My Girl

A Text Message

The last bell finally rang signaling its time to go home. Believe it or not, this was the worst part of my day. School was an escape from all the problems going on at home, especially with my mother.

Now, I want to stay home. Every time I enter school I feel all eyes on me because of my role as Zayn's girlfriend. This was a situation where I couldn't do anything but to accept it.

The only way I earn money is by working at a small bakery. I always go on the weekends because that's when it's the most busiest. I don't know how long I can support us financially, but for now I'll have to work as much as I can.

I started walking on the sidewalk to go to pick up my nine year old sister, Aliyah, from school. Trees and big houses surrounded me. I felt a little jealous of the people who get to live in luxurious homes while I live in a rusty apartment.

I reached my sisters elementary school and saw her waiting patiently in the front. I walked up to her with a smile plastered on my face. She's the only person that makes my day better, and she's the only family I have left, not counting my mother.

Aliyah saw me and her face immediately brightened. She ran over to me and gave me a tight hug while giggling.

"What's gotten you in a good mood today?" I asked.

"Oh nothing...actually it is something! I made a new friend!" She says in excitement.

"That's great sis," I said smiling.

We both walked home which took ten minutes. We reached at our apartment. Our apartment wasn't too small or big, it was just the right size for a family of three. I opened the door and the smell of alcohol quickly filled my nose. I ignored the smell and closed the door behind me.

"Geez, this place never smells good." Aliyah commented.

I nodded my head in agreement and went to the kitchen. I didn't eat at school so I was starving. I opened the fridge and saw nothing. There was beer cans, leftover pasta from three days ago, and some fruits. I sighed and closed the fridge.

"Aliyah did you eat at school?" I asked.

"I had pizza and an apple." She replied while watching television.

My wallet was on the kitchen counter so I opened it and saw twenty dollars. I could get some fast food for the both of us. I don't know about my mother, but she can fill herself up with those beers.

As I searched up some fast food places on my phone, I got a text message from an unknown number.

'Hey is this Lizzie?'

My eyebrows narrowed in confusion. I was deciding if I should reply to them or not. Part of me was scared of who would text me this but another part was curious of who it was. I gave in and started typing.

'Yes, who is this?'

I sent the message and waited for a reply. The seconds quickly turned into minutes. The weight of anticipation was upon me, causing me to become impatient.

After a while of waiting, I saw three dots appear. The person was typing and I was eager to know who it was.

'It's Zayn.'

Really? I waited this long to get one simple sentence, but at the same time I was stunned about who sent the message. I wanted to scold him about what happened earlier today, but I sent a straightforward question first.

'How did you get my number?'

Again, I waited a couple minutes to get a response. Why would you send a text message if your just going to leave me on delivered for half the time?

'Michaela gave it to me, and by the way, she asks a lot of questions.'

'Yeah she does. Why did you want my number?'

He was typing for quite a bit so I decided to watch some television with Aliyah. She was watching one of her cartoons, but I didn't mind because I don't have any specific things I like to watch. Few minutes in, I finally got a text back.

'Uh, I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I was in a bad mood and you just made it worse, but I shouldn't have snapped at you like that.'

I couldn't believe it. He apologized? I didn't expect him to feel bad about his actions, and I didn't mean to make his day worse.

'It's okay. Sorry to hear I made your day worse.'

'Don't worry about it.'

I didn't know how to reply to that so I put my phone down continuing watching the show.

Some time has passed. I checked the time and it was 7:30 PM. My stomach rumbled and so did Aliyah's. I had to get us both food soon so I decided to go to the nearest cafe and get something.

'I'm going to get us some food, wanna come with?" I spoke to Aliyah.

"No thanks, I'm going to finish this show." She answered completely focused on the television.

I put my shoes on and took the keys then left home. The nearest cafe was about 5 minutes away, which I was grateful for because the food wouldn't get cold on the way back home.

Soon I arrived at the cafe. It wasn't as busy because it was almost closing time. I ordered a cup of coffee for me and a orange juice for Aliyah. I also added 2 sandwiches to the order.

As I was waiting for my food, i felt an unpleasant tension running through my body. I sensed a pair of eyes staring at me. I reluctantly turned around and saw a dark figure swiftly walk away. At that moment my anxiety started kicking in.

"Order for Lizzie." The worker said placing the food on the counter.

I thanked the worker and took the food. I didn't want to get out of the cafe. What if the person was waiting for me outside, ready to snatch me and stab me repeatedly. I waited for someone to walk pass so I could walk next to them.

I slowly opened the cafe door, making the bells jingle. I cursed at the door for being so noisy and signaling the person I was coming outside. I spotted a elderly couple walking on the same street, I checked if the coast was clear then speed walked next to them.

It was an uncomfortable silence so I decided to break it.

"It's a really chilly day isn't it?" I commented.

The couple looked at me and gave me a irritated look. That was my signal to shut up. I thought elders were supposed to be nice and welcoming. I guess some people aren't who they appear to be.

I reached home and placed the food on our coffee table that was probably about break any day. Aliyah smelt the food and woke up in a instant.

"Finally, I was starving." She says while sipping her orange juice and taking a bite of her sandwich.

I couldn't help but feel bad. The death of my father affected us in so many ways. Which resulted us having no money for bills or even food.

"Has mom woke up yet?" I asked.

Aliyah shook her head and swallowed her food.

"I'm sure she hasn't woke up because we're both sitting here in peace."

I chuckled and stood up to place our dishes in the sink. The sink was full of dishes, but I was so tired to do anything right now so I decided to do them tomorrow.

"Aliyah time to sleep." I spoke yawning.

I headed to our shared bedroom and changed into my pajamas. I pulled the blanket over my body and rested my head on the pillow, and I couldn't help but think what tomorrow had in store for me.