A Step to Love
Welcome Back
“Lillian, wake up already!” my mom yelled for what seemed to be the third time from the kitchen.
I mumbled some inaudible words before getting up and checking the clock. 6:45am. An hour wasn’t enough, my mom feared, so she woke me up at six. I pressed my lips together. My morning breath, I thought it was awful. I felt sorry for my sheets; they had to suck it up every damned morning.
I started walking toward the bathroom while rubbing my face. I took a fifteen minute bath and another fifteen minutes for hair and wardrobe. I finally got downstairs and found my mom drinking coffee on the couch. “Ready to go?” she asked seriously. She always sounded drowned in her own misery. It never ceased to amaze me how her tone was always full of anger and her eyes had a shade of red around them.
She always looked mad. She always stared viciously. It started when my dad died. Ever since then, the looks started. As if I was the responsible for his death.
I simply ignored her face by looking at the floor. “I’m going to grab some breakfast first.”
“Fine,” she replied. “Hurry up. I have things to do.”
With that, I grabbed an apple and got in the car. There she was, already waiting for me.
When I got in the car, she immediately started the engine and drove me to school.
“Lillian,” she said, before dropping me off. “…take care … and enjoy your first day of school.”
I only smiled a little.
Then all of the sudden—breaking some awkward that had just started—I heard a girl scream my name from the other side of the window. I turned. There she was; a blonde girl with only pink clothes jumping up and down with such happiness.
“Bye,” I replied lowly as I waved my hand and grabbed my black backpack from the backseat. When I closed the door, I waited a little for my mom to drive away, her eyes still locked on to me. When she was out of sight, I turned around to hug my friend.
“Finally, you will put me out of my misery.” I said to her, feeling her hair all over my face. I pulled from the hug and pushed a little toward the front door of the school.
I heard Brit's voice as I stared to the floor watching my steps. “Is your mom mad again?”
I shrugged. "When is she not?"
She seemed to understand, nodding.
I felt someone pull my messy black ponytail, and I turned, following Brit who did the same.
“Hey.” I smiled, greeting Sasha, who was also smiling like an idiot in front of me. I hadn’t seen my friends in the whole summer. We used to hang out every summer that had passed, but this year my mom decided she had ‘other plans’.
“Hey, I missed you so much,” she whispered getting into a hug. After a second, she pulled Brit in by her shirt to get her to join in, too. “You’ve grown a bit,” Sasha said as she pulled away.
I showed my set of teeth. “Damn proud.”
“Where are you guys going?”
“Office. Schedules,” Brit replied.
My eyes went to Sasha’s left wrist where she wore a big white wristwatch that showed we only had fifteen minutes left.
“Em.” I pointed toward the watch.
Brit gasped, jumping in her position. “Cookies! We have to go.”
Sasha raised an eyebrow at Brit. “I’ll catch up with you later, then, ladies.” Sasha was a year older than both of us, meaning she didn’t exactly hang as often.
“Wait, aren’t coming to get you schedule, Sasha?”
“I already did,” she said smiling, pulling a yellow paper out of a white bag I had just noticed she had hanging around herself. She hugged us both once more before walking off to God knows where. Probably to her classes. Like we should be.
I mumbled some inaudible words before getting up and checking the clock. 6:45am. An hour wasn’t enough, my mom feared, so she woke me up at six. I pressed my lips together. My morning breath, I thought it was awful. I felt sorry for my sheets; they had to suck it up every damned morning.
I started walking toward the bathroom while rubbing my face. I took a fifteen minute bath and another fifteen minutes for hair and wardrobe. I finally got downstairs and found my mom drinking coffee on the couch. “Ready to go?” she asked seriously. She always sounded drowned in her own misery. It never ceased to amaze me how her tone was always full of anger and her eyes had a shade of red around them.
She always looked mad. She always stared viciously. It started when my dad died. Ever since then, the looks started. As if I was the responsible for his death.
I simply ignored her face by looking at the floor. “I’m going to grab some breakfast first.”
“Fine,” she replied. “Hurry up. I have things to do.”
With that, I grabbed an apple and got in the car. There she was, already waiting for me.
When I got in the car, she immediately started the engine and drove me to school.
“Lillian,” she said, before dropping me off. “…take care … and enjoy your first day of school.”
I only smiled a little.
Then all of the sudden—breaking some awkward that had just started—I heard a girl scream my name from the other side of the window. I turned. There she was; a blonde girl with only pink clothes jumping up and down with such happiness.
“Bye,” I replied lowly as I waved my hand and grabbed my black backpack from the backseat. When I closed the door, I waited a little for my mom to drive away, her eyes still locked on to me. When she was out of sight, I turned around to hug my friend.
“Finally, you will put me out of my misery.” I said to her, feeling her hair all over my face. I pulled from the hug and pushed a little toward the front door of the school.
I heard Brit's voice as I stared to the floor watching my steps. “Is your mom mad again?”
I shrugged. "When is she not?"
She seemed to understand, nodding.
I felt someone pull my messy black ponytail, and I turned, following Brit who did the same.
“Hey.” I smiled, greeting Sasha, who was also smiling like an idiot in front of me. I hadn’t seen my friends in the whole summer. We used to hang out every summer that had passed, but this year my mom decided she had ‘other plans’.
“Hey, I missed you so much,” she whispered getting into a hug. After a second, she pulled Brit in by her shirt to get her to join in, too. “You’ve grown a bit,” Sasha said as she pulled away.
I showed my set of teeth. “Damn proud.”
“Where are you guys going?”
“Office. Schedules,” Brit replied.
My eyes went to Sasha’s left wrist where she wore a big white wristwatch that showed we only had fifteen minutes left.
“Em.” I pointed toward the watch.
Brit gasped, jumping in her position. “Cookies! We have to go.”
Sasha raised an eyebrow at Brit. “I’ll catch up with you later, then, ladies.” Sasha was a year older than both of us, meaning she didn’t exactly hang as often.
“Wait, aren’t coming to get you schedule, Sasha?”
“I already did,” she said smiling, pulling a yellow paper out of a white bag I had just noticed she had hanging around herself. She hugged us both once more before walking off to God knows where. Probably to her classes. Like we should be.