Colors (rewritten)

TATIANA

"Excuse me? What money are you talking about?"

"I had three grand in here and now I can't find it....."

"And what does that have to do with me?" I interrupt him. "Don't come at me because you couldn't be smart enough to put money in a bank like a normal person!" I shout at him.

He takes one step closer to me. "Watch it." He warns me, his voice clipped. "Someone in this house," he looks back at the door and only then do I realize that my mother is also in here, silently watching her boyfriend accuse me of being a thief. "Stole my money and since I'm sure it wasn't her," he points at my mother before looking back at me. "It can be you or your shit brother."

I clench my fists, trying to control my own anger. This is the problem with Marshall, he can't be civil, he always has to be abusive and aggressive.

"Well, I was going to say I hope you find your stupid money but now I have realized I don't feel sorry for you. You deserve to lose a lot more than just your money."

My words only serve to fuel his anger as he slaps me across the face as soon as they leave my mouth.

My mother gasps, because it still shocks that her boyfriend is an animal.

"You little bitch!" Marshall grabs me by the neck, practically strangling me. "How dare you talk to me like that? Who do you think you are?"

"Marshall," my mother says his name, her voice pleading with him. "Please," she begs him.

At first Marshall doesn't listen to her, he's still concentrating on hurting me. I can see the mixture of excitement and hatred as he chokes me. He's enjoying this, watching me fruitlessly try to get his hands off of me.

But eventually he lets go of me. I sink to the floor, coughing in pain.

"What is your fucking problem?" I ask him, angry tears streaming down my face. "You could have killed me!"

"And I still can," Marshall boasts. "Remember that bitch."

He starts to leave my room but I spit at him and he halts. "Screw you." I don't know why I'm provoking him, he can really hurt me but I have to stand up for myself and for my brother because no one else will.

"That's it!" Marshall starts coming for me, no doubt to hit me or worse. I raise my hands to shield myself from whatever he's going to do to me.

But something completely unexpected happens. My mother inserts herself between her boyfriend and I, protecting me from his blows for the first time ever.

"She will leave!" She blurts out to her boyfriend.

"What?" Marshall and I say at the same time.

"They will both leave." She says, ignoring me. "You never wanted them anyway." My mother grabs his hand, showing him affection.

Marshall seemingly let's my mother placate him. "Yes, I don't want them here. I just put up with them because of you."

I scoff, he doesn't put up with us, he abuses us and it's not the same thing.

"Well, now you don't have to. They are going to leave, both of them. It will just be you and me." My mother adds quickly.

I can't believe what I'm hearing, my own mother is kicking my brother and I out!

"Mom!" I want her to look at me, at the state that I'm in so that maybe she will pity and act like a mother for once in her life.

But as usual, she fails me, she doesn't even look at me.

"Just you and me?" Marshall asks his girlfriend and she nods. An evil smile spreads across his features. "You heard that?" He looks at me. "You and your equally useless half are out of here." I don't think he's ever smiled that hard.

And I don't think I have ever hated my mother more.

With little dignity, I get off the floor and start gathering my things. I only grab a few essentials plus my phone and laptop, I will back for the rest some other day.

"Esto es lo que quieres?" I look at my mother who finally has the guts to face me. She doesn't say anything but her face is pale, like she's holding back tears. Well, why would she cry, she's not the one who's going to be homeless.

I start to leave when she says my name, "Tatiana!"

I stop by my bedroom door, well my former bedroom but I don't look at her, she doesn't deserve it.

"Espero que no falle como una mujer porque como madre eres el peor absoluto." Those are my last words to her, I know they will hurt and that's just what I want, for her to suffer like her children will suffer.

I proceed to leave, not knowing where to go or how I will handle Santiago. It's not just me my mother has turned her back on, but my brother too.

I try Santiago's phone but as usual he doesn't answer. It's frustrating but there's really nothing I can do about it right now.

Well, there's one thing I can do.

Without giving it a second thought, I dial the number of my unlikely guardian angel and he picks up after the second ring.

"I know this is a surprise," I say before he can ask me why the hell I'm calling. "And I will explain explain everything, I promise but right now I really need you."

The other side of the line is silent for a moment and I begin to fear that he's hung up on me.

"Where are you?" I finally hear his calm and controlled voice from the other side of the line.

I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he's going to be here for me any minute now. But in the back of my mind  I can't help but  wonder if maybe I got out of the pan and into fire. Who knows what Mr Hamilton is going to do to me when he comes and gets me.