Like My Mother

Chapter Four

The door is locked so I have to dig in my bag a little bit for my keys; when I do find my dasterly keys they take their time turning in the lock and letting me open the door. I walked in and the house was quiet; the TV wasn't on and the lights were out.

"That's pretty damn strange." I thought to myself as I explored my own house. "Hello!"

No one answers, the house is dead silent the stairs being the only sound as I climbe them. I walk down the hallway and up to my sister's bedroom door. Knocking on it produces no reply, so I gently push it open and hear her quiet snores. Her leg twitches slightly as the door screams and I wince; I pull the door to and tip-toe to my room and close the door quietly behind me. I have a moment of silence and I'm going to take advantage of it.

I collaspe on my bed and pull out my sketch book. I trace my fingers over the picture that I have drawn, feeling the rough softness of the paper. The pencil smudges a bit and I quickly jerk my hand away; an eye has a smoky smear on it but it's still beautiful. I close the cover and lay silently on my bed, tracing figures in the air. After awhile the figures begin to get fuzzy as my eyes begin to grow heavier, but I don't want to go to sleep. Still I'm losing my fight against my fatigue...heavy...heavier...closed.

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I become aware that I'm awake, I just can't see anything yet. I pry my eyes open and realize that I'm still on my bed, and it's nighttime. Shadows from the lights outside keep dancing on my walls and I force myself to raise up. Stretching my tired arms from their absolete position, I can hear distant noise coming from downstairs.

I walk cautiously down the stairs and can already smell marijuana. A thick cloud of smoke is floating around the house and I can hear my mother's alcohol induced chuckles coming from the living room. I fight my way though the smoke and see my mom in some stranger's arms with a half empty bottle of gin in her hands and a huge joint in her mouth. The stranger looks up at me and flashes a million dollar grin, as if he is aware he's worth a million dollars.

"Who are you?" he asked me as he continues to stare at me with a silver iris in his eyes.

"I'm Emma...I'm her daughter." I reply pointing my long skinny finger at the woman who has now fallen in a semi-conscious state. Her eyes are lolling open and closed and she hiccupes.

"I'm Daniel, a friend of your mother." he says with a deep, steady confident voice. He has to be at least 25, and my mother is 38, but of course the way she dresses she looks at least 29.

"Nice to meet you..." I say because I'm obligated too.

"Funny, your mother never mentioned that she two kids." Daniel says as he gently pushes my mother's head up so he can get proper leverage to lift her up.

"Yea, she never talks about us much. She never mentioned you either." I reply trying to hide my blushing cheeks.

Daniel sweeps my mother up from the couch and her head lulls and lands on his shoulder, he walks towards the stairs. "I haven't been around long enough for her to mention me I think." he smirks at me as he starts to climb. I follow him down the hallway and direct him to my mother's dank bedroom that has the strong scent of old cigarettes and body odor coating the air. He lays her down not so gently and then turns back to me; laying a warning finger on his mouth he gently pushs me out of the room, the door closing behind us. We walk back downstairs and it's then that I remember that I haven't seen my sister.

"Do you know where my sister is?" I ask Daniel as he collaspes back on the couch and tears his shirt off to reveal a perfectly chisled body.

"Your sister? Uh I think she came down here not too long ago, she grabbed some of your mom's gin and then went back upstairs."

I shake my head, she's probably as passed out as my mom. "I think I'm going to go to bed now." I announce.

"Don't go, I want some company for a little while."

I want to turn around, I want to see his body again. But then again, I know if I see it that he will see me blush.

"If it's not too much trouble..." he adds.

I inhale some courage and turn back around. His face grows a smile as he points to the chair beside the couch. I follow his finger and soon I can feel his wondering eyes on me, are they looking at me or at my body?

"So you said your name's Emma right?" he breaks the hovering silence.

"Yea." I can't believe that he has forgotten my name that fast, his eyes are looking at my body.

"How old are you Emma?"

"16."

"You have a boyfriend?"

"Why do you want to know?" I remark in a smartass tone that is complete reflex.

He holds up his hands in defense, "Just getting the basic details, I'm pretty sure I already know the answer though." He's trying to be suave, trying.

"And what do you think the answer is?"

"How could a pretty girl like you not have a boyfriend?" he smiles at me, wishing me to smile with him.

My face remains frozen, "Because no boy ever gave a damn about me before." I reply. It surprises me that I say something like that, it seems kind of...revealing.

"I'm sorry, maybe things will change."

"Sure, but I'm going to bed now. So you'll be okay down here on the couch?" I say as I stand up from the chair, not really waiting on an answer as I head towards the stairs.

"I'll be alright, lonely, but I'll be alright. You think you'll sleep well all by yourself?" he calls after me.

I don't answer, and he doesn't seem to mind as I hear him begin to chuckle. I climb back into my warm bed and lay there; sleep doesn't decide to play with me so all I can do is lay there and stare at the ceiling. And then the sight of it begins to make my eyes heavy...and then it dissapears...