Bitter Hope

Chapter 19 - Mara Rizzo

After prying ourselves away from the most annoying person I had ever met we had finally got home. I took my shoes off and wanted nothing more than to climb into bed. I was about to collapse. I didn't know if it was from the stress of the day or because I had just realized I haven't had anything to eat today. What I did know was my bed was calling my name.

"Mara, please come here." My father said from the kitchen.

"To bed." I answered.

"Not before you eat something." He told me.

I wanted to tell him I wasn't hungry but that was a lie. I was actually starving but I just didn't like feeling weak or like I needed to be taken care of. I have never forgotten to eat before but living on the streets there were more days then I can remember where I didn't have food to eat. So that uneasy feeling that was building all day in my gut I had just realized was more hunger than nerves.

"K." I said I didn't want to argue with him.

I opened the fridge and luckily there were leftovers so I wouldn't have to cook. Kiko was always cooking. She was trying to get dad to eat healthier. Apparently he has a liking for microwavable food. Food is food but I found myself getting spoiled with all the home cooked meals in the last few weeks.

So I took the bowl of rice and fish and tossed it into the microwave to heat up. While I waited for it to heat up I turned around and leaned on the counter top that was under the microwave. Before my food was ready Kiko walked into the room holding a little box in her hand. She had a huge smile on her face as she walked over to me.

"Why does your face look like that?" I asked her.

"Because I'm happy." She answered.

"Why?" I asked her as I was becoming worried she was about to do something crazy.

"Open it." She said as she held out the box for me.

I took it from her and pulled the lid off the box. Inside was a new phone.

"Is this for me?" I asked her.

"Yeah. Dad picked it up yesterday." She said as I took it out of the box to see it was on and already charged.

I unlocked it and went straight to my text messages to see there was nothing there. Nothing new, nothing old. I went to my contact list looking for Bakugo's number but it wasn't there.

"Where are my contacts?" I asked her.

"I don't know. The other phone was broken. I think dad just went and got a new one. It's a new number too. I saved it to my phone and put my number back in your phone." She told me.

"Thank you." I told her as I looked at my phone a little disappointed.

I don't know why I cared about losing his number. He was super rude and the last conversation we had was a fight. So why did it hurt a little that I couldn't text him right now? Because he's the only person you know in this entire country who you're not related to. I told myself.

"Are you nervous about the entrance exam tomorrow?" She asked me.

"No, not really." I answered her.

"Really...I would be so nervous if I was you." She said.

"Using my quirk if far less scary than taking those exams." I answered her.

"Well either way, good luck." She told me as she headed out of my room.

Luck doesn't exist, not for someone like me.