Breakfast tastes delicious, not realising how hungry I was I eat most of it. Getting up to take my plate to the sink, I start washing up, wordlessly Reid comes over and starts drying and putting away. We work silently and once it’s all done I look round and realise Hayley must have gone to the front room. Not wanting to be alone with him again, I grab my stuff and walk out to her “Hayley I’ve got to go now, but thank you for letting me stay and can you thank Reid for breakfast please” not wanting to speak to him myself right now, I don’t know if and when the tears will come back “Oh ok sweetie, thank you again for coming over last night. Don’t be a stranger, you are always welcome here” she says meaningfully, does she know more about what happened than I think? Giving her a small wave and another thank you, I walk out the front door and can’t get in my car fast enough. Feeling like I want to scream, I remember the battery was dead and breathe out a noise of frustration, that’s when I notice the bonnet is unlatched. Opening it up I see someone put it on charge last night, I look up at the house again to see Reid looking out at me from the front room window, why is he being so nice. Trying to say thank you with my eyes, I get in the car, putting it in gear I push my foot to the floor.
The sooner I’m back to reality the better.
Pulling up in my driveway I see mum’s car and contemplate driving far away and never return. Knowing I’ll have to go in as I still have no underwear on and I’m in yesterday’s dress I get out my keys and let myself in. As soon as I set foot inside the yelling starts “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!” my mum screams from the kitchen. I blanch as I realise she still drunk, I know what’s coming. “I stayed at Sherri’s last night. My phone died and I didn’t have a charger” I say trying to placate her, it’s never worked in the past but who knows, maybe today is the day “LIER! You’ve been out sleeping around haven’t you? You’re such a slut. I should have aborted you when I had the chance” she spits, these words have been spoken to me so many times, but they still cut deep.
Annabelle Rice used to be beautiful. Back in secondary school she was the captain of the dance troop, everyone loved her. Her and my dad had dated all through secondary school, in year 10 she ended up pregnant with me, that’s where the trouble started. Her own mother kicked her out for her mistake and Annabelle had to drop out of school to care for me, that’s when she started drinking, Dad had always sent her money to help raise me, but she couldn’t cope as a single mother. David Hughes was the nerdy boy in school, always got straight A’s, no one could understand how they came to be together, I couldn’t either, but it was recipe for disaster apparently.
“Mum I swear, it was just me and Sherri. We watched movies, nothing else” I plead, it never works though, she grabs my hair and throws me on the ground “Stop lying to me you filthy whore! You’ve been at a boy’s house, I can smell his aftershave on you!” she shouts. Curse me for using Reid’s shower gel, I should have known she would react like this, “Mum please! I promise I didn’t”
SLAP
My cheek stings as I cradle my hand against it, She’s hit me before, but you never get used to it. The good thing about her being drunk is she gives up quicker. She goes back to the kitchen, no doubt to look for more booze and leaves me laying on the front room floor. I pull myself up and slowly make my way to my bedroom locking the door behind me. Why is my life like this. When it used to happen before I moved, I could go to Reid’s and escape my reality but now I’m on my own. I can’t stay at Sherri’s as much anymore, she’s getting too suspicious about everything and I don’t want to get my mum in trouble. Looking at myself in the mirror I can see that this one is going to be a black eye. Luckily I’m skilled at makeup, being slapped around frequently means you learn pretty quick how to cover it up. Too exhausted to do anything about it now I move over to my bed, getting under the covers I let the tears fall. I cry for my life, I cry for my mum’s addiction and most of all, I cry for losing my salvation through it all, Reid.
When I wake its mid-afternoon and everything seems quiet downstairs. I look out my window and thank god mum’s car is gone, she drives drunk all the time, which I hate but the last time I tried to talk to her about it I ended up having a bottle thrown at my head and busted lip, so I don’t bring it up anymore. I walk into my on-suit bathroom and look at myself, my eyes have bags even a weightlifter couldn’t carry, my left eye is turning a horrible shade of purple and is thankfully not swollen, she still got me good this time. Jumping in the shower I wash myself to get the smell of Reid from my skin, not wanting to anger my mum again if I see her later. I get out and wrap myself in a towel, finding some comfy pjs I pick up my phone to check
