Learning to Live Again

Chapter Three

~Chapter Three~

Damien's Point Of View

The blonde headed girl sits next to me studying me with her cold blue eyes. I scowl at her and uncomfortably shift positions.

"Damien you sure have grown!" Lynda coos. I fake a smile in her direction. "How old are you now seventeen?"

"Sixteen." I correct her.

"That's right, you're a year older then Joel and Devin."

I nod and look down at my plate that consisted of slightly burnt steak, over cooked green beans, and a hard roll- Let's just say my mom isn't the best chief in the world- then suddenly I feel a hand run up my leg.

I smack the hand and glare up at the culprit. She smiles 'seductively' at me and winks. As she does it a second time I push her hand away more forceful. Maybe now she'll see I'm not in the mood to be messed with.

I hear her sigh, a sign that she's given up. For now at least.

I push my green beans across my plate. I'm still not very hungry and a little full from lunch. I actually ended up eating three pieces of pizza, not two.

My mother notices that I'm 'playing with my food' as she put it and speaks up, "Sweetie why aren't you eating? I thought you really liked steak. Is something wrong?"

Ah she's actually pretending to be nice. It's rare for her to call me sweetie. Another thing she thinks that will impress them. I don't think it impressed them at all however.

"No." I lie.

Of course something is wrong! If you actually knew me you'd know I'd be all over this food right now!

My mother and I don't have the best relationship. I suppose it started when I began wearing darker clothes, listening to music she'd describe as scary, and became less talkative.

That's right, I use to be what most people would call normal. I had many friends, got pretty good grades, talked nonstop, and was interested in normal boy things like sports. Hell I was even on the basketball team! Then I hit ninth grade. That's when I went downhill. The summer before high school I started drifting away from 'normal' and in to my own thing. Apparently if you don't dress, act, talk, and do the things most people do you're considered an outcast. I'd rather be myself then one of those fakes any day.

"Are you sure?" she asks again, something I hate. I've already answered but she thinks in just a few seconds maybe I have magically changed my mind.

I shake my head, "Yep, I'm just peachy."

My mom shrugs it off and starts ranting about some crazy lady she saw at the store today to Lynda. I block out the convention. Let's face it, I really don't care.

I go off in my daydream land where I really am 'just peachy' and have no worries or problems. If only life was actually like this. Sadly I have all this shit to deal with. One thing in particular being the bimbo blonde rubbing her foot against mine. When will she ever learn?

Once dinner is dismissed I race down to my room to get everything I need to survive a night sleeping on the couch. I grab a pair of gray pajama pants and a white tee shirt, my IPod, and one of the pillows off of my bed. Right ad I'm about to head up Devin trots down the stairs with a stupid smile plastered on her make-up covered face.

"Damien, why don't you sleep down here? I'm sure Joel won't mind sleeping on the couch. I can think of lots of fun things to do."

"Sorry," I smile sheepishly, "I'm not in the mood to play Monopoly tonight." I pass her up and sprint the remainder of the way to our red and brown couch.

I toss my pillow and iPod down on it and race for the guest bathroom. I jiggle the door knob. Locked. I always find it extremely awkward to knock or try to open the door to the bathroom and it turns out someone is in there.

Steve walks out a few seconds later. He rolls his eyes and scowls once he sees it's me awaiting to get in. Steve isn't a very talkative man, well to me any ways. Honestly he kind of gives me the creeps.

Once I'm changed into my pajamas I walk back to the couch, situate my pillow, and lay down. I put my ear buds in and turn my iPod on. I grab the small, thin, not to mention itchy fleece blanket we keep on the couch and drape it over myself.

I'm not sure why but sleeping on the couch reminds me of a better time where I'd stay up half the night watching scary movies. If only life was that simple now...

I close my eyes and begin to drift off into my music. Usually I'd listen to whatever the singer would say but I was pretty exhausted so I was focusing on the beat. I envy how well the guitar player plays. Id always wanted to be able to play however my parents thought it would cost too much. I'd try saving up but I'm not so good at saving. I tend to buy whatever catches my eye. If it's reasonable price of course! Okay well there was this one time, but it looked really cool on the box...lets just say the next week it broke.

Piece of crap!

I'd been lost in my music for a while when suddenly it stops playing. I have way to many songs for them to stop now. Ah the ear buds must have somehow unconnected. But I wasn't moving. Weird...

I feel around the couch in search for my iPod. I sigh and sit up. I glance over at the digital clock resting above our TV. The bright blue lights indicated that it was 2:47. Okay maybe I had been listening to music longer than I thought, but it still shouldn't have stopped. It was fully charged and I had just put it on shuffle.

I pull on my ear buds until the end which happened to be connected to my black iPod.

Alright maybe it went crazy.

I click it and wait for the screen to pop up. Only it doesn't. Okay something is up. It's never just died like that before.

I hit it on the palm of my hand a few times waiting for a response.

Only I don't get one.

I sigh at set my iPod on the coffee table. I guess I can fall asleep without it. As soon as I lay back down there's a small flash. I immediately know what it was.

"Alright this is really weird." I groan sitting back up and starring at the clock.

I suppose it could be a coincident that my iPod dies and right as I lay back down then the clock goes out. But we've had that clock for a while. It's never done this before.

Giving up I lay back down for the final time tonight. Nothing else will get me up. Not until morning that is.

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-Sky