CHAPTER 28
*PAST*
“Trust your gut”
Maya
I came home exhausted. I wanted to take a shower and go to bed. I needed to call Aaron, too. I was excited for that, but there was still that heavy feeling in my stomach that didn’t let me rest properly on the bus. The closer I got to home, the worse it became.
I wanted to believe that I was sad for leaving Aaron and that was all, but my instinct was high and every sound made me jumpy. I sighed heavily when I entered my house and tried to relax, rotating my shoulders and neck. My body was tense.
My house looked exactly the same, but there was something wrong. It seemed like no one was home, which wasn’t a surprise. I got into my room and knew instantly what was wrong. My clothes were everywhere, my stuff was thrown on the floor, and my secret hideaway was opened.
I started to chant, “No, no, no.”
I had my savings in a moneybox there and it was no longer there. It had a lock on it, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t break it to get the money. I didn’t know how long I stayed there looking at the space that used to be my ticket to far, far away. I almost wanted to laugh. This was ridiculous. The rest of the house was in perfect condition. I knew who did this, and it hurt even more that I wasn’t even that surprised.
The main door opened and closed, before I heard familiar footsteps that stumbled all the way into the middle of the living room. He could perfectly see the mess in my room. The mess that he made. I looked at him with all the hatred and hurt that I was feeling while he blinked back without showing a speck of empathy. He reeked of alcohol, and I found him the most disgusting person in the entire world.
“Where’s my money?”
My voice sounded flat, even though my insides were burning with rage. He laughed.
“It’s not your money, ungrateful girl. We put a roof over your head and food, and you hide money from us? You owe us money. Do you know how expensive it is to have a kid?”
“Where is it? Did you spend it all?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“I have been saving it for years. It was for college.”
I didn’t know why I was explaining this to him. Maybe I expected some remorse, but he didn’t show any. He started to laugh loudly, and I felt my cheeks get red.
“You are not going to college. You think just because you know how to memorize some stupid information that you are smart? You are some stupid girl that is going to live here for the rest of your life. You act so almighty, like you think you are better than us. You are a stupid whore.”
It was like he had hit me, a quick and hard hit to the heart. “What? You didn’t think that I would know? Everyone knows that you are whoring around for some bucks. You act like you have been working hard for years, when all you have ever done—”
“I hate you with all my soul.”
He froze. I didn’t feel anything. I was numb. Then, his face and neck started to get red and instinctively I knew I needed to run and hide, but before I could try, he hit me.