Run Away and Never Come Back

“Help. Somebody please help,” Jenna’s voice was no more than a whisper. She is a pale girl with stringy blonde hair and blue-green eyes. She’s thin, too thin. She is also hungry. She imagined the hunger had to do with why she had just fallen to the floor. She was standing one second and the next thing she knew she was in a crumpled heap on the bathroom floor. Jenna just laid there, not even trying to get up. Her whole body was aching and covered in bruises. Her two brothers Tyler and Louis had just left for school and her dad was at work. Of course her stupid lazy mother was still in bed and wouldn’t be up for several hours still.

Jenna’s stomach growled. She is used to being hungry, so were her brothers. She sighed and tried to sit up. Slowly she pulled herself up using the sink for balance. She quietly walked to the kitchen, forgetting why she went into the bathroom in the first place. That was no longer important. She needed food. She opened up the refrigerator. It was empty except for a gallon of expired milk and her mom’s yogurt. She tried a couple cabinets they were mostly empty, too. She sighed and walked back to her room that she shared with her step-sister, Kyla.

She sat on her bad and thought for the millionth time about how messed up her life is. She lived with her step-dad. She and her siblings were forced to call him, Daddy. She also lived with her mom of course. She was worthless. She stayed in a bad situation full of arguments and she couldn’t even drive. When things got bad, she couldn’t even get away. Tyler was the oldest, at 18. He was her half-brother. Kyla was the next oldest. She was 16. When Kyla and Hallie were younger they ran away. “Daddy” had been threatening to kill Tyler. They ended up at the police station where Jenna lied about what happened. If she had told the truth she wouldn’t be in this situation now. Kyla hasn’t slept over since they ran away. She only visits once every couple of months.

Jenna missed Kyla, things were always better when she was around. There was less fighting and more food. She didn’t blame Ky for leaving. If she could leave she would. Tyler would be graduating soon so he wouldn’t have to deal with this crap for much longer. Jenna was 14. She didn’t have many friends and school was horrible. Her parents could not afford food, let alone Abercrombie and Hollister. She wore her mother’s clothes from the 80’s and her sister’s old clothes. The kids at her school were so mean to her. They called her white trash among other things. Sure, her parents were obsessed with NASCAR and they lived in a tiny run down house, but that didn’t mean she was so horrible. About a month ago she had given up on school. She was failing most of her classes and it was easier not to go then to deal with the people there. Her parents did not know she was skipping school, but they would find out soon enough. You are allowed 30 unexcused absences before you are expelled. This was number 30.

Louis was the favorite child. He was the only child of her mom and step-dad. He got everything he wanted. He had a TV and a play station 2 in his room. Along with anything else he wanted. He even wore nice clothes. He didn’t have any friends either, though. He was impossible to deal with. From an early age he was taught he could have anything he wanted and that no matter what he did he wouldn’t get in trouble. No one wants a friend like that. At age 11, he was already a mini version of her step-dad.

Jenna heard the front door open and snapped out of her thoughts. “Daddy” was back from “work.” Maybe if he got a real job he could afford food and nice things. Oh yeah she forgot, even though he has no money he finds away to buy big screen TVs and new cell phones for himself. Jenna quickly got up and quietly opened her window then jumped out. If her dad caught her home she would have been in big trouble. Now that she was stuck outside she might as well go find some food. She grabbed Louis’ bike and rode to her uncle’s deli.