A one_shot
This wasn’t the first time Mom had lost her mind.
The last time, after she slapped my sister and me, she kept apologizing through her tears, over and over again.
Honestly, I can’t even be angry with her.
It’s not her fault.
It’s all my sister’s fault.
If she hadn’t told Mom that Dad was murdered, Mom never would have been so shocked that she lost her mind.
I mean… I hid his body really well.
So… how did she find out?
Right now, though, it doesn’t matter.
Mom has snapped again, and for the fifth time, she’s washing the clean dishes.
My sister, Charlie, is attacking one of Mom’s dolls with her sewing scissors.
Seriously, how many more dolls have to become victims before she realizes she has absolutely no talent for hairdressing?
My little brother’s crying tears through my thoughts.
That’s all he ever does.
Cry.
Useless.
Expensive, too.
Now that Dad is gone, who’s supposed to pay for this worthless little thing?
I push the thought out of my head.
I take the scissors from my sister before she decides to cut herself apart instead of her doll.
Then I turn to my brother.
I put a glass of milk and a few biscuits in front of him.
In a few minutes, his mouth will be busy chewing, and the crying will stop.
That’s enough for me.
I go back to the kitchen.
“I’ll wash the rest, Mom. You should get some rest. You don’t want to be tired tonight. You have a meeting with our lawyer.”
Mom just looks at me.
As if she heard me, but she’s too exhausted to answer.
She takes off her rubber gloves, places them beside the sink, turns off the faucet, and leaves the kitchen without saying a word.
When Mom’s bedroom door closes, I turn off the faucet.
The dishes were clean to begin with.
There was never any reason to wash them again.
I take my sister and brother to the park.
I let them run around until they’re exhausted enough to fall asleep without a fuss tonight.
I watch them from a distance.
They look carefree.
Stupid, too.
Good.
I turn my head, scanning the park.
Then I see it.
A familiar flash of red hair among the crowd.
A shiver runs through me.
Hadn’t he said he was leaving this city?
As always, the corner of his mouth is curled into that irritating little smile as he talks to someone whose face I can’t see.
I look away.
Hopefully, he didn’t see me.
We return home around sunset.
Mom is ready to leave.
The moment she sees us, she lets out a breath of relief.
She bends down, kisses my brother, and then walks out of the house without saying a word.
Despite all the playing, neither of them will stop making noise.
They’re driving me insane.
Sometimes I want to strangle them both.
I take them to Mom’s bedroom and lock the door from the outside.
I have more important things to deal with than babysitting these two idiots.
That red hair won’t leave my mind.
Why i
s he back?
He s
aid he was leaving this city.
He promised he would never show his face in front of me again.
So wh
y is he here now?
That
bastard…
He mu
st have a death wish.
I gr
ab my phone and dial his number from memory.
One ring.
Two.
Three.
Finally, he answers.
His voice comes through the phone.
“What’s up, girl?”
“How dare you?”
“I can explain…”
“Then explain.”
“Not like this. Meet me at X Café.”
“No. Tell me right now.”
“I’ll see you at five.”
He hangs up.
I go to my room and pull on my oversized black hoodie.
I take a knife from the kitchen and hide it beneath my clothes.
I glance at the wall clock.
Four-thirty.
I need to leave.
Today, everything ends.
I’m standing outside the café, staring through the glass.
I search for that cursed flash of red.
I can’t see him.
Should I go inside?
Or should I just forget about it?
I take a step back.
Maybe I should go home.
Then I hear a horn behind me.
I turn around.
Headlights hit me straight in the eyes.
For one second, there’s only one thing I can see.
A car speeding straight toward me.
I don’t even have time to move.
The screech of brakes—
Then a sickening impact.
My body flies onto the hood.
For a few seconds, everything falls silent.
Then everything goes black.
