FicWad

Nikki’s POV

I sighed and pushed the front door open. I walked into the living room, and the first thing I saw was my father falling off the couch, sleeping. There were pop cans, and cigarette butts everywhere. I shook my head and continued down the hall to my bedroom.

I opened my door and threw my backpack and my jacket on my bed. I walked to my bed and pulled my homework out of my backpack. I took it to my desk, and tried to finish it as soon as possible.

Surprisingly, it didn’t take that long. All I had to do was write a summary of a poem, and I was always good at things like that. When I was done, I shoved the papers back in my bag, and then walked into the living room. My father was still sleeping halfway off the couch.

I began quietly picking up after him. I threw away all the trash and then sprayed some air freshener. When everything was in order, I glanced at the clock. It was almost five thirty, so I headed to the kitchen and started making dinner.

I was about done, when my dad walked in. He sighed and sat down at the table. I quickly fixed him a plate and set it in front of him. He grabbed his fork and started eating.

I grabbed my plate and sat down across from him. We ate in silence for a while, but then he looked up from his food and stared at me, “What, dad?” I asked, after a while.

“I plan on going out again tonight.” He paused to take another bite, “I don’t know when I’ll be home.”

I nodded, “Did what’s-his-name go home?”

He sighed, “Yea, a little bit after you left. We had some... business... to attend to.”

I nodded, not wanting to know about this [i]business[/I].

We finished eating in silence, and I grabbed our dishes and quickly washed them before heading to my room. I had just sat down at my computer when I heard the front door open and close. I knew that my dad had left. He probably wouldn’t be home until tomorrow morning.

I always pretended to be asleep, but truth is, I always waited for him to come home. I was always worried about something happening to him. I never knew if he would go get stoned and then drive home. He could get in a car accident, or worse, he could over dose. Sometimes, I think it would be easier for me if something happened to him, but then again, I would have to go to a foster family. I mean, I’m only sixteen. I’m a sophomore. I wasn’t ready for my dad to leave me.

He was all I had left. Him and my one friend, Sara. I never saw her because she lived in New Jersey, and I was stuck in Queens, New York. I hated it, but I knew why my dad made us move all those years ago...

If it wasn’t for that stupid drunk driver hitting my mom and sister, we would still be a happy family...

I looked at a picture of us, that was taken long before the accident. I was seven, and Danni, my sister, was almost six. We were at the beach. It’s one of the only pictures that we were all in together, because my dad was always the one taking the picture. I smiled at the memory and then turned my attention back to my computer screen, that was just starting to turn on.