In the Open

"Stop being a freak, and get in the car."

I tug nervously at my sleeves as I exit the school building, searching for any sign of where Nick's car is located. After five minutes of useless searching, I lean my back against the wall, hoping that he'll see me whenever he gets out here.

I pull out my phone and stick my headphones in my ears. Leaning my head against the wall as well, I close my eyes and soak up the sunlight that's blissfully shining down on me.

"Stop being a freak, and get in the car."

My eyes snap open at the voice, only to see a black mustang parked in front of me, with Nick sitting impatiently in the driver's seat.

"You are such a gentleman." I roll my eyes and circle his car, carefully sliding into the passenger seat and buckling up.

"Are you always so sarcastic?" He asks, speeding out of the lot.

"I prefer the term verbally ironic," I say to him as he increases in speed, "And do you always drive twenty miles over the speed limit?"

"I'm only going fifteen over. Where's your house?" He asks, slowing down slightly when we come to a hill.

"Just take a right up here." I say, pointing to the road.

"So, what's your name?" He asks, taking a right.

"Wouldn't you like to know," I say, and we drive silently for a few minutes before we come to another road, "A left here."

Ten minutes later and we're parked in my driveway, right behind my sister's Sedan. Dad is currently washing it for the third time this week. I roll my eyes and start walking up to the front door. However, his reprimanding and accusatory voice stops me.

"What have I told you? You have to park at least five feet away from your sister's car. Unless you want to ruin it. Do you want to ruin it?" He doesn't look up from what he's doing, but he obviously hasn't seen Nick, otherwise he clearly wouldn't be scolding me so freely.

"Sorry dad, I swear it won't happen again. I wasn't trying to ruin it." I reassure, hoping that I prevent him from openly insulting me whilst Nick stands a mere three feet away.

"You better not have been." He says, not saying anything else as he continues washing the car. I tread up the sidewalk and go inside, feeling Nick's gaze on me while doing so.

There's a pressure on my chest that appears every time I engage in a conversation with either of my parents. Without Amelia, my dad just treats me like scum, while mom just ignores my existence unless she's scolding me for something.

Luckily, I don't run into her as I lead Nick to my room. Opening my door, I breathe a sigh of relief once I see that there's nothing out of place for him to observe or mock me for.

"Okay, so here's my idea. I'll play the Jewish part of a woman who's getting taken from her home, and you can play the German part that's escorting me to the camp. Sound like a plan?" I ask, sitting at my desk as he hovers in my doorway for a second before entering the room.

His eyes scan the extent of my small bedroom, taking notice of the picture frames hanging from my otherwise bland walls.

"Those aren't you." He inquires, looking over at me. His assumption was head-on. Mom and dad didn't really take pictures of my accomplishments; only Amelia's. There's only two out of ten pictures that are of me, and those were taken by Alyssa.

In one of them, I'm wearing my dance uniform, and she caught me mid-jump on stage. The other is of me playing the piano. I was sitting on the shiny black stool, my hair pinned up in a professional bun, and my body was enveloped in a very conservative, navy blue dress.