CHAPTER 5



“Dinner!” My mom called, from somewhere downstairs.

“Coming! I shouted back. Wow. Was it really dinnertime already? I glanced down at my midnight black watch. Yup, sure enough it was almost 6:30.

I sighed, and pushed away from my desk. My math notebook lay open, my heavy Geometry textbook next to it. I had only gotten through a few problems; concentrating was a problem today. The margins were filled with random doodles, nothing of importance.

Except for one. I hadn’t realized I had drawn a headshot of Jacob. Shuddering, I quickly scrubbed out his face with an eraser. Too bad erasers didn’t work on people in real life.

“Sophia! Don’t make me come up there!”

Rolling my eyes I stood up and walked over to my door. “I said I’m coming!” I screamed, closing the door behind me. I bounded down the stairs, causing a large thumping sound when I hit the bottom.

“Would you please not do that.” She scolded, looking over at me for a brief second.

I only nodded. We both knew I had no intention of stopping.

My dad was already at the table, reading the newspaper. I dished up both our dinners, placing his big plate in front of him.

“Thanks hun.” He said, without looking up.

I sat at my seat, and stared at my plate. I took a bite of my macaroni and cheese as I watched my mom flutter around the kitchen. Before long she came and sat down, and my dad finally set down his newspaper.

“So what happened today?” My father asked, touching my red neck with his fingertips.

Once again, I explained the story. His eyebrows furrowed as I talked.

“I swear, if that girl so much as touches you again I’ll kill-”

“Dad,” I said, holding my hand out. “Chill. Don’t get yourself sent to jail now.”

He glared, but grumbled, “Yes. Unless I don’t get caught…Kidding.” He added the last part when he saw my angered expression. “Seriously, just kidding.”

I only snorted and continued eating. Soon I finished and got up to clean my plate.

“Sophia, you have dish-” she was quickly cut off by the telephone ringing. I took that as my chance to escape, and darted out of the kitchen and up the stairs.


                         *                              *                              *


‘Dangit’ I thought to myself, I forgot to bring my glass of water up. I knew I would be up for a while working on homework, and I didn’t want to have to take many trips just to get water.

I was walking down the stairs, when I paused mid-step. I could hear my parents talking in hushed voices. They were trying to be quiet, but I could still hear them where I stood in the middle of the staircase.

Slowly I inched my way towards the kitchen, and kneeled behind the wall separating the hallway and dining room.

“I can’t believe she got herself into this. Strangled? Honestly, how many kids are actually threatened like that? Steve, I-I don’t know what to do with her.” I heard my mom say.

“Honey, she’ll be fine. Maybe the teasing will stop when she gets to high school, or college.”

“Steve, don’t you see? It will never end. People will never stop thinking she’s…weird. They’ll always think she’s crazy.” My dad's chair scraped against the tiled floor as he got up to comfort her.

“Kate, she’ll find someone someday that will like her for who she is.”

“I don’t know if that will ever happen. Can you imagine it? We might never have grandchildren. Maybe we should have had more kids. But they would probably just hurt Sophia too. I don’t know. Do you think she’d be better off in an insane asylum? Away from all the teasing kids?”

“Why should she go there? You know she’d go crazy.”

“She already is crazy.” my mom muttered. “She’s too different. She just, doesn’t fit it in our world. Maybe that world would be better suited for her.”

“I’m not putting our child in with all those crazy lunatics.”

“I know, I know…but think about it.” she paused before continuing, “Did we do something wrong? Something that messed up her mind?” she started sniffling. I could tell the tears were coming. She wasn’t the only one trying hard not to cry. “Sometimes, sometimes I just wish we could have a-a normal child. You know? A kid who wouldn’t get made fun of, who wouldn’t….embarrass us.”

I couldn’t stop the tears now. Quickly I wiped them away with the sleeve of my shirt and shook my head, trying to clear it. Did my mom really think of me that way? I always knew I was different, but even my own mother thought I was a freak? So much for family love.

Holding my breath to keep from making a sound I quietly but quickly ran up the stairs and back into my bedroom. I didn’t want to hear anymore of their conversation. I collapsed onto my bed, the tears pouring now. Sobs rocked my body as I clutched my pillow to my face. Why me? Why did I have to be such a freak?

I wasn’t sure how long I spent crying into my pillow. All I know that it was dark by the time I drifted into unconsciousness. Even in sleep, the pain was still there, tearing at the edges of my heart.