Cliché with a player

Chapter 2 - Owl

A/N: Picture of Lakens car. But hers is not as shiny and new. I still think it rocks. Anyway enjoy.

If anybody would say I am a morning person I would agree, but I just can't fall asleep at night. I stare at the ceiling for hours like an owl. Austin on the other hand is sleeping like a baby for solid three hours now. Take a break eyelids!

I hear a car in the driveway so I jump to the window. Dad's car drives away, completely ignoring the speed limit. Again.

I look across the street, where one of Matt's friends lives. I try and keep my nose out of their business although I think they are best friends.

Where did dad go at this hour? Yes, I change subjects quickly.

Doors open aggressively, just as I was about to fall asleep, and my brother jumps in. "Look through the window," he says excitedly. I reopen my window and expose my hair to refreshing wind. "Stop posing, you're not in front of a camera." Is it really that bad, if a girl just wants a bit of cold air?

"What are we looking at?" I ask, not paying any attention to his comments. "Look." He points his finger to the house across the street. There is an explosion of colour behind its windows.

"Dan got challenged to light up a firework inside the house."

"And he did it?!" I am horrified.

"No, use your head a little. But he is going to hold it till the end."

He can lose a hand like that! We see a group of girls and boys, that were on their way to the back of the house. "Hey!" I shout before thinking. Andrew watches me, with horror written all over his face while he slides down my wall. I don't care because I don't have a social reputation to ruin. But I will warn someone before they hurt themselves. Maybe he doesn't know what could happen? Considering he is in last year of high school, I highly doubt that.

Dan turns around and with him everyone around. No Matt, thank god.

"Do we know you?" he shouts from across the street.

"Yes. We go to the same school and we've been neighbours for ever." One of the girls snorts with mix of envy and contempt. How can girls be so shallow?

Dan just frowns and moves his brown hair from his eyes. Their brown colour shines in the night. "I haven't seen you before." Yes, because you haven't looked at me before. Why would he look at a sloppy house opposite of his?

I don't answer and they start moving towards the back again. Andrew kicks me from below.

"What the hell was that?!" I cry out, while jumping on one leg.

"Are you crazy? Now they are going to think we are related!"

"But we are."

"Yeah, but you are dull." And he leaves.

Throwing my hands in the air, I'm amazed with his nonsense once again. I watch the door for a few more seconds before a car drives on the driveway and disturbs me. A shiny minivan stops in front our house and a brown hair woman, that was robbed of her life by a bad marriage, steps out. She goes to work every day and she is usually home by three, so she can take care of me and my brother and serve my dad. He probably went to look for her.

Mom looks up towards my window and I lift my hand, gently waving at her. She smiles before closing the door and trying to open front one.

I run downstairs to help her and let her in, fleetingly seeing Matt's car, drive onto Dan's driveway, before closing them.

"How was your day?" I ask my mom and she kisses me. I inhale her scent of home.

"Gloria asked me to go for a drink and I just couldn't say no. We ended up having a pretty good time."

"Great."

I am happy for her. She never goes out anymore. She lost that kind of privileges when she married my dad. He always has to know where she is. He only lets her work, because he wants more money - his greed is the main reason, that nothing works in this house anymore. I am pretty sure that he has a house somewhere else, for his dates, and even if my mom knows about them, she is to afraid to confront him.

Mom puts food into the microwave and leaves to greet my brother. I watch filled peppers spin around on a glass coaster.

Front door open again, this time for my dad. He slams them agains the frame.

"MELISSA!" he shouts across the house.

I shake at the sound of him. Him that has been bullying us for years.

He mostly leaves Andrew alone.

"Yes?" My mom's head carefully pops out at the staircase.

My dad points his finger to the floor before him and she walks over there, with stiffed shoulders and her head down. I listen from the kitchen.

"WHERE WERE YOU?!" My dad is still yelling.

"Can you please lower your voice..."

"Answer me!"

"Gloria invited me..."

"Gloria? That bitch? And you, whore, accepted, right? How many times do I have to tell you to come home immediately after work?!"

"Don't swear."

"Shut up!"

"Sorry."

I hear a slap, so I quickly run to the hall in fear my dad would hurt mom.

But when I get there, she is already walking towards kitchen and dad is beating invisible dust off of his coat.

"What are you staring at Laken? Go to your room, I don't want to see you right now."

I stand there for a few moments before going up the stairs to my room as quickly as possible. I don't want to wake up my dad's rage.

I close my bedroom door and disregard sounds from downstairs, knowing my brother is doing exactly the same. We are both trying to hide in our own little world, our own oasis.

A/N: The end of another chapter. Warning, There are going to be more displays of abuse inside a family, because abuse comes in multiple forms, not just physically.
But I hope you enjoyed nonetheless :) And what do you think about the name Laken?

Always yours, Lazyonthebalcony