Opening the door to our tiny, rustic off white colored house with barred windows, and peeling paint, the first thing I notice is the absurd placement of the furniture. Seriously? Two couches facing each other? Mom is always trying to renovate arguing that she's "upping our feng shui".
But today something is out of place and it's definitely not the arrangement of chairs and sofas. Mom's sitting on the coffee table with her eyes glued to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, currently playing on the computer screen that we use as a makeshift TV. And she's sporting a toothy grin which I definitely haven't seen since her last sugar daddy left her, saying she was too clingy.
"Come here and talk to mama." She hollers while her hand is patting the spot next to her, beckoning me to sit.
"What's up? Why so smiley today?" I question her suspiciously while glaring at her with enough fire, she could burst.
"Now dear, I would be smiling more often if it weren't for you. Just remember doll, that I probably could've been a Victoria Secret model if you hadn't come along. Try being less of a bitch sometime and maybe you could have a boyfriend or at least some decent friends." She chides, reminding me like always that I basically ruined her life and she would've been a millionaire if she hadn't gotten knocked up at 19. Yeah right.
My feet stay glued to the spot I've been in for the entire conversation, but now I start to put one foot in front of the other and head to my bedroom just down the hall and to the right.
"Ok, whatever Arabella. I won't tell you why you need to pack. Just go pack everything right now. We're leaving in two days."
I stop immediately and she smirks as if she knows she caught my undivided attention.
"Moving? Why? What happened? Did the bank foreclose our house? Mom, I told you to pay back all of our debts and make sure all the bills are taken care of. Heck, I even give you all the money I make at Sammy's Shake Shack and it's enough to cover everything. For once, I don't want to be the adult in our relationship."
"Hush. It's none of those. Well, I forgot to pay our air-conditioning bill now that you're bringing it up, but nothing matters because we're millionaires now!" She gets up and starts shaking her body, and doing the disco.
"What are you talking about?" I interrupt her as she continues her happy dance.
Throwing up her hand, my eyes roam to the most enormous gold plated diamond ring, 24 karats by the looks of it.
"Mom, what is that? Please tell me you've thought this through."
"Gosh huh, I knew you were ungrateful, but I never realized how ungrateful. You're lucky I'm telling you and taking you with me because I could also throw your ass on the street or the orphanage."
She pauses for a quick second and her doe-like eyes scan my face for a reaction, but I won't show her that I'm on the verge of tears. I know better than that. Wouldn't want her calling me a woos.
I've been told my mom is the physical embodiment of the word beauty. With her raven colored hair, and bright blue eyes, structured button nose, and pouty lips with a strong Cupid's bow, we could practically be twins.
Yet for some reason, her features don't suit my slightly rounder face, and I'm the definition of ugly. Or at least that's what the girls at school have been telling me since freshman year.
She continues, breaking me out of my trance, "Well remember Mark? Mark Johnson?"
Of course I remember Mark. I've walked in on him and my mom doing the dirty more times than I can count. And five of those times were in my bedroom. She's definitely the mom of the year!
"He proposed!" She squeals unable to hide the sparkle in her eye.
This isn't good, not good at all. My mom works as a high class "escort" otherwise known as a prostitute but she refuses to acknowledge the term. According to her own personal dictionary, apparently girls are only called prostitutes if they please men with less than millions in their bank account.
Well long story short, it's obvious my mom is marrying Mark for the millions he hides always in his bank account, rather than love.
She doesn't love anyone or anything, and it doesn't help that Mark is 67 with a large bald spot in the center of graying hair, with a thick beer belly, a nose that has been broken one too many times, the thinnest lips a man can possibly have, and to top it all off are his hideous sideburns.
Maybe that wouldn't matter if he had a decent personality, but he treats mom like property, and is so traditional that he believes women shouldn't work, there only duties are to please him sexually or make him a sandwich and bring him a cold beer.
"Mom, please think about this. We don't need Mark."
"Shut your mouth. Mark and his money are wonderful." She gushes, most likely thinking about dollar signs.
Knowing nothing would persuade her and clinging on to the fact that I'd be 18 in a year, I nod my head and flash her a thumbs up.
"Ok, do whatever you want. Not like my opinion matters anyway."
"You're right it doesn't, but Mark wants us to move in with him, we've already transferred you to Goldstein Preparatory Academy, the best private school in Beverly Hills."
"Beverly WHAT?!" I scream as anger takes over my body and I'm ready to throw a vase, or better yet pull that diamond off her little finger.
"Stop that Arabella. You know you're ugly when you're mad. We're moving from Riverside to Beverly Hills, you should be happy. You can even get yourself some new clothes."
Beverly Hills. I couldn't even wrap my head around it, French Tips, Maseratis, and Spoiled Pricks, I don't belong in their world. If I thought the bullying was bad now, then I can't imagine how horrible I'll be treated in Beverly Hills, daughter of a gold-digger, called an ugly whore, slut, I can see it all the names now even though I've never even had my first kiss.
"Mom, I'm not going with you."
"Either that or the streets your choice."
I start packing, knowing this isn't going to end well.
YOU ARE READING
Silver and Gold
Teen Fiction"This girl had the potential to become dynamite. And if I ever let that happen, we would both burn." "After him, after everything that happened, my world became colorless, faded black and white just like those old movies, but nowadays it's almost a...
