Ethan

Chapter One

Graduation.

That's a step in the right direction. The last step before college. For Maya Rivera, it's the next step into leaving the town she's lived her life in, and leaving her pathetic family behind. Though, she would barely even call them her family. 

Her father had skipped out on them when she was six to run off with a woman who hated both her and her mother, and he never looked back. Followed her like a lost puppy. The thought of him always had Maya's lip curl in disgust. Maybe if he hadn't have left, then things wouldn't be such the shit hole they are now. Maybe her mother would still care.

After he left, her mother had sank into a depression. She knew that her mother loved him, and seeing him leave so easily, without a second thought for the family that he had built with them, had crushed her. After about a year or two of moping, her mother had done a complete turnabout. 

She started bringing guys home every night. Some were repeated every couple of nights, but for the most part, it was a new guy every day. Maya was told that she had to stay in her room, only to leave for school and dinner. 

It only got worse when her mother decided that she didn't like the way that she looked. She used all of her saved money to get surgery, and lots of it, until she felt satisfied with her appearance. They had gone into debt thanks to her.

Maya had come home one day to see that her room was stripped bare, save for her bed and a dozen outfits in the closet. There was no dresser, no desk, no furniture. Her bed frame was gone as well, leaving her mattress to rest on the floor. All the electronics that she had bought with her own saved money was gone as well.

She was fourteen at that time.

When she confronted her mother about it, she had said that she needed some way to pay off the debt, so she sold everything.

Two weeks later, they moved into a one bedroom apartment that smelled like moldy cheese. Her mother had sold the house, and she sold the car they had to get rid of the last bit of debt they owed. Maya was allowed to have the bedroom only because her mother didn't want her to be seen when she brought company over. 

Though the thin walls did little to cover the nightly activities her mother participated in. 

So yeah, Maya was glad that she finally had graduated. Not much had changed since they moved to the apartment. She had been forced to get a job, and her mother took all of the money she made for her own purposes. 

There was little time left before she had to leave for the college she'd been accepted in. Lune Academy. It didn't say what it specified in, but that was okay with her because she didn't know what she wanted to study yet anyhow. She was leaving tonight.

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"Maya! Maya, wait!"

I turned at the sound of my friend, Helen. We had been best friends since we could walk, and Helen was the only person that I had told about my mom. Helen had offered that I move in with them, but I had refused by saying that I didn't want to impose. That and the fact that I knew my mother would drag me back, kicking and screaming, only because she didn't want to lose her only opportunity for income.

"Hey Helen, what's up?"

"Can we go grab a bite to eat before you have to leave? I can't believe I have to say goodbye so soon."

I smiled and let my friend drag me off to our favorite diner for the last meal we would have together for a while. The waitress recognized us, and had our orders sent in without needed to ask what we would like. She sat two vanilla milkshakes down in front of us as well.