A World of Colors

Chapter 6

I wake up for breakfast the next morning and take a deep breath as I prepare for the first day of school. I had woken up multiple times last night, all having nightmares about this new life. New school, no friends: I don't know how she expected me to handle all of this.

I walk downstairs once I finish curling my sweeping red hair, praying that mom has already left the house to go to one of her fancy breakfasts or to get her nails done.

No such luck. She confronts me the second I walk into the kitchen. It's way too early for this.

"Crystal, you should be grateful!" My mom shouts at me as I grab a muffin from the tray sitting next to the oven.

"Mom, do you ever think enough is enough? Please, try to see this from my eyes."

"This house is beautiful. You live in a rich neighborhood with wonderful parents, money, whatever you want,". I roll my eyes and take a bite of my muffin to cool my temper, but it still floods out.

"I have a wonderful parent. If you want my respect, you should start deserving it. You took everything away from me. If you want me to start calling you a wonderful parent, then you should start acting like one." I can see her taken aback at my words. Her powdered cheeks turn bright red and her eyes narrow. She wants revenge.

"I saved you from a life where you would constantly be hungry and sore, and had no chance," she whispers. "Your old schoolmates don't even care about you. You are useless to them."

I stand up. She sees the fire in my eyes. I wanted to slap her across the face; make her see the truth. At Ridgeview High, we all stood up for each other. We cared for each other, would rather have never seen each other again than betrayed the other. And that was what my mother had stolen from me.

"Crystal, you can't have everything you want. It's time I get some of my own goodness in life."

I clench my teeth. I have nothing I want. You took it all.

"I can't believe you. You think you saved me? I was happy. My friends would have given anything for me. I would rather die than see you get what you want." After I finish, I see her revisiting my words. She grasps the meaning after an eternity, and nothing could have stopped her from hurting me in that very moment.

"Get ready for school. You'll see in time this life is better than our last. Besides, now you can make some real friends." She poisons the air with her words.

I take a step towards her. Real friends? You only want me to have friends with wealth and powerful parents. You want to use me to boost yourself.

She doesn't even have a life. Her only world is based on money. Greed.

I can tell she can read the hate in my features.

"You can't be serious about that, right? I have a life. I'm not your pet. And you can't control everything I do," I snarl. If looks could kill, she would have dropped dead by now.

I storm away from her, glad to see her angry expression at not having the final words. I hear her calling after me, but what I said is true. She can't control me. I grab my backpack and run from the prison. I cross the streets, heading for the bus stop a few blocks away. I slow to a walk a few hundred yards from the stop and try to wipe away my tears away and try to fix down my red hair.

I see the girls with immaculate makeup and revealing outfits eying me and giggling at my obviously sad demeanor. My new life.