My One Night Chance | Wattys 2019

#3 | Fake it until you make it

"HOW COULD YOU?!" I yelled at her. "You can't marry me away for money!"

"We're on the edge of getting evicted, Arden. No matter how much I work, sell or try... it won't be enough to cover our debts", she said in a sad tone while her hope faded away into the grief she lived her life in. I looked down, playing with my nails...

"I can't do it, mom. I'm too young and I've hardly lived..." I held back my tears while a big lump got shaped in my throat. "I don't want to be sold for money, mom..."

"You're not getting sold. You're getting a husband with a lot of money. It's not ideal but it's a plan to save our future. Or we'll end up on the street." She sighed deeply. "I'm happy they accepted this."

I looked down, even lower than before. The way she spoke and the way she looked at me.

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

"The deal is already sealed", she said and I looked at her. My heart ached and I couldn't hold my tears back. They created a waterfall down my cheeks and my mascara flushed with it. "I'm sorry but you have to do this. For your family. The engagement ball is next weekend."

I started to cry in an unstoppable rate and shook my head. My pulse increased every minute and I couldn't contain my feelings.

"I HATE YOU!" I screamed from the bottom of my lungs and ran out, whipping my dripping nose and endless tears away. My sight was foggy and all I could think about was how life punished me and how SHE punished me.

I ran as fast as I could to the only place I knew I could be safe from her. From it. From everything. I ran to Tracy's house. Her parents were away for the week and it was the perfect place to cry.

She held me tightly while we were sitting on her bed and she squeezed me as I cried more. I couldn't stop crying. My heart broke into million pieces and all I could think about was how my youth was stolen. I was marrying someone I didn't want to marry...

"I-I-" Tracy stuttered as she squeezed me a bit. "How could she do this?"

"I don't know..." I sobbed into her neck as her black raven hair smelled like fresh berries. I looked at her family pictures over at her desk and more tears started to drop down. "My life is over. My crush isn't in love with me. My mother is marrying me away and I haven't even lived a wild and crazy life." I wiped my tears as more just came.

The room got silent for a second or two. It was a depressing silence that consumed us.

"Well... I can't help with the wedding part," Tracy started. "But I can help with the wild and crazy life part", Tracy said and got eye contact with me.

"Huh?"

"How about a crazy night out? You know, go out, kissing boys. Even go all the way if you find a really hot guy." She winked flirtatious as the flirt she was. "You know, live a trouble free life for one night."

"But it would only be for one night", I sighed disappointed.

"Maybe one night is better than nothing", Tracy added quickly while shrugging. I looked at her while thinking, biting my lower lip.

"What do you say? Wanna go out and have some fun?"

I thought everything through in my life so I wouldn't disappoint my mother but this time I didn't care. There was nothing left for me to lose or care about. Nothing I would effect my brother poorly and my mother only thought about our debts.