Island Rush Read Free

This wasn’t my father. That wasn’t my brother out there in that car. Yet, I never woke from a dream.
    “I understand,” I croaked.
    And I did because I had to. We left the bathroom, and I didn’t need to hold back my tears.  Just my words. 
     

     
    Since then, I could never grasp the fact that I would never see her again. I learned how to block all of it from my mind by becoming a tougher person. Someone that hid from emotions when it counted.  I needed to in order to survive. 
    I thought of killing my dad myself, but I knew he was right in saying I would die if I somehow rebelled. If not by his hand, someone else he knew. 
    I stared at him, back in reality.  That was months ago, even though it was all still fresh in my mind.  Here now stood the man that was dead to me.  From that day, resenting him became automatic. 
    He stepped closer to where he pushed me into the corner.  Running a hand roughly through my hair, it forced me to clench my teeth.  Endurance was something I needed to learn how to tolerate.  Endurance was a sick feeling but a safe one.  He gave me a tight glare. “Get the money or you will be punished. He needs to be bailed out.”
    I nodded, understanding what would happen if I couldn’t come up with that money. I don’t think that would make him kill me, but it would mean a good amount of pain.
    Before I could say anything else, he continued.  “Goodnight, my ‘ baby girl ,”” he said with an extra effort not to slur his words, just to dig the knife deeper.
    As he laughed, he stumbled towards my door.  He knew those words would always hurt me. They were my mother’s last words to me, a nickname she gave me when I was little.
    She never had stopped calling me that.  From when I was little to the day she died.  Even though I acted as though I hated it, she and I both knew I loved my nickname. It was said by her every night too before heading to bed.  Whether through a hug, a kiss, a laugh, it was always that.  With her bright eyes full of love, she would always say that.  “Goodnight my baby girl.”  It was the last thing she said to me. 
    That was months ago. Now, tonight as I lay in my bed, I looked to my father. The same father that had smiled fondly at me back then.  He changed, even if in some twisted way he still did care.  He flashed me a true smile before leaving my room for the night.  It made me sigh in relief.  As soon as he left, I made my thoughts shift to anything else as I drifted off to sleep. 

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 2
    When I walked into Mr. Rush’s room the next day, his eyes automatically found mine from where he sat behind his desk.  He had a worried expression on his face too.  I had a good idea why.
    At the beginning of the school year, I was like everyone else. I tried my best as I always did at my school work. I was actually an all A student. That was before my mom’s death and the awful truth I found behind it.  I changed. I started slacking, and I stopped respecting my teachers. I just no longer cared. My dad promised me I wouldn’t have a future without him, and I knew I wasn’t going to college. I didn’t have any hope when it came to my education.  It was around that time that Mr. Rush started paying more attention to me.  For whatever reason, it never went away.
    Students finished filing in just before the bell rang, signaling the start of class.  A few seconds later, Mr. Rush moved up in front of the room and looked out to his students as he began speaking.  “Alright guys,” he said, pursing his lips. “We have a lot to get through today, so I will jump into the lesson plan in a moment. First, I want to talk about the upcoming trip. I received an email this morning from the English department, asking to address details.”
    Everyone sure became focused after hearing him say that.  I watched and listened with attentive eyes as he explained.  “Each of you will be part of a group of eight.  In each group,