Hate

Chapter 6

She spent a long time sitting on her bed, knees tucked to serve as a support for her drawing. She hadn’t drawn since the death of her parents. Normally, she was doing it to spare time, either in her classes or alone at home. She also used it as a way to express her feelings. Which was the case now. She drew a foul monster with the facial features of her uncle. She refused to stand in the dining room to eat, preferring to abstain from seeing him. She had never had any problem with authority figures before. For some reason, she seemed unable to explain, Mario really meant nothing to her. Not even a family member. And anyway, he wasn’t her legal guardian.

Her friends said to her that they were missing her a lot. Anika sighed deeply, deposited her sketchbook to take her phone. You have no idea how much I miss you too! She asked them how they spent their holidays, just to start the conversation. Although she put on some music, she still could hear Lisa and her idiot husband arguing. And they weren’t hiding! Mario raised tone, not caring whether the young girl could hear or that his children were with them. This guy is a real asshole. He had no respect for anyone. Anika increased the volume of the music so not to hear their uninterested conversation. She heaved a deep sigh, throwing a quick glance on the screen of her phone. No response from her friends.

She took her sketchbook when she heard a knock at her door. Frowning, she got up to open. Martin stood before her, hesitating. With a calm voice, she asked him what he wanted.

“Do you know why my parents fight all the time?”

Anika shrugged, wondering if she should tell him the truth. He still was far from being stupid. He surely doubted why his parents castigating since the return of Lisa. It was fairly obvious, but the boy seemed to need to have it confirmed. Then she gave him an unrestrained response:

“Because of me.”

“And why? What did you do?”

“I… I shouldn’t have lost both my parents at the same time.”

Martin frowned.

“You couldn’t be expected that, right?”

“No.”

“So why arguing because of you?”

“Because your father didn’t want me. Nobody foresaw that your mother was my legal tutor.”

“What’s a legal tutor?”

“As long as I’m not old enough, I can’t take care of myself alone. Do you understand?”

“And my mother is your mother?”

“In a way.”

She couldn’t deny the obvious. From a legal standpoint, Lisa actually became her mother. But Mario would never be her father. Even if he was thinking about adoption! She still was sure it wasn’t going to happen. Martin finally nodded, understanding perfectly her explanation. She was very honest with him and he seemed to enjoy it. He shook his head again before turning on his heel and getting away from her room. Closing the door, she noticed that the handle had a lock. I’m going to have some privacy in this house. She wondered if it was the same for all other bedrooms upstairs. She shook her head, preferring not to ask. It might be better for her not to tell anyone. A sudden quarrel broke out in the dining room between Jenny and her parents. She wanted her friends to spend the evening with her, but Lisa felt there was still too much work to do before receiving visitors.

“But they don’t care!” Jenny threw, still pleading her cause. “They’re coming to see me!”

“Does your room done?” Mario asked. “If we go to take a look, everything is stored properly? No more cardboard box anywhere?”