Waiting

Light was just beginning to pour into the room through the window when I started to hear movement throughout the house. I rubbed my tired eyes as I sat up. I just couldn't sleep in this room; it reminded me too much of his room. I shook my head, suddenly remembering that it was Monday. Zacky would probably expect me to go to school with Tori today. Too bad I didn't have that many school supplies in my messenger bag that I used as a purse - just a small binder and folder with paper in it, my sketchbook, and my pencil case.

Groaning, I made my way over towards my duffel, pulling out my bag, and some clothes. I threw on some old gray skinny jeans and a black tank top. Over that, I put on an old Iron Maiden shirt I bought at a Salvation Army store. It was short length wise, but it wasn't short enough to be a crop top. I then rimmed my eyes with my small stick of black eyeliner and pulled on my slightly wet, extremely old high tops before going down to the kitchen with my bag.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Gena greeted me when I entered the kitchen. Tori ignored me, which really didn't bother me, as I got a glass of milk and sat down across from her.

"Morning, Gena."

Zacky came in and sat down in between Tori and me. He told us both 'Good Morning' as Gena set a plate with some bacon and a biscuit in front of us before sitting down. I tried not to react when Zacky called me "Maddie". My few friends back home and, some other people, used to call me that.

"You ready for some fun, Maddie?" He smirked down at me, moving his hands to rub the skin right under the bottom of my shirt. I wanted to chop them off with a pocket knife.

I shook my head, trying to concentrate really hard on the taste of the meat instead of my past. It was the past and that was how it would remain.

"Will you take Maddie to school this morning?" Zacky must have asked Tori. I didn't want to voice that I didn't want to be driven by 'my sister'. Obviously Tori didn't want to drive me either, but she didn't protest as she kissed each of her parents on the cheek and motioned for me to follow her to her car.

We didn't say anything on the drive. I was going to ask her where main office was, but she was already gone after she parked the car. I sighed as I got out. At least she didn't threaten me or something.

I somehow found the main office without asking anyone. The only person in there, a close to retiring bored old lady, handed me my schedule without a word. It didn't make sense that she knew who I was, but then again, many students must not go in there without their parents. I just hoped that I didn't have any classes with Tori.

I was lucky. I found my way around the school without talking to any of the kids that might have been talking about me. It had somehow got around that I was Tori's long lost sister. Nobody had tried to talk to me yet, and I knew that Tori would never announce my arrival, so whoever noticed us leaving the same car had to be an amazing guesser. Everybody was in everybody's business at this school.

Pretty soon lunch rolled around. I followed everybody else to the cafeteria and looked for a table. Tori shot me a warning look when she spotted me. Like I would ever willingly go over there. I found a table that didn't have a lot of people at it and sat down at the end. I didn't eat anything, mainly because I was never hungry at school and that I neglected to have money to buy food. I busied myself by drawing instead.

"Hey, aren't you Tori's sister?" A tall brunet grinned at me.

I stopped drawing this tiger I'd been working on for a while and looked up at him, "Unfortunately."

"Hey, it's not a bad thing," He stuck his hand out to shake, "I'm Andrew one of Tori's friends. You should sit with us."

"I don't think that's a good idea," I frowned, grasping his hand.

Andrew gasped, "Oh come on! Am I really that horrible that you don't want to sit with me? I promise I don't bite!"

No, it's not you that's horrible. I laughed as he started begging me to come with him.

"Alright, alright, I'll go other there for a minute. But only a minute," I warned. Hearing him repeating please over and over again was getting a little old.

Andrew smiled in victory and picked up my stuff, "Well come on then! I promise you'll love us! I mean, Tori may be a sour puss today, but that's probably because she didn't get her beauty sleep last night."

I giggled as I began to follow him, but my demeanor changed as we approached Tori's table. Tori's mouth was gaping at me, as if she couldn't believe one of her friends wanted to get to know her sister. I dragged my feet to prolong the walk, but Tori fled the cafeteria when I reached the table.

"Don't worry about her," A girl shyly smiled from under another guy's arm, "she'll come around eventually. Tori never acts like this, so she's probably just still in shock from all this. I'm Amanda and this is Johnson."

"Madisyn," I smiled at both of them.

All of Tori's friends soon began to act as if they'd known me their entire lives. It was nice. I felt like I was at home as we joked and talked throughout lunch. I dreaded when the bell rang to signal lunch was other. This was the most fun I'd had in a while, since the last time I had lunch with my friends in Nevada.

"Hey, where's your next class?" Andrew asked. I glanced at my schedule, perking up a bit.

"Visual arts with Mrs. Cruz"

"Cool! I have that class too. Let me walk you there."

Art was most definitely amazing. The class was doing a pottery project, but we had to draw the sculpture in its entirety before starting. I decided I'd make a dragon, so I began drawing one about to take flight while everybody else molded clay. Mrs. Cruz was impressed and wanted to see some of my other work, but since all I had was the stuff in my practically new sketchbook, I told her I'd bring in some stuff tomorrow. All my other stuff was in Vegas, so I would have to draw everything tonight.

I said bye to Andrew and ran to Tori's car when the dismissal bell rung. I had a bad feeling that if I wasn't there before her, then she would leave me here. I leaded against the car until she came out of the building.

We didn't talk to each other again on the way to the house. I was afraid that if I said anything, then Tori would flip out on me. Tori pulled into the garage and slammed the driver's side door when she got out. I made my way to the house as well, but Tori wouldn't let me through the door.

"I can't believe you," She quietly snarled, "You better watch you back, sister."

And then she was gone. I padded into the house, silently slipping into the safety of the guest bedroom I was staying in. I knew there would be hell to pay.