Sweet Child O' Mine

My body was curled up in a ball on the couch, every part touching something else. Elbow to knee. Face to chest. Hand to heart. I was tired. Tired of every little flaw in my life. And the way I thought I could escape was talking to someone I trusted more than I trusted myself.

"Uncle Matt." I breathed softly into the black phone that was resting against my head.

"Kayla?"

I sighed hearing his voice, glad to know that someone would listen to me.

"Uncle Matt, I. I-I need your-"

"Kayla, I'm sorry Hun. But I'm in the middle of an interview." He whispered into his phone.

"But I really need to talk to you. It's about something important."

I could hear him sigh over the other line.

"Kayla, I'm sure you can talk to someone else about it-"

"I can only talk to you." My voice raised a little, still in the whisper tone.

He sighed again. "I'm sure you can talk to someone else about it. But Kayla, I really need to get going, I'll talk to you later. Bye."

I listened as the he hung up. The dial tone running through one ear, coming out of the other. I thought someone I could trust to talk to would give me some of their time, but in the end I was wrong. I could only talk to them later or someone else.

But the problem was, that someone else left me the day I was born.

&&&&

"Read Chapter 3 for homework! We're starting on Phobias tomorrow, and don't forget Parent Teacher Conferences are tonight!" Ms. Reynolds yelled over the bell as a mob of people began getting up and hurrying out the door.

When she thought all the students we're out, she turned around and erased the chalk board, and as she did that, I sat there staring off into space. When she was done, she turned around, and jumped back a little, her hand over her heart.

"Jesus Kayla, you scared me."

I opened my mouth to say sorry, but then closed it. She raised an eyebrow, slowly walking around her desk and over to mine. I looked down, embarrassed that I was still in the room and was even going to go through with what I was here for.

"Are you ok?" She asked softly, pulling a seat up to my desk. I looked back up at her, and all I saw was sympathy. And just that gesture made the tears swell in my eyes, my bottom lip trembling involuntarily like the day I was cleaning my closet. I shook my head no, and she set her hands on mine that we're laying on the desk.

"It's alright sweetie, it's alright." She began rubbing my hand with her thumbs.

I shook my head no again. "It's not alright though. It's never been alright."

She quieted down as my sobs began to seize. Ms. Reynolds let go of my hands, and I brought one up and began rubbing the tears out of my eyes. I sighed, once I was down. Hiccups now taking over me here and there. Ms. Reynolds put her hand back on mine and continued the soothing method, her thumb rubbing my hand.

"If you need to talk, I'm here for you."

I nodded, still not able to voice my answer. She smiled and patted my hand. I opened my mouth, ready to speak again, and before I know it, my whole life story was pouring out onto the desk before me. And when I was explaining Ms.Reynolds everything about my father, twin sister, and just yesterday about Uncle Matt, I realized how easy it was to explain every problem you had or have to a perfect stranger. You feel some sort of warm feeling inside of you, almost as if it was comfort. Because honestly, they'll listen to you, and try and understand what you're going through.

When I was finished, she stared at me as I could tell her eyes tried to hold in all the sympathy she had for me. I closed my own eyes tightly trying not to let out sympathy for my own self.

"Well.." She whispered as I opened my eyes. Everything hurt. My eyes. My head. My heart. And all I wanted to do right then was blackout, hopping I could wake up with a different past.

"Well what?" I whispered also, my voice scratchy from sobbing miserably in front of her.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy-"