She Was Ugly

Chapter 7: The City

The first week of my senior year went by in the blink of an eye. All my classes and teachers were boring. It was the same thing in every class. Learn the rules, do some sort of get to know each other activities. Every year was the same thing. On a good note, Via hasn't fought with her brother all week, but I on the other hand still ignored him. There's no way I could find it in my heart to forgive him. He tortured and bullied me for years.

What he doesn't understand is all that pain and suffering just doesn't go away with an ' I'm sorry.' Years of being bullied and teased caused my self-esteem and confidence to plummet. It takes time to learn to love yourself, and I was almost there. I still had my bad days, but so does everybody. One bad day won't destroy your life, you will if you let it drag you down.

Luckily, it was Saturday so I wouldn't have to see his face for a whole weekend. Thank god. I needed a break from Leo.

In the 4 classes we shared together he was always bugging me or doing something to annoy. I was seconds away from punching him in the face when the bell rang signalling that we could go home for the weekend.

I didn't have school and I didn't really know what I wanted to do today. Maybe I'll go shopping at the mall today. Via would definitely want to go with me. She loves shopping. It's one of her favorite hobbies.

After her mother died, shopping and clothes were one of the few things that actually took her mind off all the sorrow and grief. Via is like my own personal stylist. If we ever go out or have some sort of occasion that requires us to dress up, Via's my girl.

She always helps me pick out my outfits and do my makeup and hair. Via is the best.

Of course, when I say shopping, I mean looking at books and buying some lotion or perfume, not clothes. My taste isn't the best. It never has been.

Oh well, maybe I won't go shopping after all. There wasn't a whole lot to do in our city. It was relatively small, so if you wanted to do anything super fun, you had to go to the next city over. It was a lot bigger than ours.

Skyscrapers dominated the sky, people crowded the sidewalks, but there was more museums, malls, movie theaters, etc. It was a giant tourist trap. Tourists flocked there from all over the country like flies to a pile of trash. The city was fun, if you were willing to deal with all the crowded streets, heat, and people bumping into you anywhere you go. Even though Malibu was crowded at times, it was still one of my favorite places.

That's what I could do today! I could go into the city. I hadn't been in the city since the beginning of summer. If I went into the city with Via, it would make us both happy. I could go off and do what I want and she could do what she wants.

I made my way down the stairs into the kitchen. My dad was sitting on the counter, drinking coffee from a mug. "Morning, Dad," I yawned as I entered the kitchen. We made up a couple of days ago.

We had a long talk, and in the end I agreed to meet my mother at the end of September. She wouldn't be back until then so I would have to wait. As much as I didn't want to meet her, I had to do it for my dad. He still loved my mother, even though she left us.

Part of me hopes that she doesn't blame me for that night anymore and that she will come back and we can be a family again, but I know that's not possible. She's had 4 years to get over it and stop blaming me, but if she hasn't come back by now I doubt she ever will.

"Morning, sweetie. I have to go into work for a little bit today, so you will have the house to yourself for a couple of hours."

"That's okay. I was planning on going into the city with Via anyway. There's this one book I've been eyeing and I know there's a pair of shoes or a shirt that Via wants."