#9

“Laney! Where did you go?!”

“I’m right here Mom!” She yelled from across the house.

“Right where?”

“Right here.” She mumbled as she stumbled into the room trying to tug her socks over her ankles. It’d been an early morning, and Laney still wasn’t quite ready to go.

“We’re going to be late if we don’t leave right now, you know.” Laney’s mom had a habit of scolding her at the worst possible times. It hadn’t been easy crawling out of bed after a ridiculously late night trying to get ready at 5AM. Laney had snuck out last night around 2 and gotten back around 4:30. She’d slept for a total of 30 minutes. The party hadn’t been that great, but there was a lot to drink, and that’s all that really mattered anymore.

“Why do I have to go to this again?”

“Because the college people REALLY want to meet you and find out if they think you’re a good match. It’s going to be just us and all the administrators. You better put on your game face and wake up, because this could land you a full ride there.”

“Oh.” She replied, disinterested.

“Laney! You don’t get it, do you? This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance and all you can say is ‘Oh’? What happened to being a productive, high-achieving girl that you were last year? I can’t let you waste that 4.0 of yours.”

“Mom. Just leave me alone, okay? It’s too early for this. I’ll make a good impression. Just chill out.”

That’s how her Mom had always been, pushing her forward. Maybe it was her mom who pushed her into a cycle of depression that was spiraling downward, faster and faster. It was this depression that was pushing Laney into a hole that grew bigger every single second. Her life had been entirely about pleasing people. When would she ever learn to be okay with herself for what she’d already accomplished? She didn’t know. But it was this sinking feeling that led her to try drinking and even some drugs. It was this that led her to partying all night, so she could forget what she had to do the next day. It was this that let her lose control, even if only for a few hours. It was this that would lead to a close call with death.

Free write, it took a little under 20 minutes.