Chapter 3

3

A steel rod grazed my face, slicing my cheek open. Blood covered my clothes.

I had bruises all over my legs, and my body felt like it was breaking.

The festival staff tried to take me to the hospital.

I shook my head and pushed them away.

I couldn't go to the hospital. I had no money, and if I was admitted, I'd lose my shifts.

I begged the manager to give me at least half a day's pay for the work I'd done.

He looked at me with pity and paid me for the full day. He even gave me a boxed lunch and told me to rest.

It was cheap construction site food, oily and salty, but it tasted like a feast.

It was the only time I felt full in months.

But as soon as I finished, my phone rang. It was David.

"I heard you're working a side job. Where's the money? Transfer it now."

"I got hurt today. Can I keep some for medicine?" I asked tentatively.

"You bitch! So what if you're hurt? Suck it up! Send the money now!" he screamed.

I could hear glass breaking in the background. He was out drinking.

I squeezed my eyes shut to stop the tears.

"Hurry up! Raising a girl like you is a curse!" he yelled before hanging up.

I transferred the money.

Later, I found a job as a barista that didn't clash with my mill shifts.

I had a talent for it and worked harder than anyone. The owner, Nina, really looked out for me.

One payday, Nina gave me an extra fifty dollars.

"You're too thin, honey. Go buy yourself a real meal," she said with a warm smile.

I planned to spend ten dollars on a good dinner and the rest on more books.

But then I saw my parents standing at the mill gates.

They were with Grant, who was wearing a pristine, expensive private school uniform.

My mother smiled when she saw me, and I instinctively tried to hide my pocket.

She was faster. She reached into my pocket and snatched the fifty dollars.

She waved the bill like a trophy. "See, David? I told you she was hiding money!"

Then she smacked me upside the head. "Trying to keep this for yourself? How much else have you stolen from us?"

"Please, let me keep it. I just want one meal," I whispered.

Lydia pinched my arm hard enough to bruise. "Eat? Look at you, you've got plenty of meat on your bones. You must be eating like a queen behind our backs!"

My father swiped at my head too. "Selfish brat. You don't even think about your brother."

Just then, Grant pointed at a nearby pizza parlor. "Mom, Dad! I want that!"

Back then, a fancy pizza place was a big deal. A small meal cost nearly fifty dollars.

"Let's go, sweetie. Mom will buy it for you," Lydia said, beaming as she led him inside.

I stood outside the window, watching them.

My reflection in the glass looked like a ghost―gaunt, yellow-skinned, and hollow.

Grant ate a slice of pizza and a few wings before getting bored. Most of the food was left on the table.

Lydia thought about packing it up, but she seemed to think it looked low-class in such a nice place. They just got up and left.

When I saw the waitress coming to clear the table, I rushed inside. I grabbed a leftover wing and shoved it into my mouth.

"Miss, this is a respectable establishment. We don't allow beggars. Please leave," the waitress said.

I shook my head, desperately grabbing the plate and stuffing another wing into my mouth.

People at the surrounding tables whispered and stared.

"Look at that girl. She's young and healthy, why is she stealing scraps?"

"It's disgusting. She has no shame."

"My family paid for this! They just left! They're my family!" I tried to explain through a mouthful of food.

The wings I had dreamed of tasted like ash and humiliation.

The waitress called security, and they dragged me out onto the sidewalk.

I sat there and gnawed on the chicken bones until they shattered, swallowing the shards.

The bone fragments cut my throat, making it burn with every breath.

That was the day I decided I had to run away.

Drenched in rain, I knocked on Nina's door.

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