Chapter 4
Molly
I grunt as I scrub the inside of the stove, scraping at the burnt mess splattered everywhere. I don't even know what it is, but I know it isn't food and the black residue won't come off. I groan, pressing harder with the sponge, but all I get is an aching arm.
“Why Dad couldn’t stipulate until I’ve graduated high school to kick them out, I’d never know,” I grumble, frustration swirling in the pit of my stomach.
I know Ruth did this on purpose because her precious daughter told her what I said about them moving out after I graduate. It’s pathetic and I’ve had enough of them.
Why did Dad even marry Ruth? We were fine without her.
She’s nasty, vindictive, and materialistic. The day she moved in, she made sure I knew I wasn’t welcome. Yet Dad kept her around, ignoring her disdain for me. Now she’s ruined the very expensive stove, which I’ll have to replace—or Ruth and Abby will insist on takeout every day.
I lean back on my hunches and wipe my forehead with a groan.
Today was supposed to be my day off at college and the bar.
I wanted to complete my coursework and maybe try making Mama’s meatloaf recipe that I still can’t perfect.
Instead, I’m cleaning up after them yet again and because the universe seems to hate me.
It isn’t just the stove they’ve decided to ruin out of pettiness because they know they’ll be losing the roof over their heads soon.
They’ve also clogged up three toilets that I’ve now somehow got to unclog and the only reason they haven’t clogged up my toilet is that I keep my door locked.
I eye the stove and swallow hard. It’s going to cost me a fortune to replace all this, and I can’t kick them out until I graduate, not if I want a roof over my own goddamn head.
Damn, Dad and his stupid stipulations.
I chuck the scraper back in the bucket with more force than intended, causing it to rattle and water to splash, just as the back door opens, and I lock eyes with Ruth's nasty, pale blue ones. A smirk appears on her face, seeing me on my knees, cleaning up her mess.
Bitch.
“Don’t forget to unclog the sink as well. I accidentally dropped a spoon in the disposal,” she sneers with glee, and my jaw ticks.
Don’t hit her, I repeat, do not hit her!
I fist my hands, the urge to lunge at her high, and I take a deep breath to try and control my anger before I give her a hard glare.
“All of this has to stop,” I finally snap, “the stove, the toilets, the sink, what else, Ruth?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be ungrateful!” She says with hate, and I snort.
Wow, so I should be grateful that she didn’t treat me with kindness growing up?
“Ungrateful? For what exactly? You haven’t been a mother figure to me, have you, Ruth?
As far as you're concerned, this house should be yours, my car should be yours. News flash, you are the one who got my father into debt, you are the reason why his life insurance and savings had to be put into the house so we didn’t become homeless, you are the reason why your car was sold along with Abby’s to pay off your debts! ”
I stand up, my knees aching from how long I’ve been on the floor, finally giving up on the stove, and I growl, “And you are the one who is breaking the contract you signed before Dad died by damaging the house, and yet you’re calling me ungrateful because I refuse to allow you to mistreat this house longer than I need to? ”
Her nostrils flare as she fists her hands, and I raise a brow at her, not backing down, and honestly, I’m daring her to hit me because at least then I could get her arrested and stay in the house.
“This is my home,” she snaps, but I just shake my head.
“No, this is my home, my mother's home, not yours, you are just an unwanted guest that latched onto my father who thinks she can cause damage and get away with it,” I reply, “Abby causing crap at my place of work, the reason why you have food in your stomach and hot water, you both destroying the house… Why on earth would I allow you to stay after I graduate?”
“Molly…”
I cut her off. “No, the only reason why you are still here, despite the damages you have caused, despite the fact that I know you’ve sold off all your valuables my dad gifted you, is because there isn’t a dorm room available.
But don’t be mistaken, Mr. Chimes has taken photos.
He has logged everything that you’ve sold, thinking I wouldn’t know.
He has logged everything you have purposely broken.
He has also logged every time Abby has caused problems at my college and work.
Meaning you cannot even contest that you’ve kept to the stipulations in Dad’s contract that you willingly sighed and if I were you Ruth, I’d expect a very high bill the day you are removed from the house. ”
I may do everything she asks to keep the peace, but I’m also not a doormat, if I could kick her out now then I would.
I cross my arms over my chest and don’t look away from Ruth as she processes what I’ve just said. I’m fed up with her continuous treatment of me, I’m fed up with her damage, the nastiness, the pettiness.
It’s time she understands she won’t be staying here when the time comes. This is my home, not hers but whether I stay or not, well, that remains to be seen I guess.
Staying somewhere I know her and Abby will cause problems for me doesn’t appeal at all.
“I’ve ordered food at Rebel’s Grub. There isn’t any food in the cabinets after Abby had friends over.
Go and pick it up and pay the bill,” she demands, completely ignoring my words and my jaw ticks as she walks past me, kicking the bucket over in the process knowing she can’t touch me without losing the roof over her head.
Water goes everywhere and she snaps, “And clear that up!”
Mother…
My breath is heavy as I grab the mop and quickly wipe up the water before it ruins the hardwood floors, all the while glaring at where Ruth has disappeared through the swinging kitchen doorway, my grip on the mop handle so tight, my knuckles are turning white.
Hate, so much hate flows through me as I picture smacking her hard across the head with the handle.
Six months, that is how long I need to try and control my anger but it’s getting harder and I know she wants me to snap, it’s why she treats me like crap. I hit her and she’ll get me arrested and will keep the house.
“Maybe I should take up boxing,” I mutter just as Ruth shouts, “Hurry, Molly, I’m hungry!” and I growl as she finishes, “And when you get back after you’ve finished unclogging everything, you can clean my room, it’s a mess!”
Hate, hate, hate.
“Oh, if I could get away with punching her,” I mutter as I quickly clean the mop and bucket away, shoving it inside the side cupboard harder than necessary before I eye the stove, then sigh, knowing I’m going to have to try to replace it.
I shake my head before walking out of the kitchen and towards the stairs to grab my bag and keys all the while, I grind my teeth, knowing that doing as she wants is just easier than nearly punching her and getting myself locked up like she wants.
***
I huff as I push the door open with my back, trays of food that Ruth doesn’t even like in my arms, and my anger pulls at me knowing she’s just made me pay almost sixty dollars for the hell of it.
Does it help that the waitress basically sneered at me the whole ten minutes I was waiting for the order to be finished? No, no, it doesn’t but I am very aware Abby spends more time in that diner than she does in her own room at home.
She wants a brother so she doesn’t have to work.
Everyone has heard the rumors about the MC men, how when they claim a woman, they become their protector, how they treat their women like queens and that is the life Abby wants.
“Aww, look, girls, Cinderella is hard at work,” a whiny voice mocks as I walk out of the busy diner, and I take a deep breath.
“Think of the bitch and she shall appear,” I mutter to myself.
Today is not my day.
“Finished unclogging the toilets yet, sis?” Abby cackles, trying to get a raise out of me, and I grind my teeth as I look her way because yeah, I’m pissed.
Short shorts showing her ass cheeks, a tiny crop top, and way too much makeup.
“Finished on your corner yet?” I retort.
My filter is definitely not in place today after my morning and this bitch is part of the problem. Abby’s face scrunches up with anger and I would bet my mustang that underneath all that makeup, her face is red.
Her friends snort at my comeback, and she snaps, “At least I’m not some sad, pathetic twenty-two-year-old virgin!”
Wow, is that all she’s got?
I shrug, not ashamed. I am who I am at the end of the day. I’ve had to try and fend for myself since I was sixteen, and she decided to scream that my father was dead in front of my whole class, then have a breakdown, only thinking of herself because she wanted to keep my house.
I haven’t had time to date, but honestly, I don’t want to because after watching the man you looked up to bring in someone nasty claiming to have fallen in love with her and she’ll be my new mother, then losing said man and being left with the bitch from hell will do that.
I continue walking towards my car, which, in hindsight, was a bad move on my part, because I know Abby hates being ignored and even worse, she hates not getting a reaction from me.
I hear a screech and before I can even react, a body knocks into mine, shocking me, and I gasp as the hot trays spill down my top and I fall sideways, my feet lifting beneath me as I hit something, and I grunt as sharp pains splinters down my side, and I fall onto whatever I fell on with a choked cry, and Abby cackles, “That is what you get for ignoring me, bitch!”
No one else laughs with her as I swallow the pain that shoots through my left side and my wrist.
“Abby, that is Ace’s bike you’ve just shoved her into,” I hear someone choke, and that only makes Abby laugh louder, and I tremble as I try my hardest to stand up, my legs feeling too weak as I look down at the Harley I’ve fallen on, and bile hits seeing the roaring lion on the tank.
Oh god, she shoved me into a Rebels brother's bike, oh god, I’m dead, that is it, the man will kill me.
My chest burns from the food, and my side is hurting from taking the brunt of the fall, but it all numbs looking at the bike.
I try to swallow the lump building in my throat as I feel someone gently grab my arm. I look up and see one of Abby’s friends reaching down and helping me rise, her brown eyes watching me with concern. I try to get up but as pain shoots down my side, I wince, and she flinches at my reaction.
“Leave her be, Lea,” Abby chuckles, “She deserved it.”
Locking my jaw, I glare at Abby while I struggle to stand upright, gripping Lea’s arm for balance, and sneer, “Six months, Abby.”
She curls her lip noticing I’m not crying, but her eyes widen in realization when I raise a pointed brow at her before the diner door suddenly slams open making me jump and everyone freezes.I don’t want to look but I know I have to, knowing it’ll be the brother whose bike I was shoved into and I turn to see who walked out, bracing myself but instead I suck in a breath at the imposing man before me.
Oh my…
At least six feet tall, muscles that stretch out his black shirt, the cut thing that hugs his broad shoulders, black hair, short on the back and sides, long on top, and…
“Ace, oh my god, she literally just shoved your bike over then jumped on it to make it look like an accident just to get your attention,” Abby accuses breaking my lustful thoughts, but before I can open my mouth and defend myself, the bluest eyes I have ever seen lock with mine that take my breath away.
Everyone fades around me, and all I can focus on is the man before me, a man full of tattoos, and I feel like I gravitate towards him, like…..
“You purposely broke my fucking bike like a patch chasing bitch to get my attention?!” he growls lowly, his voice going right through me, sending butterflies through my stomach, but his words have me pausing, the image of him slowly vanishing, “You’re going to fucking pay for this bitch!”
Okay, never mind, he’s a prick.