When Will This End?

I looked up at Frank. He just stood there silently looking at the numbers on the elevator monitor decrease. We finally got to the first floor. He stepped out through the revolving doors in a hurry. I ran after him. He was a fast walker. When I finally got close enough to tug on his shirt he didn't stop.

"Frank! Frank stop!"

"Why?!"

"Where are you going?"

"Why do you care!"

He looked at me like he always did. Like I was some disgusting disfigured object that just bothered him. I looked up at him with a saddened expression.

"I don't know...I just. I just do I guess."

There was a silence. He then wiped away a stray tear that ran down his face. He must have thought I didn't notice because he hadn't looked at me.

"Frank...we can...talk...if you want, that is..."

"Just leave me alone...kay." Was all he said before he walked away.

I don't know what to think. For some reason I feel some type of connection with Frank. But at the same time I can't help but think that I'm still some type of vexation to him. I didn't have an idea what to do at the moment. I mean, I sure as hell didn't want to go back in that hospital. Things were just too hectic for me to deal with. So I decided to call Mom to tell her that I'd be heading home instead. I whipped out my old Samsung X460 and dialed my Mom's cell number. As the phone rang I remembered the day I got this phone. It was freshman year in high school and this was my Mom's old phone. I got this phone and Maddie got a new phone because she wouldn't stop nagging her father for the new motorola razor. So she ended up with the new phone and I didn't...but hey, I didn't mind.
Mom's phone ended up going to voicemail. I sighed as I listened to that annoying automatic voice.

"Please leave your message for 555-...."

"Mom it's me...I got tired so I decided to head home...kay...call me back when you get this message. "

The twenty minuet walk home sucked. Especially since my iPod died out. Just as I approached my front door my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and it read Mom. I answered.

"Ana!"

"Hi...did you get my message?"

"Yes. Why did you leave? How could you leave when your sister is in a situation like this!"

"I didn't know that I was supposed to stay."

"Are you with that Frank boy!?"

"No Mom. He left."

"Good! He is trouble Ana!"

"Mom... -"

"On the other and I need you to go pick up Emma. She's staying at the Ms. Rupert's house. So can you go pick her up ." She cut me off in more of a demand than a question.

I turned around away from the front door. "Yeah sure..."

"Okay bye." She said before she hung up.

I closed my phone and head towards Ms. Rupert's house. Ms. Rupert lived next door, so it wasn't much of a walk. Ms.Rupert was an elderly woman. She had never been married and annoyed the hell out of me. She always hated me and thought of Maddie as superior to me. Oh boy would she flip if I told her what little ol' Maddie had gotten herself into....but I shouldn't that would be wrong.
As I made my way further onto Ms. Rupert's property I stumbled on something and almost had fallen over. I collected myself and looked back over at what had almost tooken me down. It was a lawn nome... . That's another thing I can't stand about old women, like Ms. Rupert, they have worthless crap laying around everywhere just waiting to kill people! I shuck off my rising anger and made my way up Ms. Rupert's front stairs and rung the door bell. As I waited, I heard her cursing under her breath as she approached the door.
A cool breeze swept by and made me shiver a bit so I pulled my hood over my head. I waited awhile longer and then finally-

She swung it wide open and rudely said "What...?"

"Um, Ms. Rupert, it's Ana...I'm here to pick up my sister, Emma..."

"Oh yeah. Hold on."

She slammed the door in my face making me wait in the cold again. I heard her yell for Emma then in an instant the door opened again. Ms. Rupert handed Emma her sleeping bag and doll. Emma looked so sad...until she looked up at me. Her little mouth grew wide in a smile and she dropped everything and ran to me. I smiled and picked her as I hugged her tight.
Ms.Rupert then handed me Emma's belongings.

"Alright girls. Goodbye." She said just as she closed the door.

"Ana-?"

"Yesh Baby?" I asked her in my "goo goo" talk.

"I wanna go home."

I giggled "Don't worry. We're going home."

That night after I tucked Emma in I couldn't get a wink of sleep. Why did I feel like tomorrow would be worse?

Just as that thought stumbled across my mind, my alarm went off. I looked at the clock in disbelief...it was 6AM already! I just couldn't believe it.

"Ana...make it stop." I heard Emma cried from her room.

I reached over tiredly and shut off the alarm.
I really don't feel like getting up...but I have to.
I got my lazy ass up off my bed and I tried my best to stretch but I just didn't have the energy to do so. I sighed in defeat of my body's lack of ability to function properly at the moment. I walked out of my room and over to Emma's room to find her cuddled in her bed not wanting to get up.

"Emma? Baby come on. You have to get up. It's time for day care, Baby."

"Nooo! Ana! I don wanna go!" She whined as she turned over. "I wanna stay home with you..." She pleaded as she climbed into my lap.

I hugged her close. "I'm sorry Baby. I wish we could, but I have to go to school. And you can't stay home by yourself." I tried to reason with her.

She only gave me a puppy dog face.

"Where's Mommy and Daddy?"

"Their still with Maddie." I told her as I smoothed the hair on her head with my hand.

"Wha happened to Maddie, Annie?" she asked so innocently."

"Maddie...Maddie just. ...She isn;t feeling well at the moment Kiddo..." I could I explain this to a two year old?

"Is she okay Annie?"

"Yeah Baby, she's gonna be okay. Don't you worry." I told her as I gingerly kissed her forehead.

There was a bit of a silence.

"Please Ana... can I go to school with you" She said as she buried her little face into neck.

"I'm sorry baby....you can't."

She frowned.

After I finished getting Emma showered and clean, and myself as well, we both made our way out the door, each with a breakfast muffin in hand. I grabbed mom's car keys as I was closing the door. Emma was struggling to hold her muffin on account of it was almost as big as her tiny head.
I turned around to her, after I finished locking the door securely, and giggled at her watching her muffin in amazement.

"Ha! Ha! Come on Kiddo. Lets go!" I said as I picked her up and brought her to Mom's SUV.

I opened the back door and placed Emma in her car seat. After I safely fastened her seat belt I made my way to the drivers seat. I took a deep breath as I plunged the key in the ignition.