30 Days To Fall In Love

Day Eighteen - Emma

***Emma***

It was one of those nights when you wake up feeling like you’ve slept for years. I felt like Sleeping Beauty (minus the beauty and kissing parts) awaking from her hundred year slumber.

“You have to come shopping today,” Peter told me. He was already dressed and his hair looked damp.

“Did I miss out on showering again? I must stink!” I cried.

He pinched his nostrils shut with his fingers, “Phwoar! You’re right!”

“Very funny,” I joked.

“Nah, I went over for a swim, I couldn’t sleep,” he explained. “Everyone’s going to shower tonight. Right now it’s Friday, which means a group shop.”

“More stealing?” I sighed.

He looked angry, “It is not stealing.”

“Whatever...” I shrugged.

“C’mon, get up,” he said, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me up.

“What about breakfast?” I asked as I ran a comb through my matted hair.

“We’re eating out,” Raven explained from the distance.

Peter’s eyes shone, “Yep, it’s our treat. And we’re not even gonna steal this time!” He winked at me, unsettling my stomach. Not that I was attracted to him or anything, it was just the whole idea of stealing: I hated it.

Everyone was rolling up their sleeping bags and getting ready to go out. I hated living like this; I couldn’t understand why everyone else was so happy. Sure, they were decent people, but this wasn’t going to be my life forever. I needed to leave at some point.

As everyone cleared up, I fumbled around inside one of the many cardboard boxes that lined our so-called home and found a jumper. It was beautiful and a dark purple-blue colour, it looked to be almost regal. I slipped into it and jogged ahead to catch up with Raven.

She was deep in conversation with another girl who had strawberry blonde hair and huge purple glasses that seemed to make her eyes looked twice the natural size in a pretty way.

“Oh, hey, Emma,” Raven said with a smile.

“You feeling okay?” I asked her. What I meant to say was: Surely this is morning sickness time, why on earth are you going out?

She shrugged, “Yep, fine.”

The girl next to her, who I had a feeling was called Karen, piped up, “You shouldn’t go out in public when you’ve been declared missing.”

“What?” I said.

“I saw you on the news this morning - the police are searching for you,” Karen squeaked.

“Are you serious?” I gasped. Why were the police searching for me? Well, sure, I was missing from home, but I didn’t think that anyone would actually care enough to come looking for me.

She nodded bashfully, “Your parents were on the news and everything. And your boyfriend Darren or someone.”

I stared at her, feeling like my eyes were as huge as hers, “But...My parents hate me. They kicked me out!”

“Can you leave us alone for a sec, Karen?” Raven asked with a fake smile.

Karen nodded and scampered away.

“Maybe Jake told them that you’re missing...?” Raven suggested.

“You don’t know anything about Jake! Or my parents!” I snapped. “Leave me alone!” Then I stormed off childishly. I felt stupid as soon as I’d done it, but I was angry and confused. I was on the national news! Declared as missing! What was going on? And my parents cared? What was this? A joke?