Peter- Part 1- Chapter 1

Another round of editing. Probably will edit this again before I decide to self publish this.

Chapter 1

          “Peter, it’s time to get up. It’s the first day of school,” his mother says while trying to shake him awake. Peter groans a little and rolls onto his other side. Peter is not ready to get out of bed yet. He doesn’t want to go to school today. School is the last place he wants to go in general. Last year was horrible for him. His mother shakes him again a little harder; he sighs, sits up in bed, and rubs his eyes. Peter really didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. He’s still very sleepy.

          Peter gets out of bed slowly. He has a small smile written on his face. Memories from last year are starting to plague his mind. Misery, that’s what Peter’s feeling now. School is one of the hardest places for him to be. Others make him feel inadequate. Peter can’t ask his parents to send him to another school. They would start asking him questions. He wouldn’t have been prepared to answer any of them. He wishes that he can tell his parents about how he’s feeling. He doesn’t want to worry them. So, he keeps all his feelings locked up inside.

          Peter goes in the shower. He lets the warm water drip down his body. The water helps him relax a little. Peter can feel anxiety starting to rise inside of him.  Remembering everything he went through last year hurts him. He’s a lot more anxious than he was the year before. What if this year turns out like last year? What is he going to do?

          Once Peter is out of the shower, he looks at himself in the mirror. He looks at all the scars that are on his arm. Guilt also starts to build up inside of him. What would his parents think if they saw them? Would they be concerned? Peter knows they would be. They love him a lot. If they knew, would they look at him differently? Would they treat him the same way? Peter always has those thoughts in the back of his mind. He forces himself to look away from the scars, he hides.

          “What do my parents think of me now?” Peter asks himself almost daily. His parents are always proud of his other siblings. He doesn’t feel they are proud of him at all. His thoughts are interrupted with a knock on the door.

          “Peter, other people need to use the bathroom too! You aren’t the only one in this house. What is taking you so long? Hurry up, please,” he hears his mother call. Peter sighs, dries himself off more, and wraps his towel around himself tightly. He brushes his teeth and leaves the bathroom. He knows his mother needs to get ready for work. His father is already at work. His little brother and sister need to get ready for school as well. Peter would love to have more bathroom time. Sometimes, he hates having a huge family.

          He walks back to his bedroom and gets dressed quickly. He combs his hair in place. He wants everything to look perfect. Maybe, this year he’ll make a new friend. He really hopes he will.

          Peter goes downstairs to eat something for breakfast. He isn’t really all that hungry because of anxiety. He forces himself to eat something anyway. His stomach is starting to feel queasy now. He knows his mother won’t let him stay home from school on the first day. Peter puts a couple of notebooks, pens, and pencils in his bag. He sighs to himself as he looks at the clock. He needs to leave in a few minutes.

          He watches his youngest sibling, Cassie, walk into the kitchen. He smiles wide when she comes in. Cassie is the only sister Peter has. He loves her dearly.

          “Good morning, Peter,” she says in her little voice. She kisses him on the cheek. Her kisses always make his day. Today, however, the kiss only makes him feel sad. He’s honestly really worried about how school is going to go today.

          “Good morning, Cassie. Are you excited for the first grade?” He asks her. She nods and smiles. She’s really excited to meet her new teacher. Cassie loved her teacher last year and misses her already. Cassie hopes that some of her friends from last year are in her class.

          “Yes, I’m so excited! Do you think that we will do a lot of arts and crafts,” she asks ecstatically. Cassie loves coloring and drawing.

          “Of course you will, but you will learn a lot more than you did last year,” Peter says. Cassie seems way more excited. Cassie loves being in school. He’s happy that she doesn’t get the same treatment as he does. Peter couldn’t deal with seeing his baby sister miserable.

          “Are you excited to go to school, Peter?”

          “I am! I can’t wait,” he says while gritting his teeth. He hates lying to Cassie. He can’t tell her the truth.

His older brother, Damien, walks into the kitchen a few seconds later. He ruffles Peter’s hair and messes it up. Peter gives him the evil eye and Damien laughs. His brother is excited for school. It’s his last year. Peter wishes that he was a senior as well.

          “Good morning, kiddo. I’m driving you to school today. Are you going to be ready to go in five minutes,” Damien asks while picking up his check for lunch. Peter picks up his check also and puts it in his wallet. Peter sighs a bit. He’s not ready to, but he has no choice. He puts on a light jacket. He can’t let anyone see the scars on his arms.  

          “Sure, I will go get my shoes and meet you in the car,” Peter says while going up to his room. He puts his shoes on slowly. His mother comes into his room and kisses him on the cheek. His mom is about to leave for work now. Peter smiles and kisses her back.

          “Have a great day at school, honey. You will do great things this year like you did last year,” she says. She’s trying to give him words of encouragement. That helps Peter feel a little bit better. Yet not completely.

          “Thank you, Mom, have a great day at work,” he says. He sighs a little bit while walking down the stairs. Damien is already in the car, waiting for him. He hops in the car, Damien smiles at him, and he tries to smile back. He’s not very happy, but Peter will try to make the first day of tenth grade successful. He’s sure he can do it, but he still has his doubts.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed. Please give me a review on how you like the story. I will go through it a lot as I edit.

Reviews

[Zeitgeist Manifesto]

I liked the writing style alot, but what stood out the most for me is your vision as a director. You transitioned from type of energy/feeling to another with ease. Things like the Mother's voice yelling in the bathroom scene...or the unconditional affection that came from his little sister. I liked the intro of the older brother because I couldn't understand whether he was being a jerk or playful. I wanted to know more about their relationship. It kept me reading. I also liked the detail of the check vs cash. Yes, the check seemed a little unusual, but I love that kind of stuff. It always makes for a better story when small details form the big picture later on in the story. You told a good story and left me feeling like there is a lot more to see.

[Angie Diane♥♥]

Thank you very much. :3
I'm gonna try really hard for this story. :D

[Bluefire]

Poor Peter. I'm curious as to what happened the year before and what will happen this year! This is a nice write, I love the characters and the fluent, easy way you write.
Can't wait to read more! :o

[Angie Diane♥♥]

Thank you for the review :)

[Bluefire]

No problem ^^

[Tasha]

I like your writing style a lot sis. It reads like a scene from a movie. Youre doing a great job and I can't wait to read more.