Barely Holding On

Chapter 1

The sounds of slamming lockers and students' conversations fill the halls as the final bell rings. I sling my worn messenger bag over my right shoulder as I walk down the crowded hall. Kids shove and jostle each other as they rush to get out the doors. I tighten my grip on my bag as a taller kid pushes past me, nearly knocking me over. It's a good five minutes before I'm able to get outside the building. A wall of hot air hits me as a I leave the cool building. I'm not particularly a fan of hot weather, and the uncomfortable way that my clothes cling to my body as I start to sweat, reminds me of that.

By the time I get home, it's nearly 4:00 PM. I slam the door shut behind me and slide the the deadlock into place. After I drop my bag on the kitchen table and kick off my sneakers, I go around the house and turn on the three box fans. Rather than pay for air conditioning in the summer, I just set up some box fans and hope for the best. In the winter, there's a small fireplace in the living room. It's not always comfortable, but it saves money, and seeing as I'm the person paying the bills, it works.

I've lived on my own for the most part since freshman year of high school, and my uncle, Adam, stopped helping pay the bills for the house a few months. A few years ago I was living my grandpa and grandma in this house, but they weren't the healthiest of people which is why they died the ways they did. My grandfather had an enlarged heart and a pacemaker because he was very obese. My grandmother was a chain smoker who smoked more than a pack a day on a regular basis. When she was finally diagnosed with lung cancer it was too late. When they died I was left with my uncle. He helped me out and was around more often at first, but now he's always out with his gang and I only occasionally see him when he gets too drunk or high and ends up back here somehow. I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen with the house or my uncle, because I don't know what happened with the will. I wasn't allowed to be present for the reading for whatever reason.

I try to finish my homework fast and do some light studying before finishing up my application for an internship at Stark Industries. When I'm finished, I submit it and get ready for work.

I glance at the clock on my nightstand as I'm buttoning up my blue skinny jeans and almost fall over. Shit. Fuck. Shit fuckety shit. I'm gonna be late.

I grab my messenger bag and I'm about to run out the door when I realize I forgot to put my shirt on. I drop my bag in front of the door and run back to my room, grabbing the nearest black shirt I can find. I quickly make my way out the door now that I'm finally ready. I pick up my bike from the side of the house and mount it. I tighten the strap of my bag so it won't swing around and take off.

I arrive for my shift ten minutes late, but there's only one person from the last shift there and he's too tired to give a shit so he just mutters a quick hello/goodbye and leaves. Tonight, it's just me here, because the other person that's usually on my shift had to go to a family thing.

Usually the first thing I do when I get here is take orders from any customers in the front. Right now there's no customers, so I quickly wipe down the tables in the front and replace the full trash bag by the door with a new one. I'm about to start working on some orders that need to be filled for tomorrow when I hear the bell on the door ring, signalling that I have a customer. I sigh, setting the clipboard with the list down, and put a smile on my face before walking out from the back. The smile from my face drops when I realize it's my uncle. Aww shit. Nothing good ever happens when he shows up.

"I need you to be out of the house by the end of the week," he says impassively. I scoff. Jesus, he can't be serious. Showing up out of nowhere and demanding that I move out of the place that I live by the end of the week. It's Wednesday for God's sake. And come on, he doesn't even say hello?

"What?" I say with a laugh.

Adam sighs and takes a step forward. He pulls his wallet out of his pocket and takes out two 100 dollar bills. He sets them on the counter and pushes them towards me.

"Here. I'm selling the house, because I need the money. Be out by Saturday." He turns around and leaves the shop just as quickly as he entered.

My jaw drops and I gape at the now closed door. What the fuck just happened?