Breaking Down the Unbreakable

"Riley! Wake up! You are going to be late for school." My grandfather pulled my nice warm cover off of my small body. How could he not realize what a wonderful dream he'd just destroyed?
"Papa, I don't want to go. I don't feel good." I rolled over and covered my head with one of my many pillows. I heard the blinds open and soon felt a slap on my butt, making me jump.
"You're going." He was always that kind of grandfather. Never letting me do things the easy way. "I know things are hard for you, but the more you sit around and mope, the harder it will be for you to get back to life."
"Papa, my life sucks. I don't want to get back to it." I grabbed for the blanket in his hands only to fall on my face on the carpet in front of him.
"Hija, your life does not suck!" Our family wasn't Spanish at all, but My grandfather toured Spain for years before he settled down, and he's in love with the Spanish language. He pulled me up by the arm. "And look, now you're out of bed, so you might as well get ready."
He shoved me into my bathroom with a smile and a wave and shut the door. Sighing I started the shower. I knew he'd be waiting behind the door until he was sure I was in the shower.
"This isn't over Papa!" I yelled before hopping under the hot water. I heard him chuckle as he walked away.
I took my time in the shower. I was in no hurry to get to my new school. Especially not in the middle of 2nd semester my senior year. This was going to suck! No matter what Grandpa said.
After about a half hour, I slinked out of the shower and wrapped myself in a fluffy green towel. I swabbed the mirror free of steam so as to make myself presentable.
My long black hair fell to the middle of my back. My soft green eyes revealed everything about me. I grabbed a brush and a blow drier and made it shine. And after applying some lotion to my olive skin, I reentered my bedroom to put on something comfortable.
I grabbed a pair of straight legged jeans and a green tank top. I threw them on before looking around for my favorite hoodie I stole from my older brother. I found the black Jack Skellington sweatshirt and threw it over my head as my Grandfather came back in.
"See. That wasn't so bad." He scrutinized my outfit. "Don't you have something a little nicer? You want to make a good impression."
"Papa! You should be glad I'm getting dressed for school at all!" I glared at him looking around for my shoes. I'd only been here a week and I'd lost my favorite converse in the maze of boxes and suitcases around the floor.
"Very true. I don't want you to get that kind of attention, but Hija, you're going to have to attend this school for a few months, don't you want to make a good impression?" I popped up behind a pile of boxes with my shoes in hand. Now I needed some socks. Which Suitcase did I put my socks in again?
"Papa, I don't care what they think of me. I've dressed like this every other place we've been, and like you said, it's only a few months." I scavenged through my suitcases before finding my pile of black socks in the last one left. "Look. I'm going, alright? If they don't like how I dress, more reason for me to stay away from the school."
I yanked the socks on before I pulled my shoes over my feet and tied up the laces. I found an old green backpack and threw in my binder and my personal notebook along with some pens and my charcoal pencils.
"Hija, I know. I'm just hoping this place might be able to someday be your home." He smiled a sad smile.
"Papa." I walked up and gave him a hug, feeling his arms wrap around me. "You're my home. You're my everything. I know you want to find something special, but I just don't think I'll ever find that. So you find your somewhere special, because you are my somewhere special."
"Oh, Hija." He kissed the top of my head before pushing me to arms length and looking down at me. "How about breakfast before school? I'll make potato pancakes."
I smiled laughing a bit. He knew exactly how to get to me, which is why I didn't fight nearly as hard as I wanted to about the school thing. I didn't want to enter another school and be looked at and pitied and ignored all within the course of the first hour.
I wasn't sure I could handle it, but I had to try. If not for me, then for Papa. Like I said, he was my everything.
"Hey Papa, where's Avery?" My 16-year-old brother had been mysteriously absent since I woke up.
"He's at school already. He wanted to make a good impression since he'll be at that school for a while."
"Just as long as I don't have to make sure he's alive I'm good."
"He takes after you, you know." He raised his eyebrow flipping a pancake over. "The whole I'm-too-tough-for-anyone's-help thing."
"Papa, he didn't get anything from me. That's something he got from dad."
After some of Grandpa's famous potato pancakes, I slid into his Toyota truck and he drove me off to Robinson High School. My new school. I was so excited. And to top it off, I was an hour late.
Though I was not complaining. At least not about being late. I was complaining more about the fact I was being driven to school by my grandpa. Oh well. That's my life. One embarrassing thing after another.