Money Over Everything

Chapter 2

8 years earlier

"Jada, get your ass out here now!" My Dad slurs.

I roll over and look at my alarm clock, shit, I slept in.

It's the start of our usual morning routine. Dad stumbles in drunk in the early morning hours looking for anyone that he can unleash his anger on. Unfortunately, between me and Jordan, I'm his preferred target. I usually try to sneak out my window before he even makes it in the front door, but I must have slept through the sound of his truck screeching into the driveway.

I quickly jump up out of bed and throw on a change of clothes. Once I'm dressed, I grab my bag, sling it over my shoulder and open my bedroom window. Just as I slide my first leg out, I hear my door rattle. I promptly drop down on the other side of the window and sit with my back against the siding. I hear my dad open my door and walk into my room. I stay as quiet as I can, hoping that he doesn't look out the window.

There's a loud crash and I wince as I imagine what he's destroying this time. I hear him trudge around as he mumbles a few things that I can't make out. I wait a few more seconds and finally hear him walk out of my room and slam the door behind him. I get up and turnaround, looking back through my window to see what the damage is.

I see my dresser laying on the ground with the things I had sitting on top of it scattered on the floor.

"Dick." I mutter to myself.

I crouch back down and stay against the siding while I walk to the front of the house, making sure I can't be seen through any other windows. I get to the front and see Jordan is already waiting for me in his car. At least one of us managed to get out early.

Before he had his car, we used to race each other to the stop sign at the end of the street. The loser had to clean up dad's mess when we got home from school. The day Jordan came home with his bright red Honda I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous the car looked. But he was proud of it, he saved up every penny he could and bought the cheapest thing he could find. It was a clunker for sure, but it was our first step to getting ourselves the hell out of this place.

"Another lovely morning in the trailer trash neighbourhood." He jokes as he tosses me a pack of smokes.

"I wonder what normal families do in the morning." I laugh.

I pull out a smoke and light it.

He chuckles, putting the car in drive, "Probably eat breakfast together while talking about the
weather and their goals for the day."

"Guess we should consider ourselves lucky then, that sounds terrible."

We laugh together and then sigh.

We would give anything to have grown up in a different home, with different parents. But this is what we were dealt. Dwelling on what we don't have is a pointless use of our time and energy.

Soon we'll be out of here and I'll never have to see that bastard again. I don't know what my mom ever seen in him. Jordan always tells me that he didn't used to be like this, and that before mom left he was a good dad, but he just wasn't able to cope with her leaving. I would really like to believe that, but the only Dad I've ever known has been an abusive drunk.

He's convinced himself that I'm not his real daughter because I've got dark brown hair and blue eyes, even though Jordan also does... But in his defense, I don't think he's been able to see straight for the last twelve years. According to Jordan, I look just like Mom. I think that's why he's so much worse towards me than Jordan. I was only three when she disappeared, and I don't remember what she looked like. Dad destroyed all the pictures of her once he turned to the booze.