Born To Die

one.

OLIVIA

If you would have asked me two years ago: Would you have ever left that night of March? I wouldn't have even known what to tell you.

That first day of March was the day that I decided I would run away. After one year, I had saved up a few thousand dollars to get me started someplace else, far away from this place I couldn't call home. I had turned eighteen a week ago so I was at liberty to do so.

I lived in a small house in downtown Chicago with Michael, my foster dad. I had been a foster kid since forever, since I was four precisely. My mother was too busy doing drugs to take care of me, so I was raised by my mother's old neighbours, but when they died, I was put in the system where I was thrown from home to home, in hopes that I would find a permanent place to live but I never did. Around me, I would see kids getting their perfect families while they didn't even spare me a glance, the little black girl that would most likely give them some trouble.

When I was fifteen though, I thought I had found my family and it was perfect. Michael and Anna. They were quite young and just wanted to receive a cheque once a month to foster me. Michael and Anna didn't pay any attention to me, which I enjoyed. I went to school and worked and stuffing my nose in books during all my free time. I was perfectly happy and just glad I had a place to live.

Anna died two years later though, in a car accident. She was the better of the two, so I was sad when she left, also thinking that Michael would not want anything to do with me.

That night of Anna's funeral, Michael slapped me for the first time. After that, the chain of abuse started. He would hurt me for every little thing I did. Sometimes, he would even come in my room at night and not like the fact that I was sleeping peacefully while he was hurting due to Anna.

I'd wake with this his hands around my throat.

I was at work, watching the time tick like a hawk. The sky was getting darker and darker and I was getting more and more anxious. The fact that I was leaving terrified me, and the way I was going to do it, even more. I worked as a waitress at this pizza place. It welcomed some sketchy people and didn't pay great but I was able to save up enough to leave by taking lots of shifts and I had my friend to endure this job with me: Kayla.

"Hey girl!" She hopped towards me, happy and joyful like she always was. It rubbed off on me a lot and helped me get out of the thoughts that sometimes crowded my mind. "I'm off. early"

This saddened me because it would be the last time I see her. She was the only who I told I would leave the state. "Oh."

She sat down on the chair opposite of me, melancholy taking over her small freckled face. Kayla was so beautiful, I was surprised no guy had locked her down yet. She had straight shoulder length black hair and foxy features, never wearing any makeup that allowed the world to see her beauty. Along with that beauty, she also had a soul made of gold, always shining on everyone she came across.

"Yeah. . ." I could see that she did not want to do this big dramatic goodbye, as I did not either. "I can't believe you're leaving me to work here alone."

"I'm sorry." I laughed, taking out my earbud from my ear. "I'm going to miss you, K."

I could tell she was holding back tears. She looked away from me embarrassingly and focused on putting on her trench coat quickly. "Me too. You better text me. And, come back for your birthday. I want to go on a girls trip."

"Okay." I accepted, even though I knew that as soon as I left Chicago, I would never ever come back. I was wanting to start a new life. If it were possible to bring Kayla in that new life with me, I would, but my sanity was much more important at the moment.