I woke up the next morning feeling stiff and sore. It took me a few minutes to get out of bed, and every movement sent a sharp pain shooting up my back. Hopefully I'd be able to make am excuse to sit out in gym today.
I walked into the bathroom and took a small glance in the mirror. four large finger prints shone a bright purple and blue color around each side of my neck. I didn't bother to shower; I feared the hot water would double the pain.
I cautiously slipped on a tank top and then my sweater, wincing with every movement. it felt like knives were digging into my back where the glass had cut into me.
I grabbed my bag, slipped my book from the library in it, and quietly walked down the stairs to the front door. The house looked like a tornado had flown through it, and my father was nowhere to be seen. I knew I'd have to clean the mess eventually, but for today I was just focusing on moving forward.
When I opened the door the cold draft from the morning breeze fill my body with chills, and again I thought about grabbing that extra sweater.
Just grab the sweater off the rack by the kitchen doorway and walk out, Sandra. He's still asleep. If you're quiet, you won't wake him.
I quickly but quietly made my way through the mess of the living room towards the rack. It was so close, not even 10 feet away. I scanned my eyes around the sweaters hanging on the rack to find one of my own, but none were there. Only a small, soft wool hoodie. I reached my hand out towards the purple fabric, my moms old sweater. It had hardly ever moved from that sit on the coat rack since she had passed, even when we had moved from our lovely three bedroom home for this small shack we stayed in now. My fingers closed on the sweater, and relief and remorse swept through my body.
I turned back towards the door, and began to slip the sweater over my other one, when suddenly I heard a low growl come from behind the over turned couch to my left.
"...Eileen?"
I stopped dead in my tracks. my dad had sometimes mistaken me for my mother in the past, but I didn't want to be here with him after last night, even if he would treat me like gold for the day.
I began walking even faster towards the door, almost sprinting. When I got to the door, I began to run down the block until I got to the turn off towards Casey's house. I stopped to catch my breath.
I noticed Casey before she noticed me today. She had her face glued to her phone screen, and I watched as she almost walked straight into the pole, then kicked the pole and began cursing at it. I giggled to myself. That was the best think about Casey; no matter what was bothering her, one second around Casey put me in a much better mood.
She turned from the pole and looked up at me, smiling with relief she she saw me wave her over. I felt bad for being angry with her the day before; Casey was very sensitive.
Before I could even mumble a hello, Casey began one of her many rants. "Soooo, my mom was working this case and needed a file from one of the police officers, so I, like, went in the police station with her. And guess who was sitting with an officer crying her eyes out?"
I didn't even have a chance to guess before she went on, "It was that girl I told you about at that party the other night! Amber what's-her-name? I wonder if something really bad happened to her, everyone's been talking about what happened at school. Saying she faked it because she slept with some jock and felt slutty after it."
A sudden and painful memory flashed into my head after she had said that. That made me stagger.
"Try and tell people what happened. Nobody will believe you Sandra. They'll just think you're the slur you know you are."
"Sandra. SANDRA. Earth to Sandra!"
Casey was waving her hand in front of my face, trying to get my attention.
"Sorry, I was just caught up in my own mind I guess."