𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 || 𝐉.𝐉𝐊 ✓

⊘ • ❶ • ⊘

𓆩・༺ ꔫ ༻・𓆪

I lay on my purple bedsheets, chewing on a red Twizzler and watching Project X for the tenth time in my life. I swing my legs back and forth, laughing to myself at the vulgar scenes while enjoying the sight of the all-American party-goers on the screen.

I sit up when my lime-green, boxed-in tv goes black.

"Hey!" I shout once turning around and seeing Dad stand behind me with the tv remote in his hand. "I was watching that!" I protest while snatching the remote, or trying to snatch it, out of his hand.

"It's your turn to wash the dishes, Vee," annoyed, I finish off the Twizzler while stepping into my black slides.

"And the dishes couldn't wait twenty minutes after the movie was over?" I remark.

I ignore the loud chuckle he gives when I leave my room and head downstairs to the kitchen.

Despite it being nine o'clock at night, I don't turn the kitchen light on. Instead, I come to the sink and use the light outside of the kitchen window, which is a yellowish street light waiting to go out, to wash the dirty dishes.

This way it saves power, and I can enjoy the radio while cleaning up.
Before I turn the sink knob, I pull my dark, brown hair into a tight ponytail, roll up my sleeves on my black shirt, and flip the switch on the small radio next to the sink. I pull up the antenna and spin the black knob for the volume and plunge my hands into the cold water.

I shake off the teeth-chattering coldness and turn the knob to the warm side. I grab a sponge to clean the dirty dishes.

I hum to the soft music that plays in the background and stack the cleaned dishes on the dish rack to dry. 

When the next song ends, the radio station stops playing music to address the local news for our area. I hum to nothing while listening to the latest news. A certain phrase grabs my attention. I dry off my hands and turn the volume higher on the radio.

"He's done it again, folks! The infamous Street Killer is back at it with shutting down another small business and exposing the owner's secret! Is this mystery man a hero or villain? Call us and state your opinion—"

The radio cuts off, which frustrates me. I put away the last dish on the dish rack with aggravation. It's no doubt the power company shut off our power again.

I take the yellow rag off the kitchen counter and rush upstairs where I meet Dad in the hallway headed for the bathroom in a blue robe. He holds out his phone to use as a flashlight.

"Did you pay the power bill?" My voice is fragile, yet irritated.

He stops moving once I ask, not daring to face me, and I'm seconds away from scolding him.

He turns to face me and holds that not-so-innocent grin. "I may have used it to pay for advertisements for the shop."

"Are you kidding me?" I throw my hands in the air, letting them hit my sides while looking at him in shock.

"I worked overtime to have that money for the power bill, not for the shop. Dad, we've talked about this. The money we make comes home first, not the store. I know it's your dream to be a successful store owner, and I believe in you, but putting our hard-earned cash out for nothing isn't okay. You promised you would stop doing this to us,"

I can't stop the words from flowing out of my mouth. When he gives his signature grin as if our issues will work themselves out, I have to control my anger. It only works themselves out when I pick up the pieces and fix the mess he's brought home.