Never Say Goodbye

•Chapter One• Andie

Andie

I was only two years old when my father abandoned us. Mom did her best to feed us both and keep a roof over our heads. She worked long hours during the day as a waitress, leaving me with a neighbor. At night, she would sell her body for whatever she could get while I slept.

I tried my best to be a good girl because when I was bad, mom would beat me with whatever was handy and shout such horrible things to me. "Why can't you just behave?" She'd scream, her face inches from mine as she shook me. "It's your fault your father left us. And no matter how hard I work, you continue to be a bad girl!"

I was glad when I started school because I didn't spend as much time around mom. I also got to make friends which was a blessing to me because I was able to spend time with kids my age and I began to feel somewhat normal. Plus, as I got older I could sleep over at a friend's house instead of sleeping at home and hearing mom's sexual encounters with however many men she wanted to serve.

Mom didn't seem to mind when I spent the night out, as a matter of fact, she encouraged me to. She loved pretending that she had no kids holding her back and could do what she wanted. Especially on the weekend because she could then spend the entire day on her back, making that extra money we needed so badly.

By the time I was eight, things had gradually changed, and not for the better either. Mom seemed to resent me and had been abusing me nearly daily. She didn't need an excuse anymore. As far as she was concerned, I was the cause of all her problems and It didn't matter that I didn't even ask to be born. To her, I was a major nuisance.

Nothing mattered to her more than her getting what she wanted without interruptions or complications. That meant I couldn't spend a lot of time at home. If I couldn't sleep over at a friend's house, then I would have to sit outside our building, sometimes as late as one am, until mom was done entertaining men for that day.

That's how I met Tristan, a thirteen-year-old boy that worked part-time at a neighborhood store. He was walking home around ten one night when he saw me on the stone steps, shivering and hungry. Tristan sat down next to me, dug a sweater, a sandwich, a juice, and an apple out of his backpack, then offered them to me. After that, he stood up and left. The second time he found me was when he introduced himself, we became friends that day.

A few months later, mom left for work one day and never came back. My school was on summer break by this time. A week went by before the food in our apartment ran out and I went to the neighbor's door, only to discover she had moved away. I realized then I was truly alone with no one to help me. Then a few weeks later I came home after scavenging for food, to find the locks had been changed and I now had nowhere to live.

I sat on the bench outside the building crying for a long time. That's how Tristan found me. He asked me what happened and when I told him what happened, he took me home with him. I was scared at first, what if his parents best him up for bringing me to his house? Worse yet, what if they threw him out because of me? But I was relieved when I realized everything would be ok.

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Sry if u were expecting a longer story cause this is a short one, even if there are quite a few chapters. I do hope u guys like it. Don't be afraid to point out any errors or typos, I appreciate the help. Also, don't be afraid to post ur thoughts. Lastly, plz vote. Thank u for reading! :)