Chapter 15

We ate in silence; I enjoyed my fries as the couple took a sip of their milkshakes. I looked at my phone as it vibrated for the hundredth time tonight and rolled my eyes. I turned it off, not wanting to see another call pop up on my screen. I tossed it inside my pocket and proceeded to drink what was left of my fantastic milkshake. Kenneth cleared his throat, making me look up at them to find them staring at me intently.

"How are you feeling?" Danielle asked.

"Very full." I chuckled as I patted my stomach. They kept their eyes on me, their serious gaze making me roll my eyes. "Relax guys... It was about time I left that excuse of a house. Plus, I will be turning eighteen this weekend, meaning that my mother can't force me to live with her anymore."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kenneth asked with a skeptical look. I gave him a bored expression and waved my hand in the air dismissively. He shook his head slightly in disapproval and went back to finishing his milkshake.

A pair of footsteps made their way toward our table and I raised my eyebrow. Izzy stood in front of us, milkshake in hand and a wide grin on her face.

"Hi! Do you mind me sitting with you?" she asked in a hopeful tone.

"Actually, we were about to go—"

"Of course, Izzy. Take a seat," Danielle offered, and I shot her a look.

Now wasn't the time to play friends with the new girl.

Izzy nodded and took a seat beside me, making me groan internally. "Thanks!" she chirped and looked at me. "You ordered Cookies 'n Cream, right? Guess we have the same taste."

I looked at her oddly and furrowed my brows. Who the hell cared if she got the same milkshake I ordered?

"My name is Danielle," Danielle introduced herself. "And this is my boyfriend, Kenneth."

"Nice meeting you both," Izzy said with a friendly smile and started downing her milkshake. I sighed and leaned back in my seat. I had brought my own ride with me, so maybe I could just leave first. I wasn't in the mood to get to know Miss Spaghetti-Legs here.

Just as I was about to stand up and leave, Danielle decided to ask the new girl something. "I heard you're Chase's stepsister. If that's so, why didn't you attend the same high school as him in the first place?" Danielle reminded me of an FBI agent; ready to note all the information down and pass it on to a computer to save the files.

Izzy chuckled, probably expecting that question already. "Before my father met Chase's mother, Sophia, I was already enrolled in a private school. So he decided to leave me in private school until senior year," she explained.

"Why now, though? Couldn't you transfer once school started? I mean, it would've been easier than trying to catch up with the material after almost two months since school started."

"I know, but I didn't want to leave my old friends just yet, so I convinced my father to let me stay in that school for two more months." She giggled, and I rolled my eyes.

Alright, I had already lost interest in this conversation.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm leaving already," I said and grabbed my school bag. Kenneth's gaze snapped to mine, and I shot him a look, warning him to not open his mouth. He sighed and nodded as Izzy waved at me enthusiastically and wished me a good night.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Lily," Izzy said.

I grimaced as she said my nickname. The way she said it made it sound as if she had known me my entire life.

Without looking back, I hurried toward my bike and started the engine. I drove out of the parking lot slowly, turning my head to look at my friends and Izzy. She stared at me through the glass intently, her gaze studying me. When she noticed me staring back, she quickly gave me a big smile and proceeded to answer another question thrown her way.

I narrowed my eyes at this but brushed it off and sped away from the building.

I drove past cars and buildings, enjoying the night air hitting my face. I passed by the school building and gave it a quick glance, deciding whether I should stop by or not. Deciding the latter, I revved and drove for another three minutes before coming across a motel. I eyed it for a moment then entered the parking lot. I parked my bike as far as possible from the entrance and opened the storage compartment to grab my duffle bag.

Once I walked inside the building, I was greeted by the receptionist. She stared at me through her thick glasses, eyeing me skeptically as I approached.

"One room for three nights and four days, please."

"You know you must be twenty-one years or older to stay here by yourself, right?" she asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

"Why thank you for the compliment." I chuckled then glanced at her name tag. "Nora."

"I haven't told you anything," she said, confused.

"You pretty much said I look younger than twenty-one." I chuckled. "Which is a compliment."

She eyed me carefully before typing away on her computer. "It would be a total of $325 with breakfast included."

"How much without breakfast?"

"$300," she replied. I nodded at this and she continued to type away. "I will need to verify your ID before proceeding."

I opened my duffel bag and searched for my wallet. Once I found it, I pulled it out and opened it, searching for my ID. I skipped my real ID and took out a fake one before handing it to her. She read it carefully and inspected it before typing away once more on her computer.

"Alright, Jessie, what will be your paying method?"

"Cash," I replied. Before she could say anything else, I looked for the exact amount of cash to pay and handed it to her. She counted it before nodding and printing a paper she then handed me, along with a pen.

"Please sign this here and I'll proceed to give you your key," she instructed. I easily signed with my fake signature and handed the paper back to her. She nodded and gave me the key to my room, then proceeded to point toward the stairs. "Up those stairs to the second floor, room 221."

"Thanks," I said before grabbing the ID from the counter and throwing it inside my wallet.

I made my way upstairs and walked down the hallway to my room. Unlocking the door to my room for the next four days, I turned the light on. I was greeted with beige walls and a full-sized bed that was neatly made. A nightstand with a lamp on top stood beside the bed, and in front of the bed was a small drawer with a TV on top. I threw my bags on top of the bed lazily and decided to go inspect the bathroom.

The bathroom was small, only consisting of a sink, a toilet, a small shower and a cheap blow dryer attached to the wall. I walked toward the shower and turned the knob, letting the water start to warm before going to the sink. I opened the faucet and placed my hands under the water, letting it pool in my hands before splashing it in my face. As I washed my face thoroughly, I clenched my jaw once I rubbed the sore spots. When I was done, I stripped off my clothes and stepped under the water to wash away today's events.

Once I finished showering, I wrapped a towel around myself and stepped back inside the room. I walked toward the bed and opened the duffel bag, taking out some sweatpants, a random shirt, and my undergarments. I unwrapped the towel from around my body and finished drying myself properly before throwing the clothes on. Then I threw my bags on the floor and turned the slightly worn out A/C on.

With a stretch of my muscles, I turned the lights off and settled myself under the covers, welcoming sleep with open arms.

The next morning arrived quickly as the rays of sunlight peered through the window of my room. I groaned since the sunlight was shining directly on my face, disturbing my state of sleep and forcing me to open my eyes. My hand automatically reached for the nightstand in search of my phone, until I remembered I left it inside the pocket of the pants I wore yesterday. I groggily sat up on the bed and rubbed my eyes before glancing at the time on a wall clock. The clock read 7:42AM, making me huff in annoyance as I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and crouched down to grab my toiletries from my bag.

Seeing as I only had less than thirty minutes to get to school in time, I brushed my teeth and applied the makeup necessary to cover up my bruises. Then I rummaged through my duffel bag and pulled out simple black jeans with a white t-shirt and a flannel shirt. I threw it all on quickly, then continued to throw on some socks then my biker boots to finish the look. Once I was done, I grabbed my phone from the pants that were on the bathroom floor and stuffed it in my pocket after turning it on. Not wanting to brush my hair, I placed my beanie on my head and grabbed my sunglasses before draping my school bag over my shoulders and heading out.

I looked at the time and noticed I had only sixteen minutes to arrive on time. Shrugging, I made my way out of the motel, starting my journey to the school.

I decided to not go on my bike to avoid being followed by my mother, in case she saw me. It was easier to run and hide behind buildings than having to speed by cars and possibly end up crashing. I sighed and unlocked my lock screen, looking at the notifications of thirty-five missed calls, eighteen voicemails and forty-three messages from my mother. I erased them all and decided to dial her number, my face completely serious.

One ring after, the call was answered.

I wasn't given any chance to speak as she started rambling on. Rolling my eyes, I waited patiently until she started calming down. All I heard were demands and questions, her tone completely frantic. She sounded worried--something I never thought I would ever hear again. This made me frown as I neared the school building. She was worried now that her excuse of a boyfriend tried to beat me up?

"Listen here, Mom.­" I huffed out, cutting off any more rambling. "Don't ever expect me to go back to that house. I swear, if I find you looking for me, or even see you around the streets, things won't be pretty."

"Amelia, what—"

"I will make sure that you go down along with your alcoholic, abusive boyfriend. Perhaps that will teach you how to choose a man correctly." I spat. She took in a sharp breath as she understood my words.

I scoffed as I stood in front of the school gates, shaking my head in disappointment. "Keep on living your sorry life without me." I hung up after that, sucking in a deep, shaky breath.

People often told me that I was cruel, mean, and heartless. Oh, but little did they know the life I've lived―all the things I've been through.

The things I've made.

If they knew, maybe only then, they would probably understand the hard shell I carried around.

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[Edited: August 27th, 2020 by michh_44]

Oh, Amelia. Why does she have to be so harsh with her mother? Though, what her stepfather did to her was way out of line. Man do I hate abusive people. What do you think? Vote if you liked and leave a comment if you wish. Thanks for your time xx