Chapter 4
Flashback
"Give it back!" I yelled at him.
"Are you going to cry?" he taunted, dangling my hello kitty bag over my head.
I wondered what he saw in me that made me an easy target and how I could change that. Every single day he found a way to taunt me, every single day since the first day of high school and always made me feel shit, and today was no different.
Maybe if I screamed a little louder, he would stop and give me my bag back.
"Give it back, Matthew!" I tried, but it came out more as a whimper of a scared little girl sick and tired of people picking on her.
"Okay, I'll give it back," he said, his hand outstretched toward me.
"Sike!" he said pouring the contents of my bag on the ground stepping on them—my books, pens, glass case—as he walked away, leaving me there.
"See you tomorrow."
My eyes widened in shock as she uttered that name. The last time I spoke of him was in my diaries I had in high school, and I locked it up with the rest of the junk from that period of my life in a suitcase at the top of my wardrobe.
"Why would you do that?" I asked my knuckles turning white from how hard I was gripping the table.
"Well, since you asked nicely," she sniggered.
"He's rich, and his mum has been trying to get him to date someone for a while. she said, grinning, so proud of herself. "And she's giving you a chance,"
"So let me get this straight," I turned to give her my full attention my anger bubbling now.
"You signed your daughter up to audition for the role of his girlfriend?" I said.
"If you a saying I set you up on a date with a with a rich man, then– yes," she said.
It all made sense now, she never actually cared about she only cared about what I could get her. The perfect opportunity presented itself and she thought of me.
"I'm not going." I said firmly not giving into her manipulation any longer.
"Of course you are," she insisted like she could somehow convince me to do it.
"I just got out of a divorce, for God's sake, Mother." I said not wanting to raise my voice.
The table rattled, making me jump in my seat "You're going for that date!" she slammed her hands on the table.
"I'll think about it." I said as I cleared my plates.
"It's been three months, Andrea," she said loudly. "You can't keep living here," she added as she wiped her hands against her napkin, dabbing the crumbs from her mouth.
"I've been here for three fucking months, Mum!" I screamed at her.
"You need to get back on your feet, and he could help you do that," she tried to reason with me.
"Fuck you. You just want me out of your life, like you've always wanted," I said, inching closer and closer to her face.
"Thank you so much for looking out for your daughter by pimping her out to the next available man out there," I said as I slammed the door with anger, immediately pulling out my phone. I wiped my tear stained eyes dialing Darius's number.
I hated doing this.
Calling him anytime something shitty happened. Maybe she was right and I was always pulling the people around into my problems. Maybe I did need to get back on my feet.
He picked up after the first ring.
"Hi Rea, what's up?" he said, his voice barely audible, the music in the background drowning him out.
"Could you come pick me up." I croaked out barely holding my tears in.