Believe In Me

No one ever gets the one thing they want most in the world. Maybe it's because if someone does get what they want, then they will expect more and more until they end up drowning in their own greed. However, there are some things that many teenagers take for granted every day. Things they don't have to ask for, but rather, are handed to them on a silver platter. Like a loving family who support them. And parents who encourage them to do better in academics and extra-curricular activities. Parents who want them to succeed. Tell them they are beautiful in their own way and do not need to change a hair on their pretty little head.

Maybe if someone actually made an attempt to tell her this earlier on… life would, even could, be different. No one would have to clean-up what was left of her confidence and tell her to hold on. That everything would eventually be alright in the end. And most importantly, every word that poured from her so-called mother's mouth was, in fact, a filthy lie.
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Cars hurry down the highway in a race to their homes. The high school gets smaller behind the over-crowded bus as it too journeys toward the many rural neighborhoods. Sighing, she turns her attention to the seatback in front of her. "Ahh! No! Give it back Paul! Haha no! Give me back my hat!" He screams, sitting two seats behind her and next to one of his friends.

He looked so, so perfect, not just today, but every day. There was simply no other way to put it, and she envied him for it. From the way he charmed the teachers to the way he hit the high C in choir. She could never meet his mother's expectations… All of a sudden something hits her in the back of the head and slides behind her. Suppressing a yelp, she turns around and sees a hat, his hat. Of all the hats in the world, god let his hit her. Picking it up she noticed it had a Yankee's symbol on the front. "Way to go, Paul… you better hope that it didn't go in Garrett's seat. He'd never give it back." He hissed at Paul, who was laughing at his friend's possible misfortune. She looked up to be greeted with Mr. Perfect himself, grinning adorably, while sliding into her seat. Letting her bangs slide in front of her eyes, trying to avoid his deep brown gaze, she hands him back his hat, "Here Nick, I think your friend dropped this on my head".

He chuckled and smashed his curls with his hat, "Well Miss Dailee, maybe I should have him drop it on your head more often if it gets you to use that musical voice of yours". And with that, he stood swiftly from her seat and went back to his. Blushing like mad, she turned her attention back out the finger print covered window.

Walking home in front of Cale and Nick never bothered her before, but today it was just flat out annoying. Reason being, well, they were talking about her. Cale, being the brother he was, was always looking out for Dailee. Especially after their father passed away, he would always do what was best for Dailee and hardly took the stick out of his own eye before taking the log out her's. Dailee never minded though because he was the only one left for her. "No, she doesn't hate you. Stop being ridiculous," Cale whispered, or tried to at least.

"Yeah, and that's why she hardly ever talks to me, right?" Nick threw his hand in the air like it would help prove his point.

"Ugh, do you ever see her talk to anybody at school? And please say yes, I hate how she just closed herself off like that last year." Cale mumbled and glanced at her mid-sentence.

Dailee shook her layered, straight brown hair and started to cross the street to their house. "Hey, I'll see ya later, Nick" Cale said as he ran across with her.

"Hey Dailee," She turned to look back at Nick hesitantly, "See you tomorrow."

She watched his smile widen as she gave him a small wave of the hand and her inherited crooked smile.
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"Can't you at least say "hi" to the boy?!" Cale exclaimed while digging through the cupboard, looking for an 'after school snack'.

Dailee sighed and picked through box of cereal in front of her, searching for the sugary marshmallows, "Cale, I did talk to him today you know."

Cale gave up on finding something and sat across from Dailee at the island in the middle of their kitchen, "Really? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

Dailee rolls her eyes and pops a rainbow looking marshmallow in her mouth, "Yes, I'm deliberately lying to your face to make you believe that I'm not a hermit at school. Darn, you figured out my ingenious plan. Oh how…"

"I get it, Dailee. Stop with the sarcasm. But good, I'm glad you talked to him. WAIT! It was more than one word, right?"

"Ugh, go do your homework, Cale,"

After putting the cereal away, Dailee walked into her room. Light grey paint inhabited all four walls. Some of her favorite sayings were painted at random on the walls containing her window and door. And the other two walls were covered with some of the nature photographs she had taken. Dailee set her backpack on the pink bed spread and walked over to open her shade. She turned back around, but not before peeking to see if Nick was outside. She looks at every picture except for one. The one that helps keeps her alive. The one she wishes wasn't just a picture on the wall. Her dad.

Finally, she looked at his handsome features. His stiff stubble visible around his crooked smile traveled up his slender face. His shaggy brown hair blew in the beach winds away from his deep brown eyes. The eyes she wished were hers so she could actually look at herself in the mirror without seeing her. But of course she has her blue eyes, the eyes that glare at her whenever she doesn't do something correctly or good enough. The eyes that could kill her if they had their way.

As a tear slips slowly down Dailee's cheek as she inaudibly whispers, "If only you were still alive…"