𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ✔ 𝗚𝘅𝗚

28

"papa," i squealed and ran out of the school bus, going to meet my father. he stopped down as i neared him. when i was at a closer distance, i throw myself in his arms.

my father groaned and a chuckled follow as he sat on the pavement, hugging me.

this was a regular thing.

every evening when im coming from school, he would wait for me in the driveway, even on rainy days, when it's snowing, when the sun is shining bright and when there is a storm coming. he never misses a day to wait for me.

i pulled back from the hug and smiled.

"hi, daddy." i kept the smile on my face and he smiled right back at me, making my heart warm.

"hey, bug. how was school?" he asked and i sit down on the pavement in front of him.

"good. i have a new friend." i said and put up one finger.

"that's good! girl or boy?"

"a girl."

"what's her name?"

"ciara. she's very pretty and she's kind."

father smiled and shared my excitement with me.

"elliot!" my mother yelled, "why is she sitting on the pavement? i told you not to let her do so! her clothes gets her dirty and you're gives me extra work to wash her clothes." mother scowled as she stepped outside and dad looked at me with a look that says 'oops'.

i giggled and got up, brushing off the back of my skirt.

"see, mommy? im squeaky clean." i turned and pointed to my bottom.

she sighed as she neared us and came closer to me, lifting me up.

"hey, pumpkin."

"hi, mommy." i squished her cheeks like she always did to me and she laughed at my antics.

"dinner is dished out, elliot. go inside and fix the table. delilah and i will be right there."

dad nodded and he went inside, leaving mom and i outside.

i looked at her and she looked at me.

i feel laughter bubbling in my stomach and not even a few seconds later, i burst into fits of giggles.

☼︎

"hey, dad." i said, hugging him. he smiled and i smiled back.

i would never get used to him waiting for me on the pavement in the evenings after school.

"hey, doll. how was school?"

"eh, the usual." i shrugged and we walked into the house, "matilda and ciara fought today."

dad looked at me interest, "really now?"

"yes," i nodded, "ciara told me that she likes this girl named anabelle and matilda heard and became disgusted. she called ciara the f slur and said mean things to her."

dad frowned.

"you guys should drop that matilda friend you have." he said and i shrugged.

"she'll be left alone if we do. no one wants to be friends with her except us." i said and he gave me the stink eye.

"kiddo, we're not friends with bullies."

"dad, she's not a bully. she's just voicing her opinions in a rude way."

"in other words, bullying."

i sighed and didn't say anything as we entered the living room and sat down around the huge table that awaited me with my plate in it's usual spot.

"i'll go and get your mom. don't eat as yet."

☼︎

where'd all that go?

that was the last good memory i have of them until everything went downhill.

after that evening when we ate dinner, i saw mother with a pill bottle in her hand, taking 4 at a time. i asked her what was it for and she told me just for some headache. i shrugged it off saying okay and that it was nothing.

dad soon followed suite and it was like they were having headaches everyday.

before i knew it, it came became very bad. my lunch money became less and less as the days pass, them using it to buy whatever substances they were on. they wouldn't get violent but i would see them passed out on the couch, white dust all over them and scattered pills. mother would mutter in her sleep and dad would just twist and turn like he was having a seizure.

i told no one about it and just endured it while i was at home.

when they both left one evening when i was at school, i was shocked and sad. i didn't see my father waiting for me nor his car parked in the driveway. the door was wide open, the windows were, too, the curtains blowing and everything just seemed creepy and empty.

their clothes were still in their rooms, everything messy. their drawers were out, clothes scattered over the floor, empty pill containers and empty ziplock bags.

that evening, almost a year ago, i broke down.

for the first time in my life i've ever cried that much. not even out of all the mean things matilda told me i've never cried so much. i missed school for two weeks, trying to get over their disappearance. i didn't report them because i couldn't and i didn't know what to say to the police if i ever made a report.

there wasn't any note nor letter to say that they were coming back. it's like they just got up and left, no explanations, no nothing.

just empty handed.

ever since then i've been living off of the $10,000 i found in their drawer after packing up back their belongings.

ever since then my life just turned upsidedown.

all of that stopped once anabelle came into my life-ciara's once upon a time crush-who i happened to be dating right now. it's still hectic and i still have so much to experience in life and in school and im doing my best at managing everything.

with a target now being placed on my back, i have to watch out for any suspicious things of anyone trying to pull something crazy on me.

-

pretty much the backstory
we're getting somewhere at least 🤷🏾‍♀️