Second Chances. (WATTY AWARDS 2013)

Chapter 8: I Just Got Kicked Out and My Daughter Hates Me

Chapter 8: I Just Got Kicked Out and My Daughter Hates Me.

The words rang through my head like a ticking time bomb ‘expelled’. Those are the words I’d never thought I’d hear ‘suspended’ maybe but not expelled. And trust me my parents were as thrilled about that as I was. They went off on me. Peasnie is at Brian’s house with his mom, she’s bringing her home right now, the guys are at school and I’m at home getting yelled at. I feel bad about getting expelled but I feel even worse about breaking my pinky promise with Peasnie. I promised her no more fights and I got expelled from school for fighting, last time was the same thing, fighting. Seeing her face was gut wrenchingly painful. The way she looked at me with those blue eyes, she looked so disappointed of me and she looked broken. It played inside my head like a broken record. I am a broken record, repeating the same things over and over again.

My mom sat at the table with me, she wore a disappointed expression while my dad paced the kitchen, wearing the floor down as he stammered on about my mistakes in life and the first thing he started with was Rosie. I wanted to scream at them about it because without Rosie Peasnie wouldn’t be here, and I made that clear but they also made it clear that I wouldn’t be expelled if Peasnie wasn’t here. And I’d lived like a normal teenager. From where I’m sitting it sounds like they don’t even love her or care about her. She’s an innocent child; she’s done nothing wrong so why the hell is she being pinned for my idiotic mistakes? My mistakes aren’t her fault. I could feel my already boiling blood heat up in my veins as I sat there listening to them list my faults.

“Why does it sound like you don’t even care about that little girl?” I asked them as I narrowed my gaze. The room fell silent as they looked at each other. My dad shook his head and frowned.

“We do care about Peasnie but if she hadn’t have been born then,”

“Then I wouldn’t know what it’s like to take responsibility for my actions, I wouldn’t be looking for apartments for us to live in as soon as I graduate, I wouldn’t have a job and I wouldn’t be aiming for the best.” I snickered at them.

“-I’m sorry for my mistakes in life but might I remind you, I’m only human and Peasnie is innocent.” I told them in a gruff tone that sounded like gravel. Their silence spoke volumes because they knew I was right, they knew every last word I just said was true.

“We’ve arranged for you to move into a place on the High Street.” My mom finally spoke; her word shocked me to my core even though I knew this would happen.

“You’ll be working two jobs and living in a Laundromat. Peasnie will stay here until you get your act together.” Dad added to mom’s remark. His tone was rough and hard, just like I remember it. I nodded and kept my voice hidden deep inside. But I was broken inside hearing that I won’t be there for my little girl when she needs me. She doesn’t want me anyways, I broke her promise and now I’m dead inside. The silence was broken by the front door opening and closing again.

“We’re here.” Brian’s mom called from the front door. There was a loud set of foot steps cascading into the kitchen before stopping. I turned to see Peasnie standing in the doorway looking at me. She was still in school uniform but she looked paler than she usually does, her eyes were red and slightly swollen. She stood there staring at me with those big blue eyes. I moved in the chair to get up but when I did she took off down the hall to her room, slamming the door as loudly as she could. The sound made my heart jerk and rip inside my chest. Brian’s mom told us that she banged up the guys pretty good when they caught her, she scratched them badly and gave them a couple bruises. She said Peasnie told the guys she didn’t love me anymore. Even though she didn’t say it to my face it still hurt like hell.