Chapter 1
Lilly: 7:22 AM
I wake up and my feet are cold, so I slip them back under the blanket. I wait for my ears to wake up; unsurprisingly, it's my parents quarreling.
"It's your child! You tell her, you son of a bitch," hollers Dad, at the top of his lungs. The thought of him calling me "it" pokes a needle in my thigh.
"She's our child, Rich! You knew we weren't ready for her," Mom wrestles back. They had me both at the age of eighteen, and they've never been good together since. Yet, they won't leave each other, because apparently "I'm the problem in their relationship." I hate both of my parents, but if I had to choose, my favorite would be Mom, easily (the only reason I hate her is for never leaving Dad, and blaming me).
"Well, then why wouldn't you just abort the baby," Dad shrieks, pushing the needle depths into my muscle. I hear Mom crying before she gives her next response.
"It's not that easy," she weeps, as I sob with her. "It's not that easy," she says again. "You don't understand it."
"I understand it more than you do," Dad says. I clench my fists. "I wouldn't have hesitated to slay that- that thing." The needle slices through tendons now, and shifts into a dagger, causing me to scream and agony and pain, both physically and emotionally. Dad hears my cries. "Lilly," he calls, as I hear him stumbling down the hall. I'm glad they named me Lilly, Dad was suggesting "Bitch" at first, but Mom strongly declined; he still calls me that from time to time. "Lilly, don't you have somewhere to go." I quickly wipe away my tears and spring up in bed. Dad pushes himself through the door, without knocking for the umpteenth time. "You're going somewhere right." I see Mom's shadow quietly making its way to my room along the wall.
"Where is she going," she asks, trying her best not to come into contact with Dad.
"It doesn't matter as long as she's out of here," he replies. The fact he says things like that in front of me hurts every time he does it.
"I'm just going with some friends to the movies. I have to pick up Ellis first," I tell them. Dad rolls his eyes and spins around to leave, huffing on his way down the hall. He obviously doesn't care about any bit of my life. Mom strolls over to me, sitting herself next to me.
"That's it, right," she asks, in a hushed voice while brushing my hair. I nod. "Good," she says, and gives me a kiss on my head. "I don't want you to end up like me."
I carefully place a hand on her leg, and she accepts it, reminding me that she's definitely the easier parent to get along with. "What did you guys need to tell me," I say. The next words that come out of her mouth could ruin my week, so I'm in anticipation.
"Not right now," she answers. "Go enjoy the movies."
I get up and start undressing as she leaves the room. Once I'm fully dressed, I make my way to the front door, I'll skip breakfast this morning.
My hand pulls open the front door, and standing there is my neighbor, Houston. I squat down to his height. "Good morning," he says with a cute smile. I return the grin.
"Good morning, Houston," I reply. "Why are you here?"
"I heard you were going to the movies," he responds. Our town is so small, the littlest word spreads very fast, and yet for the most part we stay out of each other's business. "I made this for you and wanted to give it to you before you leave." He hands me a small, ugly, playdoh man. "Do you like it?"
"It's fucking hideous," says Dad from behind me.
I jump back up to our height. "Dad," I snap. "What the hell?" I push him away. "Go do what you do best. Neglect me." I squat back down to Houston.
