Waiting for the Sun ✓

Chapter Nine

[This is the newly re-written version of this chapter]

My eyelids fluttered opened and I stretched my stiff arms above my head. Sunlight crept through the blinds sprawled across my window and I blinked at the brightness. I turned my phone over on the bedside table and glanced at the time. Eight-thirty in the morning. Thankfully, it was Saturday, which meant I was able to relax in bed for a little longer than usual. I knew I had a shift at work in the afternoon, but that was hours away.

I sat up in bed and grimaced as pain raced through my body. My ribs ached in protest as I crawled out of bed. My feet slapped against the floorboards as I stood. Yesterday was still haunting me, the day playing over and over again in my head.

A whirlwind of all the things I would rather forget.

When Lori saw me yesterday, I had to lie. I knew that if she knew the truth about the people who were bullying me, she would kick up a fuss and create more problems than I already have. It was better this way, her not getting involved. The less people being dragged into my chaotic world, the better.

I thought of Alex, too, and his odd persistence to help me. He was beginning to be a problem and I had no idea what to do about him. I wasn't sure what else I could do to let him know that I didn't want or need his help.

I shook my head. That was Monday's problem.

As usual, Esther was already awake and no longer in her bed. She had always been an early riser, whereas I was only an early riser when I had to.

Opening the bedroom door, I padded down the hall and into the bathroom. Mottled bruises bloomed like flowers across my cheeks and I knew that if I pulled up my shirt, I'd see the same thing across my torso. I sighed heavily and left the bathroom, heading in the direction of my bedroom.

A sharp voice sliced through the air and I stilled. Against my better judgement, I followed the voice all the way into the living room. Dad towered over Esther and his fists were clenched at his sides. A red flush had settled on his cheeks. His voice, a vociferous sound, sent fear skittering down my spine.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Esther was whispering, her arms wrapped around chest. Even from a distance, I could see that her body was trembling.

"You're going to buy me a new shirt to replace the one you destroyed," Dad snapped. "You're also grounded for the next month. You will go to school and then come home. That's it."

Esther nodded frantically.

Dad exhaled sharply and shook his head. He turned away from her and then his eyes landed on me.

"What do you want?" he demanded sharply, and I flinched.

"I-I..." I stuttered and trailed off.

"What happened to your face?" Dad asked, his eyes narrowing. There wasn't a hint of concern in his cold tone. He stepped towards me so he could study me closer. "Are you getting into trouble at school?"

I shook my head. Fear traipsed through my chest like it belonged there.

"You better not be, or there will be consequences," Dad said in a low voice.

He cast one last disgusted look at both Esther and I before he exited the room. Esther's shoulders dropped and I exhaled shakily. It was never pleasant to be reprimanded by our dad, but it could've gone a lot worse. We both knew that from past experiences.

"Are you okay?" I whispered. I didn't want Dad to overhear and punish us both.

A glare crossed Esther's face and she deigned not to answer. A few seconds later, she sped out of the room and I heard a door click shut elsewhere in the house. I sighed. I wasn't entirely sure what Dad was mad at her about, but I wasn't going to push if she didn't want to talk about it.

Lori ventured out of her room a few minutes later, having completely missed the incident with Dad. I briefly explained what I'd seen, but neither of us could make much sense of it without hearing the whole story. It didn't really matter, though. There wasn't anything we could do.

After eating breakfast and brushing my teeth, I began my chores for the day.

Lori drove me to work at one-thirty in the afternoon. Two months ago, I'd gotten a part-time job at a café at the local shopping centre near my house. It was my first job and I thought it was going fairly well so far. As soon as I was almost fifteen, Dad had demanded I got a job. It had taken me some time – people weren't interested in hiring when you had no previous experience – but I was finally successful. Now, I worked every weekend and didn't mind one bit.

One of the other employees, Natasha, said hello to me. I wasn't really friends with anyone there yet, but Natasha had been the nicest so far. She was several years older than me and had been working at Sweetsmith for five years. The manager wasn't there that day, thankfully, which meant Natasha and I were able to talk without being watched.

"Could you please refill the milk in the fridge? Make sure you check the dates and put the later ones at the back," Natasha asked as she made some coffees for the five customers that had just entered the café. I hadn't been trained as a barista yet, but the manager had told me he wanted to at some point.

I nodded and began refilling the fridge.

"You're still at school, yeah?" Natasha asked. She placed the coffees on a tray and gestured for me to carry it out.

I rose from my crouching position by the fridge. "Yeah. I'm in Year 11 at the moment," I replied. Picking up the tray, I shakily carried it over to the table. I returned a few moments later and finished stacking the milk in the fridge.

"Are you gonna go to university after you finish school?"

"I'm not sure," I answered truthfully. I wasn't sure I wanted to. There wasn't anything I was overly interested in studying, either.

Natasha nodded in understanding. When I worked my first shift with her, she had told me all about how she hated the idea of going to university and thought it was a waste of time. Instead, she wanted to work as much as she could and focus on earning money. I respected that, but I also thought going to university was a good idea for some people.

After I finished my three-hour shift at Sweetsmith, the café I worked at, I caught the bus home. Lori was working from five-thirty onwards at a bar in the city so she didn't have time to pick me up.

When I got home, the house was silent. Dad's car wasn't in the driveway, which meant he wasn't home. I headed through the house and into my room to find Esther sitting on her bed, typing away on her laptop.

As always, neither of us said anything to one another.

I went into the bathroom to change out of my work uniform and then returned to my room. Sitting down on my own bed, I opened the book I was currently reading.

And for the first time in a very long time, I allowed myself to relax.