Page 1 of Destroying Everleigh

CHAPTER ONE

Everleigh

Katy Perry - The One That Got Away

My hand trembled as I worked to apply my eyeliner. My dark brown eyes peered back at me through the reflection of our bathroom mirror. Streaks fogged the glass, taunting me, telling me that no matter how hard I tried, they wouldn’t disappear. Everything was screwed up, all blown to hell. Even the simplest of things didn’t work out in my favor. There were too many things and not enough hours in a day to accomplish them.

It wasn’t enough that I had college, work, soccer—which was the reason I could attend school in the first place—I was also responsible for cooking and taking care of my sick mother. On top of everything else, I had to clean the house, which was bordering on impossible with three younger siblings who had to be taken to and from school, along with doctor appointments and sports. My sister, Briley, was eighteen now, and helped when she could, but I didn’t want that strain on her. Still, it took some of the weight off my shoulders.

My eyes narrowed on the streaks that were taking up a good portion of the glass, my fingers twitching with the urge to grab that bottle of Windex off the cluttered counter and try my hardest to get it out. But there was no time for that. It was my first day of sophomore year at Northbrook University.

So, instead, I twisted the cap back on my eyeliner and placed it in my worn-out makeup bag before swiping on a thin coat of cherry lip gloss, throwing my black hair into a high ponytail, and slipping out into the narrow hallway.

I made my way back into my room—the one I shared with Briley and peered inside. She had her back to me, checking out her non-existent curves in the plastic mirror that was propped against the wall. I’d gotten it on sale for five dollars last year, and just like the mirror in the bathroom, it wasn’t in good condition either. Her hair, black like mine, barely brushed against the back of her shoulders, her blue shirt clinging to her narrow waist due to the lack of sustenance we’d been putting into our bodies throughout the years.

I was excited for her, though. She managed to finish high school early and would be starting her first day at NU this year alongside me.

“Are you almost ready?” I asked, glancing at the watch on my wrist. It wasn’t anything special. Something I’d scored at an antique shop, but it worked well when I couldn’t have my phone. Like at the diner for example, or during lectures. “We have to drop off Tate and Emma at school.”

Before Mom got sick, she had given me a car for my seventeenth birthday. Unfortunately, Briley hadn’t been so lucky, and Mom’s car needed a new transmission, so it wasn’t drivable. That left me in charge of doing all of the errands. Occasionally, I’d lend my car to Briley, but I wouldn’t trust anyone else with it.

“Yep. But I have a question. Does this outfit make me look fat?” She glanced back at the mirror, examining herself again.

I snorted in response at how cliché she sounded. “You’re literally ninety-eight pounds,” I retorted. “At this point, I don’t think you could look fat even if you tried.”

She nodded and finally turned to face me again. “Okay, let’s go.” She grabbed her bag off the floor and tossed it over her shoulder.

I never cared about shallow stereotypes, such as popularity, looking a certain way, status, anything like that. Bry was the complete opposite. At one point, I was jealous of her metabolism. Neither of us had the luxuries of eating whatever the hell we wanted, when we wanted it, but college helped me fill out more last year. My stomach was fuller than hers, my hips were wide, and my breasts hurt my back. If I bent over, I had rolls. I was what they would consider a “skinny fat”.Not necessarily plus sized, and not obese. But not skinny by societal means either.

I grabbed my bag from where it resided on my side of our cluttered bedroom. Each of us had a twin-sized bed with a bedside table, and we shared a closet. Her half of the room was girly and messier, while mine was just…plain. I always wanted to personalize my room, but soccer was my top priority to maintain my scholarship. There simply wasn’t enough time for hobbies, and the room size made it challenging.

The kids were already in the kitchen, seated at the table where I’d left them. A plate of eggs and bacon sat unfinished on the wooden surface, making me pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. Emma was grinning with a piece of bacon pinched between her fingers, her arm in the air while she moved it around like some kind of vehicle.

I glanced over at my mom who was dressed in a heavy robe, her hip propped against the counter. Her dark hair was tuggedinto a bun, the greasy strands poking out every which way. She looked paler than usual, her nose red like she’d been blowing it too much.

“Mom.” I sighed. “I asked you to make sure they finished eating without making a mess.” My eyes skimmed over my siblings, a stain coating the front of Emma’s pink dress and her black hair that had been in two neat braids was now a tangled mess.

“I tried,” she defended, her voice a bit raspy from coughing so much. “They won’t listen to me.”

Frustration tore through me, causing my hands to clench into fists at my sides. I knew she was sick. I knew she couldn’t help it. Before this, she was a good parent. But I also didn’t sign up for this. If that made me selfish, so be it. There wasn’t anything in the world I wouldn’t do for my family, but I could only take so much. I glanced over at Tate, who was surprisingly well put together before returning my gaze to Emma.

“Come on, Em. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

She huffed out in annoyance. “I don’t want to go to school today. I want to stay with Mommy.” She looked over at our mother with hopeful brown eyes, and it made my chest tighten with guilt. She was only six and didn’t understand that Mom was sick and could barely take care of herself. Some days, she couldn’t care for herself at all.

“Baby,” I started, trying to find the right words. “You have to go to school. Mom doesn’t feel good and I can’t miss school. It’s just for a few hours. It’s my day off today. We can go get ice cream afterwards.”

She perked up at that, her eyes widening. “Really?”

“Mom said we’re broke,” Tate added, confusion twisting his features.

I snapped my eyes in her direction, annoyance trickling through my veins. They were kids. They shouldn’t have to worryabout how much money we had. Tate was only nine, old enough to grasp the concept of things like that. It was a burden I didn’t want on either one of their shoulders. Mom shrugged, lifting her coffee cup to her lips before swallowing a mouthful. Knowing her, there was a lot of sugar and creamer in that glass. The best fucking medicine for a diabetic. I rolled my eyes.

“I have enough for ice cream,” I offered with a small smile. “I’ll even let you pick out a toy from the Dollar Tree.” A smile broke out across his face, and he nodded.

I glanced at my watch again and cursed. If I didn’t hurry, we were all going to be late. “Come on, Emma.”

She jumped out of the chair and scurried across the hardwood floor, her shoes squeaking against it. I held out my hand and she slipped her small one into mine, allowing me to lead her back down the hall and into my room.

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