Inner Demons

Chapter 2

School finally ended for the day so I head by my locker to put up my textbooks. I go the long way home most days for two reasons, one so I could avoid the crowd of classmates at the front of the school and two so it takes me longer to get home. Although I hate being at this hell hole being at home isn't much better. My parents are always drunk and they're the angry kind of drunks that take their anger out on whoever they see first, it's not physical most of the time normally they just yell at me then they yell at each other and that's when I can sneak away to my room. If I try just walking past them without acknowledging them they throw stuff at me really hard.

I start walking to the park. I head there everyday after school as long as it's not raining and I draw in my sketch book. Really I'm just trying to avoid people and avoid my house for as long as I can. No one ever bothers to come talk to me, if there is someone walking around, most of the time the park is empty though except for the fountain and some birds and squirrels. My favorite part isn't the park though it's the woods behind the park, I love going in there and just being surrounded by the trees and silence except the birds singing its peaceful. I walked through the trees to the clearing I was all too familiar with and sat on the ground against a tree. I started drawing what I could see when I looked around so today that was the canopy of trees above me opening up to the sky. Instead of me drawing it like I saw it though I made it nighttime in the drawing with the stars shining through the darkness.

When I looked up it actually was getting dark and so I sighed and packed up my book and color pencils and made my way to my house. I got to the house and tried to think of how I could sneak past them but if they were awake there was no way around their criticism. I opened the door as quietly as I could but it was no use they still heard me. "Ruby! Where have you been? We know you don't have any friends so how do you stay out so late!" My mother started I just stood there not saying anything because if I open my mouth then they are focused on me longer. "Yeah and we know you don't have a boyfriend because what guy would want to date a stupid whore?" Now my father joined in. I don't know how people can call me stupid when I'm top of my class and I don't know why they call me a whore when I've never even had a boyfriend before. "You are such a disappointment, it would have been better if you were never born," mother started talking and my father replied with, "Yeah, we didn't want a kid. And we especially didn't want an ungrateful little bitch like you!" At this point, although I was used to it it doesn't always make it easier and I was blinking away tears, it's a good thing they started arguing so I could run up to my room and lock myself in for the night.

I stayed in my room as long as I could every night so I wouldn't have to deal with them more than once and when they pass out from all the alcohol I sneak down and grab some food from the kitchen. I don't know why they would want to get drunk every night, they wake up every morning with a hangover and go to work then come home and drink again, why would anyone want to live like that?

I got my food and run back upstairs before either one of them can wake up, after I eat I lay in bed and think 'Just two more days until the weekend. Then I don't have to see anyone for two days' and I doze off.