Chapter 1 - Stephen

A young Stephen trying to figure out the person who he really is.

“Get up Andy!” My Toy Story alarm screeched, making my eyes flutter open.

     I lifted my head a bit then, finally having enough strength to hit the snooze button, knowingly that in ten minutes the alarm would start again. 

     But disappointingly, the next sound I heard was my dad’s yell from my cracked open door, “Get up you lazy boy!”

     I quickly forced myself to get up, and separate the two sides of my curtains, letting the shadow of the sun fall through them. 

     I looked all around my messy room. Dirty clothes were splattered everywhere, action figures of superman and Spiderman were clattered together, and even my cousin’s Barbie dolls that she left here was all over the closet. But hey, I was five years old then, I was learning my ways.

     I pulled on my gray v-neck T-shirt I got from Kohl’s the other day, putting on regular blue slacks to go with it.                          I looked at myself in the mirror, adding some Airway sneakers on to my small feet. With that, I quickly ran out of my room, shutting the door hard.

     I ran as fast as I could downstairs, through the living room, and into the kitchen. Dad must have already left to  gambling, leaving me to starve like he always did.

     Ever since mom left, dad has been completely ignoring me. And every time I try to say something to him, nice or not, smart or dumb, he either ignored me or started yelling at me to go away or that he was busy. All he ever did now was spend his time on a computer. It was his light that brought him back from sorrow, like the sunshine that awoke me at Dawn. It was his life; unlike me. 

     Dad was never there for me. He never did anything for me unless you count coming home from parties all drunk, or coming back from meetings, telling me he has important stuff to do on the desktop and I should go upstairs.

But every time I did go upstairs though, I felt trapped, trapped in a tower like a fairy tale princess, which wasn’t good, I was a boy…

     Since dad did nothing for me, I almost starved. I went for days without food once I turned three. But then I grabbed an apple.

     And it all started with that.

     Later I had enough money as a five year old to go to the grocery store across the street, get food, cook, eat, do laundry, shop for clothes, shop for myself, and even get my own bike so I could now bike to school during the winter instead of just walking in 20 degrees.

     Dad didn’t even notice me cooking every night. He was too busy either at some party or on the computer, using his phrase, “Shut up kid,”

     The most nerve wrecking part about this whole thing was that we never walked or biked together. I was a smart five year old though. I knew the dangers of being alone outside, and yes it was very scary. I even got past these two creeps who were in a van. One was already about to grab me in a bigger bike, and the other was about ready for the moment when he did. …But I got away, sadly never seeing my bike again.

     I told my dad about it but he just ignored me and said,   “It could’ve been worst,”

     I was guessing that dad was just ignoring me because of what happened with mom. Maybe he thought I was the reason she left, and now he’s punishing me for that. But how could I help it? She left and he tried finding her but found her dead. He never liked talking about it. He was so depressed those days. That was the starting point of when he stopped talking to me. I knew it was about me this whole time…

I never met mom, but I imagined her as a wonderful person.

The nicest thing my dad ever told me was admitting this tattoo thing I got when I was born was cool. Not an actual birthmark, a tattoo. A large, dark, capitalized L tattoo. It even sometimes lit up and had a burning sensation whenever I touched it. 

     He said having a tattoo when you were born was normal. But I wasn’t so sure… He could be lying. I mean, he lies to my face everyday.

     I knew I could never trust my dad. He told me today to lie to my closest friends about the tattoo if they asked.   Why couldn’t I just say the truth? 

     I felt pretty bad enough then. Lying was not the best thing, and I knew better than my own dad.

     I had to lie to all my best friends. Alex, Julianna and a girl I thought who was adorable named, Abby. Please don’t say I had a crush on her…

     I hated lying to Alex though. I just couldn’t, he was my best friend. He was the one I’d be talking with about Abby for hours. We would just sit there on my old trampoline that was filled around with trees in the backyard outside talking.  He was the one I’d play soccer with twenty-four hours a day at the field. I’d had to run to just snatch the ball with my foot to get it away from him. Then he'd ask for a rematch, though I would win again. And he was the one I had my first burnt finger with during our first cooking session. 

     I remembered him saying, “Whoa!” when my scar/tattoo lit up in a blue, turquoise glowing color afterwards. 

My dad took care of that though, blowing his bad breath all over it, and telling Alex to go home. This technically, wasn’t good. My dad's breath smelled a lot like peanut butter and junk food. 

     My dad was suddenly all worked up about it, whispering nonsense of me getting killed, kidnapped, or worst.

To top off the week, Alex got suspicious about my hand turning blue all week long.

     Luckily, we told him that there was a blue spray paint on the cooking pan where our fingers got burnt and ever since then, Alex never questioned it again. 

But to be honest, I still think "what was that?" all the time. Even I didn’t know!

     To tell you the truth though, I never felt bad lying to Julianna at all. True, she was my best friend’s girlfriend, Alex really loved her. But honestly, I hated her. She was always so bossy. She’d tell Alex, Julianna and so many other kids I knew what to do.  She was Abigail’s best friend also, which I totally didn’t get. 

     How can a brown haired girl who smelled like roses and sunshine everyday be friends with a girl who just smelled like a cheesy Mexican and monkey all day? Not to sound racist or anything, but it’s true. It just wasn’t natural. It’s like that girl never showers!

     First, I would sit down next to Abby, after getting my food, plate and napkins and stuff. Then Julianna would always grab Alex’s hand and force him to move to a different table. Last I’d get confused and would usually shout to Alex asking uncomfortably because I didn't want to be alone with my crush Abby. 

     “Where are you going?” 

     Then I’d hear Julianna chanting as she whispered to Alex saying, “Ignore! Ignore!” 

     I never got an answer from Alex then.

     Julianna was just so bossy! 

     I'd look straight at Abby’s hazel eyes right afterwards. 

     She’d look calmly at me and say, “She does it to me too.” 

     Then she’d look back at her lunch and continue to eat.

Overall, it was never easy lying to your crush. Knowing that I was lying to Abby, it made my stomach hurt. Almost as if my heart was hurting. I know that’s weird hearing it from a five year old, but didn’t you ever have a crush?

I would just eat in silence with her at lunch, quiet as a frog, not knowing what to say, because I couldn’t say anything. I was too scared, like my dad. I was a coward.

So I had to lie with everyone at some point. I’m sure you had to also. I know it’s wrong, but what do you expect? Not everyone can be like Pinocchio, who must tell the truth otherwise their noses pop out.

     But most times, I didn’t lie. I told my friends everything including the problems me and my dad had.

     For example, every time I came home from school, I’d come to a silent filled room with just “tap tap,” on the computer or there’d be nothing at all. I always watched him on the computer or otherwise he just wasn’t there... 

     I even asked him once, "Daddy, we never spend any time together. So, I was wondering if you could just get off the computer for me. ...Please?" I remembered asking so sweetly, trying to blink adorably with my blue eyes like those kids on Full House, the show do. 

     "No. I'm sorry. But we cannot hang out right now." He said, actually apologizing for once.

     "But why," I whined. 

     There was a pause before I heard my father's voice as he took a deep, mild breath.

     "Because," He continued slowly and calmly, "It is none of your business of what I do." 

     "But why can't you just tell me?" "Because... I said so." He snapped, turning back to his laptop. 

     For years, my dad and I never hung out. I always blamed it on me because maybe my mom left because she didn’t want me here. Maybe I was just too focused on that to realize the real crisis.

    

Thanks!I hoped Chapter 1 is better now!!!!

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-Pin3apple:)

Author's Note

Sorry if the prologue is boring, it's just a small beginning. You guys can skip that. I hope u enjoy reading this!:)
Chapter 2 coming soon!!!!:D