𝙼𝚢 𝙴𝚞𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚊 ✰ 𝙱𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚢𝚡𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

Chapter 6

1989 - New York Suburbs

"Y/n! I'm gonna smash that goddamn Walkman of yours into pieces if you don't get down here now!"

Y/n's head jolted up from the sudden shout, causing her headphones to get caught and abruptly unplug themselves, cutting off her music.

"Damn." She muttered as she scrambled off her bed and jogged down to the kitchen.

She cleared her throat when her mother didn't acknowledge her presence. She continued to violently scrub the dishes, causing Y/n to think that she would end up wearing out the porcelain. When she was finally done, she shut off the water and turned on her heel to face the trembling girl behind her.

"I called you a while ago." She scolded.

"I tried to get your attention." Y/n winced once the words had left her mouth. Her mother glared at her, sucking her teeth before throwing a rag at her. "Just wipe the dining table already."

Y/n looked to the wooden table coated in crumbs and stains. Her mother noticed her confused staring and scoffed. "I wasn't gonna sit and wait around for you, go up to the 7-11 and grab a candy bar or something." With that, Y/n kept her mouth shut and pushed her anger down inside of her.

After wiping away the grime from the table and the counters, she tossed the rag into the laundry basket and stormed out of the house. She knew that her neighborhood was dangerous, she knew that she could get taken away by anyone. For Y/n, that wouldn't be the worst case. She was eighteen after all, she had dealt with neglect for long enough to understand what could happen to her.

She dragged her feet down the pavement, frustration building up inside of her. If her father was still alive, maybe life wouldn't be so bad. He was the one who adopted her after all, but it wasn't until after Y/n watched her father lay on the concrete, crimson blood slowly staining the street from the deep hole that pierced through his chest. It was after that when her mother began to resent her so much. It was as if Y/n's chipper personality had reminded her so much of her husband. Or that she blamed Y/n for not protecting him, given that she was the only one with him. There she was at fourteen, watching the only person who truly loved her, bleed to death in her arms.

She shook the unpleasant memory from her thoughts when she reached the corner store.

"Sup Y/n? What're you doin' here so late?" The man at the register beamed.

"Hey Georgie. Just grabbing dinner." She smirked sarcastically. "It's what I get for listening to Michael Jackson at full volume."

The fifty-something year old man leaned across the counter, concern forming deep in his eyes. "Y/n, that ain't right for them to treat ya like that. You got anybody else you could move in with?"

She offered a small smile and shook her head. "Afraid not. Once I'm twenty-one I can finally move out and maybe go to college or something. I just have to be patient I guess."

He frowned and turned to grab something. "Here, it's fresh from today." He handed her a slice of cheese pizza from the glass case behind him. Her eyes widened as her stomach rumbled at the sight of the hot food in front of her. "At least let me pay you." She protested. He smiled heartedly. "You don't need to do that Y/n. Just take it."

She dug into her pocket and pulled out a dollar and five cents. "It's not my money anyways." They both shared a laugh before Y/n waved and left the store.

Instead of going home, she headed over to the alley behind the 7-11 and sat cross-legged onto the pavement. She sighed as she bit into her food, not realizing until then just how hungry she really was. She could hear the commotion of a group of teenagers laughing and drinking, and a couple arguing from one of the apartments above her. All familiar noises that she'd grown up with in this neighborhood.