***Jessie POV***

**10 years later**

Snuggled in between her bedsheets, basking in the warmth and wanting to sink back into the abyss of sleep; just her bed and her, as it should be. Her curls all over her pillows and face, laying freely. She turned to look up at the ceiling, a smile tugging at her lips, ‘It’s almost time for me to leave this hell hole,’ she thought to herself as a sigh escaped her.

Suddenly, a pair of hard knocks on her bedroom door broke her reverie. ‘Oh well, not like it’s my place,’ she thought, ‘go ahead and break the door, there’s nothing of import in here except my phone and snacks. My time in this hellhole is at its end, though I do wonder who’s knocking like a maniac.’

“Let me guess, my two-faced mother? My father would never, as every time he looks at me, he looks closer and closer to a heart attack, though that’s an offense to people who are, and actually have, suffered one,” she whispered to herself.

“Jessie, dearie, it’s time to get up. You’ve got to get ready to head to boarding school as your father and I have more important things to do than to take care of you.” Her ‘loving’ mother spoke, loud enough to be heard across the door. Without bothering to knock once more, her ‘mother’ turned and stomped back downstairs.

‘I hope she falls down the stairs; wait, no. I don’t want to get blamed for it if it happens while I’m still here. Hopefully she falls after I leave.’ She thought to herself.

‘What? She deserves it if it does happen. Karma’s a bitch, it’s not my problem,’ she argued against her thoughts.

Looking around ‘my room’ isn’t difficult, given that it’s no bigger than a storage room. It doesn’t take long to pack everything, given I’ve only got three outfits, gifts from Mrs. Peach for my seventeenth birthday. I smiled at the thought of that sweet lady, because without her, I doubt I would’ve finished elementary school. I love talking to her, as she’s basically my only friend/mother figure, and I wish I could spill the truth about what happened, a decade ago. Unfortunately, I can’t be selfish, as those lunatics would’ve probably gotten her blacklisted, or worse, potentially killed. Mrs. Peach definitely didn’t deserve either option.

Sometimes I wish she was my biological mother instead of that clown.

“Finally done; time to exit this playhouse,” Jessie said to an empty room, as she pulled her brown hoodie on and headed downstairs.

There she saw her sperm & egg donors, feasting on a luxurious plate of pancakes with eggs and orange juice. She swallowed at the thought of eating breakfast, though the likelihood of that happening was zero; cero; nada; zip. Not even a chance at the crumbs.

‘Okay, I’m not that desperate. I may be a foodie, but I’m certainly not a sadistic one.’ She thought to herself, rather dryly.

Arriving in the kitchen with my two boxes, the laughter and conversation halted, putting me in the direct spotlight. I hate that, especially since it happens every time I step into a room they’re occupying. Like I’m a demon and they’re perfectly innocent angels. It makes me wanna vomit so bad; though they don’t deserve to see it. I’m more of a situational bitch than a full-on bitch, alright?

That’s why I try to avoid all the places I know they’ll be in, leaving me to spend the last decade in my room, as fun and exciting as that was. The only exceptions were when I left the house to visit Mrs. Peach with he car she gifted me. I made sure to keep it hidden from those idiots, didn’t need them taking my escape away if shit hit the fan and they tried to silence me.

My ‘dad’ breaks the silence with resting bitch face, staring at me like he’s constipated.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

‘Damn, he really needs to get that fixed; at some point, enough is enough.’ She thought to herself.

“Ah, Jessie? Your father’s talking to you; I thought we taught you better than that?” ‘Mother’ glared at me like I’d stolen her man.

‘What the fuck? All I remember is y’all teaching me to fear & hate you. It’s like I’ve been stuck in a psychological horror movie.’ She thought in annoyance.

‘Mother’ sat there, waiting for me to answer, a stiff smile on her face. ‘Too much botox, I see,’ she thought dryly.

Putting both her and his plate in the sink, I muster my fakest smile, staring at them sickly sweetly, like a girl trying to please evil in-laws.

“Please forgive,” I start as I turn to look at them harder, as if suppressing tears and sorry while flipping my curly to the side in distress, “Jessie is a disappointment, even after all the ‘teachings.’ It was just… I’m just so attached to my childhood home, ‘memories’ and all that. Jessie will stop & make you proud,” she spoke softly as she picked up her boxes.

Jessie held in her laughter at her mother’s blank face, ‘Bet you didn’t think I could act, huh? I’m a theater kid, too, bitch. Though, I only practiced in front of Mrs. Peach or alone.’

While Mr. Resting Bitch Face did his iconic stare, ‘Am I supposed to cry, or maybe piss my panties? Is he okay? This man must not be getting anything, none, nada. No pussy. Dry ass pussy. Okay, I need to wash my mouth out, I’m wildin’ a bit.’

“Why are you staring at me? Hurry up and get the fuck off my property. I feel like I’m going to drop dead, looking at your face,” he said, grunting angrily.

‘Then do it; roll over and die. Oh, guess you won’t; that’s what I thought, ya drama fuck.’

‘He has the audacity to talk about my looks, when he’s balding all over, and what hair he has, is gray and looks dead inside. That combined with his pale face, like someone too much powder alongside her botox-stiff smile; they’re really a match made in purgatory, aren’t they?’

‘Why are you looking at me like that? Hell’s too good for them, especially if sweets exist.’

“Honey!” Exclaimed in shock.

“Shut the fuck up, woman! There isn’t a need for us to pretend anymore; she’s out of our hair now. No more being cursed by a child living with us; don’t you see how much I’ve aged this last decade? I used to look like Zach from Saved By the Bell,” he said in exaggeration.

‘Lies; pure lies, I tell you. Blame it on me, ugh.’

“Okay, then. I’m ready to leave this hellhole and start a new life, without idiots for parents,” I shout, walking out the door, boxes in hand.

As I make my way down the block towards my car, I hear my ‘Dad’ shout, “Don’t come back, ya hear! Because we will be gone! Pay for tuition on your own, or live on the streets for all I care!”

I didn’t even look back, just kept walking. About 20 minutes later, I hopped in the 2018 Lexus Mrs. Peach gifted me, buckling my seatbelt before cranking the gas, making my way to the airport a few minutes away.

Once there, I quickly got the tickets and boarded the plane heading to Miami.

‘Florida, here I come,’ she thought dryly.

Pulling out my earbuds and turning off my phone, I finally began to doze off as my mind relaxed.

“Passengers, this is your Captain speaking. We have touched down in Miami, Florida. If you have a connecting flight, be sure to find the correct gate. Also remember to put your seats and trays back into their original positions.

A female flight attendant walked up the aisle, offering assistance to anyone who needs it, as well as repeating the Captain’s words, as she made her way to the back of the plane.

‘Damn, she looks great. Wait, what am I thinking? She’s just a woman; alright, I sound like a guy in a soap opera, denying his love for the other male lead. Though, I only watched lesbian…’ she thought to herself.

“Everyone, grab your luggage and get off, so we can pull the plane around for maintenance & refueling, please,” a male attendant says, a bit too loudly.

At how rude he sounded, I grabbed my luggage and ran off the plane, like my mom’d caught me watching gay porn.

‘Not that I know what that is.’ She thought quickly.

‘Sure…’ another ‘she’ thought back.

‘Shut up!’ she thought to the other.

As I step off the boarding plank, I see an older lady, holding up a sign with my name on it. I walk towards her with a small smile on my face and waving at her.