Beautiful Disaster

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

We had to move on with our lives. No matter how difficult it got we had to stick together and get through it together, even though it was the complete opposite to what we had been doing over the past two months. Mam would stay in bed until late afternoon and when she finally dragged herself out of bed she looked worse than the undead, the glimmering sparkle in her eyes had vanished and her glowing skin was dull and pale. We had been left to make sure the house didn't fall apart, that dinner was on the table every evening and that lunch was ready for everyone every day, and by us I meant me. Mam had let herself fall apart so much that even decided to stay in her pajamas most days refusing to answer the door to anyone. That's when enough was enough.

On March 2nd, we decided an intervention was in order. Our family had been ripped apart by a slim, air headed secretary that was even stupider than we had initially believed.

"What are we going to do?" I asked curiously one evening as we all sat around the table eating our pizza and chips.

"I'm not to sure yet but we need to think of something fast. We can't keep going on like this. It isn't fair on any of us".

The truth hurts, and what hurt even worse was being lied to. Dad hadn't been in contact ever since the day he left. I tried calling his mobile and the local motel he had been staying in but they always told me there were no residents there by his name. So I had to dig deeper and find out why he was still lying to us after everything he had done to ruin our family. However what concerned me the most was college.

Mam had informed us that dad threw all of our college savings on his mistress and I wasn't a trust fund baby. Even though I had a part time job working as a waitress I only received minimum wage and college was expensive.

Monday arrived quicker than expected and before I could even enjoy myself I was walking down the dull, ice cold corridors every teenager fears most.

The corridor was packed with all the different cliques greeting each other with big hugs and screams of joy as if they hadn't seen each other in years even though it had only been a weekend. I could never understand these people.

I hastily walked to my old beaten grey locker and tried to pry it open with my pale petite fingers. Every year I was unfortunate enough to get stuck with a shit locker that had to be opened with extreme force. I latched onto the old stubborn door and placed my dirty black converse on the edge of the locker in an attempt to open it. That didn't work either.

"Do you want me to help you with that" A deep, husky voice asked from behind me.

"Jesus! You gave me a heart attack! Don't do that again" I turned around rapidly and slammed against the locker with my hand on my chest feeling my heart beat increasing faster than usual.

"No pumpkin I'm not Jesus, I'm just Ryland".

I looked up to meet his mesmerizing grey eyes. Ryland McAdams was the towns bad boy. Everyone knew who he was because he was always getting into trouble both with the school and with the law. He had been suspended so much that I lost count after first year, the only thing keeping him from being expelled was his father. Mr. McAdams was the highest paying investor in Hillview Heights. Every year he would donate thousands of euro to our school and if Ryland were to be expelled all that money would stop. I still wonder where all that money goes considering the school still looks ancient.

"No, not Jesus. You're quite the opposite actually. Now if you don't mind I need to open this stupid locker" I snapped crossing my arms and turning my back to him.

Ryland reached over my shoulder his aggressive black tiger tattoo on full display as he grabbed the handle to my locker and pulled it open with ease. He was a six foot four
man, it wasn't that big a deal that he had the strength to open a locker.

"Thanks" I grunted reaching into my shamefully unorganized locker and grabbed my books for my next classes. I could still feel his unruly presence behind me but I decided to ignore him as I slammed my locker door closed and rushed down the corridor.

I hoped I could outrun him but obviously I was wrong. I could hear his footsteps trailing behind me like a lost puppy only the devil instead of a cute puppy, in the fifteen years we had known each other he had never even acknowledged my existence so what could have changed? I looked the exact same as I had the week before so what could have changed his small little mind?

"Where are you running to? What are you so afraid of?" he called running down the long old corridor.

"Why is it that you want to talk to me? I guarantee you don't even know my name!" I claimed turning to face him hastily. If he didn't have quick reflexes he would have crashed right into me.

"Of course I know you're name. It's Nellie right?" he smirked leaning against the newly painted cream walls. He gave off your typical bad boy vibe, messy brown hair that fell just above his mesmerizing grey eyes, that perfectly sculpted jawline that made girls weak at the knees and of course the shredded dark denim jeans and worn black leather jacket.

"I have to go, unlike some I actually value my education. Now if you'll excuse me" I smiled turning on my heels and walking away from him. I pushed my glasses up my small dainty nose and made my way to my next class, I could feel his burning gaze on me as I continued to stroll down the corridor onto my next class.

The rest of the day dragged on as I had expected, each class was as dull as the last and I couldn't wait to hear the final bell chime so I could grab my books and dash out the dirty old steel doors into freedom. Even though I would only be free a few hours before I'd have to repeat the process again the following day.

Last class had finally arrived and I could feel the small amount of joy fill up in my stomach as I made my way to the last hour of torment before I could run out the doors and head home and fill my stomach with some actual food. Canteen food isn't real food, it can't be it looks like they put it in a blender and slopped in on a plate for us to eat as if we were wild animals. I'd rather starve than eat it.

When I arrived to physics Mr. Olsen hadn't arrived so I slipped down to the back and mounted myself onto the uncomfortable high wooden stools. The bolts that kept the seat and the black steel legs together stuck up out of the seat and made them even more uncomfortable that expected. I rested my chin on my grey over sized wool cardigan and processed everything that had happened that day. As I slipped away into my daydreams I heard a tap on the glass window opposite my desk. I looked up dazed gazing around to find the culprit who had sabotaged my daydreams to catch Ryland tapping on the glass beckoning me to come out to him.

What could he possibly want now?