Music

I dont actually own the story line, but i thought itd make a nice story, to have ahappier ending to the original. plus it was for a school assignment.

I clasped my hands on my ears, rocking back and forth on my bed. My eyes tightly closed. The screams, coming from downstairs, I could never ignore them. They were fighting, again… Every night this week it seems. Every time they fight… it feels like my head is going to explode. Why… they love each other dont they? And why must they fight all the time, I don’t understand anything anymore.

After a while they turn silent and go to bed, making up. They always fight though, and I never get any sleep. The sound of his roaring voice and her screaming cries… It’s horrifying. I hate it. I slowly lay down and sigh, my eyes close and I drift off to sleep.

My eyes burst open hearing the silent shattering cry of my alarm clock. I look over and groan. It had only been an hour. I hit the button and slowly sit up, holding my head. Ever since my 10th birthday has been coming closer, they have been fighting more and more… I can’t believe this, I need more sleep. I turn around placing my feet on the ground and slowly stand, my head throbbing from lack of sleep. I walk forward stumbling tiredly into the bathroom, closing the door and going through my morning routine. Toilet, Shower, Clothes, Hair, Make-up, Downstairs, breakfast, and then out the door towards school.

I sigh walking through the doors of the large building, smiling. A break from home… that’s pretty bad, I only like school because it gets me out of the house. I can’t believe that my two little brothers can’t get out yet. They can’t go to school, so they have to deal with them all day. I shake the thought from my head and walk towards my locker, starting to put the combo into the lock. I hear a voice. Great. I think sarcastically. I sigh and continue opening my locker, then feel a pain in my left side as I am pushed up against my locker.

“Look, its sleeping beauty.” One of the guy’s chuckles. I roll my eyes and look up at the massive football players that infect our school every morning. They should stay in their school, just because they are connected, doesn’t mean they can’t stay in their school. They push me again, and I glare, pushing back.

“Oooooh. She’s getting feisty, I like feisty girls.” They say, chuckling again and walk on to pick on some other middle schooler. I sigh. I am actually in junior high, 8th grade, but people call me a middle schooler because that’s what I’m supposed to be. My teachers said I have a very good memory, so, I guess watching all that stuff on the discovery and history channel did me good.

I get the books I need from my locker and shut it, locking it. I walk towards the classroom, my head down, not looking at anyone. Insecurities overcome me everyday, with no friends and no self-esteem, I can’t look at anyone, not even the teachers, so I sit in the back, pretending I’m not paying attention, and get some rest, laying my head down and scribbling the notes down.

I sit down in my desk and look at the table, the report card for that class on the desk because it’s my seat, I always sit there. I look at it. All A's again. As usual. My parents don’t even congratulate me ever anymore, when i get home, ill show them and they will just look at it, nod and say,

"Good. That’s what you’re supposed to do." I sigh, imagining the senario and just put my head down. The teacher says we have a free day, because she doesn’t have anything planned, I think, 'Great, I can sleep.' I slowly close my eyes and sleep until the bell rings.

I get up from the desk, wipe off the drool and pick up my small bag with my books in it and walk with my head down to my next class. I think about all the things my parents fight about. Us, the kids, obviously. Sometimes I think if we weren’t here, they wouldn’t fight. Maybe that’s the reason they do, maybe they just can’t get along because me and my brothers are so stressful. Dads a drunk and moms a gambler, isn’t that a normal family? That’s all I’ve known… They fight about money problems, and how each other’s habits contribute to the money problems, and how us kids give them more of a reason to quit. They say they will quit, but never do. They fight about the government. Moms. Republican and dads Democrat. Why would two very opposite people get married and have children??? Did they have me, and then decide to get married??? I don’t understand how two people who claim to love each other fight all the time. I just don’t get it.

The halls were filled with kids and teachers, bustling about, trying to get to their destination before the bell rang. I sigh getting pushed and shoved, just going with the crowd until I found myself at my classroom, then walk in.

The rest of the day went as usual, more pushing and shoving, more A+’s, more classes, until I walked out of the school as the last bell rang. Tomorrow was Saturday, my birthday. And I hoped, with all my soul, with all my being, that my parents wouldn’t fight. Although a strange feeling of dread for tomorrow slowly grew inside me, I perked myself up and walked home with a smile on my face. I walked through the door. No one was home. A note on the fridge.

“Hunny,

We went to the store, there’s a surprise in your room for you, just go upstairs and look. Hope you like it, and there are potato chips in the cupboard, they need to be eaten before they go bad, please eat them up!

-Mom and dad.”

I sigh with relief; my birthday gift was given to me early, at least one of them. I take the bag of chips out of the cupboard and go upstairs, open my door, and look around. A small cupcake with a candle burning in it is on my dresser.

I heard the door slam a few hours later and I looked towards my door, the small cupcake wrapper on the edge of my desk, and my homework in front of me. I groan, mom and dad were fighting again. I stand up and look around, my 2 year old brother was trying to climb up on my lap. I giggle and help him up, forgetting they were fighting. I hold him in my arms and kiss his cheek, he giggles. I rub my nose again his, an Eskimo kiss as my grandmother used to call it. I smile and he hugs my neck, I hug back.

Still holding him in my arms, and walk downstairs. A chocolate cake mix box on the counter, mom doesn’t know how to cook homemade, so that’s what I was expecting, but the cake, and the cupcake? I also wasn’t expecting the small box right inside the bag next to it. I look away, knowing it’s a present for me and walking away, trying not to give into temptation.

Walking into the living room, I see dad sitting on the couch with a beer in his hand.

“There’s my… uuummm… Oh! Almost 10 year old girl.” He smiles drunkenly and I slightly smile, nodding my head.

“Where’s mom?” I ask, he motions outside. I sigh and walk towards the door, still holding my brother.

“Watch out! She’s in a bitchy mood!” He yells after me, "The w***e really did it now!" I roll my eyes and just hope that Brandon, the youngest of my brothers, doesn’t get into the habit of swearing either. Walking out the door, I see mom kneeing on the grass, crying into her hands. I sigh, rolling my eyes and walk over, putting my free hand on her shoulder.

“Mom, it’ll be ok… I promise, you’ll both get over it, and then you’ll make up.” I say boredly, knowing it will happen, even though she shakes her head, repeating that they won’t make up, they never listen to me though. I roll my eyes.

“Let’s go get your chocolate ice cream stash from the freezer.” She nods and stands, walking behind me. I walk in, grabbing the chunky monkey and a spoon, basically shoving the ice cream down her throat. After a few moments, she begins feeding herself, feeling better. Later I heard giggling and moaning coming from the room down the hall.

“Ya, it won’t happen.” I agitatedly mummbled under my breath, continuing my homework.

The day drags on, we eat Chinese take-out and watch a movie together, and then I go to bed, hoping to sleep.

As I lay on my small, unexiting bed that only has white sheets and a small throw blanket to cover me, there is no noise in the house. I sigh in relief, and drift off to sleep again. This is great, I thought, I get to sleep twice in one day.

The next day I wake up and smile, sitting up, looking around my room. I frown. Nothing. They said they’d be here as soon as the sun rose, my family memebers i mean.

“Come downstairs.” It says. I smile and run downstairs to see the whole downstairs decorated. A banner that lights up as you walk past it and two numbers made with flashing bulbs, 10. I giggle and look around, feeling like the happiest child ever. I smiled and looked around, seeing everyone. I run up to my cousins and hug them, noticing all the presents i have. My mom and dad walk in, holding a huge chocolate cake with white frosting on it. I smile widely, feeling special.

As the hours passed, everyone soon began to go home. Everyone around me, leaving, and staying gone until the next birthday someone has. I walk towards my room and start to hear bickering. My hands clentch into fists and I growl angrily, running into the kitchen door.

“I wanted you both to get along!” I cry loudly and run out of the room, then the house, slamming the doors shut behind me. The rain falling the size of needles, but the piercing harshness of small knives. I trip a few times, the mud being slippery, then I fall into a large mud spot, and just lay there, crying into the dirt of some park. I slowly kneel and look around, my hair dripping wet, and so are my clothes. I can feel the mud fall form my face in large clumps, and it feels like my knee is bleeding. I look down, feeling both ashamed and betrayed, then look around trying to remember where I am. I can’t recognize the place so I walk into the closest store. A music store.

My eyes widen as I look around, my hair and clothes make a small puddle on the slightly padded floor, the pad soaking up the water making it feel like a sponge underneath my un-shoed feet. I had heard of a band that saved someone from suicide, and i wanted that safe feeling. The feeling of not being alone, of feeling cared for, of being loved. I saw a poster for the band on a wall near some CD's, and walked towards them. Headphones that are plugged into some kind of machine on the shelves and lsowly pick up the headphones. My eyes widen after putting them on and listening for a few minutes. The words were like magic.The singer seemed to be speaking to me, to be shouting out for freedom, and independance of the people like us. The people who need someone, who need to have someone care for them, because no one in their lives at all has ever dared, or even cared to speak to them. The sides of my mouth slowly lifted into a smile. I look at all the CD’s the band has out. I look through the songs and CD's, picking only a few. I take off the headphones, walking to the counter.

“I’d like to buy these.” I say smiling. The cashier smiled and winked, telling me he loved them too, and slowly scanned them, then placed them into bags after I paid for them. I giggle and walk back out, noticing the rain had finally stopped. I smile and slowly walk the direction i think home is.