I step outside of my house, sitting on the steps with my head down. My parents have been fighting. They always fight, but this is not like any of their other fights; it is different. I put my head down and started crying silently. It was too much to handle inside. I feel the wind running into me. A few minutes later, I hear a noise in front of me and I lift my head up. I see some kids from my neighborhood playing. Should I join them or not? They spot me.
“Oh god,” I say in my head. Then they wave at me, and I smile back. I don’t want to make it awkward because I always play with them, so I walk up to them, only hearing the echoes of my feet moving. When I approach them, everyone looks at me.
“Umm, what are you guys playing?” I say while wiping my tears from my cheek.
“Tag, want to join?” Landon says. I look towards my house and back at them.
“Ok, let me get my scooter.” I think about telling my mom if she thinks I went missing, but I don’t want to talk to her right now. I find a piece of chalk and write: playing with the neighbors. Be back soon, Mandy.
I place the chalk back and grab my red scooter. Red is my favorite color. My dad says I don’t need to wear a helmet now because I am ten, but my mom doesn’t agree. My parents fight a lot. When they do, I go to my room, put on noise-canceling headphones, and listen to music, specifically Billie Eilish. I step on my scooter and push with my feet.
“You ready, Mandy?” Amillia says.
“Yeah, I am.”
“Let’s add a twist,” Suzanna says.
“Maybe you hide before getting tagged!” Franky says.
“Ooh, and let’s hide with a partner,” Amillia says.
“Ok, let’s do it,” Landon says.
“Ok, everyone put your feet in,” I say.
“The sky is blue, so gold bless you,” Landon says. Landon’s finger lands on Amillia.
“Dang it,” Amillia says. Suzanna and I immediately get together, and so do Franky and Landon. We play for about an hour, and it is so fun. I almost forget that my mom and I had had a fight.
“That was so fun,” Suzanna says.
“Yeah, and the way Franky fell on the ground,” says Landon
“Oh yeah, that was so funny,” I say.
“I should head out, I have to eat dinner,” Franky says.
“Yeah, same, Suzanna,” he says. I don’t want them to go; I don’t want to go home. I try to think of something to stall them, but I can’t.
“Ok, bye, guys,” I say.
“Bye,” Amillia says. I watched them all walk away while I stand on the road. I stand and think about what I should do. I turn in the direction of my house and slowly ride my scooter back to my house. I really don’t want to go back home. I know things at home are still bad. At least my friends help me forget about it for a while.
