[To Live] Revised

Hi, Mom!

Y/N slowly crept inside her old home. There was the same peeling paint; the old, rusty gate. Memories came flooding in, making her more and more nervous as she entered.

The house still smelled as terrible as it did before. It still looked as eerie with its ancient, dusty furniture, dim glow, and tearing wallpaper. Somewhere overhead, a desk had been hauled across the floor.

'Yikes.'  Y/N cringed a little. 'She's in another tantrum again.'

She slowly crept to the kitchen. The CPS hadn't arrived yet. She put down the bag of food she had bought from a nearby market.

Y/N decided to cook some donuts for Hanako again. However, she couldn't buy much with her lunch money; she could only make plain, regular donuts.

She cringed a little. Would he be okay with no frosting? She pushed away her anxious thoughts and set off to work.

She got a little less tense as her hands did the work. Although her mind kept drifting to the student Hanako had mentioned, she was so familiar with the recipe the donuts still came out just as well.

All went perfectly. She slowly began to place the donuts in a brown paper bag, when...

"Y/N, is that dinner?"

Y/N's heart skipped a beat, her breath growing hitched. She slowly looked up.

There stood her gloated, just-recently-waken-up mother. There were bags under her eyes, her H/C hair a bird's nest. She also reeked of alcohol.

"For me."  Y/N dared to retort, quickly turning away from her mother.

Even her mom was surprised by her newfound confidence. She furrowed her brows angrily.

"And your arm? That's an expensive bandage!"

Y/N forced all her anxiety on closing the paper bag. Her hands began to tremble. Her mother only got angrier.

"DID YOU STEAL MY MONEY?"

"I didn't." Y/N fought to keep her voice dull, rather than stutter. She did not want to show any weakness. "My friend bandaged it for me."

Her mother stayed quiet for a while. Then, she began to laugh. A hoarse, throaty one.

"You think I'd believe that lie?"

"What lie...?"

"That you have a friend?"

Y/N recoiled, very hurt from her words. She bit her lip and stayed quiet, sealing the package with a firm fold.

"Hey." Y/N's mom stopped laughing. "Give that to me."

Y/N stiffened, a flash of newfound ferocity in her eyes. "No."

"YOUNG LADY!"

Y/N's eyes widened in terror as her mother pushed her out of the way to get her donuts.

However, Y/N was quicker. She leapt to her feet, grabbing the package and holding it to her chest. Her mother gasped in shock.

"You dare act so disrespectful?"

"Th-these are not yours!"  Y/N cried, E/C eyes flashing. "These are for my friend!"

"Why, you little brat... making excuses."  Her mother spat. She pulled something from behind her. All the color drained from Y/N's face.

It was a knife.

"Be thankful I'm only asking for those," her mother growled, slowly taking a step towards her. Y/N couldn't help but press against the wall, still holding the donuts.

"Be grateful I'm not letting you clean the thousands of dishes you should have, having you repaint the walls, having you clean the house..."

"Stay away!"  Was all Y/N could shout. It made her feel pathetic, but she wanted to retaliate. Not give in.

Her mother lifted the knife, cold and unfeeling. "Then let's see how your other arm looks with a bandage."

"That's enough."

Y/N and her mom both spun around in surprise.

There stood a well-ammunitoned man, with a tazer to her mom's side. He was holding her shoulder stiffly. "Mrs. L/N. You're coming with me."

Y/N's mother began to panic once she took sight of his badge. Y/N melted into relief as she read it:

Child Protection Services

●●●

The next day, early morning, at the principal's office...

"You are a lucky one, Y/N!" Her principal nodded approvingly, holding a pile of documents. Y/N wondered what gave him a light mood.

She couldn't blame him, though. She felt free at last. She didn't have to stay at that home. She could stay here.

Kamome High was her home now, and it felt like it.

"Thank you for the help," Y/N said meaningfully. She clutched her chest. "Where will my mother go, now?"

"Taken into custody, where she rightfully deserves to be." The principal took hold of a certain sheet of paper. "Of course, she's gone... but that doesn't mean you go unnoticed just yet. You'll need a new home. And lucky for you, we've found someone willing to take you in!"

Y/N's heart leapt for joy. A chance to be accepted into a genuine family?

The principal slid the paper to her gingerly, waiting for her to read it.

Y/N eagerly skimmed through the contents. She was being adopted by the Tsukiras! Her favorite little cousin stayed there. During family gatherings, the Tsukiras barely showed up, but they never failed to cheer her up in their short apppearances.

Finally, a certain line met her eyes. Her heart sank, the light dying from her eyes.

"Oh."

●●●

Recess...

"My mother is gone!" Y/N cried triumphantly.

"HURRAY!" Yashiro and Kou embraced her in a tight hug. Y/N burst into a fit of giggles, feeling just as happy and relieved as them.

Suddenly, a certain someone appeared. Y/N's smile faltered.

Her grip on the paper in her pocket grew taut as Hanako entered. How would she tell him? And the others?

"Hey, Y/N." Hanako approached her, a blank experession on his face. Kou and Yashiro looked up questioningly as he stooped low, murmuring in her ear.

"Meet me at the Confession Tree later at lunch."