they aren't allowed in school. She is very girly. She generally wears pink every day, much to my annoyance. She is the cheerleader type, which I find amusing. "What made you dress up today? You sick?!"

"Of course not! I just wanted to go out with a bang, I guess," I answer feeling a little less sure of myself. I notice a lot of the other students are staring at me weird, as well. I try my best to ignore them, but I'm really tempted to pretend sick and go home. Dad wouldn't care. He probably wouldn't even notice. "Do I really look that stupid?"

"No! You look sexy! You look yummy!" Darla practically screams, engulfing me in her arms, as I choke on her strong perfume. Suddenly she drops me as her boyfriend, Jared walks up. He's the quarterback of the football team, cliché right? I smile and walk on to my first class. I don't even bother taking anything for the class, we won't actually do anything except clean out all of our lockers and take stupid surveys about what we would change in the class and things like that.

Finally, the day of weirdness ends. All the tears start, as I duck out to our old Ford truck. I head out into the country, on the way to my house. I open the windows and crank the stereo, on the oldies channel. It's relaxing being away from school and on my own, even though I have college to look forward to. Thank god I got into the private college a few hours away. I don't think I could deal with going to the community college with all of my classmates. I just don't exactly fit in with their view of the world. I'm not a basketball or softball player. I'm not a slut. And I don't drink. Three strikes and I'm out!

I think about high school as I drive. I think about all the goofy things I've done with my friends, like the truth or dare parties that would get absolutely ridiculous. Playing soccer with my best friend Emily. Going to Costa Rica with my sister-from –another-mother, Catherine. I know I'm going to miss those times, but I am so looking forward to college life. I won't have to sit through classes all day. I'll make new friends. I'll play college soccer. And most of all, I'll have my own place, with three other girls, that will be all mine!

I'm so deep in thought, I almost miss my drive way. I brake suddenly and crank the ancient wheel to turn down the long, windy path. I smell the fresh, spring breeze. Then, I notice the brand new car in the driveway. Whose car is that, I wonder as I jump out of the truck and run inside. I close the front door and look on as my dad shakes hands with an evil-looking man. He smiles, but it seems more like a sneer, as my dad collapses into the wooden chair at our dinner table. I watch as the man drives off, blowing up massive amounts of dust.

"Dad what's wrong?" I ask. I throw my bag down and run over to him. He seems weaker and older than I've seen him before. I swear the yellow is fading from the mustache before my very eyes, the only remaining color to his hair. He looks up at me with his baggy, blue eyes and I can see tears in them.

"You're engaged to the Devil," is all he manages before he grabs the closest bottle of alcohol and lets his tears flow into it. I gasp. What?! I can't speak as I rush up to my room and slam the door. I pinch myself just to make sure I'm not going to wake up from this horrible nightmare.