Agony- Chapter Two
Agony
KKftKK
Chapter Two
The weekend passed too quickly in Alex’s opinion. She had spent it in the company of her mother, talking about everything and nothing.
They’d gone shopping to take their minds off everything and ended up meeting up with one of Emily’s old boyfriends from high school. When he’d asked how Trevor was doing, the both of them went quiet, and Emily ended up saying that they were getting divorced, with no explanation as to why.
He’d asked her if she’d contacted Stephanie since she’d been back in town, and it was at that point that Emily’s voice had risen in excitement, asking him if she was back in town, and practically begging for her number.
When they got back to their freshly unpacked house, Alex had asked her who exactly Stephanie was.
“Stephanie and I were the best of friends through school, but she ran away with her drunken boyfriend when we were your age. I’d heard that she’d had a baby with him, a boy a few months before I fell pregnant with you. I’ve heard nothing since. That woman was the greatest support system I had growing up. I owe her a lot.”
Emily seemed excited as she rang the number the ex-boyfriend had given her, and she organized dinner at their place for the following night. Apparently, she had married not long after the birth of her son. She had a daughter not long after Alex was born, and her husband had died over a year previously leaving them with a mound of credit card debt.
To Alex, Stephanie sounded like a bitter woman, but it was good to see her mother in a good mood again, especially since she had rarely smiled for over a month, her eyes empty of all emotions.
So Alex awoke on Monday morning, the beeping coming from the alarm her mother had set for her giving her a head ache.
Switching it off, she jumped out of bed and pulled on a plain black hoodie to keep her bare arms warm, and walked into the kitchen.
Her mother had always left early for work every morning, so Alex had a steady routine down before her world fell apart. Get-up, listen to music while having a shower and getting dressed. Watch the morning news while eating breakfast, usually a bowl of coco puffs or Marmite and cheese on toast. After that, she’d pack all the things she needed for school in her black shoulder bag which was covered in nifty badges, and head for the bus stop.
That was her old routine, and she decided not to change it too much, instead, just switching a few things around. She wanted a fresh start, but the old routine had worked to perfection for three solid years. Why mess with a good thing.
So walking into the kitchen, she started cooking breakfast, now not just a simple exercise of pouring or spreading, but full on, frying pan out, spatula in hand, cooking.
This particular morning, she decided on French toast, so she pulled out an egg and the milk from the fridge and a whisk from the drawer before starting to work in a small plastic measuring bowl.
The television was now a part of the kitchen, an inch thick wide-screen placed up on a high shelf and tilted down slightly so she could still see it from the ground.
The news that morning was fairly mediocre. Burt she still took note of the current cases being put to trial in Judge Barlow’s court, the man that would be overseeing her father’s trial.
She ate her toast after smothering it with BBQ sauce, and then walked into the bathroom for her shower.
Her skin rubbed red raw, yet she still didn’t feel clean, wet hair hanging about her shoulders, she walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her and headed straight for her room and her CD player. Now spitting out something she didn’t know from the radio, she proceeded to get ready.
After packing things into her unusually heavy bag, which she assumed was because she hadn’t been graced with a locker yet; she grabbed her keys, and headed out of the front door, making sure it was locked behind her.
On her walk to school, her thoughts turned to her father, and what he might be doing. To her disgust, he had been released on bail, the prosecutor unable to ask for remand because he hadn’t killed anyone.
Stupid laws if she had anything to say about it. But there had been an order of protection ordered, and he was forced to stay more than two-hundred meters away from her home or school.
In her opinion, two-hundred meters wasn’t far enough. If she had it her way, she’d only have to face that man one more time in her life, when she testified against him at his trial.
When she’d first set eyes on Degrassi, she’d wondered what it was like for her mother when she went there. When her father went there.
She liked it when she’d gone in the week before to have her interview with the principle. It was bright, which was so unlike her last school, which seemed more like a prison than a school. Security clearance to get in every morning and out every afternoon. High fences surrounding the grounds topped with barbed wire. Security guards pacing outside each entrance and two outside each office.
She’d hated it there, the people were all so… angsty, and to her horror, she realized that she had become one of them in her last months there.
There was only herself, Jamie, Ray and few others that had any happy memories at all in their lives. Most of the students that attended were from families living off welfare or single parent families with a single income.
Alex’s parents had decided to send her to a public school, because they didn’t want her to get snobby, which was something she understood, humble roots and all, but it didn’t change how much she despised the place.
Degrassi on the other hand was anything but dark and seemed to be the complete opposite of her old school. The people too seemed to have a good time, even when they emerged from classes they were smiling, which was something entirely new for Alex.
She walked in and was aware of the curious stares she was getting from the students crowding the halls. One guy, who seemed to be a wanna-be gangster, looked her up and down, then smirked, as if he thought he had a chance with her.
She visibly shook at the look, remembering the same one on her father’s face many times. Her whole body froze, and she even stopped walking mid step, her eyes locked on his smirking face.
“Like you even have an itty bitty chance Jay! Why don’t you go smoke that cancer stick hanging out of your pocket?”
The voice was slightly familiar to Alex, and she turned to see the boy looking down at his breast pocket, which was buttoned closed, nothing protruding from its depths. The hall around them erupted in humorous laughter, and the boy hung his head. There was a tap on her opposite shoulder, and she jumped, sucking in a breath and then smiling, “Paige.”
The blonde girl smiled who now stood at her side smiled, “You remembered.” Alex nodded, silently thinking that she didn’t think she could forget those beautiful azure eyes, “Forget Jay,” she pointed a thumb over her shoulder at the boy now walking away, concentrating on his worn shoes, “He likes to think that he can have whoever he wants. But I know how much it can hurt to have someone look at you like that after…” she trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.
Alex just nodded, “Yeah. You’re right.”
They walked in silence, Paige seeming to follow Alex where ever she was going. They had reached the school offices before Paige spoke again, “I requested to be your guide,” she said, “I thought it would be easier with someone who wouldn’t ask so many questions.”
Alex smiled, having no objection to be walking around with this girl all day, “Thank You. If I had someone asking me why I transferred and everything, I don’t think I could handle it.”
“Not a problem. If I ask anything you’re not comfortable with, just tell me and I’ll back off.”
Amazed at the kindness of this girl, Alex didn’t know what to say. She just walked through the doors that lead to the offices closely followed by Paige’s somehow reassuring presence at her back.
KKftKK
Chapter Two
The weekend passed too quickly in Alex’s opinion. She had spent it in the company of her mother, talking about everything and nothing.
They’d gone shopping to take their minds off everything and ended up meeting up with one of Emily’s old boyfriends from high school. When he’d asked how Trevor was doing, the both of them went quiet, and Emily ended up saying that they were getting divorced, with no explanation as to why.
He’d asked her if she’d contacted Stephanie since she’d been back in town, and it was at that point that Emily’s voice had risen in excitement, asking him if she was back in town, and practically begging for her number.
When they got back to their freshly unpacked house, Alex had asked her who exactly Stephanie was.
“Stephanie and I were the best of friends through school, but she ran away with her drunken boyfriend when we were your age. I’d heard that she’d had a baby with him, a boy a few months before I fell pregnant with you. I’ve heard nothing since. That woman was the greatest support system I had growing up. I owe her a lot.”
Emily seemed excited as she rang the number the ex-boyfriend had given her, and she organized dinner at their place for the following night. Apparently, she had married not long after the birth of her son. She had a daughter not long after Alex was born, and her husband had died over a year previously leaving them with a mound of credit card debt.
To Alex, Stephanie sounded like a bitter woman, but it was good to see her mother in a good mood again, especially since she had rarely smiled for over a month, her eyes empty of all emotions.
So Alex awoke on Monday morning, the beeping coming from the alarm her mother had set for her giving her a head ache.
Switching it off, she jumped out of bed and pulled on a plain black hoodie to keep her bare arms warm, and walked into the kitchen.
Her mother had always left early for work every morning, so Alex had a steady routine down before her world fell apart. Get-up, listen to music while having a shower and getting dressed. Watch the morning news while eating breakfast, usually a bowl of coco puffs or Marmite and cheese on toast. After that, she’d pack all the things she needed for school in her black shoulder bag which was covered in nifty badges, and head for the bus stop.
That was her old routine, and she decided not to change it too much, instead, just switching a few things around. She wanted a fresh start, but the old routine had worked to perfection for three solid years. Why mess with a good thing.
So walking into the kitchen, she started cooking breakfast, now not just a simple exercise of pouring or spreading, but full on, frying pan out, spatula in hand, cooking.
This particular morning, she decided on French toast, so she pulled out an egg and the milk from the fridge and a whisk from the drawer before starting to work in a small plastic measuring bowl.
The television was now a part of the kitchen, an inch thick wide-screen placed up on a high shelf and tilted down slightly so she could still see it from the ground.
The news that morning was fairly mediocre. Burt she still took note of the current cases being put to trial in Judge Barlow’s court, the man that would be overseeing her father’s trial.
She ate her toast after smothering it with BBQ sauce, and then walked into the bathroom for her shower.
Her skin rubbed red raw, yet she still didn’t feel clean, wet hair hanging about her shoulders, she walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her and headed straight for her room and her CD player. Now spitting out something she didn’t know from the radio, she proceeded to get ready.
After packing things into her unusually heavy bag, which she assumed was because she hadn’t been graced with a locker yet; she grabbed her keys, and headed out of the front door, making sure it was locked behind her.
On her walk to school, her thoughts turned to her father, and what he might be doing. To her disgust, he had been released on bail, the prosecutor unable to ask for remand because he hadn’t killed anyone.
Stupid laws if she had anything to say about it. But there had been an order of protection ordered, and he was forced to stay more than two-hundred meters away from her home or school.
In her opinion, two-hundred meters wasn’t far enough. If she had it her way, she’d only have to face that man one more time in her life, when she testified against him at his trial.
When she’d first set eyes on Degrassi, she’d wondered what it was like for her mother when she went there. When her father went there.
She liked it when she’d gone in the week before to have her interview with the principle. It was bright, which was so unlike her last school, which seemed more like a prison than a school. Security clearance to get in every morning and out every afternoon. High fences surrounding the grounds topped with barbed wire. Security guards pacing outside each entrance and two outside each office.
She’d hated it there, the people were all so… angsty, and to her horror, she realized that she had become one of them in her last months there.
There was only herself, Jamie, Ray and few others that had any happy memories at all in their lives. Most of the students that attended were from families living off welfare or single parent families with a single income.
Alex’s parents had decided to send her to a public school, because they didn’t want her to get snobby, which was something she understood, humble roots and all, but it didn’t change how much she despised the place.
Degrassi on the other hand was anything but dark and seemed to be the complete opposite of her old school. The people too seemed to have a good time, even when they emerged from classes they were smiling, which was something entirely new for Alex.
She walked in and was aware of the curious stares she was getting from the students crowding the halls. One guy, who seemed to be a wanna-be gangster, looked her up and down, then smirked, as if he thought he had a chance with her.
She visibly shook at the look, remembering the same one on her father’s face many times. Her whole body froze, and she even stopped walking mid step, her eyes locked on his smirking face.
“Like you even have an itty bitty chance Jay! Why don’t you go smoke that cancer stick hanging out of your pocket?”
The voice was slightly familiar to Alex, and she turned to see the boy looking down at his breast pocket, which was buttoned closed, nothing protruding from its depths. The hall around them erupted in humorous laughter, and the boy hung his head. There was a tap on her opposite shoulder, and she jumped, sucking in a breath and then smiling, “Paige.”
The blonde girl smiled who now stood at her side smiled, “You remembered.” Alex nodded, silently thinking that she didn’t think she could forget those beautiful azure eyes, “Forget Jay,” she pointed a thumb over her shoulder at the boy now walking away, concentrating on his worn shoes, “He likes to think that he can have whoever he wants. But I know how much it can hurt to have someone look at you like that after…” she trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.
Alex just nodded, “Yeah. You’re right.”
They walked in silence, Paige seeming to follow Alex where ever she was going. They had reached the school offices before Paige spoke again, “I requested to be your guide,” she said, “I thought it would be easier with someone who wouldn’t ask so many questions.”
Alex smiled, having no objection to be walking around with this girl all day, “Thank You. If I had someone asking me why I transferred and everything, I don’t think I could handle it.”
“Not a problem. If I ask anything you’re not comfortable with, just tell me and I’ll back off.”
Amazed at the kindness of this girl, Alex didn’t know what to say. She just walked through the doors that lead to the offices closely followed by Paige’s somehow reassuring presence at her back.