Playing With Fire and Ice ✔︎

VII

My aching body wakes me. My eyes take in the orange sky as my eyes adjust to being open. I scan the area quickly, I'm in the park.

It wasn't just a dream. I sit up and something tightens its hold on my hand. I whip it back to me as my eyes take in Oliver. He is asleep his face in the ground.

He was actually here with me. My hand goes to my pocket and I pull out my phone. 6:07 am pulls up.

"Oliver!" I look over at him. He groans his response but doesn't wake up. I give him a hard shove and he moans.

"Stop it!" I pull myself to my feet. Every muscle in my body protests but I manage.

"I'm going home." Oliver rolls to his back his face cringes at his movements.

"I hope so unless you want to live in the park." He sits up.

"Are you okay?" I look over him and there isn't a sign of burned clothing.

"I'm alive aren't I?" I nod, "Then I'm just dandy." I don't want to talk about last night so I change the subject.

"Are you going to school Monday?" He nods.

"Are you?"

I sigh and I nod as well.

"Why do you want to go there? They treat you like shit. Just drop out."

Anger lashes through me. "Drop out! Oh, must be easy for you. One I want to be normal and normal people go to school. Two, do you really think I want to stay home all day with--" I drop it he doesn't need to know.

"I went over to your father's house yesterday." He blurts out and his eyes take me in my eyes widen in shock. He pulls his knees close to his chest and rests his head on them as if he were soothing a headache. My jaw drops, "I'm here for you if you need me." I swallow down and shrug he looks up at me showing me his sincerity.

"I need to get home." I start walking away from him.

"I'll pick you up on Monday." My eyebrows pull together and I turn around to look at him. He gets up to his feet and throws me a small grin. He then turns and starts walking home.

Mother is nowhere to be found when I make my way through the house. She must have left already. I jump into my bed and think over what happened with Oliver. I finally have someone that might understand what I go through. We are the only known Gifted in town probably the only ones left in the world from what I've heard.

Suddenly sadness swallows me whole as I remember that Oliver left before. We were friends when we were younger but that friendship like most grew apart and now he reappears and tries to be my friend again.

My weekend is lonely. My mother decided to stay over at my father's house and leaves me all alone. I clean up around and read a lot. Homework isn't an issue when you have no social life at all. I hardly step outside and my weekend ends with me eating a cup of noodles as my dinner and I head off to bed.

My alarm rings just as my mother yell for me to get up. She's back! I jump out of bed and I never really notice how much I miss her until she is back. I walk to the living room just to see the front door close behind her. It is like a hot rod is press against my tongue and I can keep it close anymore.

"Why bother coming back? All you do is leave me. Just go to my dad's and don't come back!" I shout at the door and a part of me is wishing for her to answer me, but the little girl inside of me wants her mother to walk inside and tell her that everything is going to be alright. I get neither. The car starts up and I can hear her pull out. My emotions swirl within me; hurt, loneliness, anger, frustration, but most of all betrayal. There is a tension in me and I release it along with a cry of hurt that does more damage than good. Along with the cry tears start falling.