Twenty Four Seven || Adam Park

eight

Standing in the kitchen with my grandmother the next morning was awkward. Physically, my body hurt – but I wasn't sure if it was mainly from fighting that monster or from my grandmother hitting me with the belt. Presumably it was both. I kept my mouth shut as I made two pieces of toast for breakfast and I stayed clear of my grandmother. She moved around the kitchen and I made it a point to always step away from where I knew she was going to step.

She stopped for a moment and glared at me, but I only quickly looked away from her.

"Am I going to have to visit your school again today?" she sneered at me.

"No." I answered harshly without even realizing it. I watched as she turned on the front burner of the stove after getting a pan out from underneath one of the cupboards.

"I shouldn't even let you out of this house... but I am not letting my money go to waste, so you better not act like a screw up at your practice today. You seem to be doing good at that lately." She looked me up and down.

"Thank you." I muttered.

"You should be thanking me... I regret ever taking you in. I wished you had been in the car with them when it happened." That comment alone sent me right over the edge and I couldn't control what came out of my mouth next. Talking about my parents like that... and myself, sent a whole different type of rage through my blood.

"How dare you say that!" I screamed, "My parents died and you couldn't be any more insensitive about it! It was your son and your daughter in law! What did they ever do to you? No wonder why they never wanted to be around you – you're just a hateful-"

"I would love to hear the next words that come out of your mouth." My grandmother smiled and I think that was the first time I had seen that happen since I met the crazy wench.

"You're just a hateful bitch!" I didn't care. That's exactly what she was and she deserved to know that. Though, she probably did already know. I don't know how anyone can put up with her or see through her act she fronts. She's abusive...

I didn't know what to expect after those words spewed out of my mouth, but it surely wasn't my grandmother grabbing my hand and yanking me closer to the stove – where she then proceeded to grab my hand push it against the hot burner she had turned on. I pulled my hand away as quickly as I could, but I swear it felt like my hand stuck directly to the burner and that I had to peel each finger off it individually.

I stumbled over to the sink and turned the cold water on, trying to get any sort of relief for my hand right now. That wasn't helping and I didn't know what to do other than to cry about it and try to grab some ice. But she was blocked the freezer, so I didn't even attempt to do that. I just glared at her – wondering how someone could be so cruel to someone they didn't even know... someone that was her own granddaughter. I just didn't understand it.

"Get to school before you're late... and just remember, no one is going to believe you if you say anything anyways. You're just the delinquent child I took in because my son couldn't raise his own child. It's a shame that he raised such a disgusting and unbearable person." Grandmother sneered as she shoved my backpack towards me.

I was out the door before she could say anything else to me. I hide the tears and my hand when I saw Aisha walked down the sidewalk towards me. I wished I had just left moments sooner to avoid walking with her this morning. I quickly wiped the tears away but they were still formed in my eyes and I hid my hands in my sleeves, pretending that I was cold when we met at the corner.

"Good morning!" Aisha smiled, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes! Can I ask you some questions about... you know what on our way to school?" I asked, hopefully changing the subject.