Things have been tense after Melissa's outburst. The eggshells I have been walking on felt more brittle and I've been more on edge trying to keep the peace.

The energy feels different now, and I can't figure out why. Luckily, the past couple days Melissa has ignored me.

In a weird way, I prefer her when she's drunk. At least I know what to expect and when to expect it, but when she's sober and trying to be a decent person, it spikes my anxiety because I never know when she'll fall off again.

Being at school and knowing Faith is at the daycare makes the me feel so much better. School still sucks, but at least my anxiety isn't at an all time high.

Of course, my almost pleasant thoughts about school don't last long. I take a deep breath when I see Alice round the corner of the hallway. It's almost as if my somewhat positive thoughts summoned her.

Can't enjoy anything too long.

"You know," Alice starts, an evil glint in her eye. "I almost forgot about you. I mean, you are pretty forgettable, but then I remembered you. And it ruined my day. So, I'm here to ruin yours." She smiles sweetly, flipping her coffee cup over, the contents emptying out over my head.

Wonderful.

Thankfully, it's iced coffee because face burns are the last thing I need.

"Thought that'll wake you up." She saunters off, laughing.

The strong coffee stench makes my stomach churn. I really hate coffee. I rush off to the bathroom, ignoring the laughs and snickers of students when I pass. I can't imagine how disgusting I look.

Of course she had to get it in my hair. Would have been easier if she just ruined my clothes. I free my wild mane from the bun, my curls matted together in gross looking clumps.

I attempt to rinse out the smell by running my hair under the sink. It helps but only a little bit, and now I have a sopping wet mess of hair.

After getting my hair somewhat situated, I realize that my shirt still reeks of coffee. Luckily, I'm wearing black and I have a tank top on underneath. I take off both shirts, deciding to just use the first one since it covers my arms.

After ringing it out, my shirt is now damp and smells like coffee rather than wet smelling like coffee.

What a lovely start to the day.

****

"You look miserable," Dustin helpfully points out as he walks beside me.

I am. I sign.

"I don't know what that means but I swear I've been learning sign language."

I shrug. I don't care if he learns or not.

"Why do you smell like coffee?"

Sighing, I pull out my phone to type since it's obvious he's not going anywhere.

Alice spilled coffee on me.

"Bitch."

I laugh, which catches both of us off guard.

Understatement of the year. I type into my phone.

Dustin smirks. "Who knew there was a sense of humor hidden under all that brooding?"

I can't help but roll my eyes. He's such an idiot.

"You down to come over for dinner tonight? I know it's short notice but you've been meaner than usual these past few days so I didn't get the balls to ask until now."

It sometimes surprises me how blunt Dustin can be. He's very vocal about how he feels when he wants to be, which is a lot of the time. I'm not unfamiliar with people being blunt towards me but it's new when they're nice about it.

A home cooked meal sounds good, but it is short notice.

I think not showing up at home will give Melissa a reason to be upset which I'd prefer to avoid.

I shake my head. Maybe next time. I type into my phone.

"I figured you'd decline. Next time indeed. Can I at least give you a ride home?"

I shake my head, deciding not to bother him by making him go out of his way.

He sighs. "Alright. See you around, Blade." he throws up a peace sign before walking to his car.

****

Drunk Melissa couldn't last a week without having Todd back in her life. I thought after beating the crap out of her the last time, she'd at least have enough sense to stay away from him, but clearly I was wrong.

What's crazier is that they're already fighting.

God, why do they put up with each other?

It's hard to concentrate when their muffled shouts can be heard through the wall. I have a load of homework and studying to do, but I can't relax enough to focus.

Faith is crabby and it's probably because she feels the same way I do. Instead of trying to continue with schoolwork that I know I won't get done, I pick up the whiny baby and hold her close. She seems to relax more now that she's being held and I give her little pecks on her face which make her giggle.

Finally, Todd and Melissa seem to have stopped fighting and the house is quiet again. Faith is asleep now so I'm free to continue my homework.

It's past midnight when I'm finished with my assignments and I groan when I finally stretch my body out of the hunched position it was in.

There's no reason I should have this level of back pain at 17.

Luckily, a hot shower eases my muscle pain and I'm able to fall asleep.

******