Sang's Freedom (Original And Rewritten)

Chapter 17: Home Life

-Chapter 17-

It was a mistake to go home.

I knew it the moment I walked through the door. I was late.

I figured Mother would be sleeping, but no. Of course she would be awake to see me running in the house with a tear streaked face wearing a blouse I knew she didn't approve of.

She spotted the bruises at my neck and struck me hard across the face. Her ring caught my lip and I felt blood dribbled down my chin.

"You're late!" she snarled. "And what the hell happened to your throat? Marie said you started a fight?"

"I...we were just playing?"

"Playing with a boy? My God, you little whore." She grabbed a fistful of my hair and I screamed when she pulled, throwing me to the ground. Her sneakered foot connected with my stomach. Fuck.

"No, he grabbed me, and I tried to fight him off, Mom! Please stop!"

She kicked me harder and caught me in the side when I tried to roll. She dropped a foot down on my chest, settling her weight on to my sternum. It was hard to breathe.

"Mom..." The word was a wheeze.

My vision was flecked in shadow when she pulled back. "Get up you whoring little bastard."

I scrambled to my feet, coughing hard, tears on my cheeks as I tried to ignore the sharp aching pain running through my body.

I stood there, trembling as my mother reached into a kitchen drawer, removing a pack of cigarettes.

She lit one, taking a long drag.

"Sang. You are the worst mistake I ever made, did you know that?"

I tried to not let the hurt show on my face as I shook my head no.

"Well, you are. When you were a baby I should have thrown you into a dumpster. Have you heard about that in the news? The mothers who leave their babies to the rats?"

Again I shook my head.

"But I'm a good woman. A God fearing woman. If I were to go back, I would do the right thing. I wouldn't leave you to the rats, Sang. No. I would just drop you off at a hospital. Any hospital. And drive away. Simple as that...but no. Your father wanted to keep you, and here we are!" Mother took another drag of the cigarette.

I took a step back.

She took a step forward, a ghost of a smile touching her lips as she realized what I was trying to do.

"You're afraid of me, Sang? You whore around with big bad boys like the ones across the street. You like when boys hold you down at school, put their hands on your throat as they touch you, and you're afraid of me?" She laughed dryly. "Hold out your arm."

Oh fuck, I didn't want to.

But with Mother's dark eyes trained on me, I did as I was told.

She lifted the cigarette, and I screamed when it touched down.

***

In my room, I threw my shirt off in rage, and took a long moment to look across my bruising flesh in the mirror.

It would hurt to walk tomorrow.

Fuck, it would hurt to breathe.

All because of that stupid freaking kitten. I should have kept my head down! Hot tears slipped down my cheeks. Old scars crisscrossed my body.

Cuts healed.

Bruises faded.

But burns?

Being burned was worse than anything Mother had ever done to me.

I looked down at the raw pink circle. Ash was trapped between ruined bits of flesh. All around it was red and puffy.

I sniffled, meeting my reflection's dark, angry green eyes. I stood in an old, ugly bra. Blood was at my lip from where Mother had struck me.

I wiped it away.

Stay strong, I urged myself, turning away to close the curtains at my window. Tomorrow is a new day.

It doesn't matter that I have no friends.

I breathed.

It doesn't matter that North hates me.

The boys are not my friends.

Tomorrow, I'll switch classes and this will be over.

I closed my eyes as I laid down in my bed, trying not to think about how bad it would suck to not have a class with Dr. Green...or that piano.