Danitza POV
I felt so uncomfortable; I blinked my eyes open, realizing I had fallen asleep on the little couch, and my mind was still racing. Seeing that Ryker had hung up, I glanced at the time-3:01 a.m.-and sighed, feeling the weight of the night. I got up and went to the bathroom to freshen up and clear my thoughts, hoping to find some peace in the quiet.
Gathering my clothes, I went into the bathroom and stripped out of the trauma-filled clothes. The ice-cold water felt refreshing on my skin, and then a thought came to my mind: maybe I could have survived the Titanic and sweet Jack would have survived because I enjoy cold water; yeah, that's a dumb thought. "I didn't call Marie," I said to myself, remembering telling her that I would call her when I got here. Making a mental note to call her later today, I continued showering, multiple things going through my mind- perks of being an overthinker.
I really don't know what I want to achieve in life; I always feel so conflicted about my future. I believe it's a family curse. My mother was unsure about her path, and my grandmother, with ten children, had little time for her. My mom was the seventh child, often pushed aside, and I can only imagine how that shaped her feelings.
Anthony started working with his grandfather when he was 14, because his dad went away overseas and his mother already had a lot of kids to deal with, so she sent him away to his father's side of the family, the popular 'leave the baby on the doorstep trick. I guess that explains why he is the way he is.
My brother didn't really have a care in the world; he only cares about himself, which is why he's part of a wannabe rock band traveling around the world. I don't hate my brother, though; he was my anchor at one point, and he also got me into some really good music, if I say so myself.
Now the evil witch, my sister, she didn't grow up with my brother or me; she did visit sometimes. The thing is, I want you guys to follow the story now, so my brother and I have the same mother but different fathers; he is the oldest of my mother's. My sister and I share the same father but different mothers; she is the first and oldest for our father, and then there was me. I am the daughter of both my mom and father and also the youngest for both and the last child they had.
Which is why my sister only visits because she stayed with her mother, who has a whole litter of children. To escape the hell she was living, she went away when she was sixteen to live with her 'man friend' who started abusing her, but she is still living with him, so I guess love still prevails.
She does hate me, though; she always said it's because of my existence that made our father disregard her, which I must say is quite surprising because all Anthony ever showed me was the different sides of his fist.
That was a lot. Finally snapping out of my head, I finished showering and got ready to finish up my room. I didn't unpack all the boxes last night since I went on the call with Ryker. I took out some framed pictures from when my family was happy. Other pictures of my high school success.
And my last picture is the one with my school mother and grandmother when I was graduating, Ma'am Allen and Grandma Mary. Looking at the picture brought back so many memories. They took care of me when things at home weren't the best, and they listened to me when I was rambling about exams, and the best part was that they gave me food! Smiling, I placed the picture above my bedframe.
The time was going by really quickly; it was already after 5:00 am. After I finished unpacking all the boxes, the room finally started looking like someone was living in it. Once that was complete, I started making breakfast with absolutely nothing. "I didn't carry any food; how foolish can I be?" Oh yeah, I was supposed to call Sanika and the others.
Knowing she would be upset, I started calling her, hoping she would be awake. She finally picked up on the third ring.
"Hello, good morning. How was your night?" I asked innocently.
"It was absolute shit bitch! You wouldn't believe what happened to me." Sanika answered, sounding very pent up.
"Okay, I'm all ears; vent to me," I said with a small chuckle.
"Sanika, no, you are joking; that did not happen. Oh, my God!" I said to Sanika after she told me about what happened to her last night.
"Danitza, I wish it were a joke. I felt so angry, and I didn't even get the chance to speak my mind. I know I made a lot of mistakes in the past, but I'm trying to make my life better, you know." Sanika complained.
Sigh. "Well, Nika, I guess that's the thing about life and mistakes. Don't get me wrong, I understand where you are coming from, but Nika, these are people we are talking about actually human beings with feelings. So, yes, you want to move on and start a new life, but they are still hurt not only by what you did but by what they did to each other. I don't even think you had the right to be angry; you stole the girl's boyfriend and disrespected her mother, and she was telling you what she wanted to tell you from literally high school. Not everyone wants to take the higher road." I said, hoping Sanika would see reason. She always tends to get upset when people tell her the truth.
"I had the right to be angry! What do you mean this bitch called me a 'narcissistic bitch' and basically told me I'm shaped like an alien? Am I not human too? Her words hurt my feelings." Nika said. Yeah, that's true; she is human too.
"Nika, yes, you are human, but just because you want things to be better doesn't mean they are going to be better automatically. They might even get a lot worse before things start working out; that's life. It's like an axe in the back at times, but the important thing is for you to persevere and not allow that axe to weigh you down." I said, trying my best to be inspirational.
"Ohk, can we try adding the others before we have to go for orientation?" Nika tried changing the topic, which I didn't mind. "Ummm, Nika, the question is: is the bus going to carry you guys back to campus all the time?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Girl, I honestly don't know, but I am leaving when my roommate is leaving."
"You have a roommate? I am literally by myself." I countered, actually starting to feel the loneliness kick in.
"Yeah, she's studying electrical engineering; her name is Gina," Nika tells me, damn, that means she's brilliant.
"Okay, I am going to add Jadira, and you can add Dacari."
We waited a little for the others to answer. Jadira answered before Dacari, but after two minutes, the clique was virtually together. Switching to FaceTime, we started talking about things.
"Heyyyy, Dacari. How are you adjusting to Brighton Hills?" Nika asked Cari, being the first to start the conversation.
"It's not bad," Dacari answered. "Cari, can you at least talk? Why does it always seem like people have to force you to speak?" Nika began to get frustrated, as always, when talking to Cari. I laughed a little.
"Anyways, Jadira honey, how have you been?" I cut Nika off, laughing a little, to make conversation with Jadira.
We talked for a while until Sanika said she had to start getting ready to head to Evercrest campus. The others and I talked for a while; well, more like Jadira and I talked for a while until she had to go to work, leaving Dacari and me.
"So, Cari, how is your new school for real? Are you adjusting properly?" I asked.
"Honestly, Dani, it's good. I wanted a change, you know? Something different. I must say it's nice finally having male friends and people not thinking I am gay. I feel like a new man." He said with a little laugh.
Before the questions pop into your heads, Dacari and I had always had a brotherly, sister-type relationship. We actually lived pretty close to each other; his mother used to drop me off at home from school. He lives in a more privileged area than I do, but we spend a lot of time together, which is why he tends to be more talkative with me.
"A new man lol, or a man? I am happy that you made this decision on your own, fool." I said. Cari and I talked for a little while longer until I was the one who had to go.