the propinquity effect

11

+ 11 +

My alarm clock rang at precisely 5:30 in the morning which meant I only got about two hours of sleep because the all-nighter I pulled with Michael. I knew my mum wouldn't allow it if I skip school so I just shrugged and got up, putting my feet on the wooden floor.

As I tried to get up, I found it really hard because I was still tired and I really needed extra hours of sleep. So becauss I couldn't get up, I fell back onto my bed and closed my eyes. Preparing to sleep again and skip school, finding an excuse in my mind to tell my mum.

But the odds weren't in my favour as it usually would be. My bedroom door opened a few seconds after I closed my eyes. I knew I didn't need to open them to see who was on the doorframe, I knew it was my mum. She was prepared to scold me because of how much I hate my school.

For instance, my school doesn't tolerate late students. They will actually send us off to the principal's office if we come late. Apparently, I was late a lot. Sad how I can call the principal by his first name because we are inseperable. He knows me, I know him, that's it.

"I'm not going to school," I muttered under my breath. My mom sat down on the edge of the bed and patted my leg. Out of habit or because she was trying so hard not to punch me on the face. I really didn't want to go to school, I was tired. I needed more sleep. Besides, if I go to school my friends would ask why I have prominent dark circles under my eyes. Or why I didn't answer their texts. Or why I have been crying for the last two hours because Michael was leaving to Germany for a week.

"You need to," Mom replied. Gosh. So Michael was both a blessing and a curse for Alexandria Carmen Grant. He could make me hate or love myself, there was no in between. I shook my head then buried my face into the pillow, restricting me from breathing. "C'mon Alexa, I promise you can skip school tomorrow."

"For real?" I asked and sat up, my hair blocking my view of her and my glasses were nowhere to be seen so my mom's face was a huge blur. She shook her head and then chuckled lightly.

"No you can't skip school, go and take a shower." Mom said as she stood up, she walked to my door and opened it little by little while looking out through the crack. She was making sure none of my cats would go inside and ravish my belongings like they usually would do.

I shoved the blanket off me and then grunted. The animalistic kind of grunt but there wasn't anyone in the same room as mine so I didn't need to worry someone would hear me. I stood up and walked to the bathroom, grabbing my towel that was hanging on the coat rack and then putting the blue fabric over my shoulder. I could hear my mom arguing with my little sister downstairs.

After a good five seconds of trying to listen to the argument downstairs I entered the room. I slammed the bathroom door behind me, silencing the cries and screams that could be heard from fifteen miles away.

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The class was still desserted. No one was in the room aside from me. Not even Zara that would come earlier than me, they all seemed to plan not to accompany me being early at school. My eyes didn't leave the clean whiteboard and the ticking wall clock above it.

My sister and my mom had a fight. It wasn't even a normal fight, I went down to see my sister locking herself into the closet underneath the stairs. So my mom had a rage fit again. I didn't ask her to take me to school so I went with the bus that I hate with a passion.

Everytime something upsets my mom she handles it in a different way. I know some of the parents actually do that to their kids but I thought mine were different. Mom wasn't, Dad wasn't. Dad used to do really bad things to Mom and I knew it scarred her but I didn't think she'd do that to her kids when she already knew the damage of it.