Tear: A Seaside Novel

No answer.

I sighed. "Mom! I'm leaving for school!"

Still no answer.

With patience I knew I didn't possess I screamed her name a third time and waited for her to emerge from her study.

Sure enough after three minutes the door to her study opened. Her glasses were slightly tilted on her face as if she put them on in a rush, her hair in a messy bun. She gave me a cheeky grin and shrugged.

That was good old mom. Her slight build just made her look that much more innocent.

"Sorry, Hon, late night client. Do you need money for lunch?"

"Nope. I still have some from yesterday." I shoved my hands in my pockets and stared into the space right above her head so she would think I was looking at her and paying attention, when really I just wanted to get to school.

"Oh, alright. Well, have a good day."

"Yup." I was already turning on my heel to walk out the door.

Always the same.

She always fell asleep in her office. There was always some depressed client in this tiny town that wanted to kill themselves. Needless to say, she never needed more work. I blamed the dreary Oregon weather and my mom's inability to say no to anyone. Even me. It sounded like every girl's dream. A parent that said yes all the time?

It wasn't a dream.

She was more of a... I don't know, maybe a roommate? My dad wasn't any better. He was a surgeon. I hardly saw him, but when I did, he usually missed mom so much it was hard to get a word in edgewise.

They were brilliant and would often hole up in her office with a bottle of wine and talk philosophy.

The idea of drinking wine and talking philosophy literally made my stomach ache. I'd rather watch Reality TV all night while eating sardines.

Sometimes I think they wished I hadn't been born. It wasn't that they didn't love me. I knew I had their love. They just seemed happier without me.

It sucks, but at least I knew what to expect. If you know what to expect you never really get let down. That's what I chanted the entire way to the truck.

I threw in my messenger bag and slammed the door.

The drive to school was short. I had a pretty awesome view of the ocean on the way, too. It helped that my parents lived in a legitimate Better Homes and Gardens beach house.

As I drove into the parking lot, an involuntary shiver ran down my spine.

Weird.

I bit my lip and turned off the ignition.

I don't know how long I sat there, five minutes maybe, and then someone was banging on my window.

"Nat! What the heck? Where have you been?"

My best friend, though I hated to claim her at times considering she had the tendency to be neurotic and slightly irritating, banged on the window again. "The meeting? Did you forget?"

Crap.

I pushed open the door and hopped out. "Sorry, Alesha. I totally spaced it."

She folded her arms across her chest and scowled. "What's up with you lately? We only have thirty days until the dance and Homecoming has to be the best! I mean it's like one of our final hoorays!"

"I think you mean hoorah."

"Whatever." She blinked several times, trying to clear the clumps from her heavy mascara, and threw her bag over her shoulder. "All I'm saying is we need your help. Think you can float out of la la land and make it to the meeting after school?"