Four Walls (Book One) ✔️

Chapter Three

My dad has a new girlfriend, and everything about her is horrible.

Mallory has box-dyed red hair, a crooked nose, and a twiggy body. She likes to drink cheap beer, smoke cheap cigarettes, and sleep with cheap men.

She and Hank really are a perfect fit.

When she introduced herself to me, she knocked on my bedroom door and waited a whole two seconds before trying to break it down. I finally opened it and found the angry redhead with her arms crossed.

"Hi, I'm Mallory, your father's new girlfriend," she announced. "No, you can't call me Mal, and you definitely can't call me Mom."

"I won't," I said quietly, unsure if Hank was nearby.

"Good. I'm going to be around a lot more, so I just wanted to introduce myself." She looked me up and down. "You know, when Hank told me he had a daughter, I didn't believe him."

"Well, here I am." I tried to smile, but all I wanted to do was slam the door in her face.

"Cute," she said before rolling her eyes and storming down the hall.

Damian suggested that I ignore her. He didn't want me to cause waves.

"I could try to curse her," Ada offered, "but what happened a couple weeks is proof that my magical abilities are shit."

I didn't dare tell her that her magical abilities were anything but shitty.

Presently, as I walk alone to my locker at the end of the school day, I feel a shove from behind. I stumble and nearly trip, my books scattering on the floor.

"What's up, freshman?" Evan Miller, our resident quarterback, stands over me as I struggle to pick up my books.

"You're a freshman, too, Evan," I remind him.

"Not technically. I stayed back in kindergarten, so I'm supposed to be a sophomore."

"That isn't something you should brag about."

He shakes his head. "Whatever. Listen, we need to talk."

I shove my books into my locker, ignoring him. He may want to talk, but I have no desire to listen.

"Not a lot of people know this, but my parents separated last year," he tells me. "My mom went down this crazy dark path. She started, like, smoking meth, drinking all the time, dying her hair...."

I shut my locker. "What does that have to do with me, Evan?"

"Well, I found out recently that she's dating some dude named Hank Dodds. Sound familiar?"

My heart stops. "Mallory... is your mother?"

"She sure is."

"That's really unfortunate," I reply, "because she's a nasty whore."

Evan grabs me by the shoulders and pins me to the row of lockers. "Shut the fuck up, you worthless piece of trash."

I swallow the bubble of fear forming in my throat and say, "Maybe you're right. Maybe my family and I are worthless. Just ask yourself why your mom would leave your dad and all of his money to be with us. Pretty peculiar, huh?"

The look of hatred on his face reminds me of my dad, and I instantly regret challenging him. "You've got a fat mouth, Layla. If you're not careful, I'm gonna—"

"Hey! Get the hell away from her!" Ada runs toward us, her fists clenched and ready to swing.

"Ooh, if it isn't the town witch," Evan says with a smirk.

"Let go of her, or I will turn you into a toad!" Ada shouts.

To my surprise, he obeys. I quickly move away from the lockers to Ada's side. She steps in front of me and waves her hands in front of his face.

"Powers of fire and thunder and rain, inflict upon this maggot a lifetime of pain!" she chants.

Evan scowls and turns to me. "Get your loser dad to break up with my mom. If I ever have to call you sister, I'm going to blow my brains out."

As he walks away, Ada sticks out her tongue. I rub my aching shoulders, but the pain is nothing I'm not already used to.

"Are you okay?" Ada asks.

"I'll be fine."

"What was all that about?"

"Apparently, my dad is dating his mom."

Ada grimaces. "Okay, eww."

I chuckle. "Trust me, I know."

"We should break them up. I can help you."

"No, we should stay out of it. It's none of our business."

She rolls her eyes. "Layla, don't you want to have some control over the events in your life?"

"I mean, yeah," I reply, "but this isn't my life. It's my dad's life."

"Evan's psycho mom is staying at your house, eating off your table, and screwing your dad. If you believe that doesn't affect you, you're nuts."

I think about it. My whole life, I've never been in control, especially not at home. If I could do something to ensure that I'd never have to see Mallory again, something to make my dad even half as unhappy as he's made me, I would do it in a heartbeat.

"Alright," I finally say, "I'm in."

A/N:
Thanks to everyone who is reading or re-reading this story! Any predictions on what might happen?