Status: Hiatus.
Johnny and Rhea
Chapter One
"But, Mom, why?" I threw a Pirates of the Caribbean shirt into my suitcase.
"Rhea, love, don't start," she said. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "And it's Mum, not Mom."
"Well, listen MUM," I exclaimed. I felt my face grow red as it always did when I got over-excited. "I can't help that I was born in America, not London. I can't help that we don't have damn tea time. I can't help that my mom's a damn crack-whore and that my dad's a damned, good for nothing drunk!!" I was screaming at the top of my lungs with tears streaming down my face.
"Don't say damn!"she screamed.
"Damn, damn, damning-DAMN!!!!!" I screamed back. For a moment, we just stood there, glaring at each other and breathing heavily. Then I was hugging my mother tightly, and didn't want to let go.
"I'm so sorry, pet," she sobbed. "But it's for the best."
That was a month ago, when she went back to England. When I thought I was going with her. But Llyan left me behind, like all of her perfumes and lotions, which I took for myself, putting them in a box with whatever else I could find of hers. I was still living with my father, Rhett.
It felt like I was reliving that day, in a way. My Social Studies teacher was taking us on a field trip. Since I was in the seventh grade, Social Studies was South Carolina history. For the field trip, we were going to be visiting an old plantation that was supposedly haunted. We would be staying at a nearby motel. The trip would last the whole week, or five days.
I did not want to go. But it was the only escape from Rhett. Every night after Llyan left, he had been outraged and drunk. And every night he took it out on me. Before Llyan left, he wouldn't dare lay a finger on me. ' Nothing is scarier than an angry British woman,' he had once told me. He was right. Llyan angry was the most frightening thing I had ever seen in my whole life.
I was in my room again, packing my suitcase for the trip. Along with clothes and toiletries, I had packed my iPod, my biography on Johnny Depp (my most favorite actor ever!!!), and two notebooks. One was halfway filled with a story, and the other I was going to use as a journal.
I looked at myself in the mirror. I had inherited Llyan's white blond hair, which hung down past my shoulders. A fringe of bangs hung don to my nose, which I usually swept to the side. As an act of rebellion, I had gotten the ends of my hair dyed green. Rhett hated it, but Llyan loved it. My eyes were my favorite characteristic. They're a chocolate brown, ranging from milk to dark. They weren't huge, but it's what people notice about me first. Model's eyes, Llyan had said.
I stuffed a pair of Vans and some fingernail polish into my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I took a deep breath and tried NOT to start hyperventilating. This would be my first time out of the house since Llyan left. Rhett had been keeping a close eye on me, not letting me get too far or away.
"Rhea Diana!" yelled Rhett.
I gasped, then regulated my breathing. The school bus had probably just pulled up in front of the house, I reasoned with myself. Don't be afraid. Besides, Ichey will probably be there. I smiled at the tought of my friend, Ichabod Nichols Crane. He was picture that matched these words: tall, gangly, Irish, red haired. He understands what it's like to be alone.
"RHEA!!!" I ran to the living room, where Rhett was watching football and drinking beer.
He glared at me when I entered the room. "What the hell is THAT doing here?!?!" He pointed toward the awaiting school bus outside. I quickly made up a lie.
"It's a mandatory field trip to the museum, sir."
"Is is it free?" He belched and threw the empty beer can onto the increasing pile next to his chair.
"Yes, sir."
He eyed my bag suspiciously. "What's that for?" I looked out the window and saw Ichabod's red hair bobbing in the sea of heads. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, girl!" said Rhett. I focused my attention on him.
"I said, what's that bag for!!!" I needed to hurry out of there before he got violent and my palms began to sweat as that thought entered my head.
"It's an overnight thing, sir," I said quickly. "The trip is five days long and we"ll be staying at a motel."
"No boys?"
"Not in the same room, no sir." My face started to heat up.
"Fine. Go on and get the hell outta my sight!!!"
I burst out the door and sprinted toward the bus to make my getaway.
"Rhea, love, don't start," she said. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "And it's Mum, not Mom."
"Well, listen MUM," I exclaimed. I felt my face grow red as it always did when I got over-excited. "I can't help that I was born in America, not London. I can't help that we don't have damn tea time. I can't help that my mom's a damn crack-whore and that my dad's a damned, good for nothing drunk!!" I was screaming at the top of my lungs with tears streaming down my face.
"Don't say damn!"she screamed.
"Damn, damn, damning-DAMN!!!!!" I screamed back. For a moment, we just stood there, glaring at each other and breathing heavily. Then I was hugging my mother tightly, and didn't want to let go.
"I'm so sorry, pet," she sobbed. "But it's for the best."
That was a month ago, when she went back to England. When I thought I was going with her. But Llyan left me behind, like all of her perfumes and lotions, which I took for myself, putting them in a box with whatever else I could find of hers. I was still living with my father, Rhett.
It felt like I was reliving that day, in a way. My Social Studies teacher was taking us on a field trip. Since I was in the seventh grade, Social Studies was South Carolina history. For the field trip, we were going to be visiting an old plantation that was supposedly haunted. We would be staying at a nearby motel. The trip would last the whole week, or five days.
I did not want to go. But it was the only escape from Rhett. Every night after Llyan left, he had been outraged and drunk. And every night he took it out on me. Before Llyan left, he wouldn't dare lay a finger on me. ' Nothing is scarier than an angry British woman,' he had once told me. He was right. Llyan angry was the most frightening thing I had ever seen in my whole life.
I was in my room again, packing my suitcase for the trip. Along with clothes and toiletries, I had packed my iPod, my biography on Johnny Depp (my most favorite actor ever!!!), and two notebooks. One was halfway filled with a story, and the other I was going to use as a journal.
I looked at myself in the mirror. I had inherited Llyan's white blond hair, which hung down past my shoulders. A fringe of bangs hung don to my nose, which I usually swept to the side. As an act of rebellion, I had gotten the ends of my hair dyed green. Rhett hated it, but Llyan loved it. My eyes were my favorite characteristic. They're a chocolate brown, ranging from milk to dark. They weren't huge, but it's what people notice about me first. Model's eyes, Llyan had said.
I stuffed a pair of Vans and some fingernail polish into my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I took a deep breath and tried NOT to start hyperventilating. This would be my first time out of the house since Llyan left. Rhett had been keeping a close eye on me, not letting me get too far or away.
"Rhea Diana!" yelled Rhett.
I gasped, then regulated my breathing. The school bus had probably just pulled up in front of the house, I reasoned with myself. Don't be afraid. Besides, Ichey will probably be there. I smiled at the tought of my friend, Ichabod Nichols Crane. He was picture that matched these words: tall, gangly, Irish, red haired. He understands what it's like to be alone.
"RHEA!!!" I ran to the living room, where Rhett was watching football and drinking beer.
He glared at me when I entered the room. "What the hell is THAT doing here?!?!" He pointed toward the awaiting school bus outside. I quickly made up a lie.
"It's a mandatory field trip to the museum, sir."
"Is is it free?" He belched and threw the empty beer can onto the increasing pile next to his chair.
"Yes, sir."
He eyed my bag suspiciously. "What's that for?" I looked out the window and saw Ichabod's red hair bobbing in the sea of heads. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, girl!" said Rhett. I focused my attention on him.
"I said, what's that bag for!!!" I needed to hurry out of there before he got violent and my palms began to sweat as that thought entered my head.
"It's an overnight thing, sir," I said quickly. "The trip is five days long and we"ll be staying at a motel."
"No boys?"
"Not in the same room, no sir." My face started to heat up.
"Fine. Go on and get the hell outta my sight!!!"
I burst out the door and sprinted toward the bus to make my getaway.
♠ ♠ ♠
So, notice anything different yet?