alone

this started about a year ago and is waaaaaaayyyyyyyyy longer than this bear with me i will put more up

last i saw Cassy she was my only friend. She and i were the neighborhood terrors they called us the terrible two’s a joke on our immaturity they said.Most would be insulted to be called that but we knew what they meant, we held onto our youth and reveled in it. that was almost a year ago now we don’t talk mainly because we don’t have time with the wedding coming up and all. i still try to talk to her but i know she doesn’t want to.we are simply a has been people talk about what good friends we were and the newcomers simply go wide eyed and say things like,”really i had no idea i mean you would never guess” and “wow no way really? cassy and liz?! your kidding right?!” i never really pay attention any more i have to much to do to really listen to the town gossip since my daddy died. I never really think about him much though i stick to my job at the gas station,and the bank, and the post office,and who knows what else. thats my life right now work sleep and eat, oh and there is the pain too but i have learned to cope most in my situation do at sixteen there are two choices when your friend skips out on your life and you got no parents, survive or die. no time for emotions no time for tears not that they aren’t there they just have to be put away and kept in a little box hidden in your mind behind a thick wall  the only choice we get is how we paint the wall. i stop and stare as cassy passes by with her fiance they are perfect for each other really he will keep that spontaneous side of her in check and she will teach him how to push boundaries. hopefully he will be able to stay strong enough and stand his ground instead of giving into his wild side that i know everyone has. i shake out my thoughts and move on to the bank its simple really i sweep floors, i keep my house and social services leave me alone till i hit a roadblock. then they will sweep me off my feet into the wonderful world of foster care, the same world that killed my brother and gave that one tiny push that sent me over the cliff of joy i was teetering on. cassy told me her family would take me in but i knew they wouldn’t most parents won’t take a kid  from my side of town they call us the storm cloud. ironic isn’t it? the tears that fell the first month must have been enough to give that storm plenty of rain. i open the door to the bank the glass needs to be washed on the door another thing that i will get to do today, but what do i care i will get paid for everything i do. i work my way to the janitors closet and grab the broom, turning around a woman is there judging by her name tag she is the one i need to talk to so i open my mouth and introduce myself,

“hello i’m liz taylor i need to talk to you about some vacation time.”

she stares at me no doubt remembering all the things she has heard about me, the kid whose mom skipped town leaving a five year old girl with her daddy. he diagnosed with cancer a year  later and died after four years of battling the tumors in his brain. now the kid stood before her asking for some vacation time. a couple seconds passed before she replied,

’‘don’t you need the hours? i mean your paying for a house at sixteen that can’t be easy.”

right on the mark i should win some kind of prize for mind reading. i wanted to slap her, instead i smiled and shook my head as i replied,

“no i have some money aside and i’ll only need a week or two.”

her face lit up like a light bulb as she took out her phone and said,

“sure then in that case take a week have fun”

she walked up the stairs talking to some one about hiring a temporary janitor for a week.    i took the broom and swept up the downstairs,mopped and put everything away, then repeated with the upstairs, finishing with washing the windows. i forgot to ask for the time next week. 

    ~**********~

“liz! Liz?”

i opened my eyes and the first thing they meet is the sunlight streaming in through my bedroom window. squinting i stand up and let my eyes adjust the to the daylight, as i think of the new day, a new beginning is was fifteen now, i would be a new person, older wiser.

“Liz?!Liz where are you?LIZ?!”

i smile as i trudge to the door to greet my long time friend .

“cassy i;m in here gimme a minute to get dressed will ya?”

The door opens and there stands the most beautiful girl in the world. she has waist length black hair and pale skin that contrast her make up perfectly. she has perfect teeth ,perfect build, perfect hair, and she has been my life long friend since i was in kindergarden.

“Cassy what are you doing in here i’m getting dressed!”

“we’re both girls i don’t mind.”

i giggle as i reply’

“fine but my dads gonna think i’m gay if he catches you in here.”

she flashes a grin in my direction as i pull off my shirt and scramble into a new one that read i’m number one across the front and get out of my way on the back. her grin never leaves her face as she goes through my albums and sticks in a heavy metal that i haven't heard in ages. i pull on my jeans and hit the stop button as i flash my smile at her.

“are we going or not?”

the grin on her face grew to reaches beyond my comprehension as we run out of my bedroom and into the hallway to be greeted by my dad in the living room.

“so how’s the birthday girl?”

he says his little okie drawl bringing a bigger grin to my face as i reply,

“great dad i can’t wait for the party tonight i have plans to prank everyone here!”

“oh no not today i have something to tell you.”

“what ?”

“i’ve decided to cancel the party.”

“WHAT?! no you cant NOT ON MY BIRTHDAY I MEAN COME IN ITS MY BIRTHDAY!”

Dad and cassy both start laughing at me as i go on about fifteen being a milestone in a young teens life and how it deserves to be celebrated. 

“Elizabeth you are just like your mother so gullible ”

i feel myface flush crimson as he continues to mock me in my shame. 

“don’t call me Elisabeth i’m liz remember? Liz ok?”

he pauses for a moment as he considers what i said and finally decides to pick on me some more.

“Liz or shall it be Lizzy or beth or eliza or lisa or elise or some other thing that makes absolutely no sense?”

cassy starts to laugh and says ,

“mr. taylor its just a nickname it makes perfect sense you know you don't let people call you Jonathan or johnny or john you insist in being called tay its not even your full last name!”

“thanks cassy i owe your one”

we walk out the door before he can gather his wits and make some comeback that will stump us both

~**********~

i looked out at the setting sun and whisper into the air to no one in particular ,

“happy birthday liz.”

i couldn’t believe an entire year had passed since he died it seemed that i was the only one who remembered him in this area of mississippi. he was great the greatest dad i could ever hope for that anyone had ever hoped for the crazy thing is that he was getting better he didn’t need his cain or any thing  to walk around he was cracking jokes and laughing the last time i saw him.

“i miss you daddy...”

my phone went of in my purse and i scrambled through it to find the annoying device. i flipped it open and answered, 

“hello?”

“hi this is the bank representative amyis this liz?”

“yes this is she.”

“good you had inquired about some off time may i ask when you would like your vacation?”

“um next week monday if you could.”

“yes,yes Monday is fine how much time would you like to take off?”

“about a week thank you.”

“well i sure hope you have a splendid vacation!”

i shut my phone and let out a sigh of relief as i looked out over the river. this was the last of all the jobs that i needed to get a “vacation” from, they would hopefully take a while to notice my absence.

Reviews

[icerhex]

There are an awful lot of spelling errors, which I feel take away from the overall feel and atmosphere you are trying to create.
I would be happy to fully edit this, if you wanted. You have a good storyline and a very good idea here. However all the errors do make it hard to read and make sense of.
You have a good start, and a very good direction. Well done, I like it :)

[marie]

thank you :)