Page 105 of Stay Dangerous

She screamed something. When I let her go, she tried to hit my face again, but I got to her first, slapping her across her cheek.

Hands grabbed me, pushing me back into the hallway before Dad came and held Mom away from me.

“You both disappeared forseven. Months.We were kids, and you both were gone. Be lucky I’m even still fucking alive.”

Dad’s grip on Mom loosened at his confusion, and she took advantage of it by getting in my face.

“You won’t be alive too much longer–”

I pushed her back into him, then gathered as much spit as I could and lobbed it in her face.

My audacity made her pause.

But I didn’t. I turned, went into my room, and slammed and locked the door behind me.

My room was a fucking mess. Things were everywhere, them going through everything. I went into my closet immediately, and opened the loose floorboards to grab the mini box. It had a combination lock on it, and when I opened it, the hold on my middle loosened just a tad.

My money was still there.

The leftover money Mom left when they abandoned us.

I placed my box back where it was and covered the loose floorboards with shoeboxes.

A firm knock sounded off my door, and I groaned, knowing I had to answer.

Dad stood in the hallway, so many questions in his eyes.

I let him in my room and closed the door behind him. He sat at my desk, while I climbed onto my unmade bed.

“You’ve been gone two weeks, Wyn. You gotta give me something. First Auty, then you… You both could have been killed.”

His voice cracked, as his eyes became red with unshed tears. I never could get a read on him. It wasn’t like he stood up to his wife, or even was more present than she was. But then I’d get tiny glimpses that he did actually care about the kids he helped make, though it made me more confused than anything.

“We went to a party and got separated,” I began, realizing I had to give himsomething. “The people there, I think they wanted to hurt us. I was able to get away and lay low, but I didn’t know what happened to Auty for a while. But I know Turkey saved her, and the people who are responsible are taken care of.”

Dad’s jaw tensed. “Auty wants to press charges, but your mother–”

“They’re taken care of, Dad. They won’t be able to hurt us or anyone else.”

After a long moment, he accepted my answer, but we were nowhere near done. Not by the way his eyes softened.

“Wynnie,” he whispered. “You… you had an abortion?”

My eyes began to sting and I nodded once. “It was a mistake that won’t happen again. I handled it.”

Dad was up in an instant. He sat next to me and crushed me to his chest. “You shouldn’t have had to do that alone, Wynnie.”

Through everything, a hug from my Dad of course would do me in.

A violent sob wracked through my body as I held onto him as hard as he held onto me.

The last few weeks, no matter how plush Pooh’s mega mansion was, had did a number on me.

The last few years, if I was being honest.

Nonstop shit, I could trace back to my birth.

When would it end?