Remember Me Tomorrow

Arianna

"Okay, so one, two, three..." Arianna's voice began to trail off as she slowly counted and separated the thick, fried slices of salami.

"Ari, I'm hungryyyy," her little sister whined. Her little sister, Marisol, began to whimper in fustration. "Hur-" Arianna shot a quick glare at her sister, quickly silencing her. It was 6:45 AM and Arianna was already dreading the long, stressful day ahead of her.

"Do you want tajadas?" Marisol quietly nodded, "Ok," chuckled Arianna. The two were in no rush, but the agonizing atmosphere pressured them to move quickly. Their mother still working the night shift allowed her cousin the chance to bring home "friends". At 7:30 PM, Arianna's mother leaves and at 7:35 PM, they're here. Luckily, Marisol was asleep but at times like this, they linger till noon the next day.

"Ari, I don't want to go to school."

"How come?"

"We're learning fractions and it sucks. Who cares about a whatchamacallit and the number underneath?" Marisol's slim fingers tapped on the kitchen table as she let out an exaggerated sigh. "How about we go the mo-"

"No." Arianna dolloped the black beans onto Marisol's plate and placed it without looking. "Numerator and denominator."

"Huh?"

"That's what they're called. The top is the numerator and the bottom is the denominator. Now hurry up and eat, trains are delayed today." Before Marisol could speak, Arianna had already left. There was much to do and chatting wit her sister had set Arianna back. She still wasn't dressed, Marisol's lunch wasn't made, and her cousin's "friends" were starting to wake up. "Shit," she mumbled, "they're gonna waste the hot water." But before she could run into the bathroom, she was greeted by a slammed door. Defeated, she rushed to complete her morning to-do list, waiting for the next available time slot.

It was like this every morning. She waited, did other work, showered, then got to school or work late. At this point, it was surprising truancy hadn't stepped in. The job? She's on the hunt for a new one?

"Arianna, I'm done! When are we leaving?" Marisol screamed, despite only being in the next room. Marisol knew the routine but it never stopped her from annoying her older sister.

"Soon." Arianna rushed back into the kitchen and started packing left overs into a bento box. Michael, one of the "friends" began lurking throughout. He knew that he was Arianna's least favorite for reasons publicly known. Whenever the two were around each other, he always found a way to make her uncomfortable. Whether it was unwanted flirting or little side comments, he made it a goal of his to make her "squirm". It was disgusting.

"Need any help," Michael asked in a low voice. He stood no more than a few centimeters from Arianna, slowly closing the gap between the two. His breath was hot. Arianna, knowing who was behind her, felt goosebumps spread across her arms. She shook her head no and the two stood there in complete silence. Michael lowered his head and brushing his lips passed her ear. She shivered. "You sure?"

They were only 3 years apart but there was something about Michael's presence that frightened her. To Arianna, his persistence was most chilling. Silence filled the room. Seconds turned into minutes and yet, he didn't move. He interrogated her side profile before letting out a sly chuckle. "See ya," he whispered in Arianna's ear. Pressing against her, he kissed her ear before making his exit. Her knees buckled underneath her.

Scrubbing her ear ferociously, Arianna's tears grew a mind of its own. The wet spot on her cow print pajama top grew large and as much as she wanted to stop, the tears continued to flow. A loud click echoed the halls, followed by a surplus of steam.

The bathroom was finally open. A reminder that Arianna's day had yet to start.