Chapter 3

The practice ends by 8 pm and the guys look like they could use a good dinner then go sleep for hundred hours or something, they used up most of their energy.

"Hey Lizzie, Let us walk you home" says Luke.

"Speak for yourself dude I want to go sleep, my legs can't carry me anymore, no offense Liz, but I really am tired" Jayden says and groans in pain, he is being dramatic and silly.

"Okay. Let me walk you then"

"You are tired too Luke, go sleep and see you guys tomorrow at school"

"Okay, bye" Jayden and Luke wave at me as I walk.

"Take care girl, because it's late, run home" Jayden cried and me and luke laughed.

I walk home, the streets were dark and light barely worked, as I am getting closer to my house I can see that the streets are getting dirtier and darker. I wish I could stay longer away from home, I wish I don't stay at home in the first place, I wish I can become 18 quicker so I can move out of this place. I reach my house and I get the keys out and open the door to find it not double locked, mum must be back. I enter to find mum sitting on the couch smoking a cigerette. This doesn't look nice.

"Hey mum, you have been late today, I couldn't find you in the morning before I go to school"

"Yeah darling, sorry I had business to finish, where have you been by the way? you don't usually that late, you come back right after school"

"Yeah, today I studied outside for a while and talked to my friends then I came right after"

"With Raya and Bellany right?"

"Yeah" I lied because if she knows I hung out with two guys she won't make me go to school and maybe ground me, or worse, hit me. She has that one rule, that I should avoid guys as much as possible so I don't become like her, a woman who runs after men's money for a living and gets drunk with them and God knows what else more just for my sake so she can raise me well, I didn't want her to sacrifice her dignity and honor just so she could get money for us to live, we could've been fine if she worked as a cashier or a waitress or anything then she can try to pursue college with me or something and we can get educated and work respectable jobs instead of what we are at right now, maybe dad would have stuck around as well, she is alcholic and abusive.

"Okay darling you must be tired but you need to make us dinner then you can go to sleep"

"Okay mum" I sigh and go to the kitchen to make some food, this went smoothly. I made some curry and notice that we are running out of food.

"Hey mum, there isn't much food in here, we need to buy some tomorrow"

"Okay, I will leave you some money here so you can pick some food up on your way back from school"

"Cool, now let's eat"

"Smells good so far"

"Thanks"

" I will go to work in a little while after dinner"

I didn't know what to say so I just stayed silent. After we ate I took a shower and combed my hair and braided it so it does look good tomorrow. I sit on the bed and pick a random book to read then found a part of the Harry potter series, I kept reading till I fell asleep.

I woke up today but rather feeling excited, I haven't felt like that in almost 2 years, to feel excited again about life makes you really feel more alive like you want to jump to the moon and come back. I want to get dressed and run to school now. I get down and find mum not home, at this point I don't care anymore where she goes, I need to check that I took everything I need to school and head out as fast as possible.

I go on my way to school and walk fast, almost like running that I reached school in around half the time. I go by my locker and put my things when I meet my friends in the corridor.

"Hey guys"

"Hey" Luka and Raya replied as Jayden was playing some video game on his phone and bethany looking at herself in the front camera to adjust her hair.

"How are you?" I ask as I notice that Luke's face is a little bit sad and tired.

"I'm miserable because I can't win this level in the game, Damn I LOST AGAIN" he groaned then threw his phone in his bag because he was angry from that game he is playing. I try to pull Luke away a little from the group so I can talk to him one on one, as Raya and Jayden talk about videogames, both are hard gamers.

"Are you alright Luke?" I ask in worry

"No, it's nothing really, just some arguments in the house but nothing serious"

"Are you sure? are you hurt?" I ask, checking if he got hit or something like that.

"No, I'm okay"

"Okay, if you want to talk I will always be there to hear you out"

"Yeah sure" he smiled and it made my heart melt and made me stop worrying.

"Even though we just met yesterday, I feel like I have known you for a long while, as if we have met before or something" I say dramatically

"Cut your cheesy talk girl, you got no idea how to flirt" Jayden says and we all laugh, the bell rings shortly after so all of us start going to our classes.

Sofia came today to school, but didn't do something about yesterday nor did hurt me, she is weirdly quiet and calm, nor did she pick up on someone else, it's scary, but I won't think about her and continue with my classes peacefully, she won't forget about me that easy but I hope she does. I check for last week's chemistry pop quiz to find that I aced it, I get out of class so happy, even my teacher is proud of me that I'm keeping it up. I go to the bathroom and get into a stall and as I was about to close the door, someone pushed it really hard that the door hit my head and I fell to the ground so dizzy, I can't see well.