A Devastating Blow

Graduation was a week away. My classes had ended a couple weeks ago but they had given me the option to keep attending clubs and after-school activities. I had taken it. Unfortunately, there was nothing scheduled after the last bell today so I had to go home.

As I got off the bus down the street from my house, the group of friends I had been riding with for the last 5 years screamed, "BYE NIKKI!!!" and burst into laughter. My lips pulled into a wide grin and I waved back at them. I would miss them.

My name was actually Nicolette Winspere but everyone called me Nikki except the people in my house. At the thought of home, the smile dropped from my face. For as long as I could remember, going home always left me feeling bleak. However, with college only a few short weeks away I will be leaving it all behind.

Humming to myself, I skipped through the front door of the house I had called home since I was 7 years old. As I opened the door, Tito from next door began to bark. It was an invitation that typically drew me in but today my growling stomach drove me inside.

Pale green walls and a wave of sadness greeted me as I stepped into the hallway. I always wondered if I was the only one that felt the waves of dejection as soon as you entered but could never muster up the courage to ask. Not that anyone would answer me anyhow.

Not for the first time this week, I wished that there was an after-school activity so I could stay away a little longer.

I dropped my bag to the floor and eased out of my sneakers as I made a mental list of the things I had to do for the remainder of the day. I was about to head up the stairs to my room when another growl from my tummy reminded me that it was way past snack time.

With a sigh, I headed toward the banana colored kitchen and did the robotic task of making myself a sandwich while my mind wandered.

In a few days early admission letters would be coming in from the colleges I had applied to and I couldn't wait. I wished my family would share my happiness. Instead, I felt as though their hatred for me had intensified. I've always felt alone out of place in my family. The older I got, the more my mother seemed to despise me. Lately, even my father, who was the only one who showed me any affection, had seemed distant.

When I was younger, I had been so distraught over being rejected that I once spent an entire summer researching it but could never actually find any explanation for my mother's behavior.

It was foolish but what little kid in my situation wouldn't be desperate for answers. Sighing again, this time in exasperation, I shook my head to get rid of memories that were best forgotten. After all, it was too late now. I would be getting out of this dreary place and heading to college soon enough.

I even planned to take a few summer classes so I could move on campus early.

I was biting into my sandwich when I glimpsed the time on the digital clock over the fridge and froze. My mother was due home any minute. As if on cue, the stairs began to creak from both downstairs and upstairs. My siblings came rushing by me. I backed up quickly to avoid being run over.

I sucked in a deep breath and I tried to minimize my presence, but it was almost impossible. I was 5'5" and years of playing tennis had sculpted my long, lean, legs. My dark skin was complemented by smoldering mud oak eyes and an eye-catching smile. Anyways, over the years, I had mastered the art of making myself practically invisible.