1979

"Sadie, get out here!" my mother screamed. Waking up with a jump, my heart beat a little faster as I let out a soft sigh, attempting to steady myself.

 "Now!"

I jumped out of bed and rubbed my eyes, wondering  what it was that I had supposedly done this time. I walked out of my bedroom and into the living room, where my mother balanced her ugly yellow purse on the back of the green suede couch.

"You forgot to take out the trash last night, and you haven't washed the dishes this morning," she started. "I don't know who you think you are, or where you think you're living, but you need to do your shit. You have a lot of things to do today. It's already nine; I expect you to vacuum the house, do the dishes, and clean the kitchen while I'm at the store. Understood?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Better... Your father is at work and he won't be back until later, so you had better behave when I leave. No friends over, no using the phone, no TV, none of that-"

"Okay."

"What did you just say?" she snapped, eyes wide.

"I said oka-"

I was cut off by a sharp smack to the face.

"Don't give me any fucking attitude, you little shit," she snarled. "Do your chores. Ungrateful brat," she muttered under her breath as she grabbed her purse, and without another word, she walked out, slamming the door behind her.

It was safe to say that I was frazzled. I hadn't even been awake for a full minute before she was busy yelling at me and then slapped me. I had no idea what her problem was lately- I mean, sure, she'd always been kind of a bitch, but as I got older, it got worse. I didn't know if I should blame menopause or just her personality, but this was the usual. 

At least my dad wasn't home yet; he was worse than she was, as he liked to drink on his lunch hour- and every hour after. He was one of those people that just reacted poorly to alcohol, but that didn't matter to him. He didn't care that he was already mean enough because his moods didn't effect him, and as for those around him... well, either way he didn't give a shit.

My parents spent enough time fighting with each other that you'd think they wouldn't find the time to scream at me, but some how they managed. They always found a way to take out their problems on me, and as used to it as I was, I was also annoyed by it. Sure, I could take it, but I was tired of it happening every single day.

I set to cleaning the house as I was told, hoping to be done and back in my room by the time my mother returned. The last thing I needed was dealing with her when I hadn't finished my chores. She found any cause that she could to freak out, and I was not going to flat out give her one.

A little over an hour later, I had finished everything and was busy hiding out in my room again when I heard the front door close, making me instantly take the needle off of my New York Dolls record.

I could hear the sound of the paper bags rustling and of things being put in the cupboards, but being that I couldn't hear her talking on the phone or yelling for me, I figured my she was satisfied.

So far, today wasn't as bad as most days. Granted, it was early, but I didn't care. I would take as much peace as I could get. Tomorrow was Monday, meaning I would spend my time being bored at school (and avoiding the creeps), but it was better than being at home.

Now I just had to wait until my mom needed something else, or until my dad got home. Either way, I was on my toes.

°°°°°°

"Sadie!"

"Coming," I called, feeling my heart jump as I heard my mom call for me for the second time today.

I walked through the living room and into the kitchen where my mother stood with her purse in her hand once again, but this time, she wasn't yelling.

"I'm going out for the night; I'll be back late. Your father will be home in about an hour..."

At this point, she began to ramble about 'expectations,' so I tuned out, thinking about what life would be life with a normal family; we'd spend time together, have fun, and we would be able to get along.

Every family argued, but at least with a normal home life, I wouldn't have to be afraid. I wouldn't flinch every time someone at school tried to high five me, nor would I have to worry about covering bruises or having an anxiety attack when someone started screaming at me. Life would be so easy, but so much better.

"Sadie, are you even listening?" she asked.

"Of course. Sorry, my eyes are just a little tired from reading," I lied.

"Whatever. Just remember what I told you, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Be up on time for school," she reminded as she headed for the front door, once again not saying goodbye.

My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything other than a bagel after I had cleaned this morning. It was now almost nine, but I decided to ignore my hunger and take a shower; I didn't want to eat someone else's food and hear about it later.

After I had showered, I observed my reflection with a slight scowl on my face. I had become very thin lately, to the point that my ribs began to stick out and my cheeks were sunken in. My pale skin also bore the occasional bruises, which were a mottled blue-purple color. Other spots were almost yellow-y green looking. My long brown brown hair hung down, stringy at the ends, hiding the fact that my eyes were rimmed with dark circles, and the light notch-like scar that went through my left eyebrow.

I looked like shit, and I was dying for change, but I knew it would never come until I moved out. Being that I was only fifteen, chances were that I wasn't going to be going anywhere for a while. I didn't even know if I was going to live long enough to see the day I could legally do anything I wanted to; I needed to be able to live and do my own thing, but I wasn't going to have time for any of that- especially because I was stuck with my parents.

With a sigh, I pulled on some pajamas and climbed into bed, turning out the light when I heard my father's car pull into the driveway. I was not dealing with him tonight, and it was better to be 'asleep' to ensure that. I was surprised that today was an okay day overall, but who knew what tomorrow would bring.

°°°°°°

The next morning, it was business as usual; I woke up, got ready for school, and climbed out of my window before my parents saw me. It was a nicer day when I didn't start it with getting yelled at, so the earlier I left, the better.

School was mindlessly boring as always, the classic day-to-day drama. As usual, I walked to my out of my second class of the day, watching the jocks pick on the nerds, and hearing the popular girls tear the nice girls to shreds. I rolled my eyes and internally groaned at the idea of being back, but again, it was better than being home.

"Only a couple more years" was my mantra as I headed from my lockers to my third period class, picking up an unwanted walking partner on the way.

The tall brown haired boy beside me was anything but friendly as we walked beside each other; his blue eyes were screwed into a squint and a scowl covered his features. Sour was his constant state of being these days.

Alex, my former best friend. Right on time, just like when we'd walk together when we were friends. Every step I took, I could practically feel him getting closer as we walked to class.

"You can't creep on me," I mumbled to him, wanting him to know that I was well aware of his presence.

"I'm not creeping," he lied.

We used to be as close as could be when we were younger, but one day he said some things to my parents (mainly about how we had snuck out to a party) and I got my ass kicked. Ever since then, there was a major grudge between us. He had never apologized, nor did he appear to care enough to say sorry.

I had assumed it was something to do with his girlfriend, but I was never sure; Debbie had never liked me- not that I cared (she was a total bitch anyway), but I had to admit that it hurt when my one friend left me just because he met a girl that would put out.

As I sat in my seat, Alex sat in the desk beside me, which was unusual, as most of the time he sat near the side window with Debbie, who, as it appeared, wasn't here today. I glanced over my shoulder at him, wondering if he wanted something.

"Do you need something, Alexander?" I asked.

"What would I possibly need from you?"

"I'm not sure; just wondering why you're so damn close to me."

"No reason. Empty desk," he mumbled with a shrug.

"Really?" I asked, looking around at the handful of currently empty desks.

"You mean to tell me I can't sit next to you?"

"That's how it sounds, doesn't it?"

"Sa-"

"What do you want, Alex?!"

"I was just... I just wanted to talk."

"About what?" I opened my note book with a sigh, debating whether or not I wanted to give him the time of day.

"I wanted to see if you were okay."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," he leaned closer, "there's a great big bruise on your shoulder," he whispered.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied, flipping my hair back over the alleged bruise.

"Oh, okay," he mumbled before poking the sore spot.

"Knock it off!" I snapped, leaning away from him. "What's your point?"

"I," he closed his mouth and let out a frustrated sigh, "I'm sorry. That whole thing was a mess."

"What whole thing?" I asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb, Sadie. I know that you're still mad at me for what I told your dad."

I shook my head, bitterly chuckling to myself.

"You don't know anything."

"What happened?"

"None of your business."

"Sadie, c'mon... Parker, tell me what's going on," he insisted.

"Can you mind your own fucking business?" I growled, trying to stay calm as the paranoia ran through my veins.

"You can trust me-"

"No, I can't fucking trust you! You sold me out to my dad and I literally got my ass kicked because of your big fucking mouth!" I accidentally yelled. "If you had kept your mouth shut that would have been one less beating, but no, you just had to say something! Fuck you, Alex," I said, shooting up and walking out of the classroom, ignoring the fact that the entire class was now staring at me.

The teacher called after me as I hurried down the hall, but I paid her no mind as I hurried to the far end of the school to be alone.

"I guess we both have a big mouth," I thought to myself as I tried to hold back tears of frustration.

There was no point in going back to class; either the teacher would be a hard-ass or a pushover, it just depended on whether or not she wanted to write me up for leaving. If she did, the school would call home and I'd probably miss a few days til the bruising going down, if she didn't... well, the odds were lowered. I wouldn't know until later, and I wasn't exactly looking forward to it.

As a matter of fact, I decided not to go to any of my classes for the rest of the day. I sat on campus, waiting until the sun was going down to leave- which probably wasn't the best move, but the sunset made me feel temporarily calm as I headed home.