The Coldest Winter.

3.

    The bell had rang for the ending of the school day. My chest heaved at the sound, knowing what I was going home to face. Bullshit.
I cringed at the fact school couldn't last longer, I wanted to be anywhere but that prison cell of a home. I shrugged my shoulders feeling defeated and climbed on the school bus.
     The bus ride was smoothe, and quiet. As I had nobody to really talk to, I just rode it all the way to my destination in silence. My stop was about a block away and I gathered my belongings as the bus made its slow steady halt. I got off, seeing the apartment building in the distance. What if I just didn't come back at all? What if I just stayed on the street? Would anybody look for me? Would anybody in there even really give two shits? I let my thoughts take over my mind as I walked slowly towards my place of residence. I then noticed the door was open, and the screen door stood it in its place. I yanked on the door to try to come inside. Locked. Well, somebody must be in there if the damn door is wide open. Screen door or not.
I called out "hello?" Into the door to see would anybody come open the door and let me in. Nothing.
I rang the doorbell, and still no one came. Fed up from waiting in the freezing damn cold, I knocked on the screen door with all my might. The shit I have to go through.
"Who the fuck is that on my damn porch?!" Shouted the wicked old witch, herself.
I let out a long sigh. "It's me."
"And who the fuck is me?"
"Isaiah."
"Oh, come on in this house boy."
"I can't, it's locked."
Dumbass.
"Oh yeah." She said as she took her sweet precious time coming to open the door for me.
"It's not too cold outside today, right?" She said sarcastically. She knew how to get under my skin. Most of the time I paid her no mind, but some days I had time.
"Stand outside for 15 minutes and see for yourself." I shot back.
"You gettin' smart wit me, nigga?" She said raising her hand up.
"No." I muttered quietly under my breath.
"No what?" She said, hand still raised high.
"No ma'am." I said with clenched teeth.
"That's what the hell I thought. Go do your homework in the kitchen and I don't wanna see you again until I say so."
I gathered my book bag, and went into the kitchen. The way her kitchen was set up, it had a long curtain divider where you could block off anybody from going in the kitchen if she didn't want you in there. She said it was for "company reasons", but after my homework was done I would end up spending the remainder of my nights in there. Alone. Secluded. Forgotten about. Until It was time to go to sleep, by that time everybody had already ate whatever was ordered, said their good nights and parted ways. I was mostly left with table scraps or whatever I could find when I quietly snuck into the fridge.
    I saw that everybody was asleep and slowly made my way to my little pallet on the hard marbled floor. Along with my makeshift pillow, I snuggled up under the covers and fell fast asleep. Being isolated makes you pretty damn tired..