Cigarettes and Skittles

Chapter 1

“Where is this annoying song coming from” irritated and cursing like a sailor, his hand reaches for the mobile phone to turn the alarm off. Squinting through bleary eyes, he looked at his cellphone to see- no alarm ringing?

“Arghh..” screaming into the pillow, he tried to go back to sleep only to be up again as the audio went louder. This shitty pop song was giving him migraine. Looking around his eyes landed on her little sister holding a phone that’s blaring the horrible girly pop song at high volume smiling like a little Satan she is.

“Emily!!” I screeched in my throaty bed voice reaching for her phone while my legs being rolled up in a blanket led me to face plant the floor. Giggling in her high pitched voice, the nine year old ran out of the door. 

“ABEL! Bring your butt down quickly. You’re late!” My mothers’ yelling reached my ears and I pushed myself up from the floor. “In a minute” I yelled back. Can’t even get a minute of peace in this house.

10 minutes later, I was in the kitchen making myself a bowl of cereal. “What are you doing” the sharp look my mom is giving me can cut through the walls.

“Uhh… making myself breakfast” I asked, faking innocence.

“No need, I packed you something, have it on the way. Now get out of my house, you can’t miss anymore of classes”. Pushing a brown paper bag into my chest, she kicked me out of the house shutting the door at my face. 

“Geez woman! And yet she wonders where I get my rage from” just as I whispered, the door opened again and mom popped her face out glaring at me,

“why are you still here” that got my feet moving.

Since by the time I reached school it was already 10 minutes into the first period, I didn’t bother to attend and went for a smoke instead. There’s this long-narrow space for putting junk in the back of the school where there are no cameras’. Well everyone knows students smoke there but no one bothers as much to look into it.

“Hey Abbie, you’re finally here” Max drawled out in an irritating high pitched voice upon seeing me.

“Can you stop being such a little girl for once in a while” giving him a look, I light my first smoke for the day. 

“But why Abbie, or do you like it only when Kasey with a K says it”  he teases me, smirking.

“Don’t even get me started on her, it’s like that girl doesn’t get a hint. Shouldn’t have slept with her in the first place.” sighing out of irritation, I took a bigger drag. 

“So not cool dude, anyway what got your panties twisted so much today.” putting out his cigarette Max turned towards me seriously.

“Mom found cigarettes’ in my jacket, she took my bike for a week and has been on my ass more than usual” truth is even I don’t know why I am so pissed these days. It’s not like this is the first time mom caught my pack of cigarettes. It’s just this being my senior year mom is panicking about college, I’ve accidentally heard her talking to dad the other day. Okay I eavesdrop on purpose but only because I heard my name.

“Dude I hope everything turns in your favor. Good luck, I’m out” saluting with two fingers he started getting up.

“Where are you going”

“To the class Abbie, duh”

“First thing stop calling me that or you are going to get punched and second since when”

“Since it’s art class, ciao” zipping up his backpack he exits through doors to the hallway. After another cigarette or two, I too went back inside for the third period. Here goes nothing.

~

After hours of sitting through boring lectures, finally it was time to leave for home and since my sweet, anger-issues ridden mother confiscated my motorbike for the week, I had no option but to walk. Yeah I am not going to ride a bus full of sweaty kids at this hour. Saying goodbye to Max and feeling a little bad for him since his mom is here to pick him up everyday after the fight last week when I was absent, courtesy of the flu, I started my journey home. Thankfully it’s sunny out today and not the freezing cold, it usually is this time around. 

15 minutes into walking and I am actually enjoying it, I mean the weather is nice, people are out and about, there are children in the ice cream shops, dogs are out there with their owners enjoying the walk. It turned out to be not that bad of a day considering how it started, I mean Emily should- fuaaaaa

 “ Who’s there? I nearly busted my face on the pavement'' cursing I looked down to see a girl my age. Sitting on the side of the road, She looked up at me with a red nose and mascara running down the cheeks. Is she serious, crying on the roadside. I cringed on how rough she looked, okay no judging, I should just continue on my way home. Just ignore her. As I turned to continue my blissful walk to home until this mishap-where I nearly broke open my face-happened, there she was. In front of a bakery, the woman who gave birth to me and as soon as I saw her, her eyes fell on me and then on the girl crying. Okay quick Abel, do something, this could be the chance to get your bike back quicker.

“Are you okay?” I cringed at how my voice came out trying to be nice. Doesn’t suit me. Either she didn’t hear me or she chose to ignore me as she continues her sob fest.

“Excuse me! I asked you if you are okay?” I asked louder with a hint of irritation in my voice. I can’t believe myself for stooping to such a level just to get my bike back. Now you are being a jerk Abel, what if something bad happened with her. I mean by the looks of it, she doesn’t look homeless.

“ Yeah I’m alright. Just having a bad day, thanks for asking” and through all that mess she passed me the fakest smile one can muster. Okay if she doesn’t want to tell me I can’t do anything, I should head back. That’s what I thought but when you have a mother like mine, she’ll make sure you have that thing called consciousness and crap. So yeah she was standing there with a coffee cup, don’t even ask me how she got it this fast.

“Oh sweet mother of mine what are you doing here” I smiled at her attempting flattery.

“Take this and give it to her. The poor girl looks like she needs one” handing me the coffee cup she gestured towards the girl. 

“Really mom” I don’t see a point in this. This is getting weird.

“Just do it and I’ll give you the keys back by Friday” with this she turns back and goes towards the street leading to our house.

“Here, you heard her. Take this” she looked up, accepting the coffee from my hands she wiped her tears with her shirts’ sleeves. Gross. And then she started chuckling.

Okay, Psychopath alert! And when she continued chuckling and I continued to look at her like the lunatic she is for a few moments, she finally stopped and started to speak.

“Thank you for this and I swear I’m not crazy despite what you think. It’s just that I-” before she could talk and waste more of my time than she already did, I turned and started walking the same path my mom went a few minutes before. What a weirdo.