Chap. 1-Everleigh

                                    

                                          
There are days where I feel as though I'm floating, in a beautiful sky looking down at the beauty of the world, and days I feel as though I'm drowning in an angry sea. Today I was just in between, I was there but not, my mind was somewhere else. It's mid-October, a warm day, todays Saturday. I mark down the days on my wall until school ends, 7 months left, my senior year is barely done, but after it is done, I'm free. Sophomore year was harsh, that's when my dad left us, my mom was acting so happy about it, even though she wasn't, at all. She cried every night, I listened through the paper-thin wall, I could hear her sniffles and sighs. In the morning on the weekends, I would wake up and she would still be in her room, all through the evening, and when I go to check on her, there would be tissues all over the place, I would clean them up, and always when she walks in from using the bathroom she barely uses from not getting out of bed, 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦. I feel bad for her, she works so hard. My brother on the other hand did not take it well, he was livid. He said when he saw our father again, he would take a fist to the gut, but I know he's also beat down about it. Our dad left us to build a new life without us in it. He moved to California, he got a new job and has a pregnant wife. Most girls my age would probably be happy about their dad leaving, they get checks in the mail every month, to pay off their car, buy them new clothes, go the mall with some friends and spend their daddy's money, not me, I don't give two shits about the money, sure, it helps, but I just want him back, I, just have so many questions. A lesson was learned though, sometimes, promises are the sweetest lies, my parents vows were one of them.
I wobble downstairs, my eyes still half asleep, my legs partly asleep, which makes it feel like I'm stepping on needles every time I put weight on my foot. My nose is smelling, well I hope it's smelling, because that would be a problem if it wasn't, the sweetest scent hits me, my mom is setting a plate down on the kitchen counter, filled with my favorite breakfast, banana pancakes and bacon. "What made you want to make this?" my mom eyes me "I wanted to do something nice for my daughter, is that ok with you?" She's done a lot of nice things, is there anyone that can or will do nice things for her, besides me and my brother, she needs a lover, a friend....a partner? I mean, I have Alex and Vanessa, Markez has his friends and his girlfriend, mom, has no one. I feel so drained, like every ounce of life has been sucked out of me in a whirlpool of emotions. She looks happy today though, that's good. "Any plans for today?" I sit down on the kitchen counter, watching her finish cooking, my legs finally wake up, I don't feel the needles anymore, I think about what I'm going to do today. "Me and Vanessa are going to the movies." She smirks. "Is that so?" I give her a weird look with a hint of a smile. "Why?" She shrugs. "What are you guys going to see?" I shrug and pick up my fork and start stabbing my pancake. "The Godfather, the theater is showing old movies for the whole day." She gives a nod, and a tilt to the head. "Good movie, most girls your age would watch like clueless or mean girls, something like that." She laughs. What's she getting at? "From the minute you were born, I knew you were going to be different from them." She smiles, then looks up at me. "In a good way!" She adds as an afterthought. "You know how much I love you." I giggle. She always adds, 'from the minute you were born' or 'I always knew'. "Ok mom, I love you too."
Mom's cleaning up the kitchen and I get done eating and set my dish in the sink. I start to go back upstairs. "Everleigh, you know how the Martins are moved out, the new neighbors are moving in tonight, I need you to do me a favor." I turn around, and nod, her smiles glowing with excitement. "Can you make time for your schedule tomorrow, not that you're going to be busy, but I need you to walk over when the new neighbors are settled in and bring them this plate." I shrug. New neighbors, yay. "What's in there?" She sets it down on the counter, the glass plate with tin foil covering it. "Cookies. Do you think they'll like it? I hope they do, and I really hope their nice people." I fake a smile, even though my mom's baking isn't the best, and I don't know how someone can burn toast I say, "Yeah, I bet they'll love it." She nods and lets her smile waver; she gets back to cleaning the counters.