Jed awoke to the whisper of human contact on his skin and the ringing of his ears. The left side of the bed was cold to the touch. His father had not come home last night. It was not the first time, nor was it to be the last. Jed eased his way up from their small cot of a bed and painstakingly got ready for school.
He thought he would be used to this by now. Ever since his father had gotten his promotion a year ago, he had been coming home less and less, almost as if he didn't want to be home in the first place. Even then, he welcomed him with a shallow hello and immediately went to bed. He didn't blame his father one bit. He didn't want to come back home either.
Home, was in and of itself a misnomer. They lived in a rundown apartment on the far side of town, the worst side of town. When he had been younger, Jed remembered their father murmuring about getting a better place, away from the crime and desolation. Even at that age he had known, there was no way that would happen. Not by a long shot.
It was times like this where he missed his uncle Jack and his aunt Diana. Hell, even the city of new York. He had never felt lonely, even in that large metallic jungle. He never even got to tell them goodbye. They had left too suddenly, and too soon to say a word. His father had never even told him why they had left in the first place. He brushed his ebony hair away from his brown, wide almond shaped eyes and shoved it into a messy ponytail.
He scavenged their kitchen for something, anything, to eat and found nothing. Nada, zilch. The refrigerator was as empty as his stomach. Knowing it was futile to even dream of a good breakfast, he headed out the door, shutting it quietly, flinching at the sudden break of glass from the upstairs. Their neighbors were at it again, always fighting, always calling the police. This was why he needed his dad here with him. he couldn't handle them alone.
The town, although Jed fancied it a city due to the various malls and shopping departments, was cold, frigid with the air of late fall and the beginning of winter. He hated cold weather, he hated the month of November. He didn't know why everyone loved the fall and winter months. Everything that was beautiful in the world seemed to die.
He walked around the block to his bus stop and stood amongst the kids there, silently contemplating. He wasn't here today and the knots in his stomach loosened considerably. He didn't know what he would have done if he-must-not-be-named had been at school along with his cronies. Without him, they had no reason to bother him.
For the first time in a long while, Jed had a feeling that it was going to be a good day. Nothing great or spectacular, but good. He hadn't had a good day....in some years now. His eyes began to grow blurry and he blinked what was behind them away. He couldn't cry, not now. The bus slowly drove up the curb and he got on and sat as far to the back as possible.
By the end of the route, he still sat alone. This he was used to. This he could handle. He blinked once more and looked out towards the expanse of the city. A collage of trees, reds, oranges, and browns, greeted him.
Jed wanted to feel happier, but he had not felt happiness in a long time. The trees stood alone, rigid and cold. As did he and, as normal, he closed his eyes and murmured a small prayer. It was the same one he did every morning. The end of loneliness, and someone he could hold on to, if only for a little while.
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"I'm not going to school. Especially not that one!"
Daniel's mom glanced at him in the rear-view mirror, exasperation expressed clearly on her face. Their car rested in the parking lot of Southeast High School and he watched the other students walking by their car, smiling and enjoying themselves with the utmost envy and loathing. How could they enjoy themselves while he...while he suffered?
"Honey, you know your father had no choice in the matter. His job moved us here. Would you rather us be homeless?" she replied sharply.
"I'd rather be living with my friends," he muttered with a heavy sigh that shook his being.
He knew why he had to move, that didn't mean he had to like it. And he didn't. Not one bit. His mother sighed as well and finally turned to face him. The signs of age were written like scripture on the scope of her face. For a moment, he was taken aback. His mother had always prided her self on her appearance and to see it, so neglected made him feel guilty somewhat.
He was not the only one suffering from the move. His mom had been a super mom at their old town. The one who always organized the get togethers and house warming parties. As a housewife, there was not much else she could do. Now she was out here in a whole new town, where her greetings were met with gazes colder than the weather itself.
"Just...just do this one thing. For me." she pleaded and, wordlessly, he nodded. A piece of blond fringe fell into his green eyes and he pushed it away, stiffly getting out of the car just in time for the first bell to ring and the buses to ride off back into the city.
He was late. One his first day to class. It just couldn't get any better.405Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuopHiAHlfo
