Liars Garden

Chapter 2

My eighteenth birthday is in 2 weeks. Iwasn't sure if I was happy or anxious about it. Eighteen meant many things. It was the foreignness of being an adult wrapped with the excitement of freedom, but also the burden of your childhood securities being stripped away.

I'd be graduated the week afterward.

New age, no school, and a new life. Or at least, that was a possibility. I had no real idea if I could live differently.

I looked across the cafeteria, realizing for the billionth time this month that this was alltemporary. Within three weeks everyone in this room will be moving on. Well, at least the ones who passed. I wouldn't have to look at Colin Michelles assinine face anymore. I wouldn't have to deal with Monica giving me the cold shoulder every time I plopped down next toher in science.

At least I deserved her anger. I did tell her to fuck off the first time she talked to me.

Colin's puppy dog love will fade.

"Yo, Annie!"

I jumped about ten feet and knocked my milk cartoon into my peas. Chocolate milk spewed across my plate andsplashed onto my lap. Fuck.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out." A hand came into view holding a few napkins. The voicebelonged to Hanna Clark.

Her. Again. Double fuck.

"No, it's no big deal," Imuttered, grabbing the napkins from her to sop up what I could. I wasn't hungry anyway. The peas were mush, the turkey sandwich was bland, and I didn't even like oranges.

"What were you thinking about?" Hanna asked as she flopped beside me. Her blue eyes looked large and innocent behind her thick rimmed glasses and curly red hair.

She reminded me of a Muppet.

"That Colin better focus on hiscasserole instead of my tits," I responded not looking at her.

"Ew gross. Is he seriously still doing that? Creep." I saw her look up and make a rude finger gesture. "Teenage boys are horrible. College ones are worse. Men are just...deplorable."

I shrugged. "I have no experience with any of those."

The comment landed a tad flat and Hanna glanced at me. She knew my dad left. Everyone did. She also knew I didn't play with the boys. She was right, they were horrible. But girls could be just as bad. Sometimes even worse. So I kept to myself, mostly. 

Hanna was just going out of her way to make friends with me. At least Monica was respectful enough to fuck off when I started ignoring her, Hanna just stayed even though she knew me less then a year. Why stay with broken Annie Henton when she doesn't wantyou to?

"Well, anyway, what are you doing after graduation?"

I blinked. My brain fried at the question. Why did she have to go there so quickly? "I don't know really. What even is there to do?"

"College, maybe. A job. Lot's a places hire graduates around here. Um...I guess your parents basement if you're like Colin. Internet porn won't watch itself...."

Hanna talked on. I toned her out. My options. I haven't thought of them much, let alone talked about them. My mom...she wouldn't let me leave, would she? I brought up college once and she walked away and left me to care for my siblings all night. I understand, she lost dad years ago and she doesn't want to loose me. I also knew we don't have money for college and my grades were never good enough for a scholarships.

A job would take me away from Leslie and Chris. Single parenting was hard and mom worked a lot. Leslie just entered high school with a rocky start (a suspension twice for fighting) and Chris was halfway through middle school, struggling to figure out what times tables were. Someone had to help them.

"I think I am just going to stay home for awhile," I finally said, cutting Hanna off mid-sentence.

She paused, cocking her head to the side like a brightly colored bird. I could tell she didn't quite like my answer by the way she sucked her lip under her bottom teeth.

"You know you aren't you're siblings keepers, right?"

I flinched.

Hanna didn't apologize.

"What do you even know about that, Hanna?" My voice was pitched a little too loudly for our table conversation and I saw a few people turn their heads.

Hanna noticed too and she let out aslow breath. "Well, I know your mom needs to get her head out of her ass, for one. It's not your job to take care of everything. Don't try to deny it, Annie. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what's going on."

"What the fuck, Hanna? Why are you attacking me?"

Hanna rolled her eyes. "I'm not attacking, I'm just speaking my opinion. Something I think you shouldlearn to do."

I fished mouthed at her before turning away.

She doesn't know what I have to dealwith, she just thinks she does. She doesn't know the shit I have to deal with. No one knows shit.

"Okay. Sorry." My apology seemed to make her angry with me.

"That's it, Annie?"

"Yup."

Hanna sighed and stood up. "Well, when you're ready to actually talk, let me know." She grabbed her empty plate and walked away. A few moments later the bell rang.

I didn't feel like going to algebra anymore so I skipped class under the back stairwell, my headphones plastered over my ears, and music blaring out the full head of thoughts I had.

 It was better this way.