𝙇 𝙄 𝘽 𝙀 𝙍 𝘼𝙏 𝙀 𝘿

14 L I B E R A T E D 14

14 V 14

The next day at school, I was curious to see if I'd recognize any of the kids I saw last night at Rochelle Ronalds' event. But first I have to get out of bed and face some changes. When I got out of bed, after about a week and a half of Janela and her father living here, it felt weird not to have them here.

The other side of my room was empty, but now it just felt weird for me to have it back. And the usual sounds of my uncle in the shower down the hall in the guest room were long gone.

The house was still.

I didn't even hear my parents moving about.

I kind of wonder if I could get away with staying home today. Honestly, some part of me knows that I could easily, but I don't want to stay here. Staring at my bed, it doesn't even feel like it belongs to me anymore.

Staring at my skin...I see the same correlation.

After I was done getting ready, I went downstairs, and still no parents up yet. I made myself some coffee, trying to place my mind into a positive mindset. Maybe my mom would let me chill at the boutique a little bit after school. That usually cheered me up.

"Oh. You're up," my mom yawned, coming from my parent's room. "Let me wash my ass, and then I'll take you to school, okay?"

"Okay," I said quietly.

My mom stopped walking towards her room, and turned back around to stare at me. "Everything's gonna be okay, Vonna. Your cousin's somewhere safe and your father handled your uncle."

"What did he do with him?"

My mother pressed her lips together, a look of indecision on her face. "He won't mess with this family again. For a very long time. If ever." At that, my mom went back to the room to get ready. I stared into my hot coffee mug, conflicting emotions within me.

After my mother was done getting dressed, we left the house silently. The whole time I was waiting on her, I didn't hear my father stir. Matter of fact, I didn't even see him last night when we had came home. A sedentary form of panic was starting to take over my heart, but I didn't know whether my mother would even answer my questions or if she would just talk around them like she did earlier.

"I found things missing in my room when Janela and her dad were living here. I had set up some cameras last night in hopes to catch whoever had been stealing...but, obviously they didn't...yeah," I let my words die off.

"We can use the camera footage for your uncle's trial. To prove that he tried to assault you," my mother said slowly.

"Yeah."

"But you never told me that someone was stealing from you? What were the things? Are you sure you didn't misplace them? Did you ever see Janela or your uncle around with the things?"

"I'm sure I didn't misplace them and Janela suddenly would have amounts of cash that I know her girlfriend nor her father could've been giving her," I told her.

"I know where that bitch is staying. If I found out she stole any of my baby's things, she gonna make the hood jump outta me real quick. Ima really make some fucking hood hop in this bitch," my mother promised angrily.

"It's okay. It was just little things. And it wasn't ever anything expensive-

"But they mattered to you, Von. Sometimes, no matter the price of something, it only has true value to the heart."

"Yeah," I agreed.

We pulled up to my school, the looming building of Aster Waters High enough intimidation to make a giant think twice.

"If you need me to come get you..."

"It's alright, Mom. I got this." I kissed her on the cheek, and left the car, scanning the faces of my classmates in the search of...honestly her.

Liberty.