AllFreeNovel
Share Us
rkey on the table. As I pulled back his fingers grazed my breasts. I shuddered in response, revulsion clinging to me like the tendrils of vines.
I started counting in my head so that I didn’t do or say something that would get me in trouble.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
After the numbers flitted through my mind I felt calmer and more centered.
Since a card table served as our dining table, I chose to stand by the counter with my plate of food after I’d helped Ivy and Tristan with theirs. Besides, I didn’t want to be near Jim anyway…or my mom. I was surprised she was actually eating something and not already passed out.
We all ate in silence. We didn’t have anything to talk about, so there was no point in making idle chat. Even Ivy and Tristan said nothing.
My mom’s fork clattered to the ground. “Fuck!” She exclaimed, her face going red with anger. She always got so angry over the dumbest things. “Rowan! Get that!”
I sighed, sitting my plate down. I wanted to tell her to get it herself, but I’d rather avoid an argument.
I got down on my hands and knees, crawling beneath the table to retrieve the fork that was right beside her foot. I grabbed the fork and started to back out. My movements halted momentarily when Jim’s hand landed firmly on my butt, squeezing. Oh, hell no. I was tempted to pierce his bare foot with the fork in my hand for that one.
“Ew! Jim has his hand on Row’s butt!” Tristan exclaimed.
I hastily scooted all the way out and jumped up, tossing the dirty fork in the sink and grabbing a new one for my mom. She snatched it out of my hand so quickly that the prongs scratched my skin. “You little whore,” she seethed, “always enticing the men, even my husband.” Her hazel eyes—the exact same shade as mine—were full of hate. Of course she’d consider Jim touching my butt my fault, instead of seeing that the guy was a scumbag. Her thought process was so twisted. I preferred her when she was too drunk to cause trouble. She was ridiculous.
I knew better than to say anything. It would only serve to make her angry, and I didn’t feel like hearing her spout hateful comments at me. If she got really mad her fists would start flying, and I didn’t want the kids to see that. She’d never hit Ivy or Tristan, only me and even that was occasionally. If she laid a hand on one of those kids though…I don’t know what I might do. Whatever it was, it would probably land my butt in jail.
“I don’t know why the fuck you still live here?” She continued, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. She took a long drag and continued, “Ain’t you eighteen now? I shouldn’t have to pay for your sorry ass.”
Anger simmered in my veins at that comment, and I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. “For starters, I’m twenty-one, and mom,” I said in a condescending tone, “you haven’t paid for my ‘sorry ass’ in a long time. You don’t work, and he barely makes enough money to buy a loaf of bread. So, who’s money keeps this roof over your head?” I glared at her, hatred for the woman that birthed me ate up my insides. “Me,” I pointed at my chest, “I pay for this. All so you can blow your welfare check on booze and cigarettes. So don’t preach to me about values and certainly don’t call me a whore.” I let out a lengthy breath.
She shook with anger, her stringy blonde hair falling into her eyes. It looked like she hadn’t washed it in a week, which was probably the case. I knew I shouldn’t have spouted off the way I had. This wasn’t going to be pretty.
She let out a roaring scream and knocked her plate to the ground. The glass shattered and food splattered against the walls. “Do not talk me that way!” She screamed. “Don’t forget everything I’ve done for you!”
I swallowed thickly, anger rising inside me to match her. “What you’ve done for me?” I yelled back. I hated that the kids were seeing this, but I couldn’t keep quiet any longer. I’d retreated into the shadows, never saying anything, for all my life and finally something inside me had snapped. “What you’ve done for me is ruin my life! You’ve taken everything from me!”
“You’re nothing but an ungrateful bitch,” she spat, shoving the table. It toppled over and food went everywhere. Ivy and Tristan began to cry. I couldn’t do anything to comfort them right now. My mom stalked towards me, her hand raised to slap me. She didn’t though. “Thanks to me you have a life.”
I shook my head. “You’re wrong. What life I had thanks to you was destroyed a long time ago.” My voice wasn’t angry…mostly defeated sounding.
“You really hate me, don’t you, Rowan?” She stared up at me—I was at least a head taller than her.
“I suppose I loved you once, like all children love their parents, but I lost respect for you a long time ago. And after everything you’ve said and done to me…” I paused, lifting my shoulders in a small shrug, “I guess I do hate you. How could I not?”
Her lips twitched into a smile. A freakin’ smile. God, she was weird. “At least you own it.”
“I am what I am. I feel what I feel. There’s no sense in denying it,” I stated.
“You really are my daughter.” Her lips spread up into a wide smile, revealing her rotted teeth.
Hearing the word daughter come out of her mouth, repulsed me. I didn’t belong to her, and I didn’t like her staking claim to me. “I’m nothing to you.”
Something about those words made her snap. Her hand shot out, smacking sharply against my cheek, pivoting my head to the side.
I raised a shaking hand to my stinging cheek. Tristan and Ivy’s cries grew louder. “Try that again,” I warned through clenched teeth, “and you won’t like what happens. Me, them,” I nodded at the kids, “we’ll be gone and you’ll lose all this,” I spread my arms to encompass the house. “Don’t push me, mom.”
Her nostrils flared but resignation shone in her eyes. She knew that without me she’d have nothing. What she didn’t know was that I was nowhere close to being ready to leave. The rent for this place was hardly anything—seeing at it was a dump and all. I couldn’t afford a nice place yet and I knew legally I couldn’t take the kids. I’d end up arrested for attempted kidnapping. But she was dumb and didn’t know that. For now, threats were my only real weapon and I planned to use them to my full advantage.
Finally, she turned sharply on her heel and stormed out of the room. The front door slammed closed behind her.
“Fuck,” Jim groaned, pulling at what little hair he had left. “Ronda!” He hopped up, running after my mom. I didn’t know he could move so fast. I guessed he knew he needed to do damage control for groping my ass.
