CHAPTER 1: Behind The Restless Eyes

I woke up around seven in the morning, I blinked simultaneously just to get my eyes wet. The sunlight already touched my window curtain. I was out cold yesterday, I didn't even go to school because my legs can't drag my wriggling and aching flesh and muscles. I don't know why did fever lash itself around me, but I think it was enjoying its stay in my body for quite some time now. It's rainy for the past few days so…here we are.

A shriek followed by a clanking sound of something metallic coming from downstairs got my ears tingling. I took my glasses on the table beside my bed, wore my slippers, and began rushing down like a madman without even looking at the staircase.

Our house isn't big though, although it was two floors and two bedrooms it wasn't the ideal big house you'd expect. The living room wasn't big either but it can fit almost four people in total. Before entering the kitchen I must go through the waves of clothes in the laundry area just to eat or get something from the fridge.

I reached our living room, following the sound, it was coming from the kitchen. I ran again, then saw my mother wearing her favorite apron and mittens for cooking. I rushed to the kitchen table to see what caused the early morning alarm fiasco.

"Mom what happened are you okay?" asking her calmly while approaching her at the kitchen table. I saw a cockroach inside the bowl when she was preparing the eggs. I bit my tongue just to control myself from laughing. My mom was not a big fan of creepy crawlies, so whenever she encounter any kind of bugs she always screams at the top of her lungs.

"Eeeeek! There's a bug! A bug!" she frantically screamed while holding her head in frustration.

"My food is ruined!" she said.

Calming her down and told her I'll get rid of the bug in the bowl. I took a wooden fork about twice the size of the regular utensils, scooped the portion of the egg yolk where the bug is laying down flat. I caught it then tossed it in the trash can beside our bathroom. My mom touched her chest in relief then let down a huge sigh.

"Well, I guess that's that…" my mom calmed down, she eventually took the frying pan, went to the stove, then heated it with fire then poured some oil.

Is she going to cook it? I mean there's a roach earlier no disrespect or anything but I don't think I can digest that.

Guess I'll be drinking coffee today.

"Mom where's my coffee mug? I think I'll skip breakfast"

"…Oh I think it's in the sink I'll wash it wait for a moment"

"No, I'll do it the eggs might burn…"

While my mom was cooking, her sweat was dripping hard from her forehead so as a normal person she wiped it out, she was wearing pajamas under her favorite apron and also, long sleeves?

Why is she wearing long sleeves? When she's only cooking inside the house? It's not like, a famous chef like Ramsey will scream because she's not wearing proper cooking clothes.

Still, didn't ask her I just waited for her to fold her long sleeves up. Just as I predicted, a big swelling black and purple wound on her left arm stumbled upon my sight. My dad wasn't around, I think he was probably sleeping. I was hesitant to ask my mom what happened last night, but I was scared my mom would snap at me. After assessing myself for quite some time, I took all my courage to interrogate.

"…So that swelling looks kind of painful, don't you think?" washing my mug in the sink while asking her. Then she looked at me with worried eyes and rolled down her sleeves.

"No nothing your dad and I just had a little argument that's all" smiling back at me. I know it's not just a little fight, every time my dad returns home tired, annoyed, or drunk, he vents his anger issues with my mother. And sometimes me.

While we're having our "usual" conversation in the morning a roaring thunder-like sound came from upstairs, "Ouch damn it!" Followed by a sound of agony and blasphemous words came running down from the stairs to our kitchen.

Speak of the devil, my dad is awake from his drinking night with the fellas. When he arrived downstairs the aura changed from mid-morning cockroach panic to awkward dead silence. You can only hear the sizzling sound of eggs, the sound of plates from the sink, and my sipping of good old brown coffee.

This time I have no idea what caused the fight. So I don't know how to break the ice on this one.

"Hey…can you make me some coffee too? My head hurts so badly" As usual his in pain. "Hurry up Slowpoke! Ugh…"

"That's what you get for drinking booze…maybe try drinking responsibly old man…"

"WHY YOU LITTLE!" He stood up from his seat and punched me. Falling flat at the ground, he then kicked me hard in my stomach. I can hear my mom screaming to stop, yet the old man didn't even hold back.

Imagining a thousand scenarios if I told him that out loud at his face. Still, I just played that portion of that scenario in my mind.

The tone of his looks to me that he quite enjoyed his midnight stroll with his boomer friends, kidding, anyway. He didn't even change his clothes.

The chair made a screeching sound as I stood up to make a coffee for the old man. Well, I don't have a choice, don't want any of my classmates to stare at me because I have a big purple round 'thing' on my face, and my girlfriend would freak out if I had such wounds. So like a good boy made him a coffee and then gave it to him while he was on the kitchen table massaging his forehead back and forth.

He then suddenly spits the coffee on the ground with a disgusted tone, then started complaining. "Ugh…what's this? Is this supposed to be a coffee?"

Forgot to put sugar on it that's why it tasted bad. It wasn't on purpose though, I'm still sleepy.

Now making it for the second time, I got it right. Bringing the coffee to him once again. The old man drank it, he didn't blast a single word in his mouth. My mom was still cooking breakfast not saying a word, I think the commotion last night made her even more cautious.

"Looks like you guys don't need anything, I need to go to school now" After finishing my coffee and putting the mug in the sink I decided to head out.

"Hey don't go doing weird stuff just like yesterday, looks like your all good today, weirdo…"

"What do you mean?" I wrinkled my eyebrows giving him an unsettling gaze.

"Nothing" he drifted his eyes to me then grumbled. Then continued to blow his cup of coffee, I wish his lips would get burn, kidding again.

Walking out without replying, my dad had too much to drink last night. Now he's saying weird things to me, I think he's the weird one in our conversation.

"What a great way to start the morning" Muttering in disappointment while going to the bathroom.

The water came from the shower poured down like a waterfall at my face through my body. I felt peace while taking a nice warm bath.

Well, a little background check on our wonderful family. I'm an orphan, I was found on the doorsteps of my current family I'm living with. I never knew my biological family and why did they do such things to me, honestly I wasn't even bothered when my current family told me I'm not their real kid. Some people will tell it hurts to hear that in front of your face, but I did not felt a single thing. My mom supported me even though I'm not her real son. My dad well…let's just say that he didn't care about a single thing about me except for scolding me and telling me that I'm just a freeloader in the family. Talk about cliché right?

When I was a kid, I always hear my step-father about how he was upset about taking me in, I never paid attention since I'm kind of use to it. It's not my fault that he can't conceive…then blurt out his frustrations to me all the time. But all in all, I'm still grateful that they still took care of me, because who knows what happens if I didn't end up at their doorstep. Living in the streets maybe? Or worst maybe I'm dead.

After taking a bath, finishing up my uniform, I left our home around eight o clock. I took a public bus in our street to the train station. My phone in my left pocket started ringing. I took the call, dumbfounded it was my girlfriend.

Now listening to her voice to looks like she's in a hurry.

"Good morning Alex, where are you?"

"Having a hard time talking Rina, are you running? I replied.

"Ah…Ah…Yeah I was going to wait for you at the station that's why I called you" Rina answered by the looks of it she's still running even though the class starts at nine twenty.

"Look you don't have to run by the looks of it were still early you know?"

"Okay…Okay…mrfft…"

"Wait are you eating while running?" The sound of chewing covered our entire conversation. I can't believe this girl running and munching, can't she tell that you can get serious problems in her stomach just by doing that?

While putting my hand on my forehead I let down a sigh. This girl needs to take care of herself.

"Yeah what's wrong about that?" she replied in a cold tone.

"All lot of things!" I exclaimed.

"Idiot, I'll see you when I see you, wait for me okay?"

"…Alright fatty I'll see you"

"Hey! Who you callin' fatty you-"

I hung up the phone, a little teasing should get her going. Looks like I'm going to have swelling on my face, not by my step-dad but my girlfriend.