Taking Over

The next day, I got up and took a deep breath. I took a shower and washed my face. I closed my eyes for a few minutes and tried to clear my mind. Everything was too stressful. When I went downstairs, Mr and Mrs Young were sitting at the table waiting for me.

I looked at the clock on the stove. It was almost eight. Mrs Young should be in a panic, trying to rush me to school so I'm not incredibly late.

"Gabriella," Mr Young said after clearing his throat. "I'm gonna keep you home for a little while. It's best to keep you safe from whoever is cyberbullying you and it'll keep you away from Eric."

I nodded. I didn't say anything. I didn't want my voice to sound like it did yesterday. Stupid, weak and pathetic. I didn't want to be a scared little girl. I balled my hands into fists and clenched them tightly.

"Would you like to do something together," Mrs Young asked. "We can go to the library, or the art museum. We could go see Nathan."

I shrugged.

"Link is going to come over after school with all your assignments that you missed today, then it'll be a long weekend."

I nodded.

"Please say something, sweetheart." Mrs Young's voice was soft. It made me wish for my mom's voice. "I don't know how to help if you don't speak."

"I just want to go upstairs and sleep." My voice was gravily. It hurt a little. Sounded broken.

They just nodded and I went upstairs. I curled up on my bed and pulled out my sketchbook. I was flipping through, trying to find a sketch to continue on, then I found my mom.

It was half finished. She was smiling, full of life. The lips had too much shadow, and her eyes weren't quite right. But it was her. It was my mommy. I missed her so much. I closed my eyes, trying to imagine her talking to me. I couldn't remember what her voice sounded like.

I sighed and flipped to another page. A clean page. I began doodling random shapes. It ended up being an astronaut. He was inspecting something. Some flying alien fish.

The knock at my door made me jump. Nathan opened the door and stuck his head inside the room.

"I brought you something." He came inside, shutting the door. There was something behind his back. "I thought you'd be bored out of your mind." He pulled a laptop out from behind his back. "So, I bought you a computer."

I nodded and smiled. "Thanks."

He grinned and crossed the room to the bed. He set the laptop on the bed beside me. "No problem. It'll help ya with school work, and you can watch any show on it. It'll help your mental health and productivity."

I turned the laptop towards me and opened it up. It was fully charged, but other than that, nothing was set up. I tapped my pencil against the rim of the laptop. After setting up an account, which Nathan helped me with, I went onto the internet to find a picture to be my background image.

I looked at Nathan. "So, you bought a computer for me, because you feel bad for me?"

Nathan shook his head, squinting a little. "Not exactly. Yes, I felt bad that you're cooped in and can't go to school. However, I bought the computer because it seemed like a nice thing to do. I'd been planning on it for a while. Now you don't have to go downstairs if you want to watch TV. You don't have to look on your phone for reference images, and you don't feel so isolated."

"That was really thoughtful."

He shrugged. "Eh, don't mention it. I'd do almost anything to cheer my little sister up."

I smiled, but inside I wanted to cry. A pang went through my heart. Why couldn't this have happened to me before? Why couldn't Eric have been a nice, kind big brother? Why do I have to be scared and anxious all the time? Why…

"You okay?"

I looked at Nathan and smiled again. "Yeah. Never better. Thanks."

"I'm gonna go downstairs and help Dad fix some cars. You're welcome to come down if you want."

"Gonna do some art with my new computer."

Nathan smiled, then got up and went downstairs. I turned to my new computer and took a deep breath.

I decided a few things then and there. If I want to change something, then I can. I am going to take control of my life. Bullies and dumb idiot brothers can't and won't hold me down. I opened my Facebook and deleted Eric from my friends list. I chewed on my lip for a second, then I took a deep breath and blocked him.

"From now on, I'm not scared." My voice didn't sound shaky anymore. It sounded solid. "From now on, I am going to be happy." I friended Link on Facebook. "I'm going to hang out with who I want, when I want. I don't care about bullies and idiots like Eric."

Hey, you have Facebook?

I smiled when the message popped up. I grinned as I typed back.

I've had Facebook for a while. Now that my phone is taken away, I have to use it. Have you noticed anyone annoyed that I'm gone?

Not really. No one has noticed yet. Theater is a few classes away though.

Okay.

I sent an emoji of a thumbs up and the smiley face wearing sunglasses. Taking control of my life could possibly be the best thing I've ever done.

The next thing I did was actually sketch. I finished my sketch of Mom, then ripped it out of my sketchbook. I laid it on my desk and rummaged in my supplies for tape. I found it stashed at the bottom of a drawer. I taped the picture of Mom on the wall by the door.

Around three, the door opened with a thud. I looked over to see Link standing there proudly. His coat was off. Today, he was wearing a Mario hoodie. His skateboard was tucked under his arm. His shaggy hair was crammed under a black beanie.

"I am here," he announced.

I laughed. "I can see that."

"You seem happier," he commented as I turned back to my laptop. "Hey, is that a new computer?!" His face lit up with happiness as he ran over.

"Nathan got it for me. Don't you dare break it."

Link picked it up and looked it over. He gasped. "Gabriella, this laptop is so cool! It can turn into a tablet, look!" He began to fold the screen down towards the bottom of the laptop.

My heart stopped and my eyes got wide. I thought it was going to snap. However, the computer emitted a small click noise when Link was done folding it. He held the screen towards me. It was perfectly fine. I gasped and took the computer from Link. I set it down and looked at him. Then I stood up and punched his arm.

"Hey! What the heck?!"

"I thought you were going to break it! Don't scare me like that again!"

Link laughed and pushed me back gently. He knelt down and took out his script for the play. "First thing we do today, is learn some blocking. It's pretty easy."

I nodded. We ran lines and went through the whole play. It was interesting seeing Link play through many characters, as well as his own. He was so full of energy and emotions. It must be exhausting. By the end of the play, I was fighting off fits of laughter.

"Alright, math next, please."

Link nodded and we both settled down, pulling out our math books. Mrs Young came up and knocked on the open door. We looked at her.

"Do you kids want any snacks? I've got sandwiches and fruit."

"I'm good, but thanks," Link said.

"Do you have any egg salad," I asked.

Mrs Young nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I'll get some for you."

"Thanks, Amelia," I said as we turned back to our math. Link had spread our books out on the floor.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amelia turn back to us. I think her face was a mask of surprise, but I'm not sure. After a minute, she left and went downstairs. Link was teaching me the new equations that the class was learning.

"I think I get it," I was saying as Amelia came back up. She set a plate with a sandwich and some grapes next to my notebook, then left the room. "Thank you," I called after her.

"You're welcome," she said as she turned to face me at the door. I don't think I had ever seen a bigger smile.

"So, how did theater class turn out," I asked.

"Well, I had to explain why you were out. She doesn't want to replace you. However, you need to get back to school soon. If you don't, the play will be very interesting."

"Trust me, I wanna go to school. However, they don't know if my brother will kill me or not."

Link nodded. He seemed thoughtful. "What if I taught you self defense?"

"That would be awesome. However, we have other things to do. We need to watch Brittney. I think she might be the bully."