Page 76 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
I grabbed my bag from the passenger seat and walked to the front door. The TV was on in the living room, I could see it flickering through the crack in the blinds, but the lights were off.
Pushing open the door, I stepped inside and immediately wished I hadn’t.
For fuck’s sake.
Now I’d have to bleach my eyes.
Averting my gaze, I walked right past the striptease act. I don’t think either of them even noticed I was there.
If Wade was going to get his dick out, he could have at least kept it to the bedroom. My mother’s moans intensified, and I heard flesh slapping against flesh as I ducked inside Wren’s bedroom to check on her.
Thankfully, she was fast asleep, so I closed the door softly behind me and darted into the bathroom. I brushed my teeth, grabbed the makeup wipes from the bathroom, and barricaded myself in my bedroom, turning the doorknob twice to make sure it was locked.
Earbuds in and my music loud enough to drown out the sounds of my mother and Wade fucking on the sofa, I changed into boy shorts and a tank top and removed my makeup. Tossing the wipes into the wastepaper basket, I dove into my bed and closed my eyes.
I was living with two hypersexual meth addicts. Yay for me.
My mother wasn’t even looking for a job. She was content to collect government checks and live off Wade’s ‘generosity.’
She’d better not get pregnant again. I refused to sacrifice my hopes and dreams, myfuture, to help her raise another baby. I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t. Not again.
There was a knock on my bedroom door, but I ignored it.
The knocking grew more insistent. Louder. “Let me in, baby.”
With a sigh, I unlocked the door and opened it a crack. My mother was dressed in a fringed crop top and short white shorts. She looked like she was headed to Cancun for Spring Break.
“Can you just let me in? Wade’s taking us up to the lake for the Fourth of July weekend.”
“What? Now?"
“Yes, now.” She shouldered her way inside and made a beeline for my closet, where she rifled through my things, tossing shoes and clothes onto the carpet.
“Where’s that duffel bag?” She flipped through the pages ofThe Outsidersthen flung my book across the room.
“Stop going through my things, Mom.” I nudged her aside and pulled down the duffel bag from the top shelf, then retrieved my book from the floor and slid it into my top dresser drawer.
“I need to borrow a bikini.”
I leaned against my dresser, facing her, my palms pressed flat against the top drawer to protect my things. Nothing was sacred in this house. Not even my damn bikini. Last week, she ‘borrowed’ my black cotton mini dress and returned it with stains down the front. I didn’t even want to know where the stains came from. As far as I was concerned, my favorite dress was ruined, so I threw it in the trash. “I’m not lending you a bikini.”
“I’ll buy you a new one,” Wade yelled from the hallway. His tune had changed. Now that he was dealing drugs, he was Mr. Money Bags. “Let’s get packed and get going.”
I grabbed my mom’s arm to stop her from leaving. “Wait. You’re going tonight? You’re just leaving?”
“Didn’t I just tell you that? It’s like you don’t even listen when I talk.” She lit a cigarette and blew the smoke right in my face, laughing when I waved it away.
Sometimes I hated her. I really did.
“Pack some things for Wren,” she said on her way out of my bedroom. She paused on the threshold and looked over her shoulder. “You coming?” An afterthought.
“No.” No way in hell would I go away with Wade and my mother. But I didn’t want Wren to go with them either.
She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“I’m not packing for Wren.” I followed her into the hallway and lowered my voice. “It’s late, and she’s asleep.”
My mother barged into Wren’s bedroom and flicked on the lights, waving off my concerns. Wren sat up and blinked at the intrusion, then looked at me, taking her cue as to whether she should cry or not. I smiled as if this was all perfectly normal and nothing to be upset about.
