[6K... IM SORRY WHAT?!]
I breathed heavily as I got awoken by my grandfather shouting from somewhere in the house. Drunken screaming.
I gasped, and gulped by pain as I sat up, rubbing my eyes - it still being rather dark outside.
I just needed to write something down.
I quietly tip toed around my room, finding my phone on the floor. Not smashed, to my surprise.
Scared about what my family would do to me if I made a sound, and with a shaky hand I picked my phone up.

I realised that I didn't text Lin and Vanessa yesterday - I'd been occupied by fear, chores, my mind and my biological family watching me.
I'd just fallen into bed, after my freaky mind had kept me up for hours, fears forming in my head. I had been organising the room. And then rearranging again.
Falling asleep in less than a millisecond, and panicky as I'd been, what I'd promised been erased from my thoughts.

I opened the screen - seeing about a hundred missed notifications.
My mind immediately started going crazy.

Every text was in the same theme.
They'd called a few times, too.
Few, meaning 47 times.
Texts, 45.

-> Rue, are you there yet?👀
V

The first few were just casual, but you could tell they got more and more worried.

->Please let us know if you're OK.

->ANSWER, please niñita, please answer

I could feel my breath getting heavier - I truly forgot. In the back of my head, I couldn't allow myself to do it.

Tapping on the keyboard, quickly.

<- I'm fine. It's good here. Please don't worry, I never found time to text you yesterday.
Sorry, and merry christmas 🎄

<-Really. Have a very merry Christmas,  Love you💓

I managed to scroll through twitter on the little GigaBite I had left, my arms quite weak after not really eating any dinner yesterday. Mainly because of the fear in my head.
Realising it was quite early, I hoped I didn't wake them up.

I took my sketchbook I'd got from the cast a few days earlier, halfway through my first sketch of a dress. Still panicking, shivering from fright by my grandfather's drunken scene just a few rooms from me, fighting with my grandma who, herself, wasn't letting it go.
I suppose, she was quite drunk too.

Suddenly I could hear my phone ring, making me reach for it - and as I did, the unstable book pile fell down from the small bedside table, causing a rather loud bang.
I flinched, scared of the consequences.
Tap the wall 71 times, and do it over and over again until it feels just right.
"QUIET!", my grandfather screamed.
My lips were sealed by fright.
Don't disturb anyone.
I could hear my uncle's snoring from the room right next to this, through the thin walls.
Otherwise something might happen.
All this, while I tried to hold my phone in my shaky hands.
Lin was calling me on FaceTime.
I couldn't answer, could I? I didn't want them to worry. Christmas is a happy day. I want them to be happy.
I quickly pressed the call away, writing another text.

<- I can't talk right now, sorry.

My text seemed so flat - so nothing. But I couldn't let them know.
Face to face - I would lose it.

-> You sure, niñita?

<- Yeah, they have a phone curfew😶

Such a bad lie, but it could, technically, be true.

-> Okay, Rue-Rue.
Here's a lil film from the fam🎁

I immediately got my headphones, excitedly fiddling with the wires.
My hands trembling, connecting everything and soon letting the video start.
Their smiley faces lit up my day, in the dark corner of the room.
They, wishing me a merry Christmas, waving Sebastian's little hand in the end.
I grinned, feeling as I was surrounded by them and their safeness.
The video closed, and soon another text would arrive.

-> Call/text us if anything happens.
Promise us, Rue-Rue

The video left me so homesick.
I've never been that before.
I let the camera face my way, trying to film a small message for them too.
I'd speak quietly, hoping for the thin walls to not let any of the sounds come through.
Tomorrow I'd be home, listening to the hundreds of stories they'll tell me about Sebastian.
Pressing send, leaving the phone aside for the day.
You're not quite done tapping yet, keep on doing it. It's not perfect yet.

"RUTH! Get here, immediately", my uncle shouted at me from the living room, quite the while later. Going from the room I was staying in to there was a struggle, my mind had stepped it's game up a bit since I'd arrived.
Sixteen steps to the living room, and if you screw up - redo it, or someone will die.
As I got there, I could feel the nasty scent spreading across the house. The table was filled with either emptied beer bottles, or half drunk. My granddad was passed out on the sofa, loudly snoring in a way that didn't sound healthy. A scraggy tree stood in the left corner, and I didn't really expact presents under - which they weren't.
A few years had past since they'd given each other presents. It had never happened.
I suspectly looked at my uncle, scrolling through the tv channels, in his lousy t-shirt.
"Clean up", his demand was.
And so I did, tapping each bottle or can four times before successfully picking it up. My arms full, I headed to the kitchen, finding my grandma, asleep, on one of the chairs.
She'd probably been up all night looking after my grandfather - and fighting too, it looked like, as I saw the blackeye.
I looked over at the stove, it being off with a cold oatmeal pot on it.
I tip toad back to the living room, afraid, asking my uncle something.
"Um, uncle, would you like some breakfast? Grandma made some, but the oatmeals cold now and..."
I couldn't really hide my worrying way of speaking.
He grunted, witch I read as a yes.

After quite a while, I sat on the floor, eating cold oatmeal. This, since the couch was occupied by a sleeping family member - who, I, was too frightened by. The armchair, my uncle, which I didn't want to disturb at all.
On the telly, a news program was playing.
My uncle looked smart, wearing a suit from work yesterday, which he still hadn't changed from.
The house made me feel uneasy inside.
It was too claustrophobic, too compact.
I decided that being quiet and not disturb anyone was the best option, doing my intentions to not annoy anyone.

At three o'clock, I couldn't believe that so many hours had past - time just fled by when your head's in the clouds.
My body was shaking by less of energy.
But, on the good note, my grandmother was up, and had grabbed me to join the lunchmaking.
"We didn't get you presents this year too, you know, we can't really provide for that", she said, somewhat excusing.
I nodded, not brave enough to answer in the easiest way possible - 'that's fine'.
Because I knew what they put the money on, the reason they didn't want to foster me. Then, they wouldn't have the money for alcohol and my grandpa's medication.

Worriedly, I really tried making the late lunch.
"Ah, stop! Useless, you really are useless", she snapped, shoving me into the wall.
I skipped for air, after my back had hit a corner, pain spreading across my body. Shook, my lungs feeling like I couldn't breath.
Panicking, I glided down the wall, and sat in foster position on the floor.
I stayed there for a while, trying to catch my breath.
Idiot. What if someone gets hurt now?
If you scratch your wrist until it bleeds, maybe it won't happen.
Before I knew it, I was doing it. The pain didn't matter. What mattered was to prevent something from happening.

"Why the hell did Kell... your grandmother... invite you here, another time... you're just causing trouble", my uncle said, still in front of the tv - a lot of cans later.
Talking thick, nonsense.
"And that foster family of yours", he groaned by disgust.
I straightened up by that, a bit annoyed.
As I paced over to rearrange the order of the beer cans and bottles for the hundred and second time of the day, I managed to get my foot stuck in the carpet. I stumbled for a few steps, only to fall on my face making a load bang.
My body, me not in control, landed on my uncle's chair, half on him.
This resulting in him shoving me off, and him standing up in all anger.
I took a deep breath out of fright, seeing the large armchair with heavy wood in its vintage design.
"YOU IDIOT!", he shouted, making my grandfather snore rather loud, as he was still quite asleep.

The armchair hit my lower arm, my wrist and I could feel pain go through my body, almost like a flash.

I let out a shriek.
My arm felt so numb.
The pain made it to nothing.
I was powerless.
My uncle stomped out of my room, and I could soon hear the door smash - and he was out.
My vision got blurrier, as I really tried to push the piece of furniture off of me.

In my own bubble, barely able to hear a thing as my brain would get louder by each and every second. Oh, wouldn't you just look at the fireworks in my head?
As I laid there on the floor, my ear against there uneven wood. I must've stepped on a crack, I must've.
The stomps I could hear through the wood were my grandmother's.
With her help, the chair was back to its usual spot.
"Can't you do anything yourself, Ruth?", she muttered, giving me an annoyed look. "Move, then!"
I quickly sat up by her instruction, but my arm hurt so much, I couldn't possible put my weight on it.
Nor, could I feel my touch beneath my elbow.
Such a weird feeling.
My veins pulsating with blood, trying to administer my arm with enough oxygen.
"Um, grandma, my arm is in a weird angle", I uttered, my eyes caught on the unbelievable sight.
She glanced at it, and rolled her eyes.
"Uh-huh?", she said. "Just suck it up"

-----
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
Let's celebrate all the great women that exceed half of the world. You're all wonderful!🎉

and yeah, HI!
I'm in such a writing zone atm, hope that's appreciated!💓

Be honest here - do you still like the story? Or is it a bit slow?
If you answer those two questions, It'd be much easier for me to improve my writing. So, yeah, please do💐

Rue's having a shit time with her texts as highlights. A lot of stuff happened in this chapter, though. Her uncle's an idiot.

Don't forget to vote and maybe comment?
That would be nice💓(while we're talking let me offer you some free advice)

There were also one or two In The Heights reference in this chapter, did you catch them?🌚

Have a lovely day and until I see you again,
Sincerely,
C

Published: 8th of March, 2017