Games We Play

Prologue

"Sheila, you made me this way! You made me this insecure, weak, fraction of a man. I can't even trust you when we go out in public!"

"Steve, just calm down. You're drunk. I'm telling you, it was nothing like that. That guy was just telling me about his cleaning business."

"I saw how he was looking at you! Why would you stand here and lie to my face? You whore!"

"Wait a minute, Steve. You're taking this too far. Put the gun down!"

"Shut up!"

He walked closer to her with the gun pointed right at her temple.

"I should kill you for disrespecting me the way you did."

"Please don't, calm down." She said grabbing his hand.

"Stop telling me to calm down!"

"Steve, no!"

The gun went off and she fell to the ground lifeless.

"Mom!" I screamed from the crack in the doorway.

"Shit, look what you made me do!" He screamed at her lifeless body.

He turned to me and I froze in place.

Was I next? I was only fifteen, I wasn't ready to die.

"I'm so sorry baby, I love you."

Once those words parted from his lips, he turned the gun on himself and pulled the trigger.

"Dad, no!" I screamed in horror.

"Lori, wake up! You're having a nightmare." Morgan screamed shaking me harshly.

I jumped up out of the bed and opened my eyes.

"It's okay, it's just me." My older sister replied standing up on the other side of the bed.

I caught my breath as my chest pounded.

Every since that dreadful night, I'd had this haunting nightmare over and over again.

It had been six long years since my parents died, but it still seemed as if it happened minutes ago.

And if that experience hadn't been traumatic in itself, the pain and hardships that followed were even worse.

My sister and I had been tossed in and out of the system, taken advantage of, beaten, sexually molested, anything you can imagine, we dealt with it.

As soon as my sister turned eighteen though, she became my caregiver and took me out of the abusive home we'd both been in.

She began dating a well known drug dealer from our childhood neighborhood, Zone 6 in Atlanta, GA.

Although his job wasn't the greatest, he took great care of us. Of course, it didn't come without a price. He was extremely abusive as well as controlling of her, but was always very nice to me.

He sent me to a private Catholic school until I graduated high school before making sure that I was enrolled in Spellman College where he paid my tuition faithfully.

Price and I had a love hate relationship . When he was nice and took care of us, he was amazing; but when he started his abusive streak and my sister ended up in the hospital with broken bones and fractured ribs, I hated him.

My plan was to finish school with my degree in journalism and move to New York to start my career. I wanted to be able to take care of my sister completely like she'd taken care of me.

I only had six months left before graduating and I was counting down the days, literally.

When I finally caught my breath, I laid back down in my queen sized bed and stared at the ceiling.

Morgan sighed and laid down beside me, "Sometimes I wish that I could've traded places with you that night. I'd rather me have to deal with that trauma instead of you."

"I'm used to it." I lied as I closed my eyes and tried to regroup, "I need to be getting up anyway. I got a tutoring session at ten."

"Yeah, I remembered. I made breakfast for you, your favorite, maple oatmeal and cut you up some honey crisp apples for it." She said rubbing my head.

I smiled, "You do know that I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm twenty one years old now ma'am, I can make my own breakfast."

"I know, but I enjoy taking care of you. You'll always be my baby." She replied.

I nodded, "Well, I appreciate you."

"You're more than welcome." She said winking before leaving the room.

I got up and started getting ready to attack the day.