ACROSS

37

The ride back home was extremely tense. Onika seemed to be in her own world entirely and Beyoncé just drove quietly contemplating if she should start a conversation or not even talk at all.

The moment they'd gotten back home, Onika was quick to leave the car and go into the house. She didn't even say anything to anyone, just made a beeline to the guestroom.

She needed space.

She didn't want to breakdown in front of anyone and as much as she wanted Beyoncé to hold her in this moment. She also wanted to be alone.

She couldn't believe her mother who had treated her horribly for years, the same woman who'd gone to prison and back had gone ahead and had another child when she couldn't even treat the first one right.

So many unanswered questions flooded around in her mind.

Her mom shouldn't have even been out of prison by now. Her sentence was way longer than just a few years.

She'd left prison and not even brothered trying to reach out, instead she went ahead and had another kid!

The fact that she even had a sister was just crazy to Onika.

She couldn't help but wonder if her mother was even treating the girl right? Or if history was repeating itself and she knew nothing about it.

Honestly and although Onika felt extremely guilty to even think about it, just the thought of the woman giving all the love and attention she craved for as a child to someone else made her extremely depressed.

Was she honestly that terrible of a child? That she couldn't even get the privilege of being treated right? Not by one but both of her parents?

Why was it always her really?!

____

Night soon comes by and yet Onika doesn't bother leaving the room.. or even the spot she'd been in for hours.

"Oni! Can I come in?!"

This was the third time that Beyoncé was knocking but Onika just couldn't see herself moving from the corner of the bed.

She was pretty sure she looked a complete mess in this moment. Her tear stricken face probably made her look at least a 100 years old!

"Please just let me in! I bought your favorite food!"

"..."

"I won't leave here till you open the door! Do you want me to sleep out here huh? Cause I will!"

Onika sighed out heavily at Beyoncé's persistence. She knew the blonde would actually sleep there if she didn't open the door.

She walks over sluggishly unlocking the door and going back to her spot on the floor besides the bed facing the wall.

Beyoncé pushes the door open slowly, walking in with a little frown on her face and a takeaway box in her hands.

She takes a seat besides her, placing the food before her folded legs and then hands Onika one and keeps one for herself.

"You don't have to talk to me but at least eat. It's already late."

Onika doesn't reply to that but instead rests her head on the blondes shoulder feeling another wave of tears threatening to spill from her eyes but she's quick to wipe it away just doing a little sniffle and grabbing the food.

They eat in silence for an extended while, until Onika pushes her half eaten box of food away from herself.

Beyoncé pushes hers away from herself as well, ignoring the extreme want within her to finish it.

"You wanna talk?"

Onika shakes her head. "N-no."

"Wanna cuddle?"

"Mhmm.." The younger girl nods as they both maneuver themselves unto the bed.

Beyoncé wraps her arms around Onika who just buries her face into her neck, trying her best to ignore the thoughts in her head and just fall asleep.

Beyoncé strokes through her hair whilst humming a song until she'd noticed Onika had finally fallen asleep before she slept off herself.

_________

"Where's my mom?"

"Out."

"Out where?" The little girl asked scrunching her face up at the man who reeked of alcohol and sweat.

"Out the house, the fuck else would she be?" The already irritated man yells "Now get outta here and stop asking me stupid questions."

"You're stupid. And just so you know that things gonna kill you sooner than later." She says pointing towards the pills on the table before running off up the stairs to her room.

She ignores the screams of the man downstairs, locking her door and just lying down on the floor of her room.

She didn't like him.. or any other of her mom's boyfriends. They usually only lasted a week at most. And none of them were ever really nice.

They made her mom do things that she knew the woman wouldn't normally do. It sometimes made her wonder where she even found them from.

Her mom was nice... some of the times. She wasn't extremely terrible, she was more or less a pushover. If her boyfriends told her jump, then she'd jump with no questions asked.

Most times to the detriment of her own daughter.

That and the fact that she wasn't always around and would leave her alone or in the care of her lovers for hours not caring that she was endangering her child.

It was quite clear that she didn't know how to care for a child.. at all.

Ming could tell that she was definitely going through something mentally and didn't want to get help for it but there's was nothing she could really do or say to convince the woman that she needed help.

Because to everyone she was just a six year old child and knew nothing.

But despite everything Ming felt she could take care of herself just fine. As little as she was, she was not only independent but she was outspoken as well.

A complete contrast to Onika's quiet persona.

She couldn't hide her feelings from anyone and would call you out on your bullshit in an instant. She had no filter whatsoever but she was a genuinely nice kid, just extremely outspoken and way beyond her years.

The only thing she shared with Onika was the little facial comparison. Nothing else. They had two completely different characters.

Not alike at all.

___________

Short but hey if y'all read my announcement you'd know I'm gonna be busy for the next month or so, so updates won't be as frequent.

I'll try my best to update tho.

Thoughts?

Onika?

Beyoncé?

Ming?

Carol?

Carol's boyfriend?

What do y'all think happened to Robert?

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