Lipstick

Zero - Lipstick

Zero – Lipstick

It's been seven years since then. Seven years since I'd heard my mom and dad shouting and throwing things in the living room. Seven years since I woke up and realized my parents were gone.

They had been generous enough to leave us – my sister and I – the house, one car, enough cash to last us a lifetime and a note that said;

Dearest Riley and Adrianna,

Sorry but we—I had to leave. Your dad was being his usual dickhead self and God knows where he ran off to and left you guys as my responsibility. And I'm sorry I was too much of a coward to take care of my own kids. But you know I always wanted to be on Broadway, I wanted to be a star. And now your dad was gone – I didn't have to be a mom anymore; I'm still young and I could still make it in Hollywood. I hope you two understand and forgive your mother. I still love you both very much. The house's yours now, the car's yours and there's about more than a hundred thousand dollars in my old bank account which Riley should take as her own. You two are on your own now and I hope you'll be able to cope alone.

Love, Jasmine.

Riley had thrown a huge fit and tore the paper to shreds that day and screamed at nobody in particular – throwing different cuss words at my mother. I was ten but I wasn't an idiot; right from when she signed with Jasmine, with her name, I knew that she had left us behind. For good.

Once in a while I still saw her on T.V. She did become a success, but she didn't get on Broadway, she acted different romance movies – one where she was either falling in love with a man or crying over a man. I wonder why she never acted one when someone abandoned her or why she never played a mother. It wouldn't suit her anyway, she was never a mother. When Riley turned sixteen, I'd asked Riley if we could go see her but she had scolded me and told me never to mention her again and never to call her my mom, because she really wasn't.

I was young then; I didn't understand anything Riley was saying – I just thought she was being crude and inconsiderate. But now I get it; mom never called, she never mentioned she once had kids and on her numerous interviews, she looked like the happiest woman on earth. It was like she forgot; like we were just a phase in her life that never happened.

Eventually when Riley was eighteen and old enough; she'd put the house up for sale, packed up our things and told me to come live with her in her new apartment. I had declined 'cause I wanted to be independent. I didn't want to depend on Riley all my life – even though she was basically my mother. I knew that one day Riley was gonna get married and I sure as hell wasn't going to share her husband's house with her. Thus, when I was sixteen; Riley had gotten me a two room apartment and I'd been living alone ever since.

The bell rang loudly; signaling the end of school and I snapped out of my reverie, packing up my things in my bag hurriedly. I had to get to work at the coffee shop immediately or Hans was going to flip again.

"Hey Adrianna," I looked up and saw Doris Monett walking towards me with a big smile. Doris was the only friend I'd managed to make throughout high school. She was the only one who knew I lived alone and knew exactly why. She was pretty cool with her deep red hair that had pink highlights – and was forever straight – and her chocolate coloured eyes; she was cool and pretty.

"Hey," I smiled and continued stuffing my bag with books.

She huffed and took my place on the desk crossing her legs and watching me. "So you're not staying for practice?"

Yeah, Doris was also a cheerleader. So she was always prep and full of school spirit, her smile wide and her voice loud enough to damage your eardrum. And she always liked me staying to watch her practice – probably 'cause she was trying to coax me into joining. Never going to happen.