Lost
By Anna C, Age 14
Workshop: The Short Story, Kate Reuther, Spring 2017
My apartment in the Bronx became stuffier and stuffier as the night progressed. My plan was to leave at 1:00, my mom’s snoring peak. As I lay on my back I checked the time: 9:00.
This was going to go by so slow, but I had to be as well-prepared for this as possible. All I could do right now was lay on my back and sweat until my mom came in and kissed me on the cheek. Right as I was wondering when she was going to walk into my room, I saw her.
“You ready for bed?” she said.
My bedtime has always been 10:00. Even now when I’m 17, she still thinks I need enough sleep to get through at least half of the day.
“Yeah Mom,” I said, making sure my shaking wasn’t too noticeable.
“Alright then,” she said. “See you in the morning baby.”
She walked closer to me, her heart-shaped face leaning in to peck my acne-scarred cheek. She reached for the light switch and I closed my eyes tightly.
After I waited five minutes to see if she’d forget to tell me that she has an early shift in the morning, I hurriedly got up. I turned on my phone. I got five texts.
I had asked my best friend if I could borrow his car for a month in exchange for my whole comic book collection. He texted me back: I’ll be waiting at 1 with the car, bring the comics.
Hey thanks it means a lot, I hurriedly texted back.
I started packing my torn duffel bag with $500 I saved up from working at McDonald’s, a big bag of Doritos, five pairs of underwear, water, seven pairs of jeans, six T-shirts, two pairs of socks, some gum and a knife, just in case.
My plan was to go to my brother’s house in Florida: he’s 20 and he’s doing pretty well. He left the house when he was 18 to go and explore the world and ended up in Florida as a musician for a semi-popular band. I was going to live with him until I had enough money to get my own place.
I made sure my phone was charged and I had a good playlist for the road.
12:56 was the time. I ran into the kitchen, making sure my sneakers didn’t squeak against the floor. Opening the fridge made my head burn because the light was so bright. I grabbed the jug of milk and chugged a lot, missing my mouth and a drop of milk sinking to my neck. I grabbed my duffel bag and my keys and left.
The street at night freaked me out, something about how black it was and how in just a few hours it would be busy and bustling with kids going to school, and adults making their way to work. Also the fact that I was all alone, I could die at any minute now.
Being alone terrified me. The street was so wide, and scattered with McDonald’s boxes and soda cans. Your average city street, but somehow it was my city street.
As I spaced out on the street, my friend Carlos drove up in his worn-out dark blue smart car. As I looked into the window of his car, I was greeted by his dumb smiling face looking up at me, and his ugly car with dirty, scuffed, fake leather seats. If it made him feel good what’s the harm, right?
“You have the comics, right?” he whispered, acting like it’s Mission Impossible.
“Yeah.”
I handed it over to him and his hands met the plastic bag in an instant and he smiled. Then I gave him a harsh look because he was taking way too long to reward himself for making a good deal. He rolled his eyes and his arm reached for the car keys.
I could feel myself slouching deeper and deeper as the night went on. I was terrified.
I greedily grabbed the keys from him and we quickly switched positions. I slid right into the driver’s seat and turned the key. Just before I drove off, Carlos stopped me.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he said. He looked concerned.
The second the sound of his voice and the words he was saying hit me, I felt a chill spread throughout my whole body. My instinct kicked in and I drove away as fast as I could. The truth was, I couldn’t answer that question.
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