Jackie and Noah

5 | smile

I didn't want to get out of bed. Even after a shower, my body was exhausted. At each side of my head, I braided my hair into a braid. I used cherry lip gloss and a tiny bit of mascara to finish off my look. I smiled at myself in the mirror, attempting to regain my confidence for the day ahead. I sighed and looked for my large hoodie to layer over my turtleneck. I donned a pale pink one that had previously belonged to my brother. With my backpack and phone in hand, I exited my room. When I went downstairs to the kitchen, I noticed my mother on the phone, arguing with someone.

When John stepped up the stairs, I shrugged and asked him what was wrong; he groaned and replied, "It's Steven."

Steven was my dad. He lived with us in this house, which he also owned, but he had to go for a business trip. I remember seeing mom reject his calls or even argue with him on the phone because she suspected he was cheating, particularly when a lady answered the phone and claimed to be his girlfriend. Even when Steven lived with us, he would come late at night and not just deny but also not admit to cheating. Steven had harmed my mother numerous times, but she stayed with him because she loved him and wanted his financial assistance. Steven took advantage of this, treating her as if she were trash.

"Why's he calling her?" I asked.

Leaning against the wall across the stairwell, John shrugged. Steven irritated John. He used to. But not anymore. He despised Steven's dominance over us all. John considered moving out and living with his best friend, but I persuaded him to stay for me and his mother. In which he did.

"I just don't want him coming here. I don't want to see him," John said, almost to himself, staring at mom who was on the verge of crying.

"Me too." Steven was nice to me and John but his behaviour towards my mom disgusted me that I couldn't even look at him the same. John and I didn't even call him dad anymore, we forgave him but we just hated what he did to mom.

"Steven, why do you keep on doing this?" Mom asked, her voice shaky. She listened to Steven and she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Okay, just... have a nice da--" She stopped when she realised he had dropped the phone. She blinked and tears fell from her eyes.

John shook his head, murmuring a few curse words before walking upstairs. I sadly looked at John and then went downstairs to the kitchen. I took an apple and looked at mom who avoided eye contact with me. "Ma? Ma, are you okay--"

She shook her head but replied, "Yes. I'm fine."

"Mom--"

"Jackie, I said I'm fine, okay?" she wiped her tears. I nodded, my eyes welling up with tears. My mom looked at me in the eyes briefly and I could see the pain in her eyes, and I bet she could see the same in mine. I hated seeing my mother like this. "I'm fine," she whispered and left the kitchen.