𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 ʲᵒʰⁿ ˢʰᵉˡᵇʸ

- 𝟎𝟎𝟎

𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤
-𝟎𝟎𝟎-

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆: The plot of this story is all over the place — that is kind of the point. It's supposed to be confusing. It's supposed to be annoying but nevertheless please be kind in the comments as this is my first time writing. If you don't like the book, don't read it. Thank you.

To say Valerie's family was a good one would be one of the worst lies somebody could ever tell. At the age of twelve, Valerie learnt that her mother was having an affair. She had seen the man that she snuck in during the late hours of the night whilst Valerie's father was out in town for business.

And if she had known that going and telling her father the news upon his arrival home would make her life fall apart, she would have never even thought twice about opening her mouth.

Her father, Robert, picked up and left the same night he heard about his wife's actions. Despite his attempts to take his daughter with him, her mother refused.

And things only went downhill from there..

-

Valerie sat beside the fireplace whilst gently swiping her paintbrush over the yellow-tinted paper. From a young age, she had began painting using watercolour paint. It was one of the many things she took interest in.

It was the echoing of her mother's heels coming down the hallway that made her look up toward the door.

Valerie's dress pooled around her whilst she sat on the floor. The door swung open and she didn't move at all. "What're you doing?" Helen, her mother, questioned with a nonchalant tone.

Valerie examined the older woman and held the paintbrush loosely between her fingers. "Painting." She replied bluntly.

A scoff escaped Helen's mouth as she turned to pour herself a glass of whiskey. Valerie shifted slightly and sat upright. "Do you have something to say?" She questioned. Helen raised an eyebrow and turned, leaning on the wooden drawers behind her. "Watch your tone, girl." Helen scolded.

Valerie let out a breath and concentrated on painting again. "You didn't answer my question." She hummed, thinking for a moment before continuing.

"I don't have to listen to you, Valerie." Helen said sternly. The sixteen year old looked up. "Why should I?" Helen added.

Valerie placed down her things and stood, a hand atop the fireplace. "Because I'm the one keeping this roof over our heads. I'm barely managing but yet we're still here." She reminded her. "Do you want me to remind you why it's me that's paying for the house?"

Helen lowered her glass of whiskey and bit her tongue. "Shut your mouth." She hissed. "Clear your stuff up and find somewhere else to do whatever it is that you do — I have people coming over."

This time, Valerie didn't argue. Instead she collected her things and walked out the door without another word. Helen's gaze stayed on her young daughter as she walked off.

When Helen said she had people coming over, she meant the man she had an affair with.

Helen was a terrible woman. A terrible person in general. Never once did she take her daughter's interest to heart. All she cared about was getting shit faced before it hit six o'clock in the evening. There had been many occasions where she'd laid hands on Valerie but it seemed to stop once she started fighting back.