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Authors: Kimberly A. Bettes
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see me walking around with a load of laundry under my arm. I threw them in the washer and washed them, along with my clothes from the week so far.
With Travis at the bar, I went into the living room to watch television. When he was home, I stayed in my room. I didn’t want him to notice me. If he did, one of two things would happen, and I hated them both. So I rarely watched anything on television. But he was gone, and I was watching a sitcom I found pretty funny. I kept the volume low so I wouldn’t wake my mother.
I had finished that sitcom and another, and was halfway through the third when I heard Travis pull into the driveway. I quickly turned off the television and ran to my room. I listened as he stumbled his way down the hall toward his room, sighing with relief when he passed my door.
But now I had a dilemma. I needed to dry the clothes, but I didn’t want to draw his attention. I had no false beliefs that he forgot about me until I made noise or until he saw me. But I knew that the less I made him notice me, the better I was able to fly under his radar. It was like being in a crowded room. Everyone knew you were there, but until you screamed, no one paid you any attention.
So I waited a while, giving Travis plenty of time to fall asleep. I crept from my room to the laundry room. I didn’t want to run the dryer because that would be loud enough to wake him. And more importantly, my mother. So I hugged all the clothes to my chest, making my t-shirt damp, and headed back to my room.
I hung clothes over the curtain rods, over the closet door, over the lamp, and anything else I could find. They wouldn’t be as soft as if they’d been dried in a dryer, but they would at least be dry.
I quietly crawled into bed and curled up on my side, which was still sore from the kicking. I fell asleep thinking about what my mother had said, and wondering if all this would make me a better person.
Chapter 12
I made it to school early enough Friday morning to return the clothes to the locker from which I’d taken them. They were kind of stiff, but they were clean.
Slowly, I walked to my locker, hoping the day was uneventful. I knew it was a waste of time, though. I don’t recall the last time I’d had a day where something horrible hadn’t happened. Even the days Dominic wasn’t at school, Taylor and Spencer still were. They took up his slack.
I opened my locker, both wondering and afraid of what I was going to find. What I found was nothing like what I’d expected.
Taped to the inside of my door was a note. Written in Carly’s pretty handwriting was, ‘What’s red and smells like blue paint?’ I thought for a second before flipping the note over to find the answer. ‘Red paint.’
I looked down the hall to my right. Carly stood twelve lockers down - I know because I’d counted them a million times - looking at me, hoping this was what would make me smile.
But it didn’t.
The hopeful look fell from her face and she shook her head.
“I’m not done yet,” she yelled to me. She smiled and headed off to Algebra. I put the note on the shelf, grabbed my Algebra book and followed her.
I wanted to smile. I even thought I felt the muscles in my cheeks starting to tighten. But it just wouldn’t come. I guess it had been so long since they’d had to work, they’d forgotten how. But Carly sure seemed determined to remind them.
Wondering why she was so eager to see me smile, I replayed in my mind the conversations we’d had over the last few days. It seemed that she liked me, but I didn’t have anything to compare it to. No one had ever liked me before, which made me wonder why she would. Maybe she took the psycho path through the forest, because she had to be crazy to like me.
I sat down and opened my book. Before the teacher had even begun talking, Carly passed me a note. It said ‘Why was the Algebra book so sad?’ I flipped the note over. ‘It had a lot of problems.’ I slid the note between
With Travis at the bar, I went into the living room to watch television. When he was home, I stayed in my room. I didn’t want him to notice me. If he did, one of two things would happen, and I hated them both. So I rarely watched anything on television. But he was gone, and I was watching a sitcom I found pretty funny. I kept the volume low so I wouldn’t wake my mother.
I had finished that sitcom and another, and was halfway through the third when I heard Travis pull into the driveway. I quickly turned off the television and ran to my room. I listened as he stumbled his way down the hall toward his room, sighing with relief when he passed my door.
But now I had a dilemma. I needed to dry the clothes, but I didn’t want to draw his attention. I had no false beliefs that he forgot about me until I made noise or until he saw me. But I knew that the less I made him notice me, the better I was able to fly under his radar. It was like being in a crowded room. Everyone knew you were there, but until you screamed, no one paid you any attention.
So I waited a while, giving Travis plenty of time to fall asleep. I crept from my room to the laundry room. I didn’t want to run the dryer because that would be loud enough to wake him. And more importantly, my mother. So I hugged all the clothes to my chest, making my t-shirt damp, and headed back to my room.
I hung clothes over the curtain rods, over the closet door, over the lamp, and anything else I could find. They wouldn’t be as soft as if they’d been dried in a dryer, but they would at least be dry.
I quietly crawled into bed and curled up on my side, which was still sore from the kicking. I fell asleep thinking about what my mother had said, and wondering if all this would make me a better person.
Chapter 12
I made it to school early enough Friday morning to return the clothes to the locker from which I’d taken them. They were kind of stiff, but they were clean.
Slowly, I walked to my locker, hoping the day was uneventful. I knew it was a waste of time, though. I don’t recall the last time I’d had a day where something horrible hadn’t happened. Even the days Dominic wasn’t at school, Taylor and Spencer still were. They took up his slack.
I opened my locker, both wondering and afraid of what I was going to find. What I found was nothing like what I’d expected.
Taped to the inside of my door was a note. Written in Carly’s pretty handwriting was, ‘What’s red and smells like blue paint?’ I thought for a second before flipping the note over to find the answer. ‘Red paint.’
I looked down the hall to my right. Carly stood twelve lockers down - I know because I’d counted them a million times - looking at me, hoping this was what would make me smile.
But it didn’t.
The hopeful look fell from her face and she shook her head.
“I’m not done yet,” she yelled to me. She smiled and headed off to Algebra. I put the note on the shelf, grabbed my Algebra book and followed her.
I wanted to smile. I even thought I felt the muscles in my cheeks starting to tighten. But it just wouldn’t come. I guess it had been so long since they’d had to work, they’d forgotten how. But Carly sure seemed determined to remind them.
Wondering why she was so eager to see me smile, I replayed in my mind the conversations we’d had over the last few days. It seemed that she liked me, but I didn’t have anything to compare it to. No one had ever liked me before, which made me wonder why she would. Maybe she took the psycho path through the forest, because she had to be crazy to like me.
I sat down and opened my book. Before the teacher had even begun talking, Carly passed me a note. It said ‘Why was the Algebra book so sad?’ I flipped the note over. ‘It had a lot of problems.’ I slid the note between
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