Waiting

Plop. Plop. Plop.

The rain splattered against the window, the drops constantly rolling down onto the ground. My iPod just had to die hours ago, forcing me to listen to the flirting and bickering between my mother and Joe, her husband; my step father, if I could call him that.

"How much longer Anne?" He whined.

"Not much longer Hun," Mom sweetly told him, "the traffic's starting to fill out."

It was disgusting really. They would act like the happiest, cutest couple in the whole wide world one minute, and then soon-to-be ex’s the next. I leaned my head on the window and tried to see out of the foggy glass. I couldn't really make out anything, except for a lot of moving lights around us. We must be in a high traffic area.

I didn't know why we were going on this 'road trip' anyway. Earlier today, around noon, Joe just barges into my room and demands me to ‘pack my shit' and be ready to leave in half an hour. I didn't ask why; I'd learned just to let him have his way with things. True to his word, we all piled into the car and left our crappy apartment in Las Vegas. The City of Sin is not all it's cracked up to be, unless you're in the one street with all the casinos.

“God dammit!” My mother cursed.

“Calm down sweetie,” Joe rubbed her shoulder.

I rolled my eyes as the woman honked at another driver. We get off the highway and in less than five minutes, she runs the first stop light. My Mom is such a good influence.

“Some people are just so rude nowadays,” Joe muttered, his hand reaching for a bottle I didn’t know he had in the cup holder.

I stiffened. The bottle’s label advertised some cheep brand of beer my stepfather liked to by at the grocery store every week. It just so happened to type of alcohol that was usually at any high school party with underage drinking. I shook my head; I wouldn’t think of that right now.

“Okay, Madisyn, time to get your ass out of the car.”

I glanced at my loving annoying mother and spat, “Aren’t we all getting out?”

“Nope,” She popped the ‘P’, “just you. Joe and I are getting your troublemaking ass off our hands for good. Just go to the door and give who ever answers this.”

She threw an envelope towards the back seat, narrowly missing my head. My hand hovered over the seatbelt. Was she serious? I knew I caused shit, but…..

“Well? What are you waiting on? Get!” Joe screamed, waving his now empty bottle in my face. He meant business.

I didn’t hesitate. With watering eyes, I grabbed my duffel and flew out of my seat into the lightly raining weather. My mother didn’t even wait for me to close the door. She just floored it down the street, abandoning me at some stranger’s house.

I pulled the hood of my black sweatshirt over my red hair and turned from the retreating car. The house looked huge: two stories, tons of windows, giant sandy yard. Whoever owned this was pretty well off. Whoever owned the other houses were too, since all the neighbors’ were similar.

The rain got heavier as I stood there in awe. Why would my Mom leave me here? I choked back a sob and glanced a final time at the road before starting on the smooth, concrete driveway. She wasn’t coming back. She probably never would, just like everybody else that supposedly cared about me.

I rang the door bell. Loud laughter could be heard from behind the door, as well as barking dogs. I almost smiled, I love dogs, but I didn’t. I was nervous as hell, and thoroughly soaked. I probably looked like a drowned out rat. It was a wonder how the envelope was somehow dry.

A woman about my height answered the door. Her short blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail and her face was red, as if she’d been laughing really hard.

“Can I help you?” She asked, a warm smile on her face.

I couldn’t look her in the eye, so I just handed her the envelope and gripped the bag tighter.

“Are you some fan? How did you get this address?” Her voice went from sweet to hard.

A fan? Not that I knew of. I shook my head and motioned to the envelope in her manicured hand. This was not good.

“Oh, fuck, let me go open this inside. You can come in from the rain; it’s getting heavier.”

I followed her inside. The entryway was bright and open, but the only thing I could see was a staircase, a hallway, two entrances, one on the right and left, and pictures of, what I assume was her daughter, from a baby to now, that covered most of the walls.

“I’ll be right back,” She said, a frown now on her face, before walking off through a doorway on the right.

I heard more laughter through that door and instantly felt guilty. I had to be intruding on some form of get together. And I probably looked like a homeless teenager that was dripping water on the dark hardwood flooring.

“Who’s at the door Hun?” A masculine voice said. I gulped.

“Probably just some fan. She won’t say anything.” The woman murmured, “Do you know where the scissors are?”

“No. How do they continue to find my house?” The guy groaned. “I didn’t even realize we were that famous.”

“I don’t know. She handed me this, which I guess means I have to open it before she’ll talk…..” Multiple drawers were opened and closed, “Ugh, I’ll just get a knife from the kitchen.”

I moved my bag up higher on my shoulder, a nervous habit of mine. I wanted to run. No knows what Anne put in there?

“Oh my God!” Oh lord……