If this is Life, then what's Hell?

Getting Back and into Trouble

Chapter #1

Getting back and into Trouble

Everything seemed to go, well, harsh on me to say the least. After our rescue people surrounded us, saying things like, "How was it?" and "Your lucky to be alive". Why do they bother so much? But actually, I think we're just... lucky. Period and plain. I think that we were lucky to drift off to an island while uconscience, lucky to find Mary Ann, just... plain... lucky.

Mary Ann was the best house-host I ever met, and I'm glad. I mean, sure, she forgot a lot, stared into space, and kept saying, things like "they'll find me, they always did... especially now", but she was like an extra grandma. A grandma that was slowly growing crazy.

Nick... well, he didn't change. Not as far as I know. And I didn't find any else than the plain truth, the truth that I always doubted, which is "Nick really does love me. He always did." How could i miss that? It took me a lot to see that, even a near death experience to be sure. It took, being in a ship wreck, getting stuck on an island, and Nick risking his life just to save mine to see. To not be blinded anymore. To actually know. To stop doubting.

As I was on the door step of my house, I got an other fuzzy flashback. Those hated, unwanted flashbacks. I remember this one clearly, I was getting home from school, before I knew my parents were addicted. I was 6 then.

**Includes thoughts that were thought then**

"I'm home Mommy!" I can't wait until I show my Mommy what I won in school! Too bad daddy is at work.

"Sit down!" I wonder what Mommy wants? She doesn't sound very happy...

"What is it Momm-"

"Gracie, be quiet, my head hurts." Why is mommy talking like that?

"Mommy, are you sick?"

"Yes, I'm sick of you!" Sick of me? What did I do?

"Mommy? What- ahhhhhh!" Why did my mommy hit me? Why does she all of a sudden start to hate me?

**End of flashback**

I gasped in air in shaky breaths, like being brought back in time left me out of oxygen. As I clamped my left hand on the door handle, I could feel my heart race forward.No stoping now, I thought. As I opened the creaky door slowly, a powerful aroma of cigarettes and liquor mixed in one hit me, and the familiar nausia filled my throat and mouth. I tried to hold in my breath, but it still seaped in.

My parents, like usual, couldn't care less. Not even that I almost died. Not even that this house stinks like shit. No offence. When I opened the door fully, I could see that my mom was drinking her daily, and dad was smoking his usual. They both turned to the sound of the door open, and turned right back. Wow, really feeling the love now. Not even a "hi". Not even an "I'm glad your home" or "I'm glad you didn't get ripped up by a puma." You know, they weren't always like that. One day they both went to parties, my mom brought home ciggarettes and my dad brought home liquor. They ended up loving each-others things that they got addicted. Sad, isn't? I went up the stair case to my room, and then I thought, 'WHAT am I doing here? Why aren't I with Nick?' So, I dropped my stuff right where I was and, striding causally down the stairs and across the hall, I confronted my parents. I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. And damn, that was hard!

"Since I'm almost a legal adult, I think that I have the right to move in with Nick." I tried to sound casual, like this happened every day in an ordinary home. Then again, this was no ordinary home. This was a house full of addicts, one of smoking, another of drinking, and the last one of love.