A New Light

~^1^~

The months rolled by, and with every second that I spent at home, the worse my mother got, meaning the worse I got. At one point I snapped. If anyone came into my bedroom, they would see the bottles of cheap beer, the trashed floor. No one bothered to do anything, even my father gave up.

When the woman who gave birth to me left with my sister, my father and I were in a dark place. We barely spoke, and when we did it would be to tell me that food was ready, or he was going out.
He started calling me by my preferred name, hoping that it would help my situation. And it did, slightly.

I was laying on my bed, wondering if I would just continue to live out my life in this hell hole when my father walked in.

"Corey, how are you?" he asked.
I grunted, shrugging my shoulders. "Just eh."
"Well, you're moving to a boarding school a few towns over. I have no more options and you need to get your act together!"

My eyes almost fell out of their sockets as I stood up. "Dad, why?!"
"You aren't yourself! I miss the happy you!"
I sighed and nodded my head, not wanting to fight the man. "Fine, when are we leaving?"
"In two days, so clean up your room, clean yourself, put your clothes in the wash and pack. I'll give you money for school supplies. When you come back at the holidays, I expect you to be sober."
I rolled my eyes. "Okay."
Dad smiled and kissed my forehead. "Clean. Once that's done, I'll give you the cash."
I quickly got to work, my thin and tired arms moving as fast as I could. All of the trash that I held in my bedroom was in a bin outside my door and my clothes sat in front of the washing machine. I could understand why Dad was sending me to a Boarding School for my last year's of school, as I was a fucking mess.

With my suitcase packed, new clothes on and a clean body I went downstairs and Dad gave me what I needed. "Be back in two hours maximum, okay?"
I nodded and smiled, slipping the money into my front pocket.

"Callie?" Bailey was also shopping at the stationary store when I was picking out books.
"Corey." I corrected. "And yeah."
"Last time I saw you, you were drunk as fuck."
I sighed and looked at the floor. "Yeah.. I'm moving a few towns over to finish school."
She smiled sadly at me. "I'll miss you."

With our goodbyes said, I took all the supplies I needed. It was an expensive trip, but it was worth it. With a small amount of cash left, I went to the nearest K-Mart to get myself some clothes and a new book. The Nowhere Child.

"Dad! I'm home!" I called out, after returning home from the small shopping trip.
He appeared in the hallway and hugged me tightly. "Hey, Cor!"
I rolled my eyes, a grin still on my face.
"Dinner is almost ready so how about you go and pick out a movie for us to watch tonight?" he smiled back at me.
I nodded eagerly and ran upstairs to put my shopping bags near my suitcase. I'd sort them out tomorrow.