Run

Chapter One

the sound of a glass bottle smashing next to my head rips me from my sleep. I jump up, to see my mom in a rage. "I TOLD YOU TO CLEAN THE KITCHEN!" she roars as she throws an empty alcohol bottle at me, missing my head by just an inch at most. She is drunk. again. I try to dodge the bottles and reason with her at the same time. "Mom, I did! I did!" I shout. "You're asleep, Chelsea!" she screams as she chucks another bottle. "Just for a minute! I only dozed off for a minute, mom!" I say. "Don't call me mom, you worthless piece of garbage. you are a MISTAKE. my biggest mistake, In fact. all you are is just an accident, something that shouldn't have happened. if I could do it all again, I would have never had you. maybe then your father would still be with me. I was young and stupid. I made a bunch of mistakes, but you were by far the worst." says my "mom". I guess I should be upset by this, but im not. im used to it, actually. this isn't the first time ive heard this. I know she thinks im the reason everything is wrong in her life, but actually, shes the reason that everything is wrong in mine.

"Okay, sorry Esperanza. I should have cleaned the kitch-" a bottle hitting me in the face stops my sentence. it shatters just underneath my right eyebrow. we both pause for a minute while I touch my eye that I can no longer see out of. I feel the warm blood running down my cheek and the shards of glass protruding from my open wound. in an instant, my mom-Carmen- charges at me and I duck under her arm to run through the living room to the front door. "Chelsea! get back here!" she calls after me. I open the door and run outside, the brisk November air hitting me in the face. I pause for a moment and think, Do I really want to do this? and without hesitation, I run as fast as I can. away from Esperanza, away from my house, and away from my life.