Don't Text Back

Chapter 1

As I stuffed my clothes in a medium-sized travel suitcase, I feared that I was making the biggest mistake of my life. I never had it easy when it comes to choices, and now, I was about to make either the worst mistake of my life or start a new chapter in a life that I wouldn't regret.

The music blasting from my ear buds blocked out my mother and father screaming at me behind a locked door. God knows if they had more money, dad would kick that door to the ground. It had happened once while he was drunk. Someone as cheap as him thought it was the end of the world when it came to fixing a door or anything else. From that day on, he was careful about the doors in the house and everything that could break inside an apartment.

Even though I was breaking the rules right now, I wasn't a disrespectful child. I listened to my parents, and I did what they wanted me to. I served my father first when it came to dinner and had made my mother coffee before she even asked. In my mind, I was an exceptional child. I'd seen some of my friends talk back to their parents, march upstairs and yell out curse words. My parents wouldn't have had that.

As bad as it sounded, I've had my share of beatings whenever I would lash back. The worst came from my father. He didn't tolerate disrespect. Not one bit. I understood why they did the things they did. Both of them made plenty of mistakes when they were young. My mother had me at 17-years-old with my dad, and that wasn't even the worse thing. That was light compared to the things they had done. Stealing, the drugs, the alcohol, prostitution, and getting involved with gangs. My mother had a scar across her face that reminded her of what would happen to a person who disobeyed the gang leader. My dad survived a bullet to his chest for getting caught trafficking drugs.

I was more sheltered than a newborn kangaroo. Rules were strict for me, and I barely had friends. I didn't know what was out there in the world which drove me insane each day. I wanted to know, and for 18 years I was afraid to leave. For 18 years I had been controlled by my parents. For 18 years I had never had my own opinion or a chance to stand up for myself.

Now we're here. I had my 18th birthday four months ago and had been contemplating this day for a long time. It was time to go. Enough was enough. I had saved money from working as a babysitter just for this day.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my parents, but they were never there for me. I was just so tired of facing my demons alone while having no one to talk to about my own dreams and my own fears. I didn't have an option to be stressed out or sad in my house. No. I didn't have it as bad as they did, so I didn't deserve to be sad. That's what they believed.

I didn't want to cry or be jealous when I saw my friends talking to their parents and laughing. I didn't want to have a mental breakdown when I saw parents doing things their kids liked such as singing and dancing.

I closed my suitcase and took a deep breath while looking at the bedroom door. They didn't want me to leave, and I was afraid of what they would do to me when I would try to walk out that door. It was too late to change my mind. The damage was already done. The front door was only a few seconds away, and once I reached it, it would be my new beginning.

Confidence was never one of my qualities, and at this moment I wished it was. I took the ear buds off and hung them over my ears. Grabbing the handle of my suitcase, I walked towards the door. My parents were still yelling but went silent when I unlocked the door and turned the doorknob.

"You've fucking lost your mind, Alex!" My father shoved his face almost against mine. I had the urge to back up but fear kept me locked onto his gaze. "Put that suitcase away, and we're going to have a long talk. You're going nowhere."

I was about to talk, but my mother grabbed me by my collar, cutting me off. I feared she'd rip my favorite flannel shirt, but that was the least of my troubles. My mother was capable of hitting me in the face, and I assumed she would have any moment.