Behind This Smile

I was bored out of my mind. There was nothing on TV and there was nothing to do. My dad was at Wal - Mart once again and my sister was at the mall. So I had the house all to myself.

This time I didn’t worry because it was only four thirty, meaning it was still light outside. I thought about getting up and doing my homework, but I wasn’t that bored. And I didn’t want to get up.

I put my hair in a ponytail, then took it, repeating the process. It was fun until my head started to hurt. So I stopped.

I got up to go get a Dr. Pepper. The house was way too quiet. Right now, I wished Nicola was home so we could be yelling at each other. That, at least, would keep me busy.

Yelling at Nicola reminded me so much of yelling at Mom. Mom’s eyes sometimes held fire in them if she was really mad. Just like Nicola. Mom was always cussing at me if we were yelling. I’d cuss back, which got me in trouble with my dad.

I rolled my eyes. My mom’s dead now. What does it matter? The only thing that does matter is how she managed to live her whole life without telling me she loved me. That’s it. Other then that, I say fuck it.

I grabbed my Dr. Pepper and closed the refrigerator. I was beginning to sit back down on the couch when the doorbell rang. I jumped, making me drop my, thankfully, unopened soda can.

“Who the hell is it?” I yelled.

“Mikey, Frank, Ray, and Gerard,” Mikey said from the other side of the front door.

I groaned and got up to open the door. “What do you guys want?” I asked when the door was open.

“We were bored,” Ray answered. “Shoot us for being bored. God!” He smiled and gave me a hug. “What’s up Sydri?” He didn’t let me answer, but he did walk into my house.

“Please, just make yourself at home.” I muttered.

Frank smiled at me. “Can we please come in your house, Sydri?”

“Sure. Why not?”

Mikey, Frank, and Gerard walked in and I went to the fridge to get them all Dr. Peppers. When I came back, though, Mikey already had a Dr. Pepper.

“Mikey?” I asked cautiously. “Where’d you get that Dr. Pepper?”

“I found it on the floor.” When he started to open it, I backed away, knowing exactly what was going to happen.

Once the Dr. Pepper can was opened, it started to fizz out just like any soda would when it has been dropped or shaken. Being Mikey, he flipped out and threw the soda can, which made all the coke fly out as it hit Gerard in the face. Gerard had a shocked look and threw the soda can back at Mikey.

I put down all Dr. Pepper cans, but one. I shook it and opened it, having it practically explode. I threw my can at Frank who grabbed his own Dr. Pepper can and did the same as I did with mine and threw his at me.

Soon, all of us were in a huge Dr. Pepper war. I was extremely sticky, but I’m sure everyone else was, too. I thanked the Lord my floor was tile instead of carpet.

Everyone’s laughs and screams echoed in the house. So did the clinking of the almost empty soda cans as they hit the floor. Every once in a while, someone would run to the fridge and get more Dr. Peppers to throw.

But sadly, we ran out of Dr. Peppers. All we had left were empty soda cans and a sticky tile floor. Not to mention sticky people. Everyone’s hair was sticking to their faces and we couldn’t really touch anything because we were so sticky.

I began picking up the soda cans, with Gerard helping. “That was fun,” he laughed.

I smiled. “It was.”

I threw all the cans I had away. Gerard, on the other hand, was having some problems. He was trying to throw one soda can away, but, and you’ll never believe this, it was like a piece of tape. It was sticking to his hand and it wouldn’t get off.

“What the fuck?” He just rolled his eyes and used the other hand to put it in the trash can. “Motherfucking…” He sighed and laughed. “God, I’m pathetic.”

I laughed, too, and grabbed a wash rag. I put it under warm water and started to clean the tile until I heard the door open. I glanced at the clock. It was only five twenty-eight. My dad shouldn’t be home yet.

He walked in, smiling. “Hey, Gerard, Mikey, Frank. Other kid whose name I do not know.”

“Ray,” he told my dad.

“Ray. Okay.” My dad walked into the living room. His shoes made a noise when he got to the part where pretty much everything was sticky. “Why is it sticky?” My dad asked, not in the most pleasant tone.

“I… Um… We were having…”

“A Dr. Pepper war,” Gerard finished for me.

My dad’s eyes noticeably darkened. “Boys, I think you should go on home.” I furrowed my eyebrows. What the hell?

Gerard nodded. “Okay. Nice seeing you, Mr. McKinley.” He nodded towards my dad and glanced at me. I shrugged my shoulders, but smiled.

When they were gone, my dad seemingly glared at me. I pretended not to notice it and started scrubbing the floor.

“What were you thinking?” he roared. “A Dr. Pepper war?” I flinched. My dad doesn’t yell. He never yells.

“Dad, I-”

“Do you really think I need this?!” he shouted, his face turning red. He was shaking visibly.

“Dad-”

“Why didn’t you go outside?!” He started slamming his fist on tables, counters, everything that hopefully wouldn’t break.

“Dad, I’m sor-”

“Goddammit, Sydri! Just… Just shut up!” I was shocked. I’ve never, ever heard my dad cuss.

“Dad, I’m sorry. I wasn’t-”

Before I knew it, I was against the wall. I had stopped breathing and my dad had his hand wrapped tight around my throat. A sob began building up.

“I told you to… shut up.” He released his grip, and I fell to my knees, sobbing. “Get out,” my dad commanded. Why the hell was he acting like this? What the fuck was wrong? “Come back when you know how to behave.”

I quickly got up to my feet. I ran to the door, stumbling a little. I quickly opened the door and ran outside. The sun was just setting, making the sky a beautiful pink and purple color.

I fell down in our dry, brown, prickly grass, sobbing. My stomach was starting to hurt, and I started hiccupping in between each sob.

A shadow soon overcast me, and at the moment, I didn’t care if it was some psychopath who wanted to kill me. At the moment, I wanted someone to kill me.

But whoever the psychopath was, helped me sit up straight. Comforting “shh”s were being whispered in my ear, and I stopped sobbing. I did, although, continue hiccupping and I was crying silently.

“I heard everything.” It was Gerard. How many times was he going to have to do this?

“What do you mean you heard everything?” I whispered.

“I heard him yelling at you. I heard the huge bang when he pushed you against the wall.” I started sobbing again.

“I-I don’t know w-why he did that,” I sobbed, hiccupping a few times.

Gerard hugged me tighter. “Sydri, I’m sure he has a good reason.”

I sighed and rested my head on Gerard’s shoulder. “I sure as hell hope so.”

--

It had to be at least eight o’clock when I came in. Honestly, I was kind of surprised when the door was unlocked. I closed the door softly, just in case my dad was sleeping.

“Sydri,” my dad whispered, causing me to jump.

“Yes?” I turned around, but I didn’t look at my dad.

“God, Sydri, I am so sorry.” My dad immediately pulled me into a hug, which I felt like I was getting one too many. “I just lost my temper. I had no right to yell at you like that and I am so very sorry.”

I felt like I was about to cry again. “What is wrong dad? Why are you acting so strange?””

“Sydri, it’s nothing,” he said tiredly.

“Dad, it is something and it’s freaking me out. Okay? I’m scared.”

He let me go. “Trust me, I’m scared, too.”