Page 23 of Psycho

He was gonna kill me, and then, who would be left to take care of Grandma?

I struggled harder against him.

“Now, you’re going to be a good girl and not ask any more questions.”

I nodded in agreement. At this point, I would have agreed to anything if he just let me go—let me breathe.

Black dots danced around the corner of my vision, and I could feel the fight leaving me, weakening me.

Finally, he let me go. I fell back to my side as I coughed, getting precious air into my lungs, my hand grasping at my throat.

There would no doubt be a bruise there later on.

My eyes watered as I looked over to see him walking back to the table, lighting a new cigarette and smoking, ignoring me on the floor as if nothing had happened.

I quickly picked myself off the floor and moved to my room without saying another word, opening the door and getting inside.

Tears flowed down my cheeks as I tried to regain control, my hands blindly searching the floor for the small flashlight I kept there. I turned it on and looked down at the floorboard.

A small crack in one of the boards in the far back that wasn’t noticeable unless you knew where to look.

I used my fingers to pry open the plywood and took in the contents inside.

Five thousand two hundred and sixty-two dollars in total.

Not enough to run away now.

I had about a little over a month to go before I graduated.

And as much as I wanted to be there for Grandma, it was almost impossible now.

Perhaps letting the state take over her care wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

I blinked, hating the guilt I felt weighing down my heart, but I didn’t know what Tyler’ssoonmeant, and I wouldn’t wait around to find out.

I would just have to survive for another month, and then I would leave California.

I would leave and never return.

I pulled my knees to my chest and hugged them tight against me as more tears flowed from my eyes.

I hated this.

I hated crying, and I really thought I was desensitized to it all, but I wasn’t.

I was still as emotional, as easily affected by all those little things as I had been since I was little.

Still as weak.

But I was going to work on that.

I would.

* * *

It was earlythe next morning.

I had taken my bike over to the nursing home.

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