Until The Smoke Clears

Chapter 2

 She’s drunk again, sprawled across the couch in an unmannerly tone. Her dress isn’t hiding much of her body and I try not to notice.

            The house stinks like tobacco and alcohol. There are empty vodka bottles limply lying on the floor.

            I pick them all up, blocking out the laughs, “What an idiot!” they’re saying. “You can’t stop us!”

“She’s going to kill herself!”

            I smash them into the bin and breathe heavily as my hallucinations disappear. I walk over to mum and try to shake her. She moans and coughs and tells me to ‘go away’ but in worse form of words.

            “Do you want me to go to school today?” I whisper. She moans again.

            “Is that a yes or a no?” she moans once more and mumbles something about an aching head and once again tells me to ‘go away, get a life.’

            I walk off, letting the daily insults soak through me as I brush through my greasy, straight blonde hair. My reflection in the mirror turns away, laughing and trying not to throw up at the sight of me.

            I look down at myself. My only school polo is spotted in sauce from last nights dinner that I made; my skirt is creased, and my Converse trainers are undone.

            I never learned how to tie up my own shoes. 

***

“Libby Ashfire!” Mrs. Donhan spits into my face. “What on earth are you wearing?” Out of the corner of my eye, I see kids snicker and point. I tremble, telling myself not to cry.

            “It looks like you’ve just slept in your so called uniform and barely brushed your hair!” her nose twitches and I know she can smell me. Smoke, alcohol, blood, bruises, take-away and shame. She doesn’t mention it though.

            “Sit down Miss. Ashfire,” she hisses, holding her breath.

            I quickly run and sit in my seat next to Don Georgio. He bursts out a breath, pinches his nose and leans far away from me.           

            “You smell worse then an elephants bum!” he coughs.

            “You smell worse then a donkey that’s high and licking it’s-“ I don’t finish because Mrs. Donhan shadows over me, glaring. I blink and look down at the worksheet below.

            :”You disgust me period!” he hisses when she walks off. I bow my head over my work and pretend to work when really I just focus on the hurt. Ever since that brand of pads and tampons came out ‘Libby Libra’ I’ve had to put up with the crap that is now my life.