I was twelve years old when my parents got divorced, my dad told me that mom is hurting herself and that we need to get away from her, I remember asking who will take her of her then and he said she needs to take care of herself for a change.

It was three months after that when my dad took me to the court house, I didn’t know what was happening back then, I just remember that I was left with a nice lady for a while and then my parents came out of the big door at the end of the hall.

Dad was being walked away by two police officers when mom came to me and took my hand

“Were going to have lots of fun together” she said pulling me away from the nice lady

Mom and I moved into a smaller apartment in a different part of town, I was enrolled into a new school and mom actually found a job at a friend’s company, mom never cooked she would come home from work with dinner in a box then she would go out, she would go out almost every night, sometimes taking me with her and sometimes I would stay home or with the Jamaican family downstairs, she took me to many bars and had lots of fun with her friends while I was left to my own convinces , she would come home late and I had to wake her up before going to school, not much to say about school I had above average grades and didn’t have many friends, none actually I didn’t have much in common with kids my age, I didn’t have a computer or any type of video game console, and I couldn’t bring anyone home to witness my mom being drunk or in the process of getting there, and I couldn’t visit anyone because my mom would have to drive me there and since we didn’t have a car there was no chance of that happening, so I turned to that guy from your class that you keep forgetting his name, during that time mom kept having fun with her group of friends and she had several male friends but none of her boyfriends lasted long.

Later that year mom said that she found a good job out of state and that we’re moving to a new home, I realized later that it had something to do with the people that came to talk to me at school, I didn’t tell them anything it wasn’t right to talk to strangers about family, that was one of the rules that I made for myself since mom didn’t bother making any of her own

Rule number one was don’t talk about mom at school, rule number two was don’t let mom come to school

Our new home was similar to the old one and my new school wasn’t any different from the old one for all I cared they were one and the same; it didn’t take long for mom to make new friends and to get back to her fun life.

This time we didn’t know any of the neighbors and I convinced mom that I would be fine on my own, so I would sleep early and wake my mom the next morning so she can make breakfast and go to work before I headed to the bus station, we didn’t have anything fancy I wasn’t allowed near the stove and mom didn’t cook much or anything eatable for that matter and I wasn’t picky since Mom couldn’t be bothered buying groceries more than once every two or three weeks.

It was during summer that a change happened to our life though I didn’t give it much though back then.

I was startled by my mom sneaking home so she didn’t wake me up “which happens a lot “ except she was different, she didn’t have the usual drunk face and she could actually walk straight, she noticed me staring at her

“hey sweetie, sorry I woke you up” she gave me ah hug and told me things will change a lot from now on, we snuggled that night until I fell asleep, the next few days mom was actually cleaning the house and she wasn’t getting drunk and stopped going out to party and even tried to cook, later that week she brought a friend over to visit, she introduced him as Guy Benedict.

Guy was different from the typical guys that mom brought home for once he was sober And he dressed different, with a suit and tie he was clean shaved and looked too decent to be one of my mom’s associates, he tried to make small talk but I didn’t even bother to pretend to care, it wouldn’t take much time for her to ditch him as well.

Guy kept visiting every other week and mom looked better for it, she smiled more and stopped drinking completely, I was actually coming to like this Guy

He had good influence on mom even I as young as I was could see that in her, fast forward three months mom said that were going to Guy’s place, later that day we got into his expensive looking car and he took us to his house, it was huge and had its own lawn! a big one that you couldn’t mow down in a single weekend, the house itself was at least twice as big as the apartment building we lived in, inside we were taken into a living room that was bigger than our entire apartment, their stood three kids one boy and two girls.

“Kids you met Sarah before, this is her son Jason, Jason these are my kids Thomas Jane and Holly” he said as he pointed to the two similar looking girls, twins with the only different that holly wore glasses

Later that day we sat around a big table having dinner

“We have a big announcement to make” said guy as we finished our meal and a maid came to take the dishes

“Your dad asked me to marry him and I said yes”

The table was silent for a moment before one of the girls broke it, Jane I noted

“So you’re our new mom” and the flood of chatter exploded after

I remained silent, I was shocked these people were strangers to me and mom was saying they are my new brothers and sisters and it seemed to me I had no say in the matter everyone was smiling and seemed happy and soon the talk moved towards a wedding and moving in!

At a certain point I was left out of the conversation though I wasn’t bothered by it, the other girl the redheaded one holly kept glancing at me as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t make it come out.

Two weeks later I was walking my mom to the Altair in a room full of strangers, Thomas and the girls were there and Guy stood near the Altair wearing a suit that made the usual ones that he wore look like garbage, he took my mom’s hand without saying anything, I stepped back and took my place and watched as the ceremony was concluded and everyone went outside for the party, I didn’t follow

The next day we moved in to our new home and mom kept telling me about my new room and that she picked it by herself, my mom and my step dad agreed to delay the honeymoon for couple of weeks until Guy finishes some work in his law firm.

My life has changed significantly in those two weeks, the food was significantly better and we had a big flat screen TV and the most important part mom was happy, though she seemed quite different, she would go out with the girls ask Thomas about his team or go on dates with Guy and she even cooked decent food for once.

It was few nights before they left for a honeymoon that I was walking to the bathroom when I passed near Jane’s room that I heard her talk with Guy

“Cant he just leave”

“No, he’s your brother now”

“He’s creepy and he’s not normal I don’t want him”

“You have to give him a chance sweetie; he’s new here and would need some time to adapt”

It’s not easy to know that someone doesn’t like, but I guess I didn’t talk much with my new brother and sisters

It was a week later after Guy and mom went to Europe for their honeymoon, I was sitting in the living room watching TV when Jane came in and stood in front of me.

I tried looking past her but she took the remote and turned the TV off

I looked at her again

“Let’s make one thing clear you are not part of this family, you live here but you stay clear from us”

“But you’re my sister”

“No I am not” she shouted at me “Thomas is my only brother, your just baggage that came with mom she doesn’t even want you”

“She’s my mother too and she wants me”

“If she wants you why does she spend all her time with me and tucks holly in her bed every night, she barely sees you or bother to talk to you”

“I …”

I tried to tell her that she’s wrong when she just slapped her self and fell back breaking the glass table behind her.

“What the hell happened here” growled Thomas as he rushed into the room

“He slapped me, for no reason”

I wanted to say something but Thomas was already on top of me knocking the air out of my lungs then he started hitting me over and over until he was out of breath

“Don’t ever touch my sister again” he said as he stood up

I stood up after they left, my nose bleeding and my face covered in bruises, I went to my room locked the door and cried

Rosa the maid used her key and brought me dinner that night, after that I kept to myself not talking to Benedict kids and spending most of my time in my room

I tried to tell myself that this is all a bad dream and that soon mom will come back and well go home, she did come back but she didn’t take me home, I stood upstairs looking at her being greeted home by her new children, she noticed me but she was distracted by Jane’s questions about gifts and the places that she visited in Europe and I saw them go together to the living room where they left their baggage.

No one came to tell me that dinner was ready that night and by then I was used to Rosa bringing my some food or leaving me a plate in the kitchen, summer was nearly over and I spent my time preparing myself for the new semester, I was used to this by now since mom never helped me with my school, Mr. Benedict was kind enough to buy me all the books that I would need and I was enrolled in the same school that his kids go to

I was told that Thomas would be driving us to school but at the first day of school I was dropped at the bus station, after that I took the bus to school, I thought this school won’t be any different than the ones I been too, my assumptions were corrected quickly, I was walking to school when this guy stood in my way I tried to pass him but that was even a bigger mistake for as soon as I had my back to him I was struck hard and fell to my knees, he then took the liberty giving me a beat down as his friends stood by and watched, I walked late into class and when my teacher noticed my nose bleed she sent me to the nurse and then to the principle office.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

I was asked who did this to me but several people said that no such thing happened and nothing was done to them and I was marked as a snitch, I kept away from my siblings who I learned were part of the popular crowd, Thomas was an upper class-man and on the football team and Jane was a cheerleader and one of the prettiest girls in school and Holly is also popular just for spending time with them.

The next year was a living hell, running and hiding from bullies coming home beat up and hiding in my room

Later that year there was talk about me having a birth day party and mom kept telling me that she had a surprise for me, I was actually excited I can’t remember the last time I had a birthday

The day of the birthday mom and the girls left early and I waited like a little pub shaking his tail at a new toy all day long, when they came back from their day at the spa the family left for dinner, Rosa the maid gave me a look as they left but she didn’t say a thing, She made me dinner that night and I went to my room and slept,

I might’ve doubted it before or lied to myself about it but now I was sure I had no family or a place to call home, I wanted to leave I was sixteen now and I could file a guardianship case against my mom and I did, after research and preparing files and sending them.

A month later Guy asked me to come to his office, he was holding an envelope in his had

“This came to the office yesterday” he said handing me the court summon

“What of it, I filed the case myself”

“This will destroy your mother, I can’t let that happened”

“I have no place here, I want to go home”

“This is your home”

“No its not, I want to go to my dad’s”

He stared at me for a moment and I held his gaze even though I wanted to look away

“Your dad went messing abroad two years ago”

“Dad … I …. NO ….. YOU LIE”

“I didn’t want to tell you like this but it’s the truth” he said as he place a file on the table

“This is the police report if you want to see it”

My hands shook as I read the file, it made sense the dad I knew wouldn’t be stopped by a court order and he would’ve came to see me sooner

“Your mother can’t know about this” he said tearing the piece of paper

“You will get a debit card and you will have a monthly allowance to buy things you like and you’re old enough to get a driver’s license now you’ll get one”

Guy kept to his word and I had a debit card and in two months I had a driver’s license though I didn’t get a car as a reward like my siblings got when they got their licenses.

I made a savings account and started depositing the money I got in it, I knew it was a bribe and I didn’t care, I am alone in this shitty world and I have to fend for myself

***

It’s been six months since I knew that dad won’t come to my rescue, it was a day school and I fell into my routine, I woke up early and picked up the weights I had and broke a little sweat before taking a shower and heading down to the kitchen, Rosa had made breakfast for me, I ate it and said my thanks before heading out the front door before the family headed downstairs, not having to see the family was just a bonus to my early rising, the real reason for waking up before chickens is to avoid the many gangs and bullies that stood before me and the schools front gate, luckily those guys are always late and I made it to school safe and sound, I might be an awkward loser socially but I studied hard and did very good academically, later on lunch period I took my lunch and sat in my usual location, right beside the trash can, I didn’t sit alone for a long time before I was joined by another socially awkward loser.

“Hey” she said

“Oh hi Sam” I said smiling at her, Sam was the only friend I had, a short haired skinny tomboyish looking girl who share some of her classes with me

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, how are you and math”

“Pretty good I aced my last test”

“Ehhhh” Sam’s little outburst gave us few odd looks

“Yeah do you need any help?”

“I would love some help, I’ve been struggling a lot”

“I could give you my notes”

“Well … that would be appreciated but I was hoping if you could give me some lessons”

“Oh … you mean private lessons”

“Oh don’t make it sound like that I really need some help”

“Ah sorry … sure why not we can study together”

“Great, your place”

“no, we can’t study in my place”

“ok we can study at m home let’s say …. Tomorrow …. After School”

The next day after school I met with Sam and we took the bus together to her home, it was a different part of town, we stepped down from the bus in a shady looking neibourhood, Sam seemed confident so I went along with it, after ten minutes Sam stepped into a dark alley way

“Is this where you kill me”

“funny but no my house is on the other side”

I trusted Sam but this place still gave me the creeps even after we passed it

I met Sam’s parents who looked a lot like their daughter, we went to Sam’s room and I started running some equations with her, three hours flew by as we did all our home work and I tried explaining integration to her, her mom popped her head into the room every once and a while and she did again, this time with snacks

“Woo, break time” Sam said leaping from her chair and taking the dishes from her mom

We sat there for a moment before I remembered that I’ve been meaning to ask something

“What’s that, I’ve been meaning to ask you about it for a while” I said pointing at the gadget near her bed

Sam looked at me like I was some sort of a freak

“What”

“You don’t know what that thing is”

“No, not really”

“Man you really are hopeless” she said glancing at me and then at the gadget, and I saw her lips turn upward into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes

“Sam!”

“Jason, do you want to try something cool”

“Ah … no I don’t think so” I said as I stood up

“Oh come on” Sam said as she Dragged me to her bed before she pushed me down jumped on top of me

“Sam … no … we shouldn’t … wait ….. You doing”

“Done”

“Done with what” I said as I place my hand on my head, I could feel the thing wrapped on top of my head

“What did you do?”

“Nothing dangerous, do you know what a dive is”

“Dive” it happened the moment the words left my mouth, my SENSES started fading away I panicked and though that I went blind before I opened my eyes again.

What I saw wasn’t the ceiling of Sam’s room but a clear night sky,

“Where am I” I asked as I stood up and then I noticed that i was wearing different clothes

“I knew it, you’re a total noob”

“Sam is that you” I said Turing around “where are you”

“I am outside”

“Outside”

“Yeah in my room where your body is”

“My body …. Where am I … get me out”

“Relax its only..”

“GET ME THE HELL OUT”

My senses faded again and when they returned I was in Sam’s Room

“What the Hell Sam”

“Don’t shout or my mom will come here” she said placing a hand on my mouth

“I am sorry I didn’t know you would’ve panicked”

I tried to burn a hole through her with my eyes, but she stared me back

“It’s just a game, nothing dangerous”

I pulled back removing her hands from my mouth “I thought I went blind, that wasn’t funny Sam”

“I … I am sorry I assumed you tried one before and wanted you to play the game with me”

“The game”

“It’s really cool it’s the only game of its kind….”

“Not interested”

“Oh please could you try it for me”

“After the scare you gave me, no thanks beside it’s getting late and I should get going”

I said as I stood up

“Jason wait” Sam said, I turned to face her when it happened, her lips were on mine, this is a kiss she was kissing me! Should I do something, she broke at that though

“What was that “

“An apology”

“You could’ve said sorry” I said as I touched my lips

“I think this gave better results” she said smiling at me “it’s getting late, you should get going” she then gave me my bag and started pushing me out of her room

I headed down stairs my face red as a rose as I said goodbye to her mom and dad before heading off, it was a bit chilly but I didn’t care I just had my first kiss stolen from me, I ran back the way came earlier today, maybe I was love struck or maybe all the blood wasn’t going to my brain but the fact is I didn’t see the three guys standing on the other side of the ally until they were on top of me, at first they pushed me to the wall and took my bag and wallet, then came the beating it was a good beating they pummeled me until I was sprawled on the ground, I thought It couldn’t get worse until a sharp pain came rang from my side

I looked and there was a knife hilt coming out of me, blood gushed out of me like stream my eyes were heavy and my vision was blurry and I couldn’t understand all they were saying

“What did you do …. Are you insane … call an ambulance …. Run”

One of the three picked my phone and dialed something before showing it to me

“911 what’s you’re emergency”

“I ….”

He placed the phone near my head and they ran off

“911 what’s your emergency”

“Blood ….”

“911 what’s your emergency ….”