𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 ——— pleasing a storm
killing me slowly ——— 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞

✤

          "You can't do anything right!"

The sound of my mother's scream filled the house, and a moment later, she appeared in my room like a tornado. The cup she had in her hand exploded into pieces with a loud crash on the wooden panels. I jumped from the bed and looked at her in shock.

"What's wrong with you again?" I shouted, and it took a moment for me to realize I shouldn't have. I didn't want to make her even angrier, but I think I did. I looked at the pieces of the cup that lay beneath my feet. "I mean... what happened?" I added quietly.

"I told you to..." She hung her head for a moment, looking at a point behind me. "It's Selina's..." She swept past me, and with a furrowed brow, I turned to follow her. And then I realized what she meant.

There was a dress from my older sister — Selina. She had given it to me a while ago because it was too small for her, and I had forgotten to hide it from our mother.

Selina has always been my authority figure, and I have admired her more, than any other person in the world. She was the one, who always helped me through our mother's aggressive episodes. In fact, I don't have any idea why she was like that, maybe she had some kind of illness or something, but she never had a diagnosis. One day, she would be throwing plates at me, and the next day she would be acting like the mother, I had always wanted to have.

My sister eventually met a Kook, fell in love with him, and shortly afterward my niece Olivia was born. Unfortunately, her prince turned out to be a regular asshole and left her for an oxidized blonde from Figure Eight. Our mother, hiding behind her beliefs, kicked her out of the house and gave me a categorical ban on seeing my sister. That's how I ended up alone, with a tyrannical mother, at the age of twelve. And I still live with her today. My friends or my sister often ask me why I'm still here, and why I let my mother treat me like a rag. But the truth is, I don't know myself. Maybe it's because I've become too attached to her over the years, or something like that. After every big fight, I promise myself that I'll finally move out and be free and happy. But when I calm down, it all goes away. And I end up staying in the same place.

"Why do you have it in your room?" she asked. My mother picked up the dress and looked at it for a moment. She even gently pushed it towards her, as if to hug it, but with a quick toss, she threw it on the floor and turned to me. "You're meeting this bitch behind my back!"

She comes closer and I feel sweat start to run down my back. She's about to punch me in the face. I don't want her to see that I'm afraid of her, so I straighten up immediately and gently raise my eyebrows. "I'm not meeting her! The last time I saw her was in the supermarket and..."

I didn't get the chance to finish. My mother slapped my cheek with an open hand. "Clean up this mess," she says as she leaves, and then slams the door shut behind her.

Finally, I let the tears flow freely down my face and just lie down on the bed, burying my face in the pillow. I have had enough.

✤

          When I finally calmed down enough to get up, I immediately set about collecting what was left of a mug I'd once made. I remember how I had painted it as part of the extra-curricular activity at primary school. And how proud I was of myself when I gave it to my mother. When her face lit up for the first time in a long time, I thought she would remain cheerful forever, like the mothers of my classmates, but I was so wrong. She may have been calmer for a few days, which gave me false hope that things were going to get better at home, but after that everything went back to normal and I was once again afraid of what was waiting for me when I came home from school.

The remnants of my memories landed in the bin. I breathed heavily and sat down on the sofa in the living room. It wasn't until a moment later that I realized that I was alone, which made me very happy, even though I had no intention of staying home tonight anyway. This whole situation with Selina's dress would certainly cause me more trouble. How could I be so stupid and leave it there? I've been pretty good at meeting her in secret since our mother kicked her out of the house. I didn't even think about breaking off contact with her, because why should I? Because she fell in love? ? She thought she had her life sorted, and the asshole just ran off.

I slowly rolled off the couch, grabbed my phone, and typed a quick message to Zoe. I didn't have to wait long for a reply, as my friend eagerly agreed to meet me.

Without even bothering to change my outfit, I just grabbed my bag and left the house, heading for our usual meeting place. When I spotted the familiar fountain on the horizon, Zoe was already there, but to my surprise, I saw that she wasn't alone.

A familiar blonde waves to me from a distance, followed by the others. As I walk towards them, JJ throws himself into my arms as if he hadn't seen me yesterday, then ruffles my hair. It's always been his favorite thing to do because I'm too short to protest. In return, I give him a nudge in the side and shuffle off to greet the others. Zoe opens her arms and I fall into them and stand there for a long moment, swaying from side to side. Zoya Whitman — but don't call her that, because Zoe doesn't just bite out of love — was my best friend since kindergarten. I couldn't imagine life without her dumb ideas. The rest of them didn't know Zoe's real name, but maybe that's even better. I can totally see her throwing JJ off a cliff because he decided it would be a good idea to call her Zoya at every opportunity. Yeah, it would definitely look like that.

I then walk over to John B and, standing on tiptoe, measure his brown curls, just as Maybank did to me, which naturally meets with his disapproval. Routledge gives me a quick hug, then I walk over to Kiara and hug her.

"So what are the plans for today?" I ask although I'm almost certain what the answer will be. "Honestly? I'd have a drink." the blonde boy replies, and we all agree.

✤

          I was home around midnight. As quietly as I could, I turned the key in the lock and went inside, praying that my mother was long asleep. What was my surprise when the light in the hallway turn on almost immediately.

"Where have you been again, huh?" My mother's scream spread throughout the house. And I didn't have the strength to argue with her again, so I explained as gently as I could, that I was with friends she knew. I still remember John B. from the stroller, because our dads were best friends. "I don't believe a word you say! You're just like your damn sister! And you know what..." the woman almost ran into my room, only to return a moment later with a small duffel bag. "Pack your stuff and get the fuck out!"

"What? Mom..." Tears came to my eyes, but she paid no attention to them. "Pack your bags! I won't tolerate your behavior anymore!" She said, throwing the bag under my feet.

I stared at the duffel bag for a long moment, until I realized that what she said, was true. Without a word, I went to my room and packed some clothes, underwear, and cosmetics, and left the house, not believing what had just happened.

I arrived at Selina's house in less than twenty minutes. I knocked softly on the door, considering the late hour and the fact that Olivia might have been asleep for a long time, and the last thing I wanted was a six-year-old over my crying head.

The door opened slowly and there was my older sister adjusting her robe. As soon as she saw me, she threw herself into my arms, and I cried into her shoulder. "Ginny? What's wrong?" She asked me, but I was not able to get a single word out of my mouth.

Not wanting to talk on the porch and be the subject of gossip for nosy neighbors, I slipped out of her embrace and walked deeper into the house I knew so well. Selina's house may not have been one of the largest, but unlike mine, this was where I felt at home.

"Would you like me to make you some tea? Maybe you're hungry?" Ignoring my sister's questions, I sat down on the living room couch and hid my face in my hands. After a moment, I felt her sit down right next to me and put her arm around me.

It's going to be a long night.

notes; i want to hug ginny so bad:(