y/ns pov
Clouds were turning dark grey, wind chilly and sharp. The houses around me seemed to look identical to my neighbourhood. They had large lawns and wide doors, a array of windows lined up symmetrically. One house, the largest, had pillars connected from the floor to the roof, as if the President lived there. It was painted an off white, different to the surrounding, plain white houses.
The wind picked up again, nipping at my bare arms. Clouds turned darker yet rain was yet to drop. I turned back to where I came from, glancing at the house one last time. I whizzed down the bendy path, astonished at how I ignored it the first time. The path was getting narrower like it wanted to trap me here but just as the low trees seemed to close up, I saw a flick of light shine through.
Pushing past the leaves, the previous park was standing there. Now empty as the street was deserted. No children laughing or smiling, no mothers gossiping about the mayor, nothing. Considering the darkness above I wasn't surprised.
The sky was a grey rhenish, reflecting the mood. Everything felt dull. I was in desperate need of an change in life, something new to spice things up. Austin stabbing his bully did nothing but give Ginny a reason to pick on Mom, even more than before. It was annoying, she was acting like she knew everything, forgetting she's a 15 year old pretending to be someone that she's not.
Goosebumps prickled my arm, hairs fully erect. Slightly hugging myself, I walked faster towards the exit of the park. The gate was closed but not locked, my shrivelled fingers reaching out to pull the gate open.
Everywhere was empty, dark blanketing the town. Shops were closed, roads were silent, the usual bustling shopping district was abandoned. It was like a ghost town. I was used to seeing crackheads shouting, homeless people searching for a place to stay for the night, but I'm guessing a small, rich town wouldn't have anything like that.
This place was very different from the other places we've stayed in. The sidewalk wasn't cracked and littered with dried gum and dirt, it was layered perfectly, pristine and perfect. Even their trash cans looked clean, nothing hanging out of the sides or flies circulating them. The little things that no one noticed were what made this town up.
My house was finally in view, the high roof stabbing the sky. The light were on and it radiated a warmth I craved. Max's house was dark, separated bedroom lights shining through windows.
"Y/N?" Shit.
"Yeah?" I spun around, facing Marcus. He was halfway down his house, bedroom window wide open.
"What are you doing out here? It's late." He eyed my appearance, checking for any signs of distress.
"I'm going home. What are you doing?" He jumped down, only a few meters up. "I'm, uh, sneaking out.. to meet with Padma. She's helping me with something, it's important." With perfect timing, Padma's car pulled up, freezing when she saw Marcus and I talking.
"Cool." I turned towards my house, unlocking the door. Once I was safety inside, I left out a breath of air, one I didn't know I was holding.
I did miss Marcus, for some time he was my world. He knows things about myself that I would never trust anyone to know, but when I told him, he kept it to himself. I knew he didn't cheat on me with Ginny, he was above that. But I refuse to stay in a relationship with secrets, secrets destroy things, I've seen it, and I will not be participating in any of that.
I admit, maybe I did overreact with the paint, but I couldn't help myself. I was angry, they was there, the paint was there and it happened. Would I take it back? No, seeing Ginny panic was worth it. It was her karma for jumping on Mom everyday.
Waltzing into the kitchen, I noticed Mom talking with Aunt Maddie, they were toasting their wine glasses. "To shittin' in high cotton!" "Three-ply toilet paper."
"Drinking wine, are we? Can I have a glass?" I joked, the last time I had wine, my head was stuck to a toilet seat.
"Be my guest, but get your sister to hold your hair back this time." Mom smiled at me, "Where have you been? It's late."
"I got lost. Ended up on the richer side of town, don't ask but yes it's possible." I grumbled, I was embarrassed.
Mom laughed, "Well, go change. Dinner will be ready soon." "Dinner? What's for dinner?" "Shit on a shingle."
I paused, "Actually, you know what, I was thinking about ordering pizza but I'll let you enjoy your...shingle." They laughed as I paced away, heading straight for my bedroom.
I switched my clothes into my pyjamas, an oversized T-shirt and baggy shorts, and laid in my bed. I attempted to fall asleep but I couldn't.
My eyes wouldn't stay shut. I tossed and turned for hours before deciding against my sleep. I knew the reason why but I refused to accept it.
Ever since I saw Marcus earlier, his face was imprinted in my brain. I would hear his voice and see his face when I closed my eyes. Groaning, I stretched my limbs, heading downstairs for a glass of water.
[i barely know how to write using american english so there's no way im writing maddies accent.]
Short whispers were coming from the kitchen, "I don't know... she hasn't said anything yet... yes... I'm trying my hardest..." I tiptoed into the kitchen, seeing Aunt Maddie growl into her phone.
Clearing my throat, she flinched immediately hanging up on the other line. "Hey." She nervously smiled.
"Who were you just talking to?" I raised my eyebrow, tapping my nails on the kitchen island.
"Oh, you know, an old friend. He wanted to know if we were going back soon but I said we're gonna stick around for a while."
That's definitely a lie.
"Oh.. well I'm just here to get a glass of water so I'll be out of your hair soon." "Actually I wanted to talk to you about Ma-Georgia. She told me about you, said she's proud of you and how far you've come."
My mood brightened, "She did?" "Yeah, never seen her eyes sparkle so bright. She loves you guys. Her real family."
Aunt Maddie mumbled that last part but I still caught onto it. Her eyes were conflicted, battling with one another. Something wasn't right, you could tell.
We spoke for some time, sharing stories about Mom's shenanigans. Mom was always the same, charming with a dash of cunning. The perfect mix.
I smiled at her, "This was fun, but I'm gonna go back to my room. Watch a movie and try to get some sleep or something. Night."
"G'Night."
Walking into my room, I didn't feel right. Something inside of me felt off. I wasn't complete, full but not satisfied. I had school tomorrow and it was already 1:38AM. Great.
——————————————
Today would be my first time seeing MANG since the face painting. We haven't spoken, Ginny exits any room I enter, like she was scared of me. I made no effort to talk to her, no point in me running after her when I was doing perfectly fine alone. Plus, she's still pushing for Austin to be in therapy like he needs help. He took matters into his own hands, just another reason why you shouldn't bully someone.
Picking out an outfit to match my cast was aggravating. I couldn't wear my long sleeves because my wrist looked icky, but showing my cast would spark conversations I really didn't wanna take part in. Yet, conversations were better than an icky wrist.
Ginny left for school before me, rushing away with Max. They departed when I was still taking my shower, I didn't even know she was up.
Walking into school was just as I expected it. People looked at me but didn't ask anything. You could tell they were itching to find out where I've been for the past 2 weeks. If they asked they still wouldn't get the answer so they were really wasting their time.
I spotted Ginny and Abby at Berry Tree, I wasn't going to look at them as I passed them but they looked at me, so I stared back.
Abby trailed off, stiffening as she met my eyes. Ginny looked away when she realised I caught her looking at me. Max and Norah zoomed past me, plopping down besides Ginny and Abby, staring at Sophie.
I continued strolling down the hallway, looking for maths class until I was dragged into the hallway. Marcus pinned my left arm besides me, gripping tightly. His jaw was tensed and his eyes harsh, "When are we stopping this?"
I played dumb, "Stopping what?"
"You know what I'm talking about. Stop avoiding me and let me explain what happened." He tightened his grip around my arm.
"What if I don't wanna hear it?" I joked, he tried to suppress a smirk but failed.
He lowered his mouth to my ear, breath tickling my neck, "Really?" He placed kisses on my neck, lightly sucking the tender spot above my collarbone. I unconsciously arched my back into him, holding in a moan.
His head pressed into the crook of my neck, arms wrapping me. I wrapped my arm around pulling him closer to me. He looked up at me, hair fluffy, "Please?"
Looking into his eyes, I gave into him, "Yeah but not here. Come to my room after school. I have a class to go to."
I pulled away from him, shocked when his lips met my cheek. His mood was lighter and his face was relaxed. "I'll be there at 6."
He bopped away, walking back to the main hallways, I could feel his smile radiating off of him.
"Cute."
———————————————
The rest of the school day passed in a blur, I couldn't focus on any of my classes, mind stuck on Marcus. I hated how easy he could fluster me, my mind and body saying two different things.
Marcus has been the only person to make me like this, hopelessly in love. And my our breakup did nothing but intensify my feelings.
Mom asked me to babysit Austin and Caleb, swamped with work. Austin was fine on his own, but with Caleb, any type of chaos could ensue. They were rowdy and messy together, me there to keep them in line. Caleb seemed like a bad influence on Austin, but they were both kids and this was Austin's first time having a real friend.
Turning up at the house, it was silent. Again. Just like the day I broke my arm. I decided against going near the stairs, turning towards the kitchen to get a snack. I ate lunch a couple of hours ago and my stomach was already growling.
Warming up my remaining pizza, I rested my arms on the island, cradling my head. After a 2 week break from school, my brain was fried from the constant talking. Having Maths, Science, English, History and Spanish in one day was a lot of work.
On top of that, Ginny's sudden rise to fame had people watching me as well. They stared at my arm like they'd never seen a broken arm. They watched me as I took a seat in class. I even overheard a girl say she wanted to look like me, wishing she was darker in skin tone.
The microwave beeps pulled me out of my thoughts, I was always trapped in them. I skated towards the microwave, taking the hot plate out of the microwave. I forgot about the heat and almost dropped the pizza on my cast.
"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit." I yelled, forgetting the two kids hidden somewhere in the house, blowing on my scorched fingertips.
"Are you allowed to say that word? Mom told me only she can say that word." Caleb was standing in the doorway, shirt tied around his head.
"Wha— why is your shirt around your head? And where is Austin?"
"Austin is collecting treasure from the backyard. We're building a toy city and we need leaves for the trees."
Huh? "Uh, okay, you guys go do that then, I'll be here.. eating my pizza."
Caleb ran up and took a slice, "Thanks, cuz." He's lucky my hand is broken, otherwise he would get it.
——————————————
"With my friends, Mom. It was so embarrassing." Ginny was complaining, again, about Aunt Maddie sitting with her friends at Blue Farm. Mom was out of it the whole day, her brain somewhere else. "She can't just show up at Blue Farm and talk to my friends."
"Ginny, stop acting as if she's poisonous, nobody cares about your complaints, it's never that deep." "Y/N, you don't get it, you wasn't there. She literally ate the fries from their plate."
"Wow, she ate fries, you're right, let's lock her up." I laughed, she honestly didn't realise how ridiculous she sounded.
"She can't show up at my place of work. It's embarrassing. Mom? Are you even listening to me?" Mom was breathing slower than usual, eyes glazed over. Her movements were slow and loose, the avocado falling from her hands.
"Mom? Are you okay?" I creeped towards her.
"Um, Mom, I know you're having a nervous breakdown, but Maxine texted me, and our yard is on fire." Both of our heads snapped at Ginny.
"A fire?"
——————————————
the next chapters are definitely going to make up for marcus' absence.
i haven't planned anything out for the rest of the book so we'll have to go with the flow👹.
vote and comment <3.