Finally Perfect - J.S Christopher (read people like a book TXT) 📗

It was early and I couldn’t sleep, I sat on the edge of the window and looked down at the dark street. The moon was big and lit up the cloudy and starless sky, I don’t know what it was, but the calmness of the night soothed me. The street lights buzzed and the wind whipped through the palm trees. I put my head back and finally closed my eyes. **BEEP BEEP BEEP** I jumped from my awkward slumber; the alarm on my phone was going crazy. “Ugh, it’s way too early” I grumbled. Without moving I looked out the window again, the clouds had separated and the sun was starting to peek over the mountains, I looked down at the street to see the morning joggers taking their daily route. ”I wish it would snow” I thought while I stretched and peeled off my over sized pj’s. I looked down at my phone **6:45 Tuesday November 25th** I quickly got in the shower and sat for a few minutes before washing myself and exiting with a sigh. I stopped and looked in the mirror, my heart shaped face dripped wet. My long eyelashes fell over my round hazel green eyes. Dimples were imbedded in my cheeks and the bridge of my nose was kissed with freckles. I smiled slightly at myself; I thought I was pretty although my dad was the only one who told me so. My sandy brown and blonde wet hair was wavy and fell over my shoulders and back, I wrapped my hair in a towel then sat in front of my mirror, slowly dabbing my wet hair dry. My eyes bounced to the few photos that aligned the border of the mirror. I looked at the photo of my dad and me on my 5th birthday. I was hoisted on his shoulders, my two front teeth missing from my enormous grin. My face was painted pink, blue and yellow like a fairies wings. My dad smirked at the camera. I finished combing my hair and began to get dressed, throwing on a black v neck over a lacey black bra and pulled my favorite ripped jeans over my matching black boy shorts. I slipped on my dirty black and white sneakers and  faded red hoodie, I threw my backpack over my shoulder then checked my phone again *7:25 Tuesday November 25th* I crept out of my bedroom as to not wake my Aunt and Uncle, and down the small hallway plastered with 1970’s wall paper and out the gated back door. The cool fall breeze whipped my face and I turned to walk to school. Preston High was just a few blocks from my house and although it was freezing I preferred to walk than to be ridiculed on the bus. I thought back to my father, as I walked down the street, palm trees slapped in the wind. My dad was a strapping man over 6’5, with a big bushy brown beard; he had big brown eyes like mine and his laugh! Oh my gosh, you couldn’t help but smile. He was a pretty outgoing man, whenever we would go somewhere he would talk with everyone, he knew everybody in our town. I lived in a small community in Wyoming before the accident. My dad worked so hard to take care of me; he was a single father after my mother abandoned us when I was pretty young. He was a mechanic during the day and taxi driver at night. That was his passion cars, people, and being my dad. His only vice was the bottle, it was his stress reliever, which now I guess I could understand since I’m older, we never had a lot of money, it was just us, and he well… he was lonely. My father never hurt me, like never raised a finger if I misbehaved so I didn’t say anything about his drinking and eventually got use to the smell of Jack on his breath. The wind whipped through my hair and sent a shiver down my arms. I grabbed my jacket tighter and watched student’s cars whiz by. All of a sudden a lifted black truck honked loudly at me.  The windows rolled down and it was a boy from my school; Josh. He sat next to me in 3rd period and we had only talked a few times in class. His large mouth widened to a smile, his semi long blonde hair combed perfectly behind his ears and his blue eyes flashed. I blushed a little **was he really smiling at me? ** I thought. But then I was abruptly dropped back to reality when his smile disappeared and he said “Umm…Can you go please?” in an extremely sarcastic tone while waving his arm in a motion telling me to move across the street. Giggles came from the passenger seat; I nodded and jogged to the other side of the street. The dark haired girl sitting in the front seat looked me up and down then flipped her hair “what a dweeb” she laughed turning to Josh and they sped off. I pushed my hair behind my ears, grabbed the straps of my backpack and kept walking, I dreaded school, I mean I was good at it…well more like okay at school I didn’t fail, I was an average student that faded into the back ground of my High school. I was pretty quiet since I was the new girl in town and I guess no one at Preston High in California was very friendly. The only place I shined was on the stage, ballet was my passion and you would think being on the dance team would help my social life, but it didn’t. I drifted to class and stared down at my work sheet, my mind shifted back to my dad. He was a drinker, but a functional drinker. He’d driven me to the moon and back and nothing would ever have happened to us. It was Saturday morning and I was about 8 years old and I had been begging him to take me to this new butterfly exhibit at the zoo.  I knew he had been drinking, but I didn’t mind, after begging and pleading for what felt like years he finally agreed. I should have known something was wrong from his demeanor, I’ve seen my dad drunk but never like this. He finally pulled himself into the car as I buckled myself up in the back seat, I wiggled with excitement. We didn’t even get to the highway when the accident happened. I don’t remember much, just blabbering about the butterflies and then hitting my head hard. I woke up in the hospital by myself; soon I learned that my father was speeding and ran a red light; he was hit by an oncoming truck and was killed upon impact. I however had walked away with a broken arm, concussion and a broken heart filled with guilt forever.  After years of bouncing around foster homes that were less than spectacular I finally found a “family” with my Aunt and Uncle here. The sound of the bell brought me back to reality; I gathered my things and sped to my next class.

 Finally the school day was over and then there I was, home.  I walked up the dreary street; opened the rusted gate that closed in our sad cemetery like yard. The sun shone bright but it was like we were always under our own storm cloud. The grass had patches of green with spots of dirt spread over it, weeds lined the walk way up to the large porch. I opened the white screen door and stepped inside. The cold tile floors made me shiver; I never understood why the floors were so cold. Old family paintings hung along the walls. The wind screamed, and whipped the door shut behind me **SLAM** I jumped from the sound. “QUIET” my Aunt hissed from the living room, I hurried into the kitchen to avoid her glare and started to clean, “Your Uncle is sleeping” I could feel her glaring at me, like lasers in the back of my head. She sunk back into the couch; her blonde hair was in a matted and messy pony tail with streaks of gray throughout. Her face was constantly in a scowl and her body that was once slim was now round and shapeless, and her outfit of choice was usually an over sized shirt and sweats.  After I finished my chores I turned to head up stairs when my Aunt said “exccuuuusseee meeeee… you left this plate here! Pick it up now!” I hurried over, grabbed the dish then swung back a round; I lost my footing, tripped and shattering the plate all around me. Like a flash my Aunt grabbed the hood of my sweatshirt mixed in with a handful of my hair and turned me around, our faces inches away *POW* she landed a hard smack on the side of my head. “Didn’t I tell you to be quiet? What is the matter with you, you little idiot.” I flinched from her spit hitting my face.  “Clean that shit up or you’ll get more than that” her face was bent into a scowl.  She finally let go and I shakily picked up the shattered glass pieces of the plate. “You don’t realize how lucky you are girl” my Aunt glared at me “You have it so easy, no job, no money, I do everything for you, and this is the thanks I get in return. I can barely afford anything for myself!” She said throwing her hands in the air. I kept my head low once I finished picking up the rest of the dish I started to walk slowly toward the stairs, “Hey girl, I’m still talking to you” My Aunt said, almost in a growl. “I want you up early to take that damn garbage out” I nodded and headed upstairs to my room. I stripped off my clothes and stopped to look at myself in the mirror. I was thin but had a slightly muscular figure due to dance. I was 5’2 which is what I must have inherited from my mother; my stomach was flat and my skin was nice and tan, which was the only good thing about California, you have beautiful tan skin all year round. I had a cute but small butt with average sized breast that matched my frame. I pulled my brown hair into a messy bun and slipped my dad’s college sweatshirt on, my stomach gruggled but I would rather go hungry than face my Aunt again. I sat and on the window seal and looked as the sun started to set. I rubbed the part of my head where she grabbed my hair then rolled the sleeves of my sweatshirt up to reveal my arms that were covered in bruises and scratches. Not saying I justify what my Aunt does, that’s never right to abuse anyone in