A Lot Can Happen In A Year // parkner

3

Chapter 3 

The alarm clock blinks and rings about five times before Harley wakes up and turns it off. It's a routine now and for some reason he can't ever come out of it. 

He looks around the room, thinking there would be stacked up inventions or paper flying around the room, but there isn't. He's in New York, not Tennessee. His sister isn't sleeping in the room beside him, his mom isn't hungover in the living room. It's all different now. 

He thinks he's just being dramatic, but it hurts him, knowing that he left his family in Tennessee just so he could earn a few more dollars than usual. But you'd get fired if you didn't accept the offer. 

"Stop being torn up about it," he says to himself in third person. 

Making his way towards the room his sister usually would be in if he was in Tennessee, he realises that she's not there. None of his family are. He's alone, and they're going to abandon him. They're going to think he's abandoning them. 

Shaking his head, he reached for his phone and called Abby like he usually does every morning, every break, every lunch, every dinner, when he does his homework. You would think he's overprotective, but the constant calling isn't because of protectiveness. It's about the fact he needs to show them that he's not leaving ever. Everyday he's been calling her as much as she can, everyday since three days ago. 

"Did you receive the money?" He asks after saying his greetings and good morning. 

"Yes," Abby says in a nonchalant way, but secretly, she's annoyed. She's annoyed at the fact he's enabling their mom's addiction to alcohol. He's enabling Abby to buy whatever she wants as long as it's useful. She tries her hardest not to comment. She knows he's trying his best and he raised her practically on his own, but he's still enabling an addiction. 

"How do you take care of ma?" 

"I make some miso soup which is in the cabinet. Can you take care of breakfast by yourself?" He asks in a genuinely concerned way, but he knows she can, he just needs her to know he won't leave. 

"Okay thanks, and yes I can," Abby sighs into the phone. Harley is away, she reminds herself over and over again. At one point she could hardly breathe and she felt like crying. She's not clingy per se, she's just scared of people leaving. Yet here they are, Harley left and she's alone now with her drunkard of a mother. She doesn't speak about her concerns though, because what if Harley leaves with all her secrets and concerns. 

After a few minutes of calling, he tells her that he'll be calling her as much as he could. Slowly, Abby felt a smile latch itself into her face. She felt a little heart clench knowing that Harley won't leave, at least for now. She knows that, but her heart tells her different and she knows that her small little happiness will disappear within seconds. The happiness fades into sadness as she grabs the miso soup from the cabinet, looking over to her ma that's on the couch, drunk and almost starving. 

Harley turns a blind eye to the faults in all his decisions, and gets ready for his first day at school. Practising his cold facial expressions before going through his wardrobe and picking out his most generic outfit. 

As Harley walks himself to school, Google maps and music playing in his ears. He imagines and envisions his time at school. He'll be ignored, he'll be cold, he won't make any friends, everything will go to plan, he'll call Abby all the time, send them money for what they want and fees, then he'll go home after the year and get a better job. 

At least that what he thinks will happen when he pushes open the gates to Midtown High.