Scarlett has a difficult life to say the least, possibly the toughest of any of her friends. But with the help of the Matthews' and the Hunters, she manages to work her way through. Not to mention, the reminders that come in the mail that a better l...
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"I-I'm sorry." Letty's voice trembles and breaks as she backs away from her angry father.
"Sorry doesn't pay the bills." He growls through clenched teeth, advancing on the terrified teenager.
Neither do you. The teenager thinks to herself. "I was sick, but I-I'm feeling better now, and I have a shift at the store in half an hour."
"Then get to it." He orders, and then backhands her across the face. "That's for talking back." He tells her, and she quickly walks to the door and leaves.
Letty gets to the Market Giant, taking deep breaths most of the way there in order to keep her composure. She does her best to keep herself calm and then gets to work as soon as she makes it inside the building, hoping to distract herself so that she won't think about what happens at home basically every day. She's gotten pretty good at controlling her emotions when she has to, like when she's around other people.
"Hey, why is your cheek all red?" Eric asks as he walks over to his best friend.
"I just got here, and it's cold outside."
"But why is only one of your cheeks red like that?" He questions.
"Because that's the direction the wind was coming from." She mumbles, and then walks away from him, not wanting to talk anymore. Her lies keep getting worse and worse, and she knows it, but she doesn't know what she's supposed to do.
The next night, Miller walks into Letty's room and sits beside her on her bed. "You can't avoid him forever, you know?" The older boy says, and she continues staring up at the ceiling. She's been trying to keep Eric from asking her any more questions.
"What do you care? You hate him anyway."
"I don't hate him. I just think the guy's a putz." He argues, and she rolls her eyes. "Regardless of what I think, he's worried about you. And he has every right to be. He knows that something is up. I mean, he's kinda dumb, but he's not stupid."
"He's not dumb, Miller. Leave me alone." The brunette rolls over and faces the wall.
"What are you gonna do, Scar?" He asks as he looks down at her. "You gonna keep lying and coming up with barely believable stories forever?"
"I'll be eighteen soon enough."
"That's still years away." He shakes his head. "You're gonna end up pushing him away, Scar. And you and I both know how much you're gonna regret it."
"What am I supposed to do?" She questions as she sits up and turns to face him. "Tell him that my father beats me when I don't bring home a paycheck that he deems worth enough?"
