Hot

/hät/
characterized by a relatively or abnormally high temperature.


Algebra can kiss my ass. I know we have to learn it or whatever, but it can still kiss my ass. To top it all off I'm sure that clock has stopped working. It feels like this class has been going forever. I tap my pencil impatiently on the desk, hoping that my teacher will hear it and realise that we're all dying a little inside with every equation she teaches. Alas, she continues to spew boring information at her semi-conscious students and I too fall into a daze.

Outside the weather is scorching. You know that heat that feels like it radiates from everything? It's one of those days. I can't wait to get home and sit in front of the air conditioner, blasting it on full speed while my mother yells at me. Ahhh bliss.

The bell rings and I unstick myself from our cheap plastic school chairs and grab my bag. I'm on of the unfortunate children who has to walk home today due to my mother needing to earn a living and my lack of drivers license. I grab my half empty water bottle and scull whats left as I turn the corner towards home. At least its not exceptionally far to my house. I take a few short cuts and I can see heatwaves distorting the view of my house in the distance. A bead of sweat just tricked down my face. Great, I'm officially gross. I pass some neighbourhood kids playing in a sprinkler despite our water restrictions and a guy my age chucking stones in the gutter. "Good use of your time" I think as I step up to my house and open the door.

I throw my bag down and practically die right there on the couch. I know I'll be more comfortable out of my uniform and with the air con on but the effort seems excruciating now that I'm laying down. Instead I lie there in the heat until my mother opens the door and complains that I haven't done anything but wallow in self pity.

"Addison, get up. You look an absolute mess. Would it have killed you to have done some homework or helped out with dinner even a little?"

I sigh and sit up.

"My day was great thanks Mum, how was yours?"

"Fine." She completely misses my sarcasm. "I spent the whole day talking to an irate couple that insist they're being mistreated by the law because their neighbours are infringing on their property line." She grabs a coke from the fridge and sits down next to me.

"Fascinating," I say, grabbing the coke and taking a gulp.

Mum sighs and leans her head back against the couch. "What do you feel like for dinner?"

"Whatever."

That's pretty much our lives. Standard and boring. There's nothing extraordinary about us. Man and woman meet, woman gives birth, man runs for the hills, woman raises baby and child feels guilty for being alive for the rest of its life. And there you have it, our story. The funny thing about us is that we barely know each other. We go about our lives completely separately even though there's only two of us. I know nothing of my mother and she certainly knows nothing of me. We co-exist and it works for us. That happy family shit just isn't us.

I get up and have a shower. By the time I get out the water is stone cold and I am feeling so much better than when I first got in. I get dressed into my nighty and examine my face in the mirror and see that I somehow drew on my face during the day with a blue pen. That's the bad thing about not having friends. No one tells you when you look like an idiot, you have to find out on your own. Naturally though by then the damage is done so the lack of friend cycle continues. I grab the soap and rub a bit on my face to get rid of the ink.

I shouldn't say I'm friendless, its not entirely true. Two girls who go to my school sit with me at lunch and do obligatory friend crap with me. Our friendship is purely superficial. You know? One of those friendships where you're only friends because you don't have a choice? Its a social necessity to have friends at my school and we were just unfortunate enough to be the shy kids on the first day that couldn't get a word in edge ways. So we retreated to the back of the class where we sat together until one of us decided to speak. It's been the same ever since.

I know my world isn't very interesting, but I kind of like it. I've grown accustom to my prison and I don't really want to change it now. There's something comforting in boring, mundane stability. Its what makes the world go round I guess.

I realise its time for dinner and head downstairs to the kitchen. Mum has made a salad consisting of soggy tomato and old lettuce, with a few chucks of beetroot and cheese thrown in for good measure. while I'm not particularly enthused about food today I eat it anyway to keep the harmony in the household. It's too hot for confrontation and I just want to go to bed. I finish up and say goodnight to Mum, who barely registers what I've said because she's watching the news.

I head up to my room and collapse on the bed.I consider doing homework but think better of it and lay staring at the light above my bed and watch a moth circle the bulb until I start falling asleep above the covers.

Outside there is a loud cracking noise and I jolt awake. I walk over to the window and open it, smelling smoke as I peer out.

Oh that is so not good.