Gangster Cinderella

Chapter Thirty Nine: Hell is for Children

After I get to my mom's house, I waste no time heading over to Shikha's new address. I have to see for myself if my sister is ok. As I climb off of my motorcycle I can't help but think that these should be our best years and yet so many people are going out of their way to ruin it. Why can't we just enjoy our youth without adults butting in?

Once I'm in front of the door to their apartment, I stop my rambling thoughts and knock. I hear loud shuffling before none other than Hanma opens the door. He gives me that annoying lopsided smirk of his, "Ah princess, did you miss me so soon?"

I shove past the tall lanky boy, "Where is Shikha? I need to see for myself if she is in her right mind."

"You're acting like we kidnapped her. All we did was offer her a place to stay from her shitty mom." He offers me a cigarette.

I stare deep into his golden cat like eyes, "Hanma, I need to know right here and now what your intentions are. No bullshit." I take the cigarette from him and light it before elaborating further, "I can't read you Hanma, I don't know if what you're doing is in Shikha's best interest or if you're taking advantage of her situation. Even you have to admit that you're a pretty sketchy guy."

"You really are the sentimental type, huh?" He looks at me with a bored expression.

"I care about my sister and I don't want some jackass messing with her. So I'll ask again, what are your intentions with helping her?"

He stares at me for a long time before he sighs and ruffles my hair, "I'm just letting her crash here since I probably owe her that much...for what happened to her boyfriend."

"...do you actually have a-"

"Don't even finish that sentence. I'm not a good person, I have a shit personality but even I want to do something decent every once in a while. I'm just following a whim and letting her stay here while she tries to figure out where she wants to go from here."

"Huh."

"That's it? I get a 'huh' after you came in here and started drilling me with questions?" He looks at me incredulously.

"You're a weird guy but I guess for now I can trust you with her safety. However..." I put out my cigarette, "if I ever find out that you caused Shikha any grief, I will fuck you up."

"Come on princess, don't go threatening me with a good time now." He gives me his signature smirk.

"God this is exactly why I hate you."

"Aw don't say that princess, you'll break my heart."

Before I can retort, the front door opens to reveal Shikha stumbling in with bags of groceries. "Oh hey Chieko! I'd greet you but my hands are full...someone please help." 

I rush over and grab some of the bags while Hanma simply sits back to finish his cigarette. "Don't get up to help or anything."

He just takes another drag on his cigarette, "Oh I won't." The lanky boy stand up and heads towards the door, "I'm gonna pick up some pot, did you get the rillos while you were out?"

"Yeah I did. Be safe." She replies as she puts the groceries on the counter. Her attention is now turned onto me, "Why did you come all the way out here to see me? Is everything ok?"

"I was just worried about you when I heard that you left home...what happened?"

Her eyes grow distant for moment before she takes my hand, "Wanna smoke together? I'm gonna need to be a bit high to talk about it without crying."

That's when I notice a slight dark tint under her makeup. "Sure..."

She takes me to her room and rummages about before taking out an old tin. Inside is a baggy of weed and a glass pipe. We sit on the floor together as she lights up taking the first smoke before passing it to me. As I'm inhaling the smoke, she begins to speak. "A couple days ago Kita came home drunk. Apparently her new sugar daddy had dumped her and I just so happened to be awake at that time. I couldn't hear her coming up the stairs since I was practicing my guitar. It was so sudden and fast when it happened. One minute I'm enjoying myself, the next my door is kicked down and she's hitting me. Normally I'd just curl up in a ball and take it...but I guess Baji's death really changed me."

I crawl over to her side and hold her, "What did you do?"

"I hit her back and I kept hitting her until she looked at me with fear in her eyes. I just couldn't take it..." a crack appears in her voice as she tries to choke back down on her tears. "She was gone for days on end doing god knows what while I'm suffering with my boyfriend's death, only for her to come home and start hitting me. Something just snapped within me that night and while it scared me it also felt good. Does that make me like..."

"Don't finish that thought. You are nothing like your mother and you've long had the right to fight back against her. You deserve so much better..."

Tears begin to wet my shoulder, but I didn't care; not when Shikha is breaking down right before my eyes. My sister holds onto me like a lifeline as she continues to sob.

🍂🍂🍂🏍🍂🍂🍂

When Shikha finally pulls herself together I decide to leave to see Mikey. "I'm sorry for leaving like this but are you going to be ok?"

"I'm fine now that I'm not living with her anymore. Also I've been meaning to tell you something..." she takes my hand in hers after I get my coat on, "I want to be an character witness for your case. I'm tired of running from that woman and I want to see her lose for once."

I'm taken aback by this request since I had no intentions of involving her in her mother's lawsuit. "Are you sure? You're going to have to talk about what happened to you and you might even see her...I don't want you to suffer anymore than you already have."

"But you're important to me and seeing my mother fall apart is something I would take joy in." Her eyes shine with an unfamiliar look of bloodlust.

"...only if you're sure."

"I am."

"I'll text you later about it. See ya later."

"See ya!"

I look back at the apartment after I climb on my motorcycle; something within her changed and I find myself wondering what she would do to Hanma if she ever found out what part he played in Baji's death. I debate telling her then and there but decide against it since I don't want to see my sister suffer anymore than she already has. I peel out of the parking lot and head towards the temple to meet up with Mikey.