"You hate when people see you cry because you want to be that strong girl. At the same time, though, you hate how nobody notices how torn apart and broken you are".-quote from unknown

"Raina!! Get your ass down here!"

Raina hurriedly runs out of her room and downstairs to her see her mother and her step father in the kitchen. Both looking at her with a headed glare in their eyes.

"Yes Ma'am." Fear was evident in Raina's tone as she whispered while looking at her parents.

Stella threw a container at her daughter. "What is this? You forgot to make my food?"

Rain looked at the two perplexed. "I made the dinner. The chicken, rice, corn, everything is ther-

"Except the dessert. We never told you to half ass the food!"

Crap. I really forgot to make dessert tonight.

"I'm sorry momma I'll make it right n-

She hissed at the strong pull on her curly long hair.

David's voice can be heard from behind Raina.

"Didn't I tell you to clean out my closet? Do you think you can just get lazy now and slack off because we be out working?!"

Tears welled up Raina's my eyes. "I'm sorry! I won't do it again I'll fix everything right now!"

Raina then felt the weight of something being thrown onto her. The smell and texture made her realize it was the food she made for dinner.

"No need. Clean this up. You ruined my appetite for the night."

Raina kept her head bowed down as her mother shoved past her along and headed upstairs with her husband.

"You can't do anything right. Just like your no good father you left you."

The comment stung as Raina stood there as she heard their room door close. She stood there in silence for a few moments before slowly bending down to pick up the food that laid waste on the floor.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought.

I'll do better next time and make sure not to forget.

Raina was lost in thought as she continued to clean the kitchen.

Am I really like my father?

The 17 year old didn't know much about her father. Besides the fact she share his last name, all she was told he bailed out on her when she was young. She just knows that since she was 4 her stepdad is the only male figure she's known since her mother married him. He never bothered to care for her nor does he try to. But sometimes when she thinks hard, she wonders who her father was or what was he like.

Was he really a bad man?

Did he really bail on his family?

Did he really not want me?

Is he still alive?

Does he have another family out there?

Does he ever think about me?

Raina shook her head at the thought.

Why would he? I'm not worth it.

~~~

By the time Raina was done cleaning it was already late 11 at night. She crawled into her room. Body sore and in pain from constantly bending to clean up the kitchen over again.

As she undressed in the bathroom she caught glimpses of her body and felt nauseous.

"Disgusting." She mumbled to herself as she quickly turned away from the mirror. She wasn't worth looking at for too long. Not even at all.

After she showered she felt exhausted mentally. So much she couldn't find it in her self to finish her homework. Yet she pretty sure her teachers don't care. They don't expect much for her anyway.

She held herself close. Her birthday is in the next 48 hours yet she knows no one will care for it. She has no friends nor family that care about her enough to even wish her happy birthday. And she'll be 18.

"I just wanna leave from here and go far away."

She pulls the covers over herself as she felt her depression take over as she rubbed on one of her old scars on her arm.

"It's okay... I'm okay."