The Only Reason We Fall Down, Is to Find a Person That Will Lift Us Up Again
When Life closes a door
I was laying on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Constantly fighting those tears, as if daring them to fall, but as usual, I lost. They kept crawling on my cheeks making their way to my lips, getting mixed with the fresh blood emerging from the new cuts on it. I was aching, and I think I probably broke some bones this time.
I made my way to my desk, and got out my precious notebook. I opened to my list of life. Now, let me introduce you to this list which has successfully accompanied me for the past 4 years. Since the first time I heard the saying “bad things can be the beginning of new things that would happen in life” I started this list, every time something bad, or good –which is really rare- happens in my life, I write it down here. So, I opened it and got out my pen.
Friday 2/5/2009
Boyfriend…gone
Best-friend….gone
Dad…still abusive
Mom…still didn’t come back
School…today we lost the spelling bee competition –as usual-
Weekend plans….none
Okay…so now what happened this week that would count as a good thing?!! I thought for about 10 minutes, till I laid back my pen and closed my notebook. As usual, there’s none. I went to the bathroom to clean the cuts. I got out some disinfectant and cotton and started cleaning…
“LUCY” I heard my bro yelling from downstairs
YAY!!! He came back!!! I gotta write that down in my notebook later today. I ran downstairs and jumped into Jack’s arms. He laughed and twirled me around. When we finally got dizzy, he sat me down on the sofa.
“Jacky…I missed you so much” I said
“me too Luc, so what’s up” he said as he planted another kiss on my forehead.
Now, Jack’s my elder, and only brother. He is 19, that’s 4 years older than me, but he got a scholarship to Yale university, so he stays in Connecticut all the year and comes back to New jersey on vacations. Ever since my mom left 2 years ago, he’s been coming back more to check up on me. Cuz dad is…well, let’s say he doesn’t like me so much, he thinks I’m the reason mom left. Anyway, as long as jack’s around, dad never touches me, so that’s why I’m always so happy when he comes back….
“Luc” I snapped back “what’s wrong? You’re drifting again”
“sorry, it’s just things aren’t really going well these days” He pulled me closer to him and started rubbing my back “what’s wrong? Is it dad again?”
“nah…dad’s the usual. It’s just that me and Chad broke up”
“oh…why?” he lifted my head up to look at him “well, not exactly break up” I started sniffing “he dumped me, jack….for Bridgette”
“Bridgette?” he seemed startled at this “your best-friend?” I nodded weakly
“ya, I discovered they were having a thing for months now, and when I confronted him today he said he was going to leave me anyway”
“that son of a b*t*h” jack clenched his fists angrily and started cursing “don’t worry, jack, it’s better that way, he was really getting me down for a while now” LIE!!! Chad was really the only one who made me feel happy besides Jack…
“anyway, how’s college going for you?” I asked cheerfully trying to change the subject
“eh, the usual” he laughed a bit “still those sluts don’t wanna leave me alone”
“oooh…my hot bro still making the girls drool” I pinched his cheek “and that girl you told me about, you still didn’t ask her out?”
“ya, I asked her out once, and she turned out to be one of those many” he grimaced, and I laughed at how cute it looked “dnt worry, you’ll find your dream girl one day, but if you didn’t, don’t say I didn’t warn ya” he chuckled
“I’m not looking for a dream girl, Luc. I just don’t want a slut”
“well, by your standards, the girl should be one who doesn’t look, speak to, or talk about boys”
“so…is it wrong to look for a girl with morals?” he said
“see? That’s why it’s a DREAM girl” n, that’s how our mini debate went on till dinner. Gosh, I really missed him…
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“Do you have to go so soon?” I was standing by the door still trying to make Jack stay
“Sorry Luc, but am going to start again tomorrow at university” I pouted
“but it’s only been three days, and I missed youuu” I whined, still holding to his shirt
“I promise I’m coming back again at my first vacation, just take care of yourself and if anything happens call me, I’ll come as soon as possible, k?” he kissed my forehead again
“K….I’ll miss you” I finally gave in
“Bye, Luc, love you” he gave me one more hug
“Bye” I watched him as he jumped into the cab, and drove off into the distance
I walked back into the house and was immediately greeted by a harsh slap on the face. I fell on the floor, holding my now bleeding face, gosh, that really stings.
“you good for nothing brat” my dad’s voice growled, he was towering above my little body, holding a half-empty bottle of beer “you made him leave too”
I crawled back up to my room, after a series of punshes and slaps. I cleaned myself and sat on my desk. After 10 minutes of failing to understand the math equations lying infront of me, I gathered my book bag, and crawled into bed. I’ve missed school today to stay with Jack, so I guess I have to come with a new excuse for my teachers tomorrow . well, I can always say my dad got sick so I had to stay with him, the usual story…always worked.
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The alarm went off.
I groaned and turned around in my bed.
It went off a couple of minutes again. I finally gave in and got up.
I went into the bathroom, and had a long relaxing shower. I got out, put some jeans and a t-shirt on, and went downstairs.
I found dad sitting on the kitchen island sipping some coffee, he looked up at me, shot me a dirty look, then looked back at the newspaper he was reading. I sighed, then went to grab some juice from the fridge. I sipped it quickly, then grabbed my bag and got out of the house.
As soon as the fresh morning breeze hit me, I felt a huge burden lifted of my shoulder. I used to love that house before. I used to have the perfect family anyone could ever wish for. A caring dad, a loving mother, a playful, protective elder brother, a fancy house, and rich income. But since mom left, everything collapsed on my head, and it got worse by Jack’s leaving. I still don’t know why mom left, though. All we found was a note on the table, she said she was going away for a while and she may be returning back. May be. Everyday when I wake up in the morning, I silently wish she’d come back today, but she never does.
I arrived at school, and went straight to my locker. On my way, I passed Chad and Bridgette, they were making out in the middle of the hallway. Seriously, couldn’t they just save it for another place. Chad glanced up when I was passing and looked at me and winked, I returned it with a smirk, just to show how carefree I am. LIE. I still care for him, and I feel so broken right now, but I wouldn’t give them the chance to see it. I arrived at my locker, and found Adam leaning on it, listening to his iPod. Now, Adam was a really close friend of mine, but when I hooked up with Chad a year ago, he started talking to me about how Chad was “bad news” and that I should get away from him. So, being the naive and love-struck girl I was, I ignored him, and stopped being friends with him altogether. But, now I regret it. He was really a great friend, and I just wish we could get back to the way we were before….but maybe, this is the time to start it over again.
I walked to him, ready to start my apology speech. He glanced up at me, and a wide grin spread across his face. I found myself smiling, too. Wow, it’s been a year and his smile is still contagious.
“hey, Lucy” he said extending his hand
“ummmm…formal much?” I said laughing, and offered him a hug instead. He thankfully took it. Then, we were engulfed in some awkward silence. Staring silence. I decided to break it first.
“look, Adam, I….uh, wanted to say I’m sorry” I said shifting my gaze to the ground “for, you know, not believing you and everything. I guess I was just so caught up in him that I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into” I looked up at him “or what I was losing”
He looked really relieved by this “actually, I think I should apologize too, Lucy” he looked back to the ground, blushing a bit “I was being selfish, and kinda…eh, jealous” wait…did he just say jealous?! “look, I heard about what happened between you and Chad today”
“eh, yeah” it was my turn to blush
“look, Luc, the guy’s a jerk, he’s not worth it. And honestly, if he had the nerve to give you away, then he’s stupid. You’re so much better than that, Luc” he put his hand on my shoulder to comfort me
“thanks, Adam” I looked back up to him and managed a tiny smile
“So, I wanted to, eh..ask you something” he said
“would you..” he started but was cut off by the tardy bell
“I’ll see you after class” he said quickly and took off running down the hallway. wow, couldn’t wait till after class.
I opened my locker, and started stuffing my books inside. And since I had homeroom now, I wasn’t in a hurry. The teacher was stupid anyway, and he would accept any lame excuse. I walked to my class, and got in. the teacher didn’t even bother asking why was I late, or why I didn’t come yesterday for that matter. Stupid. I got into my usual seat in the back, next to my friend Marian. We usually talked, but we weren’t really close like me and Bridgette were. Bridgette…that slut.
The bell finally rung. I got out hurriedly, and ran to my locker. I figured Adam would be there. I reached my locker, but Adam was nowhere in sight. I sighed, and opened my locker. A small note slipped on the floor. I leaned down and grabbed it, completely oblivious to the fact of how much my short school skirt is revealing.
Meet me at the school’s back parking lot, now.
Adam
I giggled childishly, and took off to the parking lot. We usually hung out there –me and Adam- or when we wanted to skip, or avoid annoying people. It was our favorite hangout place at school. When I arrived there, I found Adam leaning on some car, looking to the ground.
“Hiya” I said cheerfully, he looked up at me and smiled.
“Hey, how was homeroom” he asked
“lame?” I said, but it sounded more like a question “so, what was the thing you wanted to talk to me about?”
“uh…yeah, about that” he looked down, then up to me again “umm, I know it’s not a great timing, with the break-up and everything, but I was kinda wondering, if you’ll…eh” he sighed then looked back to me with kinda longing in his eyes “will you go out on a date with me?”
He said it really quick that I barely had time to process it. But when I finally did-which was really late, cuz Adam seemed to collapse by the time I answered- I smiled, then jumped on him, hugging him tightly. He hugged back, and pulled me closer.
“yes, silly” I giggled like a little school girl –oh, wait..I am still a school girl :D
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The rest of the school day passed by quickly. Every time I passed by Adam in the hallway, he’d give me a peck on the cheek or a quick hug. We still weren’t officially together, though, but I just felt it coming soon. Chad passed by when I was hugging Adam once, and I just looked up at him and winked. We set our date to next Saturday, and I can’t wait for it.
When I got back, I went straight up to my room. I picked the phone and dialed Jack. He picked on the third ring. Bummer. I usually go straight to voicemail for the first two or three times when I’m calling him.
“Hey, butterfly, what’s up?” his voice seemed cheerful on the other end
“Jacky, how’s my favorite bro doing?” I said plopping down on the bed
“well, your ONLY bro is perfectly fine” I laughed at this “how’s my little sis doing?”
“your little sis, has got a daaaaaate” I squealed, I heard him laughing on the other end, and pouted even though I know he couldn’t see it
“oooh” he tried mimicking my girly voice “who’s the lucky guy”
“Adam”
“oh! I always thought that guy had a crush on you” he tried putting on a fake strict tone “Go ahead, kid. I approve of the guy”
“yeah, right, so how’s the dream girl project going?”
“Luuuucy” he whined “I told you she’s not a dream girl”
“yeah, keep telling yourself that, bro” I laughed
“k, so I gotta go now, but tell Adam my bro’s telling you that if you try anything on my little sis he’ll come and kick your sorry ass”
“message delivered, boss” I laughed again, and hung up.
I was just going to get into the bathroom, when I was thrown across the floor and into the wall.
“Who were you talking to?” my dad shouted, his eyes were bloodshot red, and he looked heavily drunk….that couldn’t be good
“Jack” I answered weakly, as soon as I uttered the word, I was brutally thrown again to the other side of the room.
“WHAT DID YOU TELL HIM?” he growled “I SWEAR IF HE LEAVES TOO LIKE YOUR MOTHER, I’M GOING TO KILL YOU” I kept trying to tune out what he was saying until I finally blacked out.
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I woke up in a huge white room. There were annoying beeping sounds, and red lights constantly flickering. A hospital. I looked at my body, there was a huge cast on my left arm, and leg, and I could feel the band-aids on my face. I looked around, there was another bed beside me. We were supposedly separated by a curtain, but it was now opened. On the bed lied a young girl that looked about my age. She was closing her eyes, and her multi-colored hair was messily held in a ponytail beside her head. I couldn’t help but feel she was a bit familiar. Maybe we went to the same school. A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. A nurse came in holding a tray of food.
“Hey” she said smiling, as she put the tray on the table beside me “how are you feeling now?”
“good. What happened?”
“A man brought you here yesterday, you were unconscious”
“So, what do I have?” I asked glancing at my body skeptically
“not much” she laughed “broken arm, and an injured leg, and a few scratches and bruises here and there. Not much”
“yeah”
“well, the man who brought you here is still outside, he said he was family but didn’t give any information on you, so you should fill out that form here” she handed me a paper “your right handed, right?” I nodded “I’ll go tell the man you’re awake”
“wait” I said, and she stopped before opening the door “did you say he was waiting here since he brought me yesterday”
“yes, he slept on the chairs outside, he was even crying when he got you yesterday. Do you want me to call him in”
“ya, please” I said happily. I can’t believe my dad was crying for me, he actually still cares.
The door opened again, and my father came in slowly. He was looking at the ground, looking as sober as I could ever wish him to be. He sat on the chair beside my bed, and I tried to sit up properly. He got up quickly and helped me up. I smiled at this. He looked at me and smiled too. a fully sincere and fatherly smile, not an evil or mischievous one. He sat back down again.
“Butterfly” he said lowly, still unsure of my reaction
“Dad, you’re sober” I chuckled
“yeah” he said looking down guiltily “Lucy, if I say I’m sorry, would you ever be able to forgive me?”
“why dad?” I asked “why did you do this to me” I started sniffing, but I couldn’t help it
“because you looked so much like her” he scooted closer to me “Lucy, I never hated you. But I wanted to. When your mother left, she left another note. But when I woke up and found it, I couldn’t bear to let you and jack know the real reason your mother left, so I wrote that other note, and left it for you to read it. I wanted you to always think high of your mother. But each day I woke up and saw you, you reminded me of her. You can’t imagine how alike you two looked, you even talk like her. And I couldn’t endure it. Just forgive me, baby. When I saw how much I hurt you, I wished I could kill myself before you wake up again. I swear, Lucy, I swear I’ll never go back to drinking, and I’ll never ever hurt you again. We’ll build our family back together. And when Jack comes back, we’ll return to the happy family we once were. With your mother, or not, we’ll be happy. Just, just forgive me….butterfly” he was choking back on his tears, I had already let mine fall a long while ago.
“daddy” I squealed like a little girl. He embraced me in a huge warm hug, and we kept like that for a while until somebody cleared their throat. I looked to find that other girl awake, looking at us, smiling.
“I’m sorry, but I thought you two wouldn’t want someone listening to your conversation” she said, grinning sheepishly.
“No problem, kiddo, I was just going anyway” he stood up, and gave me another kiss on the forehead “I’ll fill this form out for you, and settle the fees with the hospital”
“ok” I said, and handed him the form paper
“and I take it you won’t eat that food” he gestured to the tray the nurse brought earlier. I grimaced, and he laughed “don’t worry, I’ll get you something to eat when I come back”
He walked out, and I found myself staring at the now closed door, grinning like a fool. I turned around and looked at the girl.
“Hey, we go to the same school, right?” I asked her
“Burton high?” she asked
“ya. I think we have English together” she chuckled lightly
“I knew I know you from somewhere” she said “So, that your dad?” she asked
“ya” I said, smiling “we finally got along”
“He got you in here?” she asked
“long story short…drunken abuse, but it’s alright now, I guess” I said carelessly, like it was the most normal thing in the world
“ya, good for you” she said grinning
“so, what’s your story?” I asked
“oh!” she looked down “an attempt of rape, but thank god, some guys saved me”
“oh! Sorry” I said sympathetically
“it’s fine now, the doctor said I’m alright, and I just broke an arm from the fight”
“me too” I laughed
“and your leg?” she pointed towards the huge cast surrounding my left leg
“nah…it’s not broken” I smiled
“so, when are you going out?” she asked
“today, I guess, but they gotta take off that cast first”
“good, me too” she smiled “we can go have a drink or something, what do you say?”
“perfect” I grinned
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Later that day, my dad was driving us home after I went out with Julie. We went to a café, and talked a lot. She turned out to be an awesome person, and we became friends. I met her parents later when they were picking her up, and they seemed like a nice family….just like mine, now. She told me she knew Chad, and had actually dated him in grade 8 for a week before she found out how much of a jerk he is. We talked and exchanged stories, and found out most of each other lives.
“Dad”
“yeah, Luc” he looked briefly at me before looking back onto the road
“why did mom leave” I asked
“Luc, I told ..” he started but I cut him off
“no, daddy, I wanna know why she really left”
“she had an affair” he sighed “she ran away with some guy after getting pregnant from him” I gasped, but now at least I know that I’m not the reason mom left.
“see Luc, that’s why I didn’t want to tell you” he reached out his hand and squeezed mine gently
“no dad, it’s just that I’m surprised you had to hold it in you for so long” he smiled at me and I smiled back.
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“come on, Luc, calm down so I won’t ruin it” Julie said as she tried to hold my hair back up
“no” I whined “Julie, I’ll look terrible, and I’d probably do something stupid when we’re eating, and I’ll ruin the night” I began trembling again “ and this cast looks terrible…am not going” I pouted
“Luc, honey, you look stunning. And, no you won’t mess up. It’ll be perfect, believe me” I sighed and gave up finally, letting her complete putting my make-up on.
15 minutes later, Adam arrived, and my dad came up to get me down cuz I was still not ready. I got down, silently hoping I won’t fall on the stairs or get my short purple dress tangled in something. Adam was standing at the door, holding a small bouquet of white and purple flowers. I took it from him and placed it on the table, kissed my father goodbye, waved to Julie, then made my way out with Adam to his car.
“Lucy, you look absolutely stunning” he breathed, seeming completely dazzled, I blushed a bit and looked to the ground. He opened the passenger door for me, and I slid in. He got inside, and I glanced back at my house to find dad and Julie looking out of the window at me, and smiling.
“thanks” I said “so, where are we going?” I asked as he started the engine
“now, that’s a surprise” he looked at me, smirking, then drove off into the road.
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Tuesday 14/11/2009
I have…
My great boyfriend ,Adam, whom I truly love and adore
My amazing best-friend, Julie
My loving, caring father
My playful, and protective brother, Jack
Today plans…celebrate my birthday with all the people I love
School…still trying to win the spelling Bee
And a life that I just recently discovered how great it is….cuz when life closes a door, it opens another <3
I made my way to my desk, and got out my precious notebook. I opened to my list of life. Now, let me introduce you to this list which has successfully accompanied me for the past 4 years. Since the first time I heard the saying “bad things can be the beginning of new things that would happen in life” I started this list, every time something bad, or good –which is really rare- happens in my life, I write it down here. So, I opened it and got out my pen.
Friday 2/5/2009
Boyfriend…gone
Best-friend….gone
Dad…still abusive
Mom…still didn’t come back
School…today we lost the spelling bee competition –as usual-
Weekend plans….none
Okay…so now what happened this week that would count as a good thing?!! I thought for about 10 minutes, till I laid back my pen and closed my notebook. As usual, there’s none. I went to the bathroom to clean the cuts. I got out some disinfectant and cotton and started cleaning…
“LUCY” I heard my bro yelling from downstairs
YAY!!! He came back!!! I gotta write that down in my notebook later today. I ran downstairs and jumped into Jack’s arms. He laughed and twirled me around. When we finally got dizzy, he sat me down on the sofa.
“Jacky…I missed you so much” I said
“me too Luc, so what’s up” he said as he planted another kiss on my forehead.
Now, Jack’s my elder, and only brother. He is 19, that’s 4 years older than me, but he got a scholarship to Yale university, so he stays in Connecticut all the year and comes back to New jersey on vacations. Ever since my mom left 2 years ago, he’s been coming back more to check up on me. Cuz dad is…well, let’s say he doesn’t like me so much, he thinks I’m the reason mom left. Anyway, as long as jack’s around, dad never touches me, so that’s why I’m always so happy when he comes back….
“Luc” I snapped back “what’s wrong? You’re drifting again”
“sorry, it’s just things aren’t really going well these days” He pulled me closer to him and started rubbing my back “what’s wrong? Is it dad again?”
“nah…dad’s the usual. It’s just that me and Chad broke up”
“oh…why?” he lifted my head up to look at him “well, not exactly break up” I started sniffing “he dumped me, jack….for Bridgette”
“Bridgette?” he seemed startled at this “your best-friend?” I nodded weakly
“ya, I discovered they were having a thing for months now, and when I confronted him today he said he was going to leave me anyway”
“that son of a b*t*h” jack clenched his fists angrily and started cursing “don’t worry, jack, it’s better that way, he was really getting me down for a while now” LIE!!! Chad was really the only one who made me feel happy besides Jack…
“anyway, how’s college going for you?” I asked cheerfully trying to change the subject
“eh, the usual” he laughed a bit “still those sluts don’t wanna leave me alone”
“oooh…my hot bro still making the girls drool” I pinched his cheek “and that girl you told me about, you still didn’t ask her out?”
“ya, I asked her out once, and she turned out to be one of those many” he grimaced, and I laughed at how cute it looked “dnt worry, you’ll find your dream girl one day, but if you didn’t, don’t say I didn’t warn ya” he chuckled
“I’m not looking for a dream girl, Luc. I just don’t want a slut”
“well, by your standards, the girl should be one who doesn’t look, speak to, or talk about boys”
“so…is it wrong to look for a girl with morals?” he said
“see? That’s why it’s a DREAM girl” n, that’s how our mini debate went on till dinner. Gosh, I really missed him…
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“Do you have to go so soon?” I was standing by the door still trying to make Jack stay
“Sorry Luc, but am going to start again tomorrow at university” I pouted
“but it’s only been three days, and I missed youuu” I whined, still holding to his shirt
“I promise I’m coming back again at my first vacation, just take care of yourself and if anything happens call me, I’ll come as soon as possible, k?” he kissed my forehead again
“K….I’ll miss you” I finally gave in
“Bye, Luc, love you” he gave me one more hug
“Bye” I watched him as he jumped into the cab, and drove off into the distance
I walked back into the house and was immediately greeted by a harsh slap on the face. I fell on the floor, holding my now bleeding face, gosh, that really stings.
“you good for nothing brat” my dad’s voice growled, he was towering above my little body, holding a half-empty bottle of beer “you made him leave too”
I crawled back up to my room, after a series of punshes and slaps. I cleaned myself and sat on my desk. After 10 minutes of failing to understand the math equations lying infront of me, I gathered my book bag, and crawled into bed. I’ve missed school today to stay with Jack, so I guess I have to come with a new excuse for my teachers tomorrow . well, I can always say my dad got sick so I had to stay with him, the usual story…always worked.
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The alarm went off.
I groaned and turned around in my bed.
It went off a couple of minutes again. I finally gave in and got up.
I went into the bathroom, and had a long relaxing shower. I got out, put some jeans and a t-shirt on, and went downstairs.
I found dad sitting on the kitchen island sipping some coffee, he looked up at me, shot me a dirty look, then looked back at the newspaper he was reading. I sighed, then went to grab some juice from the fridge. I sipped it quickly, then grabbed my bag and got out of the house.
As soon as the fresh morning breeze hit me, I felt a huge burden lifted of my shoulder. I used to love that house before. I used to have the perfect family anyone could ever wish for. A caring dad, a loving mother, a playful, protective elder brother, a fancy house, and rich income. But since mom left, everything collapsed on my head, and it got worse by Jack’s leaving. I still don’t know why mom left, though. All we found was a note on the table, she said she was going away for a while and she may be returning back. May be. Everyday when I wake up in the morning, I silently wish she’d come back today, but she never does.
I arrived at school, and went straight to my locker. On my way, I passed Chad and Bridgette, they were making out in the middle of the hallway. Seriously, couldn’t they just save it for another place. Chad glanced up when I was passing and looked at me and winked, I returned it with a smirk, just to show how carefree I am. LIE. I still care for him, and I feel so broken right now, but I wouldn’t give them the chance to see it. I arrived at my locker, and found Adam leaning on it, listening to his iPod. Now, Adam was a really close friend of mine, but when I hooked up with Chad a year ago, he started talking to me about how Chad was “bad news” and that I should get away from him. So, being the naive and love-struck girl I was, I ignored him, and stopped being friends with him altogether. But, now I regret it. He was really a great friend, and I just wish we could get back to the way we were before….but maybe, this is the time to start it over again.
I walked to him, ready to start my apology speech. He glanced up at me, and a wide grin spread across his face. I found myself smiling, too. Wow, it’s been a year and his smile is still contagious.
“hey, Lucy” he said extending his hand
“ummmm…formal much?” I said laughing, and offered him a hug instead. He thankfully took it. Then, we were engulfed in some awkward silence. Staring silence. I decided to break it first.
“look, Adam, I….uh, wanted to say I’m sorry” I said shifting my gaze to the ground “for, you know, not believing you and everything. I guess I was just so caught up in him that I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into” I looked up at him “or what I was losing”
He looked really relieved by this “actually, I think I should apologize too, Lucy” he looked back to the ground, blushing a bit “I was being selfish, and kinda…eh, jealous” wait…did he just say jealous?! “look, I heard about what happened between you and Chad today”
“eh, yeah” it was my turn to blush
“look, Luc, the guy’s a jerk, he’s not worth it. And honestly, if he had the nerve to give you away, then he’s stupid. You’re so much better than that, Luc” he put his hand on my shoulder to comfort me
“thanks, Adam” I looked back up to him and managed a tiny smile
“So, I wanted to, eh..ask you something” he said
“would you..” he started but was cut off by the tardy bell
“I’ll see you after class” he said quickly and took off running down the hallway. wow, couldn’t wait till after class.
I opened my locker, and started stuffing my books inside. And since I had homeroom now, I wasn’t in a hurry. The teacher was stupid anyway, and he would accept any lame excuse. I walked to my class, and got in. the teacher didn’t even bother asking why was I late, or why I didn’t come yesterday for that matter. Stupid. I got into my usual seat in the back, next to my friend Marian. We usually talked, but we weren’t really close like me and Bridgette were. Bridgette…that slut.
The bell finally rung. I got out hurriedly, and ran to my locker. I figured Adam would be there. I reached my locker, but Adam was nowhere in sight. I sighed, and opened my locker. A small note slipped on the floor. I leaned down and grabbed it, completely oblivious to the fact of how much my short school skirt is revealing.
Meet me at the school’s back parking lot, now.
Adam
I giggled childishly, and took off to the parking lot. We usually hung out there –me and Adam- or when we wanted to skip, or avoid annoying people. It was our favorite hangout place at school. When I arrived there, I found Adam leaning on some car, looking to the ground.
“Hiya” I said cheerfully, he looked up at me and smiled.
“Hey, how was homeroom” he asked
“lame?” I said, but it sounded more like a question “so, what was the thing you wanted to talk to me about?”
“uh…yeah, about that” he looked down, then up to me again “umm, I know it’s not a great timing, with the break-up and everything, but I was kinda wondering, if you’ll…eh” he sighed then looked back to me with kinda longing in his eyes “will you go out on a date with me?”
He said it really quick that I barely had time to process it. But when I finally did-which was really late, cuz Adam seemed to collapse by the time I answered- I smiled, then jumped on him, hugging him tightly. He hugged back, and pulled me closer.
“yes, silly” I giggled like a little school girl –oh, wait..I am still a school girl :D
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The rest of the school day passed by quickly. Every time I passed by Adam in the hallway, he’d give me a peck on the cheek or a quick hug. We still weren’t officially together, though, but I just felt it coming soon. Chad passed by when I was hugging Adam once, and I just looked up at him and winked. We set our date to next Saturday, and I can’t wait for it.
When I got back, I went straight up to my room. I picked the phone and dialed Jack. He picked on the third ring. Bummer. I usually go straight to voicemail for the first two or three times when I’m calling him.
“Hey, butterfly, what’s up?” his voice seemed cheerful on the other end
“Jacky, how’s my favorite bro doing?” I said plopping down on the bed
“well, your ONLY bro is perfectly fine” I laughed at this “how’s my little sis doing?”
“your little sis, has got a daaaaaate” I squealed, I heard him laughing on the other end, and pouted even though I know he couldn’t see it
“oooh” he tried mimicking my girly voice “who’s the lucky guy”
“Adam”
“oh! I always thought that guy had a crush on you” he tried putting on a fake strict tone “Go ahead, kid. I approve of the guy”
“yeah, right, so how’s the dream girl project going?”
“Luuuucy” he whined “I told you she’s not a dream girl”
“yeah, keep telling yourself that, bro” I laughed
“k, so I gotta go now, but tell Adam my bro’s telling you that if you try anything on my little sis he’ll come and kick your sorry ass”
“message delivered, boss” I laughed again, and hung up.
I was just going to get into the bathroom, when I was thrown across the floor and into the wall.
“Who were you talking to?” my dad shouted, his eyes were bloodshot red, and he looked heavily drunk….that couldn’t be good
“Jack” I answered weakly, as soon as I uttered the word, I was brutally thrown again to the other side of the room.
“WHAT DID YOU TELL HIM?” he growled “I SWEAR IF HE LEAVES TOO LIKE YOUR MOTHER, I’M GOING TO KILL YOU” I kept trying to tune out what he was saying until I finally blacked out.
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I woke up in a huge white room. There were annoying beeping sounds, and red lights constantly flickering. A hospital. I looked at my body, there was a huge cast on my left arm, and leg, and I could feel the band-aids on my face. I looked around, there was another bed beside me. We were supposedly separated by a curtain, but it was now opened. On the bed lied a young girl that looked about my age. She was closing her eyes, and her multi-colored hair was messily held in a ponytail beside her head. I couldn’t help but feel she was a bit familiar. Maybe we went to the same school. A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. A nurse came in holding a tray of food.
“Hey” she said smiling, as she put the tray on the table beside me “how are you feeling now?”
“good. What happened?”
“A man brought you here yesterday, you were unconscious”
“So, what do I have?” I asked glancing at my body skeptically
“not much” she laughed “broken arm, and an injured leg, and a few scratches and bruises here and there. Not much”
“yeah”
“well, the man who brought you here is still outside, he said he was family but didn’t give any information on you, so you should fill out that form here” she handed me a paper “your right handed, right?” I nodded “I’ll go tell the man you’re awake”
“wait” I said, and she stopped before opening the door “did you say he was waiting here since he brought me yesterday”
“yes, he slept on the chairs outside, he was even crying when he got you yesterday. Do you want me to call him in”
“ya, please” I said happily. I can’t believe my dad was crying for me, he actually still cares.
The door opened again, and my father came in slowly. He was looking at the ground, looking as sober as I could ever wish him to be. He sat on the chair beside my bed, and I tried to sit up properly. He got up quickly and helped me up. I smiled at this. He looked at me and smiled too. a fully sincere and fatherly smile, not an evil or mischievous one. He sat back down again.
“Butterfly” he said lowly, still unsure of my reaction
“Dad, you’re sober” I chuckled
“yeah” he said looking down guiltily “Lucy, if I say I’m sorry, would you ever be able to forgive me?”
“why dad?” I asked “why did you do this to me” I started sniffing, but I couldn’t help it
“because you looked so much like her” he scooted closer to me “Lucy, I never hated you. But I wanted to. When your mother left, she left another note. But when I woke up and found it, I couldn’t bear to let you and jack know the real reason your mother left, so I wrote that other note, and left it for you to read it. I wanted you to always think high of your mother. But each day I woke up and saw you, you reminded me of her. You can’t imagine how alike you two looked, you even talk like her. And I couldn’t endure it. Just forgive me, baby. When I saw how much I hurt you, I wished I could kill myself before you wake up again. I swear, Lucy, I swear I’ll never go back to drinking, and I’ll never ever hurt you again. We’ll build our family back together. And when Jack comes back, we’ll return to the happy family we once were. With your mother, or not, we’ll be happy. Just, just forgive me….butterfly” he was choking back on his tears, I had already let mine fall a long while ago.
“daddy” I squealed like a little girl. He embraced me in a huge warm hug, and we kept like that for a while until somebody cleared their throat. I looked to find that other girl awake, looking at us, smiling.
“I’m sorry, but I thought you two wouldn’t want someone listening to your conversation” she said, grinning sheepishly.
“No problem, kiddo, I was just going anyway” he stood up, and gave me another kiss on the forehead “I’ll fill this form out for you, and settle the fees with the hospital”
“ok” I said, and handed him the form paper
“and I take it you won’t eat that food” he gestured to the tray the nurse brought earlier. I grimaced, and he laughed “don’t worry, I’ll get you something to eat when I come back”
He walked out, and I found myself staring at the now closed door, grinning like a fool. I turned around and looked at the girl.
“Hey, we go to the same school, right?” I asked her
“Burton high?” she asked
“ya. I think we have English together” she chuckled lightly
“I knew I know you from somewhere” she said “So, that your dad?” she asked
“ya” I said, smiling “we finally got along”
“He got you in here?” she asked
“long story short…drunken abuse, but it’s alright now, I guess” I said carelessly, like it was the most normal thing in the world
“ya, good for you” she said grinning
“so, what’s your story?” I asked
“oh!” she looked down “an attempt of rape, but thank god, some guys saved me”
“oh! Sorry” I said sympathetically
“it’s fine now, the doctor said I’m alright, and I just broke an arm from the fight”
“me too” I laughed
“and your leg?” she pointed towards the huge cast surrounding my left leg
“nah…it’s not broken” I smiled
“so, when are you going out?” she asked
“today, I guess, but they gotta take off that cast first”
“good, me too” she smiled “we can go have a drink or something, what do you say?”
“perfect” I grinned
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Later that day, my dad was driving us home after I went out with Julie. We went to a café, and talked a lot. She turned out to be an awesome person, and we became friends. I met her parents later when they were picking her up, and they seemed like a nice family….just like mine, now. She told me she knew Chad, and had actually dated him in grade 8 for a week before she found out how much of a jerk he is. We talked and exchanged stories, and found out most of each other lives.
“Dad”
“yeah, Luc” he looked briefly at me before looking back onto the road
“why did mom leave” I asked
“Luc, I told ..” he started but I cut him off
“no, daddy, I wanna know why she really left”
“she had an affair” he sighed “she ran away with some guy after getting pregnant from him” I gasped, but now at least I know that I’m not the reason mom left.
“see Luc, that’s why I didn’t want to tell you” he reached out his hand and squeezed mine gently
“no dad, it’s just that I’m surprised you had to hold it in you for so long” he smiled at me and I smiled back.
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“come on, Luc, calm down so I won’t ruin it” Julie said as she tried to hold my hair back up
“no” I whined “Julie, I’ll look terrible, and I’d probably do something stupid when we’re eating, and I’ll ruin the night” I began trembling again “ and this cast looks terrible…am not going” I pouted
“Luc, honey, you look stunning. And, no you won’t mess up. It’ll be perfect, believe me” I sighed and gave up finally, letting her complete putting my make-up on.
15 minutes later, Adam arrived, and my dad came up to get me down cuz I was still not ready. I got down, silently hoping I won’t fall on the stairs or get my short purple dress tangled in something. Adam was standing at the door, holding a small bouquet of white and purple flowers. I took it from him and placed it on the table, kissed my father goodbye, waved to Julie, then made my way out with Adam to his car.
“Lucy, you look absolutely stunning” he breathed, seeming completely dazzled, I blushed a bit and looked to the ground. He opened the passenger door for me, and I slid in. He got inside, and I glanced back at my house to find dad and Julie looking out of the window at me, and smiling.
“thanks” I said “so, where are we going?” I asked as he started the engine
“now, that’s a surprise” he looked at me, smirking, then drove off into the road.
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Tuesday 14/11/2009
I have…
My great boyfriend ,Adam, whom I truly love and adore
My amazing best-friend, Julie
My loving, caring father
My playful, and protective brother, Jack
Today plans…celebrate my birthday with all the people I love
School…still trying to win the spelling Bee
And a life that I just recently discovered how great it is….cuz when life closes a door, it opens another <3