Finals were underways, the pressure to pass them hit me hard. I knew it wasn't just me but still, I couldn't help feel stressed. Finishing highschool would be a big step. I had just moved out from my parents home, not like I missed them to be honest. My family basically disregarded me my whole life. I had grown up unwanted. My father would stay out late at nights, and come home at noon. My mother, she was always pampering my little sister, Carla.
Carla had grown up spoiled and loved. I was a bit jealous at how she always had our parents love, but I grew used to it. If I got into a fight at school, my father gave me a good beating for it. I shared a dorm with another classmate of mine, her name was Hermine. She was a foreign exchange student at my school who decided to stay and not return back to her family in Germany. Hermine was always by my side no matter what, sometimes I didn't understand her when she spoke in German but she was teaching me.
I've been buried in my text books for the past few hours and hadn't eaten. I knew I was tiered but I still refused to get up and move. Hermine had ordered takeout earlier and I knew it would arrive anytime soon. Ding. The door bell rang. I sighed and got up finally and answered the door. A man, maybe in his early 30's smiled and handed me the plastic takeout and left. "Food is here" I said as I knocked on Hermine's door.
"Coming!" Hermine yelled through the door. I sighed and trudged over to the living room sitting down on the ground. We had a small coffee table and a comfy couch. We never used our dining table, so instead it had become a storage place for reports and sometimes exam books.
Carefully I took out the contents from the bag as I sat down sitting cross legged. Hermine walked out of her room seconds after I sat down looking tiered. She had ordered Sushi for tonight. We lived off of a school budget, but Hermine got money from her parents. Unlike me she grew up rich and loved. I sighed as a picked at my sushi.
"How's studying going?" I asked her as I ate relishing the taste of the sticky sweet rice in my mouth.
"It's alright. I understand it all, it's just the English and Russian I'm worried about"
Hermine said. She was learning Russian as her second language in school. She could have graduated with German and English but she insisted on doing Russian. "It's basically cheating if I choose German since I speak it my whole life" was her reasoning to choosing Russian.
"You're the best at everything. Don't sweat it" I signed. I crinkled my nose as I felt the wasabi sting my nose. I had chosen Italian as my second language so it wasn't too hard. Just a lot of rules I have to memorize.
"Oh I ment to tell you but I kept forgetting, your parents sent you a letter. It said to open it after graduation" Hermine said while she stuffed a spring roll into her mouth.
"Fine. Thanks Hermine. Where is it?" I asked with a small groan. Any contact with my parents ment bad news.
"It's in your room, on top of your important stack" Hermine replied eyeing me. She knew of my issues with my parents but never inquired much about it which I silently thanked her for.
"Skyla, you know your sister is is going to graduate in two years, are you going to her graduation?" Hermine asked carefully. Hermine loved Carla since she met my family once. Carla also made a reputation in her grade being the top of her class.
"Nope. She's not coming to mine. Besides, she's better off without me. Just look at me Hermine. Carla is everything our parents ever wanted. Meanwhile I'm just a disgrace to them" I sighed as I packed my now empty sushi tray into the plastic bag for trash.
"Come on, least you'll send her a card right?" Hermine asked hopeful.
"Yeah I will. I'll send her a card" I grumbled. I knew Hermine was right tho, despite the distance between Carla and I she deserved to have the support to graduate. I know she will make our parents proud.
I had wished all my life that our parents would have acknowledged one thing to me. But despite my best grades they still frowned down on it. They didn't protest the day I packed up and announced I would be leaving. They didn't spare me a glance. I yawned softly and stood up cleaning up my mess from dinner and went outside throwing the trash away.
"Good night Skyla. Don't forget we have to be in the exam rooms tomorrow by nine" Hermine said reminding me. I nodded with a small smile. "Yeah thanks Hermine. Sleep well and get some good sleep. We both need it" I said with a chuckle. Hermine nodded and we both parted ways to our dorm room. I looked at the clock, it was 8 pm. Just about time to go to bed since our finals where tomorrow.
I walked back to my room and into the attached bathroom. I opened my hair from its ponytail, letting my silky black hair fall to my waist. I looked exhausted from the amount of studying I did that day. I shimmied out of my cloaths and turned on the shower, which was nice and relaxing. Brushing my teeth and also doing my facial skin care routine I got into my pajamas and got into bed. I could hear Hermine playing her music as she did her sleep routine. I looked up at the ceiling, a sudden uneasy feeling washing over me.
Something was off but I didn't know what. I tried to push the uneasy feeling away as I drifted into a blank dreamless sleep. Hermine's soft music in the background soothed me and I drifted closing my eyes.