smoke I gracy I ✔️

14

I loved the shower of sympathy gifts and cards. Anne seemed to appear softer towards me and for the first time in forever, she hugged me. I cried. It's been such a long time. I was hoping for Zach and Bee to visit. Apologize for the unforgiving things they've done. But that never happened. I hope that they are lament after this.

The joy and happiness didn't last long. I was out in a month. The doctors said that I healed fast for a such a young child. I remember mother telling me that I inherited that from dad. How I miss them. When I went back to school, my life was back to normal. Sitting alone, silent and unnoticeable, and me being the same antisocial Stace. Much to my surprise, the bullying got worse than it already was. People called me the savage girl. The attention whore. They would spread lies every day about how I risked my life trying to desperately get noticed. That wasn't true. None for 'em were real. I told Anne the cause of my suicide attempt. She reported this to the principal but they did absolutely nothing about the plight. Ever day I get more depressed. Every day, I have to find a new route to walk to school because people would try and jump me. Every day more and more cuts and wounds appear on my pale unhealthy skin. Every day I'd have to heed where ever I go. I don't get enough sleep because I'm lethargy for this phase I'm going through. I want this to stop. For good.

"Don't fucking come near me!" Erica screeches in my ear. I feel like my ears are going to tear open and make me deaf.

"Yea, whore," Bee says. Her voice is uneasy. She used to be such a sweetheart. Now she's just one of Erica's dumb followers.

Zach just glares at me. Even though he is less intimidating, it still troubles me. Like getting stabbed by the blade all over again. Except with pain.

"Why do you hate me?" I would ask every day. A rhetorical question. But I act like Bee and Erica are in front of me. Like I'm confronting him.

"Why do you love her?" I would ask Zach. Not actually, but the same way I do with the girls. "Am I not good enough?" "Am I too fat?" Maybe that's it. Maybe because I'm too heavy.

Anne promised me that she wouldn't smoke. Ever again. But it's not true. I can tell. She gets weaker every day. I feel like she's going to leave me. Like mom and dad did. Like, Liam. I had to get 2 jobs because of Anne. Our finances are low and we are struggling to pay for our necessities. Anne already lost her job at the pre-school she worked at. Liam wasn't there anymore to support us. It all comes down to me. I can't remember the last time I saw Liam. How he looked like. Does he still have his bushy beard? His slick brown hair? Does he have a new family now? Or did it all end for him last night?

"NO! NO! NO!" I hear Anne scream. Feet stomp and cries echo through the silent night.

"ANNE! THIS ISN'T WHAT IT SEEMS!" Liam speaks up. "I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING!"

I sneak downstairs to spy on the two. They rarely fight. What was going on? Did she finally find out?

"I CAN EXPLAIN!" Liam yells.

"THEN EXPLAIN ABOUT THIS!!!!" Anne's face is now red. Like blood. Her makeup is smeared and her tears glisten in the light. She opens a shoebox. Inside contains a box of cigars, bags of cocaine, weed, and other illegal drugs stored in the little space.

"Anne...." Liam says. He puts his hands out in front of him. "Look-"

"NO." She roars. "GET OUT!" Anne points towards the door. "GO GO GO GO GO GO!!!!!!!!"

Liam tries to talk to Anne as she drags him towards the front door. I gasp and my jaw drops. When Liam eventually gets out, I stand up and slowly head to Anne.

"M-mom?"

It ended like that.

I still remember the heinous scene. Anne didn't want to admit that she had kicked her husband out. Later, she came out with the truth.

Bee ended up at my house yesterday. I didn't think she remembered my address. She told me that she wanted to speak with me. Anne emerged behind me and welcomed Bee in. But she declined. She said she had plans. Erica, of course. Bee can do better than that. Without another word, she left. To that day, I'm still curious at what she wanted to tell me. Does Zach still remember me? Our memories? Did he ever know about my feelings for him? I wish mom and dad never died. I wish that I never ended up in the orphanage. I wish that I was never adopted.

Most of all, I wish I never met Zach.