Unloved

Five

R A C H E L

" Why didn't you say anything, Rachel?" Danie asked.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You're always not paying attention. What's it with you?" Leah asked me.

"Yeah, she's right, you know. You're just not yourself", Danie said and Leah nodded in agreement.

We were sitting on the benches in the car park, there were so many cars there. My BMW was parked in between two cars and so I could not move the car. We were waiting for both cars to move and anyways, it was a great opportunity for us to sign some yearbooks.

"It's just that been thinking of my parents, that's all", I said as I looked at Megan and her father, who helped her carry her books and get into the car.

She laughed as her father tickled her. She felt totally the opposite from what I was feeling. She got in the car, an old Toyota Camry. Even though it was old, it looked well taken care of and cared for. My friends had no clue about what I was going through. Okay, so all seemed rosy on the outside, but it was not the same on the inside. If my friends knew they could not do anything about it. Two airheads could not solve my complicated problems.

"Let's go", I said and headed towards the car with Leah and Danie trailing behind me.

"How are you girls going to spend your summer?" Danie asked once we got into the BMW.

"I'll be going to New York", Leah said.

"And I will be at my summerhouse in Florida with friends and cousins", Danie said.

"What about you, Rachel?" Leah asked me.

I did not want to answer that question. I was still angry with Granny for suggesting that I go to Christian Summer School and what in the world was wrong with me? Why did I agree to this in the first place? I couldn't lie to them. I had to tell them the truth.

"Oh. I'll spend my summer at some camp", I replied.

"You?" Leah and Danie both asked in unison.

I expected them to be surprised. I nodded.

"It's compulsory", I said as an explanation.

 We soon arrived at Leah's house. Danie's house was close by. They both got out and I continued to my house. Danie and Leah both have cars but we thought it would be more convenient if we were to go in one car. 

My mum had already left for New York very angry. Goodbye to all the gifts my mum always brought me from her travels, which were mainly clothes, obviously, because she's a supermodel.  I just thought my mum was so angry with me that she would never visit me again. 

My mum's relationship with me took a downturn ever since my mum got her job as a supermodel. It was like I was a nuisance to her. She loved her job more than she loved me. I felt that she never wanted to be around me. Tears which threatened to spill down my face were firmly held back. Why wasn't my family like Megan's own? I could feel the warmth and love radiating from their living room.

Granny had already packed my clothes and such. I tried to pretend to be excited about the camp which was tomorrow. I did not even have any time to rest. I had no clue as to what was supposed to happen at the Christian Summer School. I just hoped we wouldn't be doing anything that would involve any physical work -I hated that! I saw a Bible lying on the floor. I picked it up and put it in my orange tote bag. I also added a notebook and a pen just in case.

My grandmother woke me up at 5:30 a.m. Ugh! I hated waking up early. I quickly got up, ate my breakfast and washed my face. I awkwardly hugged my grandmother and was helped to carry my luggage by some boys, which was a lot, I guess I'm really like my mum. I saw a huge, yellow bus with the words Christian Summer School on it. 

I got in and looked around me. The seats looked old and uncomfortable. The floors were old too and I did not like the environment in the bus. I had never been in a bus before -and I wasn't enjoying it so far. I wanted to sit as far as possible from all the people so I made my way to the backseats. I took a seat and wondered how I got myself into all this. Leah and Danie were right, there was something very wrong with me. How could a normal human being choose a summer camp over spending a vacation in New York? Well, probably I wasn't normal. I plugged the earphones in my ear, played music on my iPhone and soon fell fast asleep.