The Blades of Life

Reader advisory: This entry contains references to drug use.

Chapter 1

The Essay; Betrayal

As I stared at the empty, white screen in front of me, I felt as if the undeniable day had just popped up out of nowhere. If I wanted to get into any good college I’d have to start writing the essay now. Just as the boredom started to gnaw at my brain my younger sister bursted in the room and screamed like a car screeching to a stop. I whipped my head around towards the door with my rage boiling. I jumped out of my chair aiming for my younger sister. I tackled her and held her down.

“MACY! I told you not to come in here without my permission!!!” I said bitterly.

“But I want you to play with me and my dollys! Otherwise…” She gave me a suggesting look which I recognized from a mile away.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, but I would” she retorted then screamed, “ MOM!!! SADIE’S NOT PLAYING WITH ME!!!”

I don’t know how but moms seem to have the power to knock over buildings with just one mighty glare, but they all decided to just use it on their children. And it doesn’t help that Macy is the favorite. As mom’s furious steps went up the stairs I released the eight year old under pure terror of what mom would do. The millisecond I saw my mom’s brown pixie cut, I sprinted back in my room, shut off the computer, and somehow managed to dive on my bed and cover myself with my quilt. I did this all as quietly as a ninja. My mom burst into my room to scold me. When she saw I was ‘asleep’ she went to lecture my younger sister about lying. My mom tiptoed back to my room and kissed my forehead.

A little while after she left I went downstairs to grab a snack to fuel my fogged mind. My sweet, innocent eyed, Bernese mountain dog came out around the corner “Moose!” I cooed. The big dog lumbered over. I could write about how my dog impacted my life but that’s a popular choice.

My mom walked over to the kitchen to continue dinner. From what I could tell she was making soup. I’m guessing she noticed me looking over her shoulder because soon after, she started to talk. “So when are you gonna tell me that you weren’t sleeping?”

She turned around and gave me a look that said, you better tell the truth. “Fine, you caught me! I wasn’t sleeping, I was just trying to get out of trouble.” I whined, “But Macy went into my room while I was thinking of ideas for the essay.”

My mom turned around and just let it slide for now. “You better get ready for practice. You know how the coach feels when you’re late.”

When I finished my nutritious snack of cookies, chips, and an apple slice, I went upstairs into my room and started grabbing everything I needed for practice. Swimsuit, swim cap, goggles. Yep, that’s right, I swim. I’ve been swimming for as long as I can remember. The only reason my dad wants me to swim is because he wants me to heal from my breathing problem I’ve had since I was a kid. Little does he know he’s the problem. He’s been smoking weed since he was 18 and every picture in our house with him has him smoking. It’s not like I’m saying that ‘I’m not like other girls’, and it’s not just me that sees it, my friends see it too.

They notice how my dad smokes a lot, and they notice that he hangs outside of the house a little too often.

All of a sudden my phone buzzed, gazing in the direction I saw that one of my friends, Riley, texted, “Don’t forget to bring the stuff.”

Then my other friend, Dakota, responded, “Tonight’s gonna be lit!!!”

Oh my gosh, I completely forgot! I sneaked quietly into my dad’s room and stole a package of his weed. He wouldn’t mind if I borrowed it, would he? I stuffed the weed in the bag and quickly left my house. It was only the beginning of fall yet I could feel the cold air nip at me. The indoor swimming pool was only a five minute walk from my house. As soon as I pass the pool I turn off my location on my phone. I wouldn’t want anyone to know where I was going. As soon as I neared the end of the block I could hear music from the house on the corner and immediately sprinted towards it. Little did I know that this would be the most powerful slice from a blade of life.