Fallen Star

Chapter 2

Huh? Gone?

I groan and lift my head from my pillow. "What do you mean?" I ask groggily, angry that the rat woke me up when it is still dark out, letting me know that I probably slept for three hours or less.

"What do you mean 'what do you mean', dumbass?" Ashley scoffs, yanking off my covers.

NO.

"She... is... not... here." Talking as if I wouldn't understand. "Not in her room. Not downstairs. Her car is gone. She is gone. And I am going to be late to practice, so get up and drive me." Ashley speaks, way too loudly.

I fully wake up now, quickly sitting but wincing. My back always hurts in the morning. I must've slept crookedly again.

Mom's gone. I registered. Again.

"Okay. Let's not panic. I'm sure she just went out for a few minutes to get something." I tell myself more than Ashley, who looks unfazed. Mom never leaves the house unless it's to take Ashley to gymnastics or to go to work, which apparently she quit, again.

Ashley scoffs, "I'm not worried. I'm sure she went out to find my dad like the lovesick puppy she is."

I didn't even think of Bill; but that does sounds logical. Though I don't know if Mom's tactics have anything to do with love.

Money? Different story.

"Or she had another one of her 'episodes," Ashley adds with a laugh.

I glare at her. "That's not funny."

Ashley rolls her eyes. "Whatever. I just don't want to be late. It's unprofessional. So, let's go." She snarkily remarks and storms out of my room.

I groan and stretch my body, mainly my spine, before rising from the bed and heading towards the tiny washroom that Ashley and I share.

The whole place is cluttered with her makeup crap.

Who wears so much makeup literally before the sun has even risen.

I quickly splash my face with water, brush my teeth, and pop a couple of Advils in to ease the aching pain.

Walking back to my room, I throw on a pair of sweatpants and my favourite hoodie. Then slowly walk back into the hallway and down the stairs.

I hastily shove my feet into my crocs and tiredly trudge out the door. It's way too early to be awake. It is still friggin' dark out.

Ashley is waiting in the passenger seat of my car, looking incredibly annoyed, crossing her arms impatiently.

Bitch.

Mom's navy blue SUV is nowhere to be seen. Nor is Bill's pickup truck.

The early morning air is mucky and warm, why is it so hot at 5:30 in the morning? And why did I put on baggy clothes? Stupid summer.

"Could you have gone any slower?" Little rat scoffs right as I open the driver seat door.

"I'm literally driving you to practice, so shut up." I counter scowling, sitting down and buckling on my seat belt, shoving the keys into the ignition, and pushing the reverse lever forward.

"You know my dad only bought you this car so you could drive me to practice when Mom or he couldn't. So don't think you're being all nice driving me." Ashley snarkily remarks.

I really wish I could smack her sometimes.

"Actually," I pause as I reverse off the driveway and begin driving down the dimly lit street, "Bill paid for a quarter of the cost of this car, I paid the rest. And, the reason he helped pay for it is so I could drive myself to work instead of taking the bus or walking since Mom would never drive me and is always using her car to bring you places. And your dad- Bill is, well was, never here." I snap.