Fighting for Air
Chapter 1 " The Beginning"
I stared up at my ceiling, thoughts flooding through my head like a waterfall. All the emotions each thought brought hit me harder than the last. The last few months of my life have left me feeling broken and rejected. I feel unattached, like someone took scissors and cut all the strings that were keeping me grounded to the earth. I closed my eyes, pressing back the tears and breathing harder. I’ve tried to keep myself busy, but I can only do so much. I tried to switch my mind to a different frequency. Maybe, just maybe, I could force myself into sleep. I could slowly feel my mind diming and my body becoming more and more relaxed. Just as I was about to fully slip through to a peaceful, happy place, I heard a sharp, excited shriek from the room next door. I jolted awake, springing myself from my bed, and running out of my room and into the room where my 14-year-old was. She was sitting at her computer, practically jumping out of her seat. “Ella, are you okay?” I asked frantically.
My sister turned around in her seat with a huge grin plastered on her face, “I am more than okay. I am GREAT! No, more like fantastic!”
I let out my breath that I had been holding, and my worry quickly turned into irritability, “Why did you scream? I thought something was wrong.”
Ella’s expression faltered at my tone, “You will NOT believe who is in town!”
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, leaning against the narrow door frame, “I don’t know. Who?”
She began jumping in her chair again, “Come on, Victoria! Just guess!”
I unfolded my arms and turned to leave. Ella jumped from her seat towards me, “Wait! Fine, I’ll tell you.”
I turned back around to face my little sister. I raised an eyebrow at her, insinuating for her to speak before I turned for the door again. She sucked in a deep breath, the same excited grin never leaving her cute little face, “ONE DIRECTION!” she screamed.
She began jumping up and down again, flailing her hands all around. I laughed at her reaction, “Quit fangirling, Ella. Don’t you have homework you should be doing or something?”
Her face became somber then she started to whine, “Ughh! Victoriaaaaa,” she whined, “I just got out of school! Why do I need to start on it right now?”
“Because the sooner you get it done, the sooner you can stalk those boys you are obsessed with,” I stated matter-of-factly.
She looked at me with a straight face, rethinking what I just said to her. She raised her hand, her index finger pointing towards me, “Good point.”
I laughed, shaking my head and heading down my apartment stairs. Out of these last few months, acquiring Ella has been by far the best thing. After the death of our parents about five and a half months ago, Ella came to live with me, since I was all she had. Losing my parents was the worst thing I could possibly imagine. I had only been out of the house for a year before the accident. The feeling of knowing that I have no one to turn to if I fail is absolutely terrifying, but knowing I have to stay strong for Ella also is so much worse. I know that if I fail, I am letting her down too. She took the loss of our parents hard, but not as hard as I was afraid she would. I was afraid she would rebel, like most kids would, but instead she took up an obsession. I didn’t know if that was healthy, but if it gave her some kind of happiness, then that’s all I cared about.
I walked into the small kitchen to the right of the stairs. My apartment wasn’t huge, but it was big enough for me and Ella. It also wasn’t the nicest, but with going to college and raising Ella, it would have to work. Our parents had left us with a little money but the house Ella and I grew up in was sold to help pay off their loans from over the years. The money they left us was more than enough to help pay for an apartment, but soon I was going to have to return to working. I looked out my kitchen window, which looked out at a small house next door. There were two kids playing on a swing-set and a man and a woman sitting at a picnic table. They were all smiling and laughing and a pang of envy went through me. I looked down into the sink, breathing deeply. My thumb began moving around the small golden ring my mom gave me in circles. My thoughts filled with her and my father, but I pushed them away. I had to be strong.
I began fixing dinner, keeping it simple with a frozen pizza. About thirty minutes later, I called Ella down to eat. She plopped down at the small kitchen table, her brown bangs falling in front of her round face. She brushed them away and began talking about One Direction again. I loved how happy she seemed when she spoke about them. Ella suddenly got quiet, her features becoming a little sad, and her voice matching her features, “Mom was going to get me tickets to see them…”
My heart ached and I felt tears sting my eyes. I forced them back and decided to do something to bring that beautiful smile back to my little sister’s face, “Hurry and finish your pizza. We are going out.”
Her face turned into curiosity, “But what about my homework?”
I stuffed my face and spoke, not caring if it was lady-like or not, “You can finish it later.”
“But where are we going, V?”
I smiled at her nickname for me, standing up and placing my plate in the sink. I turned back around to face my sister, “We are going to find One Direction.”
My sister turned around in her seat with a huge grin plastered on her face, “I am more than okay. I am GREAT! No, more like fantastic!”
I let out my breath that I had been holding, and my worry quickly turned into irritability, “Why did you scream? I thought something was wrong.”
Ella’s expression faltered at my tone, “You will NOT believe who is in town!”
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, leaning against the narrow door frame, “I don’t know. Who?”
She began jumping in her chair again, “Come on, Victoria! Just guess!”
I unfolded my arms and turned to leave. Ella jumped from her seat towards me, “Wait! Fine, I’ll tell you.”
I turned back around to face my little sister. I raised an eyebrow at her, insinuating for her to speak before I turned for the door again. She sucked in a deep breath, the same excited grin never leaving her cute little face, “ONE DIRECTION!” she screamed.
She began jumping up and down again, flailing her hands all around. I laughed at her reaction, “Quit fangirling, Ella. Don’t you have homework you should be doing or something?”
Her face became somber then she started to whine, “Ughh! Victoriaaaaa,” she whined, “I just got out of school! Why do I need to start on it right now?”
“Because the sooner you get it done, the sooner you can stalk those boys you are obsessed with,” I stated matter-of-factly.
She looked at me with a straight face, rethinking what I just said to her. She raised her hand, her index finger pointing towards me, “Good point.”
I laughed, shaking my head and heading down my apartment stairs. Out of these last few months, acquiring Ella has been by far the best thing. After the death of our parents about five and a half months ago, Ella came to live with me, since I was all she had. Losing my parents was the worst thing I could possibly imagine. I had only been out of the house for a year before the accident. The feeling of knowing that I have no one to turn to if I fail is absolutely terrifying, but knowing I have to stay strong for Ella also is so much worse. I know that if I fail, I am letting her down too. She took the loss of our parents hard, but not as hard as I was afraid she would. I was afraid she would rebel, like most kids would, but instead she took up an obsession. I didn’t know if that was healthy, but if it gave her some kind of happiness, then that’s all I cared about.
I walked into the small kitchen to the right of the stairs. My apartment wasn’t huge, but it was big enough for me and Ella. It also wasn’t the nicest, but with going to college and raising Ella, it would have to work. Our parents had left us with a little money but the house Ella and I grew up in was sold to help pay off their loans from over the years. The money they left us was more than enough to help pay for an apartment, but soon I was going to have to return to working. I looked out my kitchen window, which looked out at a small house next door. There were two kids playing on a swing-set and a man and a woman sitting at a picnic table. They were all smiling and laughing and a pang of envy went through me. I looked down into the sink, breathing deeply. My thumb began moving around the small golden ring my mom gave me in circles. My thoughts filled with her and my father, but I pushed them away. I had to be strong.
I began fixing dinner, keeping it simple with a frozen pizza. About thirty minutes later, I called Ella down to eat. She plopped down at the small kitchen table, her brown bangs falling in front of her round face. She brushed them away and began talking about One Direction again. I loved how happy she seemed when she spoke about them. Ella suddenly got quiet, her features becoming a little sad, and her voice matching her features, “Mom was going to get me tickets to see them…”
My heart ached and I felt tears sting my eyes. I forced them back and decided to do something to bring that beautiful smile back to my little sister’s face, “Hurry and finish your pizza. We are going out.”
Her face turned into curiosity, “But what about my homework?”
I stuffed my face and spoke, not caring if it was lady-like or not, “You can finish it later.”
“But where are we going, V?”
I smiled at her nickname for me, standing up and placing my plate in the sink. I turned back around to face my sister, “We are going to find One Direction.”
Please update!!!! You haven't in a while
1/7/14