More Than You Know _Chapter !_
Waking up to an alarm is never an easy process, especially at 5:50am. My eyes flickered open after a few moments of regret, and I rolled over to reach the beeping alarm.
When the beeping stopped, I reluctantly peeled the warm covers off of my body. I made my way to the closet just across the barren room, the brisk air against my skin snapping me awake as I slid the retracting doors open. Rubbing the rest of the sleep from my eyes I pulled a gray shirt over my bruised torso, cringing at the sore ache. Letting out a sigh, I tried to stretch it out before pulling on my jeans and favorite hoodie. After all of that, I made my way down the wooden stairs, quietly. My footsteps creaked as I snuck over to the front door. Reaching to hold on to my backpack straps, I realized that they weren't there, had I left it in my room? I ran back up the steps to check, but my room was empty, there was no way it could be hidden in here, so where could it have gone?
She must have taken it over the weekend, but where would she have put it? I felt my heart rate increase as I started to panic. There was no way I could leave without it, it had all of my weekend homework neatly stored away in its pockets. Shaking off my fear I crept back down the stairs. My mom's room broke off from the living room, which was straight in from the door. So I had a straight sprint to the door if anything went wrong.
I reached out my hand to open the door, praying to any god that would answer that she wasn't awake, and as if one of them had, she didn't even turn in her sleep. The backpack sat at the end of my mother's bed, next to a blanket that she must have kicked off in her sleep. I took a few quick steps into the room, my nose furrowing at the toxic smell that encompassed it. Feeling a slight rush of fear I snatched my backpack from the ground and backed out of the room a little too quickly. One of the beer bottles that littered the ground must have found its way behind my foot because the clank of it tipping over caused a chain reaction with the ones surrounding it.
I turned on my heels and started a sprint towards the front door.
My balance took a hit when my flopping backpack got caught on the knob that was attached to the door. A sting like sensation was felt in my hands when I used them to break my fall.
Taking a deep breath, I looked behind me into the house. The living room was silent, so I figured she must have been hung over or something. Relief rushed through me causing the tightness in my chest to ease up a bit as I walked towards the bus stop. It would take a while for the bus to show, so I usually slept on the bench. Instead, I found my mind wondering.
Sometimes, I could go weeks without even seeing my mom, but other times every other day would be hell.
"Just two more years... and all of this will be over."
A few minutes passed and some other kids in my block had started to show up, you'd think waiting at the same stop every morning would encourage us all to talk and become friends, but teens are simply not that simple. The bus pulled up to my stop causing me to break out of my thoughts. I grabbed my backpack, my face contorting at the feeling of the straps against my scrapes. The bus door opened and I entered quickly.
I spotted my friend, Ashlyn, sitting in one of the farthest seats and started to make my way over to her, when the bus started suddenly. If it weren't for Ashlyn's arm extending out to catch me I would have face planted into the aisle.
She laughed as I sat my self beside her.
I nodded, setting my backpack at my feet.
Ashlyn was the school's class clown, we had actually become friends because I was the only person in the school she couldn't make laugh. It blossomed from there. She didn't know about my mom, in fact, I don't think she's ever met her.
"You invading my home after school today?"
"I don't want to annoy your parents."
"Not possible, they love you."
It was her turn to laugh. I smiled knowing I'd be safe for at least a few more hours.
Ashlyn and I avoided talking for the remainder of the bus ride, with all of the kids messing around, we found it hard to keep a conversation.
Though, it wasn't long before the bus pulled up at the school, anyway. Ashlyn and I quickly made our way off.
She gave me a look and took a stance, I knew what she meant I couldn't help but roll my eyes. She made a dash towards the school and I started after her, she never gave a signal. No one gave us a second glance, as our antics had been normalized way back at the start of the year.
Ash and I were sophomores, after all.
She gloated as I forced myself to a stop.
"I'll get you next time."
I gave her an awkward laugh, we both knew I was never winning that race..
Ashlyn started to rummage through her locker and I couldn't help but look over her shoulder.
I asked, grabbing my own books from my locker.
"Yeah, I think I lost my perfume bottle."
She sighed fixing the mess she had made of her stuff.
"You put too much on anyway."
"I always end up smelling like your perfume."
We parted ways after we had gathered our stuff. I hated not having all of my classes with her like last year. Going into them alone sucked, you had nobody to goof off with, and you were always called on for questions.
I entered my classroom quietly and took my seat at the front corner. When I sat down I couldn't help but rub at the now scarred cut on the back of my neck.
I thought leaning on my elbow.
The class itself was fairly boring. I didn't really have that much interest in computers, not that I even had one at home.
Mr. Shue, our computer science teacher, didn't even know anything he was teaching anyway. He wanted to be a guidance counselor, which required classroom experience.
A weird feeling started to sink into the back of my head. I scratched at it but it didn't go away, was someone staring at me?
The same feeling followed me during my second period and it was starting to thoroughly freak me out.
By third period I was in full-blown panic mode.
Halfway to my next class, I was finally able to slow my pace to a walk. I sighed as I wiped my sweaty for-head, gross.
Just as I had started to walk again I felt a jolt from behind. The force of it caught me off guard and caused me to fall to the tiled floor. I lifted myself with my hands and rolled over, rubbing my pained for-head. My eyes wandered upward, only to be caught by a blue gaze. I tried to tear myself away from the stare but found it difficult to even blink. I couldn't help but let a squeaky 'sorry' escape my lips as I ran a shaky hand through my messy, red hair.
His eyes shut tight after the action, I felt disappointment flash through me when they did.
"Watch where you're going!"
I flinched in response. The voiced must have belonged to one of his friends. I shot up from my spot on the ground.
I repeated, louder this time. The eyes were staring at me again and I felt my cheeks flush. I bowed trying to hide it and scurried away hoping I'd never see him again.
