Set Me Free

Chapter 1

AMANA flung open the door to her apartment and sighed. As much as she hated being home, she hated being out in that heat even more. The apartment didn't have air conditioning, but anything was better than outside.

She was a hood girl but she made sure she look good. Her brown hair was long and loose and natural in her curls. She had warm medium brown skin, accented by makeup she was never without. Nothing expensive but she could make it look good. She wore some ripped skinnies and a black cropped tank top with some cheap black sneakers.

"You better not be slamming my door!" shouted her Momma from the kitchen. "Always makin a damn racket when you come home, shit," she murmured.

"Sorry," Amana said quietly.

She was a whole other person at home. At school, she was tough, stepping to any girl that she felt was fuckin with her. She didn't start nothing, but she ended it, and sure enough there was always some girls who wanna start shit.

At home she was real quiet. She had to be. Momma would yell at her even if she was being quiet, and Daddy would too, especially if he was drunk, and he always was. She always thought they'd be living in a real house if Daddy didn't spend all their money on beer.

"Come on over here Mana. Help me out with dinner," said Momma.

Amana walked into the kitchen where there was rice and beans cooking on the stove with no spices or nothing. She frowned, thinking about how she wouldn't get the cafeteria food that was so much better than Momma's cooking.

"Why you making that face? Come on and get stirring before I whoop your ass with this spoon," shouted Momma.

Amana took the wooden spoon and started stirring in the skillet. She knew Momma wasn't gonna beat her, no matter how much she threatened it. She wasn't the type. She was just loud.

She was getting so hungry the boring food was starting to smell good. Just as it was getting finished up, she heard the doorknob click and the door open.

"Nice to see you home for once, Charles," Momma tutted, sucking her teeth. "Sit down we just about to eat."

"I ain't gonna be home for long," he grumbled, slurring his words.

"You ain't never home for long," Amana said real quiet under her breath.

"The hell you say?"

Amana froze. She didn't think he heard her. "Nothing," she said quickly.

Her Daddy grumbled, standing up from his spot on the couch. "Now I know you didn't say nothing. You already a hoe ass daughter and now you wanna back sass me?"

She tensed up, this time with anger instead of fear. He'd called her everything he could- hoe, slut, fast, stupid, bitch- all without any kinda proof. She'd never even had a boyfriend yet he was under the impression she was fucking around with every boy in school.

"Get your ass over here Mana," he demanded.

Amana set the spoon down on the counter and walked into their tiny living area. Dust swam in the hot air, and her skin felt sticky.

Her Daddy stood, slumped, but lookin pissed as usual. His skin was darker than hers, though his hair was going gray, cropped short with a short beard. His eyes were dull and he wore a white wifebeater and jeans like he always did. He'd yell at her for anything, so she was ready to just stand there and take it til he got tired.

She hardly even heard what he was saying, laying all that on her. She heard the usual insults -dumbass, whore, slut- but suddenly her thoughts focused on something new.