Is Life This Hard? by Taylor Schwickrath (best beach reads txt) 📕

Do you guys want anything to drink? Eat?" Emily, along with Riley and Crystal shook their heads no.
"No? Okaaay." Marie walked away, and started making food for Riley's older brother, Mark. He was turning 17 October the third, which was in a little less than a month away from now. Mark looked over, and his eyes layed hard on Emily. Emily's eyes grew wide, and stiffened. But after about ten seconds, Riley touched Emily's shoudler and asked, "Hey, what are you looking at? You okay?" It took Emily a while to process, and then she eventually looked away into the water. "Uh, nothing. I'm fine."
Ever since Emily knew Riley and started going over to her house, she noticed a weird pattern between her and Riley's brother, Mark. The first time Emily went to Riley's house, was back in first grade, when they had the same class. Emily saw Riley in the corner sobbing one day, and because of Emily's curiousness, she eventually walked up to her and asked her what was wrong. Riley broke down to her, and told her what she was crying for.
"The last time I saw him was two days ago! We don't know where he is..." Riley had said.
"Well, I bet your brother will come back soon." Emily said to her and hugged her while the whole rest of the class, that didn't pay any attention to them.
"Hey!" Emily heard Riley scream towards her from outside the pool, with a towel in her hand. Beside her was Crystal, with a pink polka dot towel wrapped around her. "It's starting to rain, we have to go inside." Emily looked up at the sky. A drop of rain dropped on the tip of her nose, and she headed towards the end of the pool.
"Oh." Emily said, feeling dumb. "Haha, i guess I'm just really tired."
"Yeah, you get enough sleep, girl?" Crystal asked, walking towards the sliding glass door, along with Riley.
"Probably not." Emily answered, wishing the words that came out of her mouth were true.
As the girls walked inside the very classy living room, Mark said to Riley, "Hey, any compliments from Ronnie lately?" "
Riley's eyes suddenly turned cold. "Ugh! I hate you!" she said, and angrily ran up the carpeted stairs up to her room. Emily was so confused, and looked at Crystal to see if she had the same reaction. She did.
"What was that about?" she asked. "I dunno..."
Mark had a little smirk on his face, and looked at Emily. His face looked evil, and his eyes wouldn't move.
Emily nudged Crystal, and they both ran up the stairs, questions filling their minds.


Chapter 3


"Hey, what's wrong? What happened?" Emily asked Riley, as her and Crystal entered her bedroom.
Riley looked up from her cell phone, and simply said, "Nothing. I'm okay. It's just that Mark annoys me so much sometimes."
"Well, what did that mean what he said? About Ronnie?" Emily asked. "About compliments...?"
"Ugh. You know Ronnie Willhold? Yeah. Well, we
were texting, and he said that my hair looked good today, and Mark said it, and now he's been bugging me about it ever since."
"Oh...well that's kinda sweet that he said that. When was it?"
"Like, last Monday. And just...UGH."
Crystal hopped down on the polka dot bed, and said, "Well, then do something about it. Like, tell him to stop."
"He WON'T. That's the problem. I try to tell my mom, but she won't listen to me. She always believes him and not me."
"Oh...well...I don't know. We'll help you through anything though." Emily said.
There was a knock on the door. "Wow." Emily let out a little yelp, and they all turned around. It was Mark. "You guys are pathetic."
"Why do YOU care, Mark?" Riley asked.
His eyes were dead on Emily. He walked straight over to her, grabbed her rist hard, and pulled her out of the room.
"What are you doing?!" Emily asked, frantic.
"Stop it, Mark!" Riley yelled. Mark shut the door, with a slam.
"What was that?" Marie asked from downstairs.
"Nothing, Mom!" Mark yelled back.
"What are you doing?! What's your problem?!" Emiley asked.
Riley's door opened, and Riley and Crystal popped out.
"What are you doing, Mark? Stop!" Riley pulled Emily away. Emily rubbed her rist, with red marks on it from Mark's hand. Crystal's eyes darted back and forth with confusion.
"I need to talk to Emily. Alone." Mark said, strictly.
"Why? About what?" Riley asked. "And that doesn't mean you get to just pull her out of here and do whatever you want with her. She's not your little doll.
"Let me talk to her. Now!"
The girls all jumped; frightened. Emily nodded to Riley and Crystal, letting them know that it was okay.
"Kay..." Riley said, and they headed back into the bedroom, and shut the door behind them.
"What's wrong with you?" Emily asked.
"Nothing. I've kept this a secret way too long."
"Umm...what are you talking about...?" Emily's mind swirled with ideas of what he might be talking about.
"I'm talking about what happened to your mom."
Emily's heart sank...her mom.
"What about my mom?"
"...I know...I know who killed her. I was there that night. He told me not to tell you, but-"
"What?! You were?! You know? Mark...Tell me, who was it?!" Emily could feel her heart beating faster and faster, and tears dripping in her eyes.
"It was..." Mark took a deep breath, holding in his tears.
"WHO?" Emily asked again.
"IT WAS YOUR FATHER!" he yelled.
WHAT? Her dad? Her own father? How could he do that? Why didn't he tell her? Does Steven know this too? Emily's eyes started filling up with even more tears, and her heart began to pound and pound again her chest, faster and faster, until she couldn't taske it anymore.


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Publication Date: 11-21-2010

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