“But… Talia's name is listed on the record sheet for the trip already...” Charlotte protested as she moved them towards the sink. “She needs to continue her education too… I think...”
Edith paid no attention to their excuses as she stormed into the living room. “Dylan, where are you?" She searched around the house and threatened in a violent tone. "You should come here and teach these two women not to make a fool out of me, or else I won’t live with you anymore.”
Dylan Marlowe comes down from the upper floor to head into the living room to see the ruckus. Her father was the only one in the family having tan skin and grey eyes. Besides having brunette hair, he wore black pants with a blue and white checkered shirt.
Looming over their small figures like a giant growling at their enemies, he glared at Talia and Charlotte. He tried to soothe his beloved, but Edith ignored her husband's words. She shoved his hands away as she sat down on the sofa.
Abigail soon came from her bedroom to sit next to her mother. "Mother, has that bitch made you mad again?" She leaned back on the sofa, blew on her fingernails, and smirked at Talia. "I don't want to ruin my precious hands, so I'll never touch any of those dishes. Let that servant do the cleaning herself."
Her younger sister's reaction and response had been the same for the past decade. Every single time during cooking, Abigail never lent a hand to help with the chores. No wonder her sister's pale skin never wrinkled due to hard labor. Wearing a red blouse with a black skirt, she curled one leg over the other and flashed her sparkling nails at Talia. Abigail had the same blue eyes as our mother and received the same brunette hair from their father.
My appearance resembled more from my grandma than my mother and father. I didn't inherit any traits from my parents. Did they adopt me from an orphanage instead?
Dylan faced them with a snarl as he pointed his finger at them. "Haven't you heard my lecture after this many times? You should be responsible, listen to orders, and stop provoking a fight in this household." He turned to his wife and patted her shoulder. "Be patient. Dinner will be ready in a bit."
"Don't bother," Edith retorted as she stood up. "I lost my appetite, so I would rather go eat out."
Dylan nodded as Abigail jumped to her feet in excitement. They all packed their bags and slammed the door on their way out without sparing the two poor souls, Charlotte and Talia, a single glance or even bother asking both to join them.
They sighed in disappointment since this always happened in the house. The family had a man in the household, but he was only good in name. Talia and Charlotte headed back to prepare dinner themselves since the dinner dishes would be wasted. A trend happening in the family that the three would eat out during an argument.
Since I received no love from my parents, I will continue my education and seek a career to become independent, take my grandma with me, and move out of this toxic family.
2
Okay! Left. Right. No one in sight. We better hurry up before we get caught by my parents.
As the clock struck 5 AM the next morning, Talia carried her backpack and snuck to her grandma to head out of the house like a thief. She double-checked the whereabouts of her parents before gently closing the door behind her.
With the sky still lightening with the crack of dawn, frozen grass crunched beneath her feet, and the fierce wind blew in her face. She sneezed at the temperature and dashed to help her grandma lift the suitcase into the taxi’s trunk. They hopped into the car and the taxi drove them toward Eastwood High School.
Arriving at the parking lot, Charlotte accompanied Talia to wait in line for two instructors, Mr. Adkins and Mrs. Harris, to mark the name of each student on the attendance sheet. The driver threw a black bag in the bus while several other pieces of luggage littered the ground. As the student in front of her walked away, she approached her homeroom teacher.
“You’re finally here.” Mr. Adkins glanced at her. “I thought you weren’t really going to make it in time.”
Talia yawned. “I stayed up late to complete some of my homework, so I don’t have to do a lot on Sunday when we come back home.”
“Okay! Please drop your bag over there and get to the bus.” Mr. Adkins checked off her name on the paper. "We'll set off in a bit."
Talia pulled her black cardigan over her shoulder and shivered. Unbelievable! The weather in December was already this cold. She made a note in her mind to ask her parents to purchase warmer outfits for her after the school excursion.
Charlotte ushered her granddaughter to the entrance, handing over a wooden basket filled with sandwiches and fruits. “Here! You haven’t eaten breakfast yet so make sure to eat this on the way.”
“Thanks, Grandma.” Talia grabbed the basket and walked inside to sit on the third seat behind the driver. Setting her backpack below her feet, she spoke through the open window in a concerning tone. “Will you be okay going back home alone though?”
“Don’t worry about me. I'll handle the drama at home. You just take care of yourself. Let me know later how things go.”
“Okay then!" Talia waved goodbye to her grandma. "See you in two days.”
A girl from her class, Sophie Anderson, climbed through the entrance and sat next to Talia. Glancing at the basket in Talia’s hand, she asked with a desperate plea, “Do you have any food in there?” As the growling came from her stomach, she rubbed her abdomen. “If you do, then can I have some? I’m starving.”
Talia nodded. “Sure, go ahead.” She grabbed three sandwiches and handed them to Sophie. Glancing at her basket again, Talia realized she only had fruits left. "I'll eat the rest myself."
"Sure!" Sophie tossed the two bags to the other two girls on the opposite side. "There you go." She sat back down on the seat, took one glance at Talia, and munched on the food. "Thanks!"
This is the first time someone showed me kindness. Is she going to become my first friend?
When everybody was onboard, the coach bus headed toward the University of California in Los Angeles. The moment her high school disappeared in the distance, Talia turned and sat back down on her seat. Glancing around the bus, Talia noticed that most of the students had drowsed off to sleep while a few students were listening to music or playing on their phones. Not that hungry in the morning, Talia only ate one apple and two bananas. She soon closed her eyes and drowsed off to sleep.
After about four hours, their bus arrived at their destination. The university was ten times larger than the size of her high school. Staring wide-eyed around the humongous buildings, Talia grabbed her suitcase, her empty basket, and followed everyone through the campus.
The two instructors lead the group to their two rooms in the Arts & Theater Department to rest for two days during the tour. Mrs. Harris took twelve of the females to rest in the room on the West side. As for the males, Mr. Adkins took the other half to rest in the room in the East direction.
After two instructors led the group to eat lunch in the cafeteria, they guided the group toward each department and discussed the school courses, tuition, dorms, and enrollment. Passing through the rowdy crowd of students, Talia listened to the full lecture as she jotted down notes on her notebook. Massaging the throbbing pain in her temple, she covered her mouth to stifle a yawn as her tears leaked from her eyes.