The Page Turner

1

“Mom! Did you saw my eyeglasses?!” I shouted from my room, “Oh, never mind! I already found it!” I shouted again when I found my eyeglasses and put them in my eyes.

I was so irritated because I have poor eyesight. My eyes were 400 degrees and the astigmatism was also high.I am ready to go to school, I am a grade 12 senior high school at last! School days will be over soon and I will be able to finish my studies. I grabbed my small black backpack and went downstairs. My food was ready on the table.

“When is your first class?” Mom asked. I have the same school as Dixie and Pia, which are my sisters. Dixie was already in grade eigh in high school while Pia is kinder. “Eight am,” I answered.

“It’s already 7:30 am, you still need to face the traffic. You’re too slow to move.”

“It’s okay to be late, Mom. It’s just our first day of school and I am an old student.” I opened my cell phone and saw in our group chat that Alliah, Lei and Candie were already in the room. They have been my friends since the first year of high school.

I finished my food immediately, “Where’s my pocket money, Mom?” I lent my hand and waited for her to give me my money. I am hoping that it will be bigger this time since I am already in my last year of high school.

“Oh.” Mom gave me my money and I immediately ran to her. She only gave me fifty dollars only! “Mom, this is not right. I will go to school using public transportation and this wasn’t enough to cover my lunch and snacks in school--” Mom cut me off.

“Do you think it was easy to earn money, Blair?! Leave the house now!” I just sighed and wore my shoes before leaving the house.

I was late for five minutes in our first class but Lei said that our teacher still wasn’t in our room. Our school is not that big but I have been studying here since elementary, same with my two sisters.

I went inside the classroom and I saw some familiar faces to me and only two students were new. I sat beside Lei. Our school was renovated so it was more beautiful now. My other classmates were just talking to each other until our teacher entered the room. She’s also a college professor in our school.

“Good morning everyone, I am Miss Mauleon,” she greeted us. We stood up and greeted her back like high school students. “Good Mornnniiiing, Ma’am Mauleon.”

“You guys don’t act like a grade 12 student. Again, good morning everyone.” We greeted her again and this time, it was more proper. She just told us about some backgrounds in the subject and highlights of our lessons for the entire semester.

Time flew so fast and it was already our lunch break. Our classroom was located on the fourth floor and we were too lazy to go down to the cafeteria.

“What? Are we going to eat or not?” I asked my friends. “Of course, let’s go! Think about seeing your crush to cheer you up,” Lei answered.

“Stupid, find a crush first to cheer you up,” I teased and then we got out of our classroom. I thought that my friends were just joking, but they really did a boy hunting in the high school department. Well, we love kids!

“You know what guys, students from STEM are so handsome!” Alliah said, sounding so excited. “STEM? Grade 11 or grade 12?” I asked. Among the four of us, I am the one who is really always attracted to people younger than us. Well, I find them attractive but I still haven't had a boyfriend since birth.

“Grade 12, sis! Gosh, I saw them earlier when we passed by their classroom.”

“You’re so selfish, you didn’t inform us about it! We would have seen them too, tss,” Candie sadly said.

“I hope everyone has a crush,” Lei told us, she already has a boyfriend. “Look at her, bragging again about having a boyfriend.” Her boyfriend is Vincent and he was also our friend and classmate since grade eight.

We looked for a table that was available after buying food. We even looked around to find someone handsome. “Oh there! He looked like in grade ten.” We looked at what Candie pointed out and then there we saw a guy with a pointed nose and has fair skin.

“I’ll follow him later on twitter,” I said. I also made friends who were lower years with me because of twitter. There are trending games on twitter like fave for a dm or fave for thoughts about you which is the reason when friendships start.

I’m also pretty famous here at school. Not because I look good, but because I have a lot of fights. I always got involved. I am fighting especially if I know I am the right one. But it’s not really a physical fight. It was just on social media so some people told me that I was an example of a toxic person. It doesn’t matter to me though, as long as I know my limitations.

“You have a cute friend Blair, right? The one with a twin brother in tenth grade.” I looked to Alliah when she asked me about that. “Oh yeah, Aldrin and Andrei? Who’s your type between the two?” I also had a crush on Aldrin before but when we became close friends, it faded away. We often hang out, especially in our house, without my parents knowing it.

“Does Andrei already have a girlfriend?”

“Find another one, Andrei is a f*** boy,” she rolled her eyes when I said, “Duh! That’s hotter!” I glared at her but then she just laughed at me. She talks like she already has experience in that kind of topic. While me, I haven’t had my first kiss yet.

A guy approached me and when I saw him, it’s Jay. “Blair, let’s hang out tomorrow in your house. Dan set it up,” he said.

I nodded, “Sure, just chat with me in our group chat later. I will inform you if mom and dad won’t be in our house.”

We always drink at home. We have a bar in town and then our house is in the subdivision. Mom and dad are always sleeping in our bar and my mom only goes home at about six in the evening and also left immediately after two hours. They are with Pia at the bar because they are the ones taking care of when Pia enters the school since she’s just going to school for half-day.

My parents are very strict so I just secretly have a drink at our house with my friends. They belong to grade 10 and grade 11 and the others are in grade 9. Jay was also handsome and he’s a varsity player here at school and he is in eleventh grade as well as his brother who is also a varsity player and in tenth grade. I had a crush on Jay at first but that was before when we were not still friends.

“Stupid, it’s Rod’s birthday tomorrow,” Lei said. “Oh s**t, I almost forgot about it. What’s the plan?”

“I think we will have a drink near our school,” she answered. There are three bars located near our school and they are accepting students.

“It’s fine though, we will drink tomorrow evening in our house.”

After eating our lunch, we went back to our room because the next teacher will be there shortly.

**

The next day, the class in the afternoon was suspended because the teachers had a meeting. It was a favor for us because we will celebrate Rod’s birthday early.

“Come on, I’m so excited!” I shouted.

“Let’s spend Rod’s money until there is nothing left.” We laughed at what Lei said then Vincent put his arm around her. There were only two men with us in our circle of friends and we were four girls.

We went to the Loft, which is the bar’s name near our school, and it was fine if we were wearing our school uniform.

“What should we drink today?” Rod asked. I looked at the menu, “Let’s try this Black label with lemon," I suggested. They agreed to me then Rod also ordered nachos and fries.

When the orders were served to us. I immediately pour my glass with the liquor. We only use one shot glass and cheers are round. My alcohol tolerance was low but I was able to be sober before going home. We are having fun and the music is so loud here. Around five in the afternoon, we already had five towers of black label with a lemon.

I opened my phone and saw that Jay and others were chatting in our group chat.

Jay: Blair was still drinking in The Loft.

Aldrin: What time do we have to drink in their house?

Sarah: I am not sure. Me and Cee are together now and we’ll go to Blair’s house together.

Cj: Are the drinks free tonight?

Blair: Jay will buy alcohol later. HAHAHAHA

Jay: Deal, I will buy two whiskeys later, you take care of the food.

They immediately enjoyed what they read. Seriously, I’m drowning in alcohol today! It was already six in the evening and we decided to stop drinking. Lei and the others are already drunk. I am just a bit tipsy because I used the secret technique in drinking. Since I was the one delivering their shot on them, they didn’t notice that I cheated on them.

“I think Blair cheated on us! Look at her, she’s not even drunk!” Candie pointed at me. I acted as if I’m gonna fall to the ground.

“Come on, no one will help you if you guys fall asleep so even if I’m also drunk, I am maintaining my balance,” I said, lying. Rod supported Alliah and then Vincent with his girlfriend while I am helping Candie.

“You have the same way home, right? Take care of her,” I said to Rod. He just nodded and I called a taxi for them. “I’ll take care of her.”

“Thank you and happy birthday again, Rod! I hope you enjoyed your day with us.” When they were already in my sight, I massaged my head. s**t, I hope I don’t vomit.

I arrived at our bar safely. Well, Dad immediately agreed for me to go home. I will go straight to our bar first after class and my cousin will take me to our house. Mommy was already there and doing the laundry.

When I got home, I greeted my mom and showered so that I would not smell like alcohol. I’m feeling a little bit dizzy from drinking too much. My alcohol tolerance sucks! When I was done showering, I laid on the sofa and scrolled on my phone.

“What now? When you get home from school, you won’t do anything and just lay there and hold your phone all night?!” Mom shouted from the outside. She was doing the laundry and waiting to be done in the washing machine.

“I’m already done showering. I was home for about thirty minutes now, Mom,” I answered back.

“Hang the clothes here!” she shouted again. “Yes, I will go there when you’re already finished the laundry.”

“You’re so lazy!”

Damn it! She always picks a fight between us whenever she’s tired. “Mom, you’re not done yet, are you? You’d better finish it first before I hang our clothes outside,” I told her.

“You’re really rude and too lazy to move your body here in our house!” she shouted.

It pissed me off right now! It’s embarrassing for the neighbors because they heard my Mom swearing at me again. It has always been like this. I’m used to it. Our quarrel did not end even though I was already hanging the clothes outside, she was still saying a lot about me. To my annoyance, I shouted too.

“What now?! I’m already doing what you told me earlier, what else are you complaining about?!”

She angrily approached me and me on the thigh with a hanger. I immediately complained of pain. “You can’t even respect me huh!”

“You’re always like that when you’re tired! You always pile your anger on me!” I couldn’t hold my emotions anymore because of what she did. And because of my answer, she got even angrier and hit me with the hanger until she broke it.

My life has always been like this. Since I was a child, this is how I have experienced it. I experienced kneeling on legumes, standing in the sunlight for a few hours, beating me to death, and even having black eyes. I’m almost 18 years old but she still treats me like this.

I just wished that I didn’t choose them before to be my parents.