It's an early April morning,
I walk with new faces,
Into the hallways we go,
My friends are nowhere to be seen,
As my voice is quiet for a moment,
I remember the morning

"You were supposed to go to work today!" my mom yelled

"You never leave me alone, do you?" my father replied, angrily

"How are we supposed to pay for this months rent?" she questioned

"Maybe you should try supporting this family! I'm tired of it!" he fought back

I lost my composure,
A frown spread across my face,
Someone might notice this time,
We trotted past the older students,
And made our way to our homerooms

"How was your morning?" sir asked

'horrible' I thought
"Great." I lied

"Life's been treating you well, I'm assuming." he said

'No, it hasn't.' I thought
"Yeah, it has!" I lied

But, how could I forget?
His breath which reeked of alcohol,
His hands clenched into fists,
The venom in his voice..

I did not forget;
I just put on a smile,
I turned around to take a seat,
And as I turned away,
My smile faded,
Along with my hope