Baby, Don't Cry

Chapter 7

"Are you ready?" I heard my mom yell up the stairs. It's not like I have a choice or not. I sighed as I looked around my room once more. I closed the door behind myself, and headed downstairs where I'd be forced to leave this house for forever.

"I have no choice, do I?" I said rolling my eyes. I'm lucky she's not drunk. I'm lucky she's getting help for herself. I don't want her to damage anyone else.

I sat in the back seat with my phone, and a bag holding things that are important to me, like my headphones, charger, etc.

I can't believe this is actually happening. Never would I have thought that I would be getting dropped off at an adoption center by my own mother. No way in hell would dad let this happen if he were still, you know... alive.

"I forgot to tell you, Mariana. The adoption center that you're going to, isn't going to be able to store all of your boxes. I brought a box of clothes in the trunk, but the rest are going to charity." She explained. I groaned, "At least you're doing something nice for someone other than yourself." I said. She sighed.

Pulling up into the adoption center parking lot, I noticed that it was covered in tree limbs, and leaves. It appeared to be old, and it reeked of mold.

"You couldn't have taken me to a better adoption center?" I groaned. She shrugged. I got out of the car, and grabbed my box from the trunk before walking up to the door. I turned around to wave to my mother, but shortly realized she's gone.

I threw my hand up to the door, and knocked as hard as I could. I shouldn't have done that, the door looks as if it's going to break down any second now.

"Who are you?" A grouchy young lady asked. I put a hand on my hip, and looked up at her as she kept rolling her eyes. "I was just dropped off. I'm Mariana Torres, and you?" I asked. She laughed, a bit before rolling her eyes once more. Now I know how people feel about me rolling my eyes all of the time.

"Follow me." She sighed. She acts like she's so much better than me. Honey, you work in this dump. You can't say anything. I rolled my eyes this time, before taking my box and myself into the center.

I've never seen something as bad as this center. "Is this an abandoned house or an adoption center?" I mumbled. She must have heard me because she turned around, and gave me a dirty look.

She fumbled around with some keys in a desk drawer before picking up a golden key, and handing it to me. "Straight up the stairs is your room." She said. I'm almost afraid to walk up to this room. Seriously, the stairs seem as if they're going to break if I step foot on them.

I walked down the hallway, checking each door's number as I went. I heard faint noise coming from each room, but I chose to ignore it and walk into my room. As soon as I opened the door, the smell of mold hit me like the wind. I began to cough, and wave my hand in front of my face. "Oh, hell no!" I shouted as I grabbed my phone.

I walked around the room viewing the pieces of furniture placed in the room. I viewed the dirty brown and yellow sheets that were white once upon a time and almost gagged at the thought of sleeping in the bed. I didn't bother to reach out and touch the wallpaper that was ripped in many different places, revealing the rusted wood behind it. I quickly stepped back, and snapped a photo before closing the room door behind me.

I clicked on Demi's contact, and began to text her.

To: Demetria

-They've got to be shitting me.

I attached the photos, and tucked away my phone before heading for the stairs. I turned a corner to reveal the girl who met me at the door a while ago. As soon as she saw me, her face expression dropped. "Do you expect me to stay in that room? It's awful!" I said. She stood up from the chair she had been sitting in, and looked in my eyes. "You didn't have to stay here at all." She said.