YOU & ME | JENLISA

Chapter 4

Lisa

I flopped down on my bed and closed my eyes. How did my life become so complicated? Every day seems to bring a new entanglement that I can't fight my way out of. It was getting too much, the burden was growing too big.

The whole trailer shook with Bryan's heavy footsteps. I sighed to myself and threw in my ear phones the second I heard him calling out my name. 'Plug In Baby' by Muse played down my ears so loud I couldn't hear anything else.

When I felt a foot to my thigh, I opened my eyes to see him standing over my bed. His face was gaunt, lined and haggard before his time, thanks to the drugs. A fate that's doomed upon me too, if I didn't get my act together and quit. His skin was encrusted with the filth from the street, fuck knows what he had been doing all day but I didn't really care. He yanked out my ear piece with his tattooed fingers.

"Been calling you for five minutes, are you deaf or just fucking stupid!?"

"Neither, I'm just ignoring you." I stood myself up because I didn't like how intimidatingly tall he looked from my laying down position.

My bedroom was tiny, there was barely enough room for my bed and the stench on him made the entire room smell like a brewery. Dirt, alcohol and body odour churned my stomach. Bryan slapped me upside the head, hard.

"Disrespectful little asshole." He spat out. "Where do you keep your money!?" He lifted my mattress and then dropped it back down when he found nothing underneath. He flung open the small closet and tossed out the clothes, while digging through the shoe boxes at the bottom.

"I don't have any money! I can't work... remember!?" He picked up my shoes and slipped his hand into each one, throwing them behind him when he found nothing. "You're wasting your time, I've got nothing."

He grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and pushed his face into mine. I tried to push him away but he caught me a little off guard.

"Listen to me you little fuck, I've got a dealer coming around in half an hour. You pay off my debt or I'll send him into that whore's room for her jewellery collection and drugs!" His words left droplets of saliva on my face and I reached up to wipe them off.

"I've got nothing!" I repeated and pushed him away from me, he stumbled backwards and once he steadied himself on the flimsy trailer wall, he launched at me fully. His curled fist landed on my face and I fell from the impact splitting my lip on the wooden bedpost.

"Get up you lying little fuck! He kneed me in my stomach, knocking the breath right out of my lungs.

"You want me to get up!? I'll get up!" I yelled, while climbing to my feet and throwing a punch on his crooked nose. Somehow he managed to get me in a headlock, continuously thumping my face with his knee. I managed to kick him in his shin and he dropped to the floor. "Don't fucking touch me you piece of shit!" I walked out of my bedroom, trying to get to the front door before he caught up to me.

"I'm a piece of shit!? You go around raping girls! I hope they throw you into jail!"

I turned back, he was behind me now, and smirking smugly, the blood and contusions from my fist covering his ugly face.

"I didn't fucking rape anyone!" I pointlessly defended myself.

He grabbed me by the throat, digging his sharp nails into my jawline and pushing his face into mine aggressively. I could smell the vodka fumes on his breath every time he whistled through his brown-crusted meth addict teeth. "I'm sending the debt collectors your way when they come, you little asshole!" He kneed me in the balls and I coiled over holding myself in pain. He left me on the floor winded and nauseous.

I fucking hated his guts but I was left with no other choice, my mom's days are numbered. If I don't sort out Bryan's problems, the dealers will only hassle my dying mother for his money. The $56 dollars that I've been saving for my mom's medication will have to hold them off until I can somehow steal more money.

They'll beat me to a bloody pulp, possibly even put me in a hospital bed but I'd rather them beat me than trouble my mother.