Cheater (Complete)

Chapter Fifteen: Haunted Pasts

For about a week, I stayed by the lake. I would walk to school, which wasn't very different from normal, and I slept on the grass. Mom hasn't tried to find me yet, I don't think she will. What was I really except a complete burden to her?

Nothing.

So there wasn't a single reason to get me. I tried to ignore how much my heart hurt when I had been going to school for a week and she hadn't tried to get me.

Really, how hard would it be to just pick me up from school and force me to go back home? Yeah, it would really screw me over but at least I'd know she cared. Instead, she only proved me right. She really didn't care about me.

I couldn't stay here forever though. There was literally nothing I wanted more than to take a shower and I itched all over from bug bites. I loved this place but I really couldn't keep on like this. I haven't eaten since dinner the day that Walter came over. I had lost weight and I wondered how much longer I would be able to go without food. I only had access to water in school, water fountains, and I wondered how long I could survive without that too. The weekends were the worst. No access to water and no distraction. My clothes were all dirty, including my uniforms though I tried my best to keep them pristine. I lugged all my worldly possessions to school with me everyday and I thought that my foot might have been developing an infection from the glass that cut me when I ran from Walter. I simply didn't know. I had pulled out the glass but it hurt and was changing to a different color other than my natural skin tone.

I felt nauseous.

One thing I appreciated from my mom was that she at least paid for my lunch at school. Now I didn't even have that. I felt like sobbing until my hurt flowed out with my tears.

Where was I supposed to go? Where could I stay? How would support myself? Where would my next meal come from?

I didn't have the answers to these questions. The security that mom offered was pretty much non existent, about to vanish completely when she moved, but at least I knew I had a place to go everyday where I could use the bathroom, take a shower and go to sleep.

Running away just wasn't meant to be done without any forethought or money. And it was especially not meant for thirteen year old girls.

Why hadn't anyone told me that?

*****

“Do you want to come over?” my friend Crystal asked me after school one day. I was walking her to track practice, mainly trying to stay in the air conditioned building as long as I possibly could, trying to prolong the moment when I would have to start the hike to my lake.

I was a little surprised by Crystal's offer.

But who was I to shoot a gift horse in the mouth?

“Yes” did I say that too quickly?

She smiled at me and at that moment, I really appreciated our friendship. Though friendships made this early weren't usually permanent, I had a feeling that Crystal would likely still be my best friend when I was well into my years. She was a true friend and I almost wanted to cry with relief.

“I'll see you after practice. My dad will pick us up” she informed me, disappearing into the girl's locker room.

*****

Crystal hadn't exactly had it easy either. Her mom had died of cancer when she was about seven and it had completely destroyed her dad. It took forever but he finally pulled it together for his little girl. Like me, she looked almost identical to her mom. She had no siblings but that only made it easier on her dad. I wondered how he hadn't remarried by now, in my experience men were heartless, soulless creatures, but it wasn't too important that I know.