I Don't Want A Bloody Dad!

Mr. Blobby (that’s what I’m going to call him now) lead me to his car slightly down the street. I looked at him and his expensive looking suit, and then back at his car. It was a wreck! A right fixer-upper job
“Amm dude, your car could do with a wash. Maybe a body job, and new paint too whilst you’re at it.” I was laughing at the state of his car. It was terrible looking seriously.
“I don’t know why you’re laughing Scarlet, after all your mother has just died and you have noone. Except for me, of course.” Oh look he’s smiling again.
“Oh yes I forgot about the fact that I have you. I’m so lucky aren’t I. Everyone else in the world must be so jealous of me. I don’t know how I can handle being his lucky.”
Oh sarcasm is such fun ain’t it.
“Now, now. No need for thinking like that. There are other children who are as lucky as you. They all love me also. It’s quite a nice thought actually, that I have people that love me because I do so much for them.”
Is this dude in denial or something? He must be at least mentally insane.
“Oh yeah. That’s it alright.” I rolled my eyes as I climbed into the banger of a car before me.

“Oh my god dude what died in this car? It stinks in here!”
“Really? I haven’t noticed to be honest.”
Eugh it smells like melted plastic, rotten eggs and this dude’s breath all rolled into one. I thought I was going to be sick as I tried to roll down the window.
“Scarlet, what are you doing dear?”
“Okay one; don’t EVER call me dear again. And two, it fucking stinks in here I need air.”
“Well I’m sorry but those windows are currently broken.”
“Aww crap. You’re kidding me, right?”
“No I certainly am not, dear.” He chuckled to himself. He sounds like a horse when he chuckles. Aww how long until I get to this goddamn care home.
“How far away is this place exactly?” I leaned my elbow against the door as we started to drive out of my street. I looked out the rear-view mirror. My house is still blazing, nothing is recognisable anymore. I sighed to myself and looked up to Mr. Blobby.
“Well,” he said, “it’s about an hour and a half from here.”
“You’re joking?”
No he cannot be serious. Can he?
“No I’m not joking Scarlet. It’s the nearest home we could find that would accept someone with your…circumstances and personality.”
Jeez, that’s just a nice way to say it’s the only shithole that would accept a moody, angry teenage girl with emotional “problems.”
“Is it now?”
“Yes it is indeed. You’re quite lucky as it’s a rather respectable home you’re going to. Much sought after.”
“Oh yes, because absolutely every teenager in New Jersey would want to be stuck in a bloody care home.” Oh look, my friend Mr. Sarcasm has come back out to play. Jeez I need fricking skittles.

“Dude can we stop at a shop? I need sugar.”
“Are you making tea?”
IDIOT
“No, I meant I need some sort of food with sugar in it.”
“Tea has sugar in it.”
What is it with this guy and fricking tea?
“No I don’t want fucking tea. I want skittles.”
“Well with an attitude like that, I’m not letting you go anywhere.” He’s laughing to himself now. He’s depriving me of my sugar and he’s laughing? He will pay.

In the end up we did stop at a petrol station to fill up the banger car. He went out to stretch his legs and strolled into the adjoining shop, probably for tea. Idiot.
I pushed open the car door (it was kinda stuck) and climbed out. I looked around for somewhere I could hide, but everywhere is too obvious. Then I saw the car. Aww what a brilliant idea I have. I’m so goddamn smart. Praise me people!

Mr. Blobby came out of the shop with a blue plastic bag. He walked back over to the car and climbed back in again. I turned over in the seat and smiled at him.
“Hello Mr. Simmons. How is your day?”
“What have you done?”
“Nothing.” I smirked as I looked out the window.
He was staring at me, I could feel it. Aww I hope I don’t start laughing.
He must have stopped staring because the car engine was starting. He began to roll the car out of the petrol station, but just when he needed the brakes to slow it down to turn onto the main road, the car gave a bang and didn’t stop. He was looking frantically around him to see what had happened, then he saw that a car was coming right at us. He turned to me again. Aww this is so funny.
“Scarlet what have you done?”
“Nothing!” I was giggling, damn it he’ll know I definitely did it now.
The car kept rolling out of the station and was right in the middle of the road, and then it stopped. Mr. Blobby started the car up again but it wouldn’t budge and that car was still coming towards us. I looked out the rear-view mirror again; a long line of liquid was leading from where we were parked to where we were right now. A huge lot of it was all over the ground. Serves him right.

He saw where I was looking and knew what I had done.
“You idiot girl you let out all the petrol! You’re gonna kill us both!”
I just shrugged and sat back, turned on my ipod. He was jumping about like a loony trying to figure out what to do.
I turned the click wheel to a song I was looking for, Green Day Time Of Your Life. I started to sing along with it when I felt a huge crash on my side of the car and a searing heat down my arm. Then it was black.

Arrgghhhh light! It burns! It burns!
“Someone turn that goddamn light off! IT’S BURNING MY EYES. I’M BLIND LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!”
“Oh stop overreacting Scarlet.”
Awk fuck, I’d know that voice anywhere by now.
“You stupid girl you could have gotten us killed. Is that what you want? Is it?”
“Not really. I’m still waiting for Funeral For A Friend’s new album to be released.”
“Whatever you say Scarlet, now that you’re awake we can be on our way again.”
My vision had come back now. I’M NOT BLIND! Yayness. I glanced around. And you’ll never guess where I was. Go on ahead guess. Got it in one…ching ching ching and the answer is…a hospital. And what does the nice reader win Dave? A lifetime supply of absolutely shit all Scarlet!
My arm was bandaged up though.
“Dude, what happened to my arm?”
“Well, in your ridiculous attempt at committing suicide and taking me with you, a car crashed into your side of the car. Your arm bone is shattered. Smart girl you are.”
Does he think I care if I kill him? I couldn’t give a fuck if he died tomorrow.
“Whatever.”
“Come along then Scarlet, we must be going.”
“Ha right yeah. No way.”
“Why not then?”
“Well, for a start, we have no car.”
He’s a fucking idiot. Leave it to a teenager to think of these factors.
“Yes we do, I got a rental with my insurance.”
Okay maybe not then.
“Why bother getting insurance for that old heap of rusted bolts?”
“Just come on.”
Fine then have it your away.

At least we have a decent car this time. And oh look, the doors actually open on the first try. I climbed into this new car and buckled myself in. And we began to drive off.
"So what do you call this place then? Town must have a name."
"It's called Belleville. It's a nice place."
“Okay so how long now?” Like I care, I just want to lie down. And get skittles. Oh skittles how I miss you my love.
“We’re almost here. 5 minutes with the traffic.”
Oh okay then that’s not too bad. I shall see you again soon my darlings.
I kind of lost track of time in that seat thinking about skittles, because next thing I knew I was outside this big white building. At least it looks like a building. It could be a doorway to another dimension or anything. Who knows like?
“Okay out we get dear.”
Eugh shut up seriously.

But anyway I did get out. There was this smiley faced prick standing at the door waiting for me. And he had this bright yellow jumper with a logo thingy on it in blue. It said Riverdale Care Home. So that’s where I am then? I hope I don’t have to wear one of those things.
“Aww hello dear how are you? I’m Malcolm. That’s Malcolm with 2 L’s in it just so you know.”
Does he think im retarded? Seriously? I put on the best “duh” face I could muster. He seemed to have got the message quick enough.
“Okay then dear. Oh no, do you have no bags?”
Oh no I do don’t worry, they’re jus invisible. And once again with the “duh” look.
“Right, well come on in then and I’ll show you to your room.”
I stepped over the threshold of Riverdale Care Home and I nearly fainted.
How can any one place have so much…colour? It’s kind of overwhelming.
I shivered and walked on into the “house.” Mr. Blobby has disappeared though so I’m happy enough for the time being.

I followed the yellow jumper up a flight of stairs, dodging several toy cars and a skipping rope. Down a hallway thingy we went, past several doors with name plaques and designs on them. I’m not liking what I see from these door designs. They’re all either pink and flowers or blue and cars. Shivers again.
Then there was a door with a poster on it. It was a My Chem poster. It was slightly open so I tried to look through that crack.
There was a dude, sitting playing guitar against a red and black painted wall. Emo black hair with red in it. He was playing a fender strat. Oh now this was interesting. If he can survive here then maybe I could too.
“Oh this is Charlie’s room. He’s our more…unique soul living here,” Malcolm was standing beside me, “but we must be getting on because dinner is soon.”
So Charlie was his name? Maybe I might say hello later.

My room was near the end of that long corridor-like thing. Malcolm opened the door for me. It was kind of small. Okay small is an understatement. It was like a box! A bed, set of drawers, a nightstand and a mirror were already there. Very little space was left but just big enough for someone my size. Apparently I’m quite small for my age just so you know.
“Okay then I’ll leave you to get settled in and unpack your…amm...well I’ll just leave you to get settled.” He chuckled nervously and closed the door behind him.
I swear I’ll end up doing prison time for that man. 25 to life.
I put the only thing I had left, my ipod, onto the nightstand and turned on the lamp that was sitting on it too. I suppose this room isn’t so bad. If I put up some posters and painted it. Maybe a rug or something as well.
There was a teeny window on one of the walls, looking out over the front door and the courtyard-like thing out the front. Mr. Blobby’s rental car was gone. Thank god.
I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I frowned at what I saw. My long black hair was matted, and my purple streaks needed doing again. My normally warm brown eyes were dull, and my eyeliner could do with a touch up too. And for god’s sake, I had a spot coming on my chin. Typical.
I lay down on the bed, which actually was kind of comfortable, and stared at the ceiling. I’m on my own now. Mom’s gone. I have none of my stuff, it was all in my house and my house is gone too. Oh and I’m stuck here with a pile of weirdo psychopaths for all I know.
Then there was a knock on my door, and a woman with blonde curls poked her head through the door.
“Hey, so you’re Scarlet then? I’m Kate, I work here too. Don’t mind Malcolm too much, he does his best. Anyway dinner is ready in 10 if you want to go wash up before the rush starts. The girls’ bathroom is third door down on this side of the hallway.”
“Yeah okay thanks.”
And she left. She doesn’t seem too bad. Kate was her name wasn’t it? Yeah Kate.
I took her at her word and went down the hall to find this bathroom and I washed up. As soon as I stepped outside the door again, about 20 kids were filling up the hallway, rushing downstairs or lining outside the bathrooms. This will be fun. I made my way through them, following the general direction of everyone else when I walked headfirst into someone leaving his room. I glanced up and these icy blue eyes met mines and I blushed a bit. It was that guy with the emo hair.
“Amm sorry about that, I’m new here and I haven’t a clue where I’m going,” I said giggling a bit. I’m going to make a fool out of myself I know it.
“Oh okay,” the dude said laughing, “I don’t mind. You get used to it here after a while. I’m Charlie by the way.”
“I’m Scarlet.”
“Wow pretty name for a pretty girl.”
He did not just say that. But he’s smiling so I guess he did. I smiled back and walked after him in the hallway to, I suppose, dinner.

I laughed a bit with Charlie on out way back up the stairs. Dinner was definitely the worst I’d had in years but I was sitting beside Charlie and he cheered me up a bit.
I left him at his door and I walked on towards mines. Everything was dark inside. I closed the door behind me and switched on my lamp. It was only then that I noticed my walls were pink. Just my luck, getting shoved in a pink room. I hate pink.
Because I had nothing better to do, I kicked off my shoes and most of my clothes, and climbed into bed where I spend most of the night lying awake and thinking about how much my life sucks.

My life was pretty much the same for the next 3 months or so. I painted my room deep purple with the help of Charlie and stuck up some posters he loaned me. I got some black curtains and bed clothes and a black rug for my room. In a reversal of luck, Kate took pity on me and took me shopping for some clothes and eyeliner.
She’s a decent enough person I guess.
I started school. Yayness. Yeah that was sarcasm. Mostly it was crap because it was a Catholic school. Belleville Academy. Yeah I know the ones with the dorky uniforms and has really strict teachers. My uniform was awful. Tartan blue, black and white skirt, a white shirt with a blue and white stripe tie and a black waistcoat-like thing. Yeah I know a fricking waistcoat. White slouch socks and black plimsolls. What the hell are they supposed to be anyway?? It’s like a cross between black shoes and socks.
I bloody hate all of it. I’ll burn it all one day I swear. I didn’t even know I was Catholic, but apparently my dad was brought up Catholic and I was baptised and stuff.

Once day, I got up out of bed and got ready for school. Usual stuff you know. I got washed up early before the last minute rush. I grumbled over the skirt and waistcoat. I slipped on the weird shoes/socks. Went downstairs with Charlie for breakfast and left for school in the minivan (yes a minivan, shut the fuck up.)
I thought it was going to be another shit ass day, but apparently god hates me and so wanted to screw my life up even more.
Oh how my life is fun.

(a.n. Belleville Academy is completely made up. It might exist, but since i liev in Ireland i haven't a baldies notion ohkay? =] )