I woke up by loud yelling and banging on the wall. "What the hell do you think? I'm made of money?" Steve yelled.
My eyes met shattered beer bottles laid on the kitchen floor.
"Th-The kids...They ran out of food." Stella responded with a shaken voice.
"I don't give a fuck about those pests." He spat, harshly grabbing Stella up the floor.
"You can go rob from a grocery store if you care about them so fucking much."
He definitely left a bruise on her arm.
She fell on her knees, her entire body shaking as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Mom?" I said pretending not to have seen what just happened.
She never liked any of us to witness when her and Steve got in a fight, because at the end of the day she would blame herself for letting it happen, so I rather pretend not to know about it.
She quickly got up, whipping the tears form her face and crossed her arms at her back.
"Honey? What are you doing up this late at night?" Her voice still shaken, obviously from trying to hold back her tears.
"I got thirsty." I said trying to avoid the broken glasses that filled the room.
"One of your dads bottles fell from the counter." She tried to say convincingly when she saw my view move towards the littered floor.
"I can help clean it up." I volunteered and she rushed over to the broom, picking it up.
"Don't worry, I can do that." She said softly, trying to get me away from the glass.
"You should go rest. I'll do it." I pleaded seeing that she wasn't in a right condition.
"No! I said I'll do it. Go back to sleep." Her voice now tempered.
I stared at her sudden rage and took a closer look down at the pile of glass that was mostly covered in blood.
"Did he hurt you?" I scanned her body worriedly looking for any cuts. She immediately shut her palm tightly and stared back at me.
I rushed over to her and opened her left palm that was surprisingly filled with a lot of blood.
"I'll get the first aid kit..." I ran over to the corner of the room where the kit was.
"I'm fine Darcy dear.." She said washing her hand in the sink.
"Why did you allow him to do this to you?" Tears filled my eyes, making my vision blurry.
"He didn't...I mistakenly cut myself while picking the glass pieces." She responded,her voice now calm as usual.
"Stop lying to me Stella, I know he did this to you!" I snapped at her, leaving her speechless.
She sat on the couch while I wiped on the large, deep cut right in the middle of her palm.
She whimpered in pain most of the time I patted on it.
Her in tears were the last thing I wanted to see. She was the most gentle and kind hearted person I had known.
But that was the problem, she was too quiet, too meek, making a great prey for my father to feast upon.
She was always his first target. when he looses the lottery or comes home drunk or even when he just has a bad day. He abuses her like she was the cause of all of it.
"Go rest in my room. I'll tidy up everything." I wrapped a bandage on her palm, kissing her forehead before she left quietly.
I picked the broom back up, quickly putting away the glass before anyone else would wake up.
——————————
It was 6:38am when I woke up. I freshened up and got most of my things ready for school.
The kitchen was the first place I visited as soon as I was done, just to go check up on Stella because I knew she would be in there.
"No,No,No." I took the pan off my her hands. "You have a bruised palm and still trying to make pancakes?" I dropped the pan on the stove and dragged her to sit on one of stools.
"Why are you up so early? Teens your age need sleep." She said getting back up.
"I'm here to help you prepare breakfast and pack lunch for the kids." I flipped on some of the pancakes.
"You don't have to do that dear. I can do it myself." She helped bring out plates as I swiftly laid the cakes on them and she topped it off with honey and whipped cream.
Stella spread mayo across the bread slices putting in cheese and ham and passed it on to me to cut out the slices.
"We make a team, you and I." I said to her with a smile.
"We do, don't we?" She replied.
"Mommy, mommy, mommy!!" Brittany- the youngest, yelled while running up to Stella.
"Brynn doesn't want me to play with the doll." She whined
"She's been with the doll throughout yesterday." Brynn walked in the room with a Barbie doll in her palm.
"Why don't you both get ready for school and the first to finish gets the toy. Okay?" Stella took the doll as they both raced themselves back.
"Mom! I can't find the jeans. The ones I wore to school yesterday." Cole yelled from his room. He was the fourth Child right before the twins Brittany and Brynn.
"It's in the dryer honey, I washed them yesterday." She replied back.
"Rowan Please get off that game and go prepare for school." She sighed out.
Rowan was the third, he just turned 14 during the last few months.
"Morning." Ace said taking a pancake in his hands and walked out the door.
"In a rush?" Stella asked him, curious.
"Early classes..." Ace responded bluntly and walked away.
"He doesn't even know how to lie properly.." Stella muttered almost to herself but I was close enough to hear it.
Ace was 16, just a year younger than me.
"Kids time to eat." Stella yelled for everyone to hear. They twins rushed towards the counter.
"I won! I got dressed first." Brittany said to Stella.
"You didn't, your shoes aren't even tied." Brynn said, angered.
"It's okay you both,eat your breakfast." Stella tiredly mentioned.
"First one to finish gets the doll!!" Brynn yelled and shoved half a pancake down her throat.
"I personally don't think it's safe for 3 year olds to have that much food in their mouths at once." I whispered to myself.
"I thought you would never get ready." Stella sarcastically said to Rowan. "Well I'm here aren't I?"
Cole soon joined in "Can I get some orange juice?" He asked Stella as he sat on the stool.
Cole was 7 and I could safely say he was the nerd in our family.
As soon as everyone finished their breakfast, Stella took Brittany, Brynn and Cole to school, while I mostly walked with Rowan because his school was closer to mine.
***
"What's up with the bandage on Mom's palm?" Rowan asked as we strolled down the road
"Dad again..." I said almost in a whisper because I hated talking about situations like these.
"How long can we let this happen? We need to do something about this before he kills her." He said in pity.
"I'll try to make sure it doesn't repeat itself." I reassured.
——————————
"Hey Beth" I said to Elizabeth from a distance. "Have you see the new exchange student? He's like sooo cute." She said in a mocking tone. "Who are you mocking this time?"
"Chloe. Her and her friends have been drooling over this dude for hours now " She rolled her eyes.
"I haven't seen him yet but I bet a thousand dollars she's being over dramatic." She continued.
"Why do you care about who she likes ?" I asked going through my locker.
"I don't." She responded awkwardly.
"You haven't seen the guy, he might actually be attractive." We both began walking down the hall.
"Chloe doesn't see someone attractive by their features. She sees them by how much they have in their back accounts or how many cars they have parked in their billion dollar mansions." Beth said mockingly.
"She looks for rich snubs, like herself, to call friends." She continued
"Can we change the topic? Please." I got sick of having people names in my mouth, while certainly they didn't even know about my existence.
***
Half of the school hours had gone by and it was time for lunch. Beth got her food and we walked our way to the table at the end of the cafeteria.
She on the left and I on the right.
Our table were two tables behind Chloe's, she never notices when we walk by and I didn't expect her to, because we were nothing she would want to glance at.
Elizabeth tripped on something as we were walking by.
Her face kissing the cold floor and the food on her plate now spilled everywhere.
"Oops...Maybe next time you should look where you're going instead of starting at my boyfriend." Chloe said harshly, flipping on her hair.
I rushed over to help Beth up.
"Can you be more childish?" I asked under my breath. "What did you say?" She asked in a more sassy tone and a brow up.
"Don't ever touch her again or you would regret it. I fucking mean it." I said walking back to our table.
I and Beth sat down with the group of people on the table.
"What?" I asked when they all stared at me with worried eyes, soon one of them pointed behind me.
A full cup of strawberry milkshake spilled slowly on my hair before I was able to look back.
It flowed down everywhere on my face, shutting my eyes close.
"Don't ever threaten me again." Chloe's voice sounded from above my head as I heard her heels strut away from a distance.
I could feel everyone's eyes on me.
I whipped my face with a napkin that was handed to me to see half of the people in the cafeteria already filming me.
I couldn't possibly let what she did slide, If I get socially embarrassed she should too.
So, I grabbed a bottle of coke that was on the table behind me and cracked it open, throwing the cap on the floor.
All the people on her table widened their eyes as the saw me stand behind Chloe and emptied the bottle on her.
Her hair was soaked and her clothes got damp.
"Don't start something you can't finish." I whispered down her ear and showed my self out the room.
My own actions scared the hell out of me. I had never felt that enraged, never felt that much eyes staring at me at once. I've always been the invisible kid, why the hell did I have to ruin my school record now, Now I'm about to apply for college.
I barged into the bathroom to clean myself up. It took hours before I could get everything out of my hair. The milkshake was all over my hoodie and I didn't bring any other clothes to school, so unfortunately I was left with what I wore underneath.
A fitted crop was my only option.
It showed off at most 60% of my skin and I had never worn a cropped shirt in public before. Not even Beth had seen me in one, and I've known her for over 9 years.
A knock came from the door.
"It's me." Elizabeth's voice sounded from the other side of the door and I unlocked it, allowing her in. She stopped and scanned my top body. "You have boobs?" She asked sarcastically.
"Fuck you." I jokingly responded while she laughed. "Class started ten minutes ago..." She said unbothered. "Shit,I lost track of time." I grabbed my bag from the floor and rushed out.
When I got to class as everyone turned to me. luckily Chloe was absent, I was glad because I didn't want to meet her just yet.
"You're late miss hills." Mr Henry -our science teacher said, turning over to me.
"It wouldn't happen again." I said walking up to my seat, with everyone's eyes still glued on me .
I wasn't sure if it was because of the incident in the cafeteria or if it was because of something else.
"Why are they staring at me ?" I whispered to Beth uncomfortably. "Maybe because they haven't seen you in a crop top before." She said with a smirk.
People longed for attention but mine was the total opposite,I felt like I wasn't in my own skin.
***
"It's about time." I took my bag and left the class with Beth at my side as soon as the bell rang.
"First time you're in a rush to leave school."
"You're not the one people keep staring at." I explained to Beth.
"Stop whining. It's not the worst thing that could happen to you." She reminded.
"Hey-" A light skinned brunette guy came to up to us, nervously rubbing on his neck.
"Go back to your shitty girlfriend." Beth said, pulling on my arm so we could walk pass him.
"I just want to talk." He blocked our path with his skinny but muscular figure.
"I want to apologize about what happened during break." He nervously said.
"Why can't your girlfriend apologize? You didn't do anything to us." She said emphasizing on the girlfriend.
"She left after what happened."
Beth scoffed and shoved him aside, walking away from him. I didn't even know what to say, I just stood there while we stared at each other.
"I'm honestly sorry about what she did to you both." He broke the silence between us.
"Don't sweat it." I stated.
"Why do you allow her to control you?"
"control me?" He clearly was not getting what I was trying to say.
"Just distance yourself from her... You're starting to look like one of her minions." I advised him. "You're talking about Chloe?" I gave him a small nod as a reply
"I'm her boyfriend, I am meant to be glued to her." He said. "How are you her boyfriend when you just came to this school?" He stared at me not knowing how to reply.
"What's her first name? favorite color? Hobbies?" He didn't have a reply to any of the questions I threw at him, he hardly knew Chloe and I was sure she doesn't know anything about him too.
"You're young and wealthy. She's just using you-" "she's not." He interrupted before I could finish.
He was living in a dream if for a second he thought that Chloe actually liked him. "Suit yourself."
Beth was already few meters away from us and I had to jog to get up to her.
"Why would you want to talk to him?" She asked, annoyed.
" He didn't do anything wrong." I replied
"He just looked at Chloe when she did those things to us. He didn't even try to stop her, now he's here to apologize?" She got more annoyed by the minute.
"That's not enough for us to hate him." I said with a bit of an attitude. She kissed her teeth, looking away from me.
"It was Chloe who did those things not him..." I continued, surely annoying her.
It wasn't like it was only him that was sat on the table with Chloe. She had her three other minions sitting with her, but none came to apologize except for him. I doubted the fact that she was actually his girlfriend and was sure that she was lying.
"Bye." I said to Beth as we went our separate ways. Our houses nearly blocks away from each other.
———————————
I turned on the rusty door nob of my front door
and walked in. It was about 30 minutes before Stella and the kids would be back home.
It took me about 15 minutes to freshen up and I threw in a pink nike joggers and cropped top to go along with it.
"I don't owe you shit." Steve yelled from the front door and slammed the door infront of whoever was behind it.
"Sorry about that. What do you want?" I asked a middle aged man that looked a bit vexed.
"The rent hasn't been paid for over six months now. You have till next month to pay off all the bills." He said plainly and left immediately after.
I was sure that he came in the wrong house because Stella never had any problem in paying the taxes, sometimes she pays for the month after.
So I couldn't just understand what he meant by that.
"Give that back!" Brynn yelled from behind the door. "What would they be fighting for this time?" I thought to myself and opened the door for them.
Brittany rushed in holding in a tablet on her right hand as she bounced confidently on the couch.
"Mom,Bri just stole that from me!" Brynn said to Stella.
"You've been with it throughout the ride.It's her turn now." Stella said as Brittany had an achieved smile.
Cole soon came through the door. He sat on the study table, probably to start some of his assignments.
"Go take a shower, then you can continue ." Stella took the books he placed on the table. "But there's this topic..." She gave him a heated stare and his face turned slightly annoyed.
"Okay." He eventually sighed out.
"Ace and Rowan aren't back yet?" She asked while trying to prepare lunch.
"Not yet." I responded, sitting on the stool next to the counter. She turned over to me as her expression changed.
"Change of style?" She asked towards the reason I was wearing a crop.
"It was getting hot.." I said sipping awkwardly from a glass of water. "You look good on it. Maybe you should consider dressing like this more often." She said with a smile."You don't like my baggy fits?"
"I never said that." She responded to my question with a chuckle.
"Come with me ." I said to Ace and Rowan who just came through the door, pulling on their wrists.
"We are going to loose the house if we don't pay off the rent before next month."
Rowan looked worried about the situation but as for Ace, he was calmer than before.
"Doesn't Stella cover the rent?" Rowan got more curious. "I guess she hasn't been... for six months now." I responded.
"Six months!?" They both asked surprised
"No shit." I responded under my breath.
"Stella goes to work every morning. What does she use the money to do then?" Rowan asked. "Let's not put the blame on Stella, she has a lot on her plate already." I stated.
"So how are we supposed to pay it off ?" He asked with a hint of attitude.
"Let's all have part time jobs, before the end of the month we would be able to pay it off." I said trying my best to convince them.
Ace wasn't focused on the situation, he was on the small couch at the corner of the room with his attention stuck on his phone.
"Are you even listing?" I asked Ace who now looked up to my direction.
"How much do you think it's going to be?" He asked plainly. I didn't really know how much the rent would be,we lived in a small duplex so it shouldn't be much.
"Two thousand dollars?" I said unsure.
"Two thousand dollars?" Ace questioned, just to be certain.
"Yes."
"You both can provide one thousand and I would get the rest." He said grabbing his bag and speeding out the room.
"Where would you get a thousand dollars from?" I questioned.
"I know a guy." He said immediately leaving the room.
"So you get five hundred, I get five hundred." Rowan suggested.
"Would you be able to get five hundred?" I asked curiously.
He was just 14, I didn't want to put much pressure on him.
"Like Ace said, 'I know a guy'" He playfully responded before leaving the room.
I went back to the kitchen and Stella was still making lunch.
"Where did Ace run of too?" She asked. "I don't even know for myself." I mumbled.
"What was that?"
"He went to finish up some...school work." I sat nervously on the counter and chugged down the glass of water that was in front of me.
—————————-
It was about 11pm and Ace was still out. I called him multiple times but he never picked up.
Hearing the creaking of the front door, I hoped it was Ace as I walked down to check.
"Here." Ace tossed a bunch of hundred dollar notes on me.
"The hell? Wha- How did you?" I stuttered out. "Don't ask..." He said tiredly.
I stood at the middle of the room like a lost child. Ace had already gone in his room, locking the door behind him.
I had millions of questions going through my mind, about how he got the money or how he got it so quickly but either way we needed the money and I wasn't ready to loose it.
I ran up to my room and hid the stack inside one of my old shoe boxes. Checking up on everyone was the last thing I did and thankfully they were all asleep.
I laid on my bed as thoughts about the rent situation flooded my mind, soon enough I was taken off by the cold wind that came from the open windows.
Thanks for reading. ❤️