The Hardest Truth From You | Book One ✔️

| Twelve |

| Twelve |

Where was I suppose to live? Where was I suppose to go? I definitely didn't want to go back to my parents house. They basically disowned me, or actually I disowned them. I just felt like I was living in a dictatorship, especially my mother. I would occasionally say hello, but I couldn't just come back. It would just be too embarrassing for me to just randomly come back to their lives after running from them. I was eighteen, so I couldn't go to foster care. My only option was to bunk in with Riley's for a bit until I could get a real job to stay at a place.

"Thanks for letting me stay with you for a while." I folded my clothes into the empty drawer.

"You're very lucky. My mom was about to turn this place into an office for her to work in . It was such a waste of space since nobody ever came to visit and stay at our place."

"Yeah, but it's really nice." It was small, but cozy. The dark green made the room a bit dark, but the interior lighting illuminated it.

"Thanks. We remodeled it a few years back. Before it looked like an ugly motel room. Now people like you can make themselves feel right at home."

It was still kind of shocking to me that Riley took me in. I thought she would never speak to me again. "Are you still mad at me?"

"Why I would be mad at you for, Rae? You're my best friend. I'm mad at what you did, but I could never be mad at you."

"Do you know what happened though, right?" I said, referring to my pregnancy.

"Yeah, I know. Nick told me. He seems very nervous, you know. He doesn't seem like the type of person who would be ready to be a father. He's pretty naive, sometimes." Riley folded her arms. "I don't want to bring this up, but when did Jamie kick you out?"

"Yesterday. She told me to get my stuff today when she was out of work. So I did so and now I'm here."

"So where did you sleep?"

"At the park in my car."

"Did you take a shower?"

"No." I said and stood up. "Why did you think I skipped school today? I didn't want to go to school smelling like this."

Riley took a sniff of my musky, sullied body and wrinkled her nose. "Well, where did you park your car? In the dumpster?"

"To be honest, I don't know."

After I got kicked out, I ended up stealing alcohol from the grocery store and drank two bottles of vodka until I threw up all of my insides out. I parked somewhere no one can see me, especially policemen that would strike me a big ticket.

"Then go and take a shower." Riley pointed to the guest bathroom. "There's some towels and soaps if you need any."

I walked over to the bathroom and turned my head. "Thanks, Riley. Thanks for being a good friend."

~-~

"Are you doing okay, Rachael?" Riley's mother, Gabrielle, came into my temporary bedroom. I was already dressed for bed, even though I didn't eat yet. I was starving.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks Mrs. Mitchell."

"You can always call me Gabi." She smiled and looked over to my unpacked stuff. "Do you need any help?"

"No, it's okay. I was about to finish anyways."

"Okay, then. Dinner is about to be ready soon. You seem so hungry."

"I haven't eaten since yesterday." I sat on the bed.

"Rachael, you should eat. It wouldn't be good for the baby if you didn't."