Strip

Chapter 29

Trigger warning: This chapter gets kinda... violent.

Chapter 29

I pulled my self together and was out the door by 1:30, leaving James with Mrs. Copper. The library was only 5 minutes away, but I wanted some extra time to make sure I would be ok in the library.

I reached the library's entrance, and felt a wave a fear rush over me. The building was huge, stone, the oldest building in the city. I felt it towering over me, taunting me.

I took a deep, shaky breath, and started up the 8 steps to the doors.

I was breathing heavy, my heart was beating so fast it was just a buzz, and my legs had turned to raw egg. I reached the top step, feeling like I was going to pass out.

And I wasn't even in the building yet.

I felt tears welling up behind my eyes. How the hell was I going to do this?

I took a step into the building.

And it all came back.

---

Just before I turned 16, my mom started dating this guy named Rick. My mom had only dated a few people back before things got bad, and they had never lasted. After things got bad, she still didn't seem to date anyone, though there were quite a few nights where she went out and didn't come home.

Rick was a huge asshole, and it was pretty clear to everyone, except mom. She sometimes got really really drunk and just blabbered about how amazing he was for hours. Rick wasn't exactly glad about the fact that mom had kids, and I don't think he ever spoke more than 2 words to me, and James was always hidden in his room when he came over. I don't think Rick actually knew my name.

So, my mom dated Rick for about 6 months, as far as I knew. Some things Rick was a fan of:

-Beer

-Whisky

-Vodka

-Vodka mixed with apple juice (I had actually watched him make this drink with James' apple juice multiple times)

-Fooling around with my mother on the couch when her kids were trying to sleep.

-Eating everything in the house, leaving literally nothing for a mouse to eat, much less a family of three.

-Smoking indoors.

-Strip clubs (Is this irony? I'm gonna say it is.)

-Leaving town without telling anyone just long enough to make a certain teenager very excited that he never seemed to be coming back, just to return.

-Leaving town without telling anyone with his girlfriend, making this girlfriends daughter incredibly nervous, and unbelievably relieved when they returned.

-Making huge scenes in public, and very inappropriate places.

-Crappy reality shows, that he watched 24/7 with the volume as loud as it would go.

-Occasionally hitting his girlfriend.

-And hitting his girlfriend's daughter.

He only hit me once. He hit my mom more, but I would try to stop him, he would turn on me, and my mom would somehow make him stop before he actually hit me.

Anyway, so Rick was a total Asshole. So, about 6 months after my mom and Rick started dating, I had to do this project in school.

I will mention that I really loved school at that point. I was still keeping up good grades and it was a distraction from all the shittiness at home.