The moment the door flew open, I closed my eyes, acting as though I’d been fast asleep the whole time. My mother flipped on the overhead lamp, lighting up the room in an instant.
“It’s time to get up,” Her voice was gruff, edged with drowsiness. “Breakfast is waiting for you on the table.”
She didn’t hang around to ensure I was awake. Once she’d left the room, I gradually opened my eyes, coming face-to-face with the blinding rays of my ceiling lamp, bright enough to send a sharp strike through my eyes. Letting out a soft yelp of surprise, I sat up, rubbing them to try to rid them of the pain. Once they’d calmed down, I pulled myself up off the sheets, not daring to look behind me at whatever sweat stain I was sure I’d left. I’d have to remember to wash those later tonight.
Grabbing a dark blue polo and a pair of gray khakis from my closet, I slipped out into the hallway and into the bathroom.
It was a messy place, covered in stray clothes and bottles of hygiene products on the counter. My father had left his deodorant out and open, my mother had left her makeup strewn out around the sink, and they’d both failed to put up their toothbrushes. Somehow, one of them had sprayed shaving cream on the eggshell white walls. I was the only one with some sense of order, though even then, my things were never quite organized properly. Removing the makeup brush my mother had left in the sink, I quickly brushed my teeth with our long-expired toothpaste. It was gritty now, developing a bitter taste that did anything but freshen your breath. However, it was all we had. Spitting out a mouthful of grit, I took in the sight of myself in the mirror. I didn’t notice it, but I was trembling. Dark circles had formed under my narrow blue eyes, a clear sign that I’d gotten absolutely no sleep last night. My hair was sticking up in a thousand different directions, likely from my continual rolling in my sleep. Grabbing the comb from the sinkside, I began to drag it through my short, dark locks, gritting with each painful pull. It took roughly five minutes to get the tangles out, and by the time I had, my hair was eighty percent frizz. Great, I’d look like an idiot on my first day.
Pulling my shirt on over it only made my hair worse. I was beginning to grow frantic, knowing that this issue would certainly be a point of discussion if anyone saw. Grabbing my mother’s hairspray, I sprayed it onto the brush’s bristles and ran it through the locks. Through my hair initially protested, it eventually settled down in its proper place. However, my head now smelled like sweet, strawberry hairspray. Hopefully, no one would get close enough to me to smell it, or I’d certainly be screwed. Gritting my teeth—and the small bits of toothpaste left on them—I set the bottle back down. I looked a bit more presentable now that my hair was in good order, though my face was still flushed with the worry that had kept me up all night. Shaking my head, I pushed off from the counter. It’d just have to do.
Heading out of the bathroom, I quickly pulled my Converse on at the door. Mother had left a plate of bologna-smeared toast on the oak table. However, she wasn’t around to see whether or not I ate it. Taking the paper plate, I turned it face down and shoved it deep in the trash can, much too far for anyone to look if they had any suspicions. I didn’t have any appetite anyway, and I certainly didn’t want bologna toast.
I’d left my black backpack by the door last night, newly packed with folders, notebooks, pencils, and the like. Everything a teenager would need to start the school year. Tossing it over my shoulder, I called a farewell to my mother and barged outside. I had no idea when the bus would get here, though I figured it was better to get out there super early than super late. Besides, spending any more time in the house would only mean that my mother would question me on how good her bologna toast was, and, as I hadn’t eaten it, I had no clue. While she was missing in action, I took advantage of the opportunity and headed down the road. Hopefully, the bus wouldn’t be too far away.
