Begin Again (A Starting Over Romance)

Prologue - Olivia 17

I wake up in the middle of the night to the door handle to my room rattling. Whoever it is keeps jiggling it, trying to get in. When mom's not in one of her sober periods, there is no telling who will come and go as they please. Too many times have I walked in to her giving payment for drugs in the form of sexual favors. Of those times, I couldn't tell you how many times whoever she was with wanted their payment from me. She used to stick up for me but the last couple of times, she told them where my room was. None of them have gotten in to my room, I kept the door locked whenever I was home.

I stayed away from home as much as I could. I would spend as much time with my boyfriend Logan, as I could. Logan's family knew my situation and they were my saving grace. They would let me stay the night when I needed to, they would make me eat with them because they knew that mom didn't keep many groceries in the shitty trailer that we called home.

Logan's family has money. His dad is the judge in town and his mom is a therapist. They both come from a long line of old money.

The jiggling of my door handle, turns to banging on the door. I lay as still as I can, hoping and praying that the door doesn't open. All the noise stops abruptly. I let out a sigh of relief. Whoever it was, gave up.

I turned over and pulled the covers up to my neck. I start to fall back asleep when a big bang wakes me up, my door flies open and the man I saw with mom earlier is standing in my door way. He has greasy hair, yellow teeth and a beer belly that hangs over his pants.

He walks toward me and I sit up in my bed. "Get out of here!" I yell at him and he laughs. "Now, that's not going to happen, your momma promised you to me tonight for her pills and I'm collecting payment." He says as he starts to undo his belt. I'm not letting this happen. I get out of bed and I tell him "You are not touching me. I'm only seventeen."

"That's where you are wrong little girl, I get what I want, and that's you tonight." He says and steps forward.

"MOM! MOM! COME HELP ME!" I yell and she appears in the door way. "MOM GET HIM OUT OF MY ROOM" I tell again when she doesn't do anything to stop him.

"Olivia, just do what he wants, as a favor to me, ok? Just this once." She says and has zero emotion in her voice. I knew she was a shitty mother but this is another level.

I decide then and there that I'm leaving and I won't be coming back. She isn't going to drag me into this life with her. Ed, I think his name is, reaches his hand out to grab me and I kick him right in the balls as hard as I can. He bends over, cupping where I had just connected my foot. He yells "You stupid little bitch! Now it's going to be worse for you!" He goes to grab me again and my knee connects to the same spot, this time he falls over and I run past him. Mom starts yelling at me about disrespecting her and something about her house and her rules but I don't stick around to listen. I bolt right out the front door of the trailer and I run. I just keep running until I get to the little diner in the middle of town. I walk in and people stare at me. I look down, I'm in my nightgown, but I don't care. I ask to use the phone and I call Logan. Logan will come get me and everything will be alright from now on. Or so I thought.