My Father's Daughter

One

Waking up to someone lightly patting your arm is one of the most comforting things you'll ever feel. Except when it's a cop and it's three in the morning. That was the worst way I could have ever been woken up. April 7th. That's the morning I was woken up by a police man who told me to come with him to the hospital. Lying asleep on a bed, under a blanket of blood was my mother. Her brown, nearly black hair was plastered to her face which was cut up and bruised. I knew she was dead.

Now, April 23rd, when my friend Rachel's mother comes knocking on the door to wake her and I, I'm thankful she does anything but pat my arm. That's something I will never again be able to endure.

6:00 am. Get up, get dressed eat, go to school. Same morning as all the others. Only today, I'm not sad. I'm not happy, I'm not anxious; I just am. I don't live. I exist. And just barely so.

I changed into clothes that Rachel's mom insisted on buying me. She said that my other clothes were too dull. Instead of skinny jeans, a band t-shirt, and depending on the weather, a denim jacket, I'm in a pink skirt covered in big flowers, and a plain pink shirt. I have a headband with a flower to match the skirt, and plain pink flats. Pink pink pink. It's so much pink. I grabbed a piece of toast and slung my backpack over my shoulder as Rachel and I walked to school; but not before I checked to make sure I had the silver necklace that my mother gave to me.

"It won't be too long now." Rachel said to get my attention.

"What won't be long?" I asked.

"Until he comes to get you."

"I don't think he's really coming." My father had been in contact with Rachel's parents since I was staying there. I didn't talk to him, but they said that he was going to pick me up soon.

"What? Of course he is! Why don't you think he's coming?"

"Rach, it's been two weeks. No matter where you are in the world, you can get a plane ticket and be here within twenty-four hours. If he really wanted to take care of me, then he would have come here the night he heard what happened." He wasn't coming, I knew that already. He doesn't care...no one really cares. I knew Rachel's family was sick of me being there and I was planning on telling them that night that they can bring me to an orphanage whenever they want.

"Well, he probably just got held up or something. Maybe he runs a big company and had to get someone to take over for him." I sighed.

"Whatever, I don't care anymore." We dropped the subject and got to school.

Math and history were as boring as ever, and French was doing nothing for me. I walked into art, thankful that it was my last class before lunch. I worked on my drawing, although I was basically done with it. My teacher wouldn't let me hand it in until everyone else was done as well. I made a few small changes as I tried to tune out the class chattering and the teacher talking on the phone.

I glanced at the clock to see that there were about five minutes until lunch. I sighed and glanced down at my now more-than-complete picture. I signed it in the corner all fancily. My teacher finally hung up the phone and I got up to give her my picture. I was glad they were due today so we can move on to the next project.

"Oh, Audrey, that was the office, you're being dismissed." She told me as I walked up to her.

"I am?" I asked, rather confused. I glanced at Rachel, who was in this class too. She would have told me if we were leaving.

"Yes, they say your father is waiting outside." I almost gasped. He came? Wow, I was not expecting that...

"Oh, uh, okay then." I turned and went to gather my stuff and Rachel gave me a questioning look. "My dad's here to pick me up." I whispered. Her face contorted into a look of shock.

"Oh my gosh! I'm going to miss you so much! Call me and tell me about him okay?" I nodded as stepped away from her rib-cracking embrace.

"I'll talk to you later. I gotta go." I told her. The entire class was staring at me as I left. I kept my head down. I didn't like attention, and it made it worse, considering how everyone in the school had heard about me. First my brother, and now my mother. I nervously waved goodbye to everyone as I walked out and heard everyone saying goodbye as I left. I just want to get out of this school...