Unstoppable Hope

By J. A. Wright

Fleeing with her daughter from her abusive boyfriend Evelyn Danielson takes the first bus out of dodge. Landing in California she must create a new life for them, but that is easier said than done. Between her daily battle with epilepsy; an invisible illness that proceeds to get worse, struggling to raise her spirited pre-teen daughter and trying to keep her head afloat, Evelyn is on the verge of breaking, her hope of survival diminishing with each passing day. To make matters worse she's been found by her ex-boyfriend and he's out for blood, hers. Every time life has kicked her down she has managed to stand back up and dust herseld off, but has life finally kicked her too hard?

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.A Wright
• Release date: Oct 24, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386240839

J. A. Wright

J.A. Wright is the author of Eat and Get Gas and How to Grow an Addict.

Book preview

Unstoppable

Hope

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J.A. Wright

Copyright © 2018 J.A. Wright

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 9781386549970

ISBN-13: 9781386549970

Acknowledgments

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I often find myself discouraged but with my family and friends by my side I’m able to continue to have Unstoppable Hope.

To my Beautiful Daughter...

Carmen, I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter than you. You were put in this world to do very special things, you were created to make a difference. You’re always smiling and happy, you light up the room wherever you go. You’re sassy and sweet and you have a heart of gold. You are Gods gift to the world. I love you. I can’t wait to see all of the amazing things that you will accomplish in life. You can do anything.

To my Mother, Rachel and my Father, Troy...

I don’t even know where to begin, I suppose Thank you. is a good place to start. Thank you for your constant love and support. Thank you for helping me become the person that I am today. Thank you for always believing in me & pushing me to achieve my goals most importantly.... Thank you for loving me when I wasn’t very lovable. Thank you for loving me when I was angry at the world and blamed it all on you. Thank you, a thousand times. I love you.

To my Sister...

Cassie, I know that we don’t always see eye to eye and I don’t always say the words but I love you. Thank you for being my goofy (and favorite) Taxi driver when I need it. It really means a lot to me that you take time out of your day to take Carmen and I places. I’m glad I got stuck with you as a sister ;)

Grandma Tina...

I love you SO much. Thank you for not only continuously being there for me but for also helping me complete this novel. When I wanted to give up you were there pushing me continue. When I feel like everything is going wrong, you listen, you say I love you and everything just seems a little better. Your random 'I Love You' text mean the world to me, as does out bond. Thank you so much for being in my life.

Abuela & Abuelo

I love you. I can’t thank you enough for all of your help. Anytime I need you, you drop everything and help in any way that you can. You are the best grandparents a girl could ask for. Plus, you constantly making sure I have plenty of donuts, which is a great thing, ha, ha. I love you both so much!

To my Friends...

Melissa, Tara, Emily, Kim & Amber, no matter how down in the dumps I feel, no matter how depressed I get and no matter how much I cry to you, you are ALWAYS there to pick me back up, help me dust off and see that I am a fighter. We may not be related by blood but you are and have always been a part of my family. I love you crazy ladies.

Melissa,

I know that I’ve already mentioned you but seriously, you don’t know how special you are to me. Thank you SO much for helping me with editing, continuous revisions and giving me a stern talking to every time that I have considered quitting. You are my best friend forever and always. Xo

Last but definitely NOT least....

My Brother..

I bet you thought I forgot about you. Ha, ha. That’s impossible. Troy, you are one of the BEST men that I know and you are certainly the best brother ever. I’m proud of who you have grown up to be and can’t wait to see what else you do with your life. It never matters why I need you, whether it be a ride to the hospital, advice or something else, I know without a doubt that you are ALWAYS there for me. I know this because you always have been. You may respond a day or four late to a text but that’s alright ;)

A final note to you all...

I could never express how much you each mean to me. I could never express with accuracy the love that I have for each of you and the appreciation I have for everything that you all do. Thank you for being my family. I’m so grateful to have you each in my life. I could never imagine or ask for a better family because one doesn’t exist. I love you. Always & Forever.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-one

Chapter Thirty-two

Chapter Thirty-three

Chapter Thirty-four

Chapter Thirty-five

Chapter Thirty-six

Chapter Thirty-seven

Chapter Thirty-eight

Chapter Thirty-nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-one

Chapter Forty-two

Chapter Forty-three

Chapter Forty-four

Chapter Forty-five

Chapter Forty-six

Chapter Forty-seven

Chapter Forty-eight

Chapter Forty-nine

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty-one

Epilogue

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This is for you...

This novel is for you... This is for anyone who has ever thought that they couldn’t survive. You can and you will. Do not stop fighting & always have

Unstoppable Hope.

Chapter One

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Evelyn Danielson closed her daughter’s bedroom door thankful that she was finally asleep. In a panic she scrambled around the house, making sure that it was spotless before Richard’s arrival. She knew that if just one thing was out of place his anger would be focused on her.

Shoot! She rushed to the kitchen smelling Richard's dinner burning on the stove. Reaching for the frying pan she stopped mid-way, suddenly feeling off. No, no, no, no. Not now. She leaned forward trying to stabilize herself. Taking deep breaths she attempted to fight the seizure that she could feel coming on.

You can do this Evelyn. She whispered to herself inhaling. Fight it, fight it. But, it was too late. The seizure hit her like a MAC truck going 100mph. A scream left her throat, something that often happened during a seizure, and her arm hit the frying pan taking it to the floor with her.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been seizing, but even in her stupor, she knew that Richard was furious with her and the mess that she had created.

Are you f’ing kidding me!? He screamed, roughly picking her up and slamming her against the nearest wall. His hands gripped her shoulders tightly as he shook her in an attempt to get her out of her stupor. Look at the disaster you and your stupid Epilepsy made, AGAIN! He looked down at the kitchen floor. Look what you did! He grabbed a fist full of her hair and forced her to look at the mess. You burnt my dinner and threw it all over the damn floor and what the hell is that? His eyes landed on the yellow liquid You pissed yourself again! He said in disgust.

Focusing on her once again his anger continued to rise. I’m tired of you and your stupid Epilepsy, Evelyn. I’m tired of you acting like a freaking retard after your idiot episodes and I’m tired of that damn mistake. He pointed towards their daughter’s room. Evelyn’s breath grew labored angry at his words. Fix it, fix it NOW! He pushed her against the wall again.

She’s not a mistake. Eve managed to speak, tasting the blood from where her seizure had caused her to bite her tongue. Richard pulled her forward before slamming her against the wall a third time.

Did you say something? Eve bravely nodded her head yes. Did you say something!? He repeated loudly, digging his fingers deep into her skin. Not thinking about the repercussions of her actions Evelyn spit in Richard’s face. She regretted the action instantly as Richard’s hand tightly closed around her throat.

Evelyn choked for air. Stop! Eve wheezed weakly slapping at Richard’s shoulder but his hand only tightened around her throat. She was too drained from her seizure to defend herself. Richard’s steel cold eyes promised to bring her pain as she had never known before. This wasn’t the first time that Richard had laid his hands on Evelyn but she promised that if she lived through tonight, it would be the last.

Look at you. Richard squeezed tighter. You’re a waste of space.

Please. Eve managed to whisper, her hands struggling to loosen his grip. She could feel the darkness closing in around her. Just then Richard released her causing her to slide down the wall coughing and gasping for air to fill her lungs.

He loomed over her. If you ever even think of spitting at me again, it’ll be the last thing that you do. You got it? Evelyn looked up at him, had Evelyn not known any better she would have thought that he was Death himself.

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Once Eve was certain that Richard had passed out for the night she rushed through the room collecting any important documents that she needed, a handful of clothes, her purse, and the money that she had been stashing away for months now. It was barely a thousand dollars but it was enough to get her daughter and herself a bus ticket somewhere far, far away.

Rushing into Alyssa’s room Eve threw some clothes and any special items that she knew Alyssa couldn’t live without into the duffle bag. Throwing the bag over her shoulder she struggled to pick up her sleeping ten-year-old, thankfully she was small for her age; most people would guess that she was eight. Running as fast as she could manage through the apartment Eve ran out the door, not even bothering to close it behind her. Carefully she made her way down the small flight of stairs as to not drop Alyssa and then darted for the nearest bus stop.

Kasey, Evelyn greeted the bus driver panting for breath. I just need to put her down to get the money. Please? Evelyn begged on the verge of tears. Kasey nodded her head granting Eve permission to board the bus. Gently Evelyn placed Alyssa in the nearest empty chair before searching for the five dollars it would take to get to the bus station. Thank you. Eve croaked. The bus was fairly crowded but they were all familiar faces. Since Evelyn couldn’t drive due to her Epilepsy, she rode the bus home nearly every night after work.

I’m proud of you. One of the passengers leaned over and spoke. I was thinking of calling the domestic violence hotline if I saw you with another mark. Evelyn's eyes began to tear. She was proud of herself too, but that didn’t make it any easier. She was pulling Alyssa away from everything that she knew. She was leaving the first man that she had ever loved. Granted her love for him had died years ago, but the pain was still there.  The woman reached for Evelyn's hand and squeezed, Having been there myself, I know that this is hard for you, especially with a child, but you can do it.

Thank you. Eve whispered in reply. She hoped that she could survive but uncertainty began to fill her.

Be strong. It’s for the best. Evelyn nodded her head knowing that the woman was right.

Mom? Alyssa stirred looking around the bus. No, no, no! Alyssa cried. Take me back!

Shhh. It’s alright. Evelyn attempted to soothe her but failed.

Take me back! Alyssa demanded.

I can’t, Lyssa. I won’t. The tears streamed down Alyssa’s cheek.

May I? The woman questioned. Evelyn nodded her head yes, needing to go speak to Kasey.

Kasey, I need you to do me a favor. I know it’s off route but can you take me to the bus station.

Eve,

Please Kasey, please? Evelyn stepped aside-allowing passengers on and off the bus. Kasey took that moment to look at Eve and Alyssa crying in her seat. I can’t take you there, I still need to finish my route, but I can drop you off with Ed, he’ll be passing by the station.

Thank you. Eve sighed in relief. Thank you.

Standing in the middle of the bus station Evelyn tried to convince Alyssa that everything would be okay but Alyssa wasn’t buying it. Running out of patience and time Evelyn grabbed Alyssa’s wrist and firmly pulled Alyssa behind her. If Richard woke up soon and found them missing the first place that he would look for them was at the station.

Hi, Eve greeted the man at the counter. I need two tickets to whichever bus is leaving the furthest away next. The man looked up from his computer screen, his eyes landed on her throat, where it had already begun to bruise. He looked down at Alyssa who was crying and begging to not leave home.

Give me a minute to check. Evelyn fought back her nervousness. She prayed Richard hadn’t already woken up.

Okay, the next bus leaving is at eleven-fifteen. You’ll have about an hour wait.

I’ll take it. The man nodded his head and clicked at the computer.

Here you are. He handed Eve the pair of tickets.

How much are they? Evelyn began to dig for her money. The man looked down at Alyssa and pointed.

That was me once with my mom. The lady gave my mom and me free tickets to get out of dodge. Consider this me paying it forward. Evelyn’s eyes began to tear. Drew, the man looked over to his partner at the counter. I’m gonna take a quick smoke break. Drew nodded his head. Follow me. The man instructed Evelyn; she quickly followed. You can stay in our break room until the bus gets here. I didn’t bring much food tonight but there’s a bag of chips with the name Lucas on it and a banana. The vending machine is over there and she can lay on the couch until the bus gets here. Eve jumped at the man and wrapped him in a hug.

Thank you so much. She whispered sobbing against him.

Stay safe. Evelyn wiped her tears away and gave a nod. Lucas smiled before leaving them in the breakroom.

That was a good thing that you did. Drew spoke to Lucas when he returned.

Yeah, hopefully, she makes a good life for herself.

"Takes a lot of guts to leave. She’s already halfway there, as long as she stays away from him, she should be good.

Chapter Two

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Plastering a fake smile on her face, Eve headed towards Keith. The man was a slimeball, but he was also a regular that paid extremely well in tips. It had been two weeks since Evelyn had managed to land a job at the sports bar famously known as Boners. The hours she worked left her with little time to spend with Alyssa, and the customers, like Keith, were less than desirable. However, the pay was good and the tips certainly weren’t anything to complain about. It wasn’t an ideal job and Evelyn wasn’t happy with it but for now, it was what she had. It paid the bills and helped put food on the table and that was all that mattered right now.

Eve placed the beer Keith had ordered in front of him. He gave her a wink before taking a sip and placing his food order. He was at Boners nearly every night of the week and every time that he came in Evelyn tried to avoid him. Yes, he tipped extremely well, but he was a horny jerk and some nights the money just wasn’t worth dealing with him. She hadn’t been lucky enough to avoid him tonight.

Taking a deep breath, bracing herself for what she knew was likely about to happen, she walked past him. Evelyn clenched her jaw together feeling him slap her on the rear. Without looking back, she continued making her way towards the kitchen silently cursing. She wasn’t against being flirted with or hit on but she absolutely hated that eighty-percent of the men that came into Boners couldn’t restrain themselves from touching the waitresses. What upset her even more than the men getting handsy was that the other women did not mind being touched by random men.

Grabbing Keith's dinner, Eve walked to his table and placed it in front of him. His eyes weren’t on the steak though, his eyes were glued on Evelyn. Questioning if there was anything else that she could do for him she had to force herself to refrain from rolling her eyes at his sly remarks. Declining his offer to show her a good time, Eve apologized before leaving to wait on her next table. She didn’t manage to get very far before Keith’s hand was around her wrist. He made a second offer but Evelyn declined it as well while breaking free from his grasp. To Evelyn’s surprise, he let her walk away without a scene.

With the night nearly over, Eve waited on her other tables ensuring there was nothing more that she could do for them. Grabbing the check for Keith she headed towards his table for the final time. He thanked her politely and handed her his card. Turning to leave, Eve froze. Keith’s palm found its way to Evelyn’s backside once again. He gave her a good squeeze; she could feel the tips of his fingers against her too short, shorts. It took all of her strength to not turn around and slap him. Briskly, she walked away. Damn did she hate this job! She couldn’t wait for another job opportunity to arise. Thankful that her shift was nearly over, Evelyn headed to the backroom to clock out and grab her purse so that she could make it to the bus stop in time.

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Evelyn quietly closed Alyssa’s bedroom door behind her. Another day had gone where she had only briefly seen Alyssa and another night passed where Alyssa needed to fend for herself. Eve hated that she couldn’t be there to tuck Alyssa in at night or at least help her with her homework. If there were an award for most awful mother, Evelyn would most likely win it.

It wasn’t completely Eve’s fault though. The bus she had taken that night when she had run from Richard had dropped her and Alyssa off in California of all places. It was beautiful, but it was also pricey. Eve had contemplated leaving for another state but she knew that Richard would never think to look for them here so she had stayed. Their first two weeks had been spent living in a motel, Eve had offered to clean the motel rooms in return for a place to stay free of cost. She hadn’t been thrilled with cleaning toilets and picking up after other people but it had saved her from spending money on a room while she was trying to get on her feet.

During those two weeks, Eve had tried to figure out their new life. She researched everything that she could about the area they were in, spent endless hours on the computer job-hunting until her eyes were sore and her head throbbed. She also spent that time searching for a cheap two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. Halfway into their third week in California Eve had managed to land her job at Boners. Shortly after that, she had found an apartment for them and once she was truly convinced that they could really make a new life here she had enrolled Alyssa in the nearest public school to their apartment. Alyssa still had yet to adjust to her new life and while Eve understood her disdain towards everything that had happened within the past few weeks, Eve knew that it was all for the best. She just hoped that Alyssa would somehow realize that.

Alyssa had been at her new school for two weeks now and constantly made a point to tell Evelyn just how much she hated everything about it, the number of complaints Alyssa had was unbelievable. If her school had drama classes for children her age, Alyssa would be the star.

Sitting alone at the dinner table, Eve thought about her life. At one point she had, had a great life and then somewhere down the road things had just taken a turn for worse and stayed that way. She wondered if everything had gone downhill because she had never really appreciated her life. Was her life slowly falling to ruins due to bad karma coming back to her tenfold? Was all of this just a test to see how much she could handle or how much it would take for her to break? She didn’t know the answers but she knew that she was going to do everything in her power to not break. Her parents had always called her a fighter and that’s exactly what she intended to do now.

Her mind went to Richard. He was the biggest cause of her downfall with her Epilepsy coming in at a close second.

There had been a time where Richard had been a great boyfriend. He would surprise her with flowers and take her on romantic dates, he had said all of the right things and he’d swept her off her feet. He was everything that Eve had ever dreamed of in a man. He had been kind, thoughtful, funny, he had been perfection wrapped into one man. Then after two years of being together, things had just changed. Eve had become unexpectedly pregnant and with a snap of a finger, Richard had become this hateful man that blamed Evelyn for everything.

For some reason, that Eve didn’t understand, Richard had stayed with her through the pregnancy. At one point he had tried to convince Eve to get rid of their mistake so that they could go back to how they had been in the beginning but Eve had refused to do such a thing. She may not have ever planned on having a child but once she had gotten pregnant, she couldn’t help but want a child of her own.

Knowing that a tiny person was growing inside of her had been one of the most amazing experiences of her life. The pregnancy itself had been a complicated one; Evelyn had been warned by her OBGYN that due to her medication, her baby may not come out normal if it even managed to survive both the pregnancy and birth.  

Her seizures had come back with a vengeance, becoming uncontrollable and the stress from her failing relationship only made them worse, which put both her and the baby at an even higher risk. Due to the excessive amounts of time that she had to call off work at the last minute after seizing, Evelyn had ended up losing her job, which had only helped Richard’s anger towards her grow.

With her pregnancy coming to an end, Alyssa had been born and Richard’s disdain for them both had only grown worse. It had finally gotten to the point where Eve couldn’t juggle being a full-time mom and dealing with Richard’s clear hatred for Alyssa so she had told him goodbye and moved back in with her parents. The move hadn’t lasted very long though. Richard had convinced her that she was a changed man and she had stupidly moved back in with Richard hoping to have the family that she had longed for. For years their relationship only grew more toxic and Eve’s seizures continued to become more frequent. Eve’s love for Richard had died long ago, just like his love for her had died, but she still continued to try and force things to work between them. She didn’t want Alyssa growing up without a father, even if that father never wanted to see her grow up.

Late one night in a drunken rage Richard had crossed a line hitting Evelyn for the first time. Evelyn’s parents had found out when Eve had dropped Alyssa off with them for the day. They had seen the mark on Evelyn’s face and were livid, they had threatened to call the police on him, but Eve denied that he had ever laid a hand on her. She had heard and read about women that stayed in abusive relationships and how some of them wound up dead on the side of the street or beaten and homeless forced to live in a shelter but she never once thought that would be her life. She knew Richard, she knew just how good he could be and she had fully intended on bringing that side of him back out.

She had failed. At least once a week he would lay his hands on her. It didn’t matter what the reason was; whether she hadn’t prepared dinner quickly enough or it was cold, the floors weren’t swept or it was something Alyssa had done or even her having a seizure, he always found a reason to punish her.

Wiping a silent tear away Eve couldn’t believe that she had been so stupid. She had only wanted Alyssa to have both a mother and a father but all she had given Alyssa was a life with parents that hated each other. Her parents had called the police on Richard last year but Eve had been an idiot and lied about the abuse again. To this day she still wasn’t sure what had caused her to lie, especially since she had known what Richard was capable of and Eve still hadn’t spoken to her parents since they had called the police.

Eve stood and headed to the pantry in search of a midnight snack. She frowned seeing just how little they truly had. For a brief second Eve wondered if it had been stupid of her to leave. Here she was with nothing, barely surviving this new life when back in her old life they had a roof to sleep under, comfortable beds, and food on the table.

Her epilepsy wasn’t helping her either. The seizures had become so out of control that she was now having them almost daily, sometimes she was unfortunate enough to have them multiple times a day. With a defeated sigh, Eve promised herself that one day, no matter what it took, she would finally create a happy life for Alyssa.

Chapter Three

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Lyssa, it’s time to get up for school. Evelyn gently shook Alyssa until she stirred. Come on baby, you can’t be late.

Leave me alone. She grumpily replied. Eve couldn’t blame her for the grumpiness, she hadn’t wanted to get out of bed either this morning.

Don’t make me squish you. Come on, wake up. Eve playfully tapped her on the bottom before heading towards Alyssa’s dresser.

Mom, I’m ten, not five, you can’t squish me and you can’t tap my butt. It’s weird. I can pick out my clothes too.

Oh. Eve replied with a frown. Alyssa was growing up quickly and Eve was missing almost every moment of it.

I’m not going back to school anyways. It sucks there.

It’s cute that you think that you have a choice, now get out of bed and we don’t say the word ‘sucks’ okay?

It’s not a cuss word and I said I’m not going. You can’t make me. Eve looked in Alyssa’s direction.

Yes, yes I can. As you said, you are ten. Until you turn thirty, I’m your boss. Get out of bed, get dressed, and go to eat breakfast. Now.

I don’t want to go! Alyssa threw a pillow at her mom. Evelyn glared at Alyssa.

You will get out of bed, you will get dressed, and you will go eat. Do you understand me? She said an octave above a whisper.

Or?

You seriously don’t want to find out. Evelyn threatened. I’m going to finish making your breakfast, you have five minutes until I come back in here. If you aren’t ready, I’m going to pull you down the stairs and to the bus stop by your ear. Am I understood?

Whatever. Alyssa threw the blanket over her face.

Good. Taking a calming breath Evelyn headed out of Alyssa’s room wondering when her little girl had turned into such a teenager.

The toast popped out of the toaster while Evelyn was putting breakfast on the table.

I’m serious Lyssa, get out here! She shouted from the kitchen. No reply came. Annoyed with how their morning had started she headed back into Alyssa’s room. Are you kidding me? She questioned rhetorically, yanking the blanket off of her daughter.

Mom! Stop it! Alyssa shouted angrily.

You have five seconds, five, to get out of bed.

NO! Alyssa shouted. Fed up with Alyssa’s attitude, Eve grabbed her by the ear. Alyssa hissed standing up quickly before Eve could rip her ear off.

I said get dressed. Now you can pick whether you will or not.

Not. Alyssa hissed flinching as Eve squeezed a little tighter.

Wrong choice. Eve kept her hold on Alyssa’s ear and headed for the front door. Opening it she began to walk out into the apartment hallway.

Stop it, mom! Alyssa shouted not wanting to be seen wearing her pajama’s in public.

I warned you.

Sure! Go ahead and drag me to the bus stop and give everyone another reason to laugh at me! What a great mom you are! Evelyn starred at Alyssa for a long moment before letting her ear go. Alyssa ran into their apartment and headed towards her bathroom, loudly slamming the door behind her.

Lyssa? Eve gently knocked on the door. What did you mean? Why do they laugh at you? What’s going on?

Nothing. Alyssa replied sniffling behind the door.

Open up baby, talk to mommy. Slowly Alyssa opened the door.

I’m not a baby and I told you that I hate this school. No one likes me. The girls don’t do anything but make fun of me when I try to play with them at recess and the boys look at me like I’m some kind of alien. They tell me to leave, that girls aren’t allowed. She sniffled again.

Oh sweetie, Evelyn hugged her tightly. Ignore the girls. Alyssa looked up at her. They are just jealous. When girls are jealous, they feel threatened, they act mean because it makes them feel better.

Why would they be jealous? Alyssa questioned wiping tears from her eyes.

Why wouldn’t they be? Evelyn smiled at Alyssa. You’re prettier, funnier and a heck of a lot smarter than most of those girls put together. It’s jealousy, plain and simple. They know you are cooler than them and they don’t like it. It’ll be okay though, summer is almost here. You won’t have to put up with any of those snobs again until next year.

I don’t want to. Alyssa answered sadly.

I know you don’t and I’m sorry about that. How about tomorrow I come to school and have lunch with you? I’ve got some errands to do today but I can join you tomorrow.

Okay. Alyssa nodded her head.

Good. Hurry up and get dressed, you only have a few minutes to eat breakfast.

Evelyn saw Alyssa off, waving to her as she climbed onto the bus. Heading back to their apartment Eve kept telling herself that everything would be okay with time.

Dressed and ready for the day Eve walked to the kitchen drawer grabbing the wad of coupons that she had been saving. With an aggravated sigh she threw most of the coupons away seeing that they were past their expiration date. Counting her money she gave a small humorless laugh wanting to pull her hair out and scream. Sometimes life seriously freaking sucked. What was she going to buy with a lousy forty dollars? She had no pay until Friday and any other money she had was needed for bills. Never once in her life had she thought that she would end up here. She knew their situation wasn’t hopeless, they could get back on their feet in time, but looking at the small amount of money and pile coupons, she certainly didn’t feel like there was any hope.

Pushing her aggravation aside Eve grabbed her small purse. Locking the door behind her she headed the short distance to the public bus stop. Mentally she wrote out a list of the necessities, between the little amount of money that she had and the level of difficulty it took to carry more than four bags on the bus, she knew that she could only get the bare necessities. Crossing her fingers, she hoped to come across some Buy one Get one deals. She added a tub of ice cream to her mental list, it wasn’t a necessity but she wanted to cheer Alyssa up. Whatever she couldn’t get today she could get next week. She hoped that Alyssa was having a better day at school today.

Chapter Four

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Alyssa brushed her long hair in front of her face in an attempt to hide from her classmates. Walking towards her desk she could hear one of the boys snicker behind her. Setting her book bag down on the floor she took a seat giving a small smile to the girl sitting beside her, in return, the girl rolled her eyes and looked away from Alyssa. Sinking low into her chair Alyssa forced herself to keep her attention on the teacher instead of the kids that she could see pointing and staring at her through her peripheral vision.

It was going to be a long few weeks until school was over. Alyssa could do it though, all she had to do was ignore the other kids and keep a low profile. Easy peasy. Not.

Heading towards the back table in the lunchroom Alyssa took a seat, pulled open her brown paper bag, and placed her lunch onto the table. Hearing footsteps coming up behind her, Alyssa closed her eyes and wished that she were invisible. She ignored their presence taking a bite out of the peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich that her mom had made for her. A moment later the sticky note that her mom often packed in her lunch was snatched up off of the table. The girl read it out loud laughing at its words before crumbling it up and tossing it onto the floor.

You’re so lame. What are you, five? She laughed and her two friends joined in her laughter. Look her mommy even cut her sandwich for her. She’s not five, she’s just an itty-bitty baby. The girl teased making baby noises. Alyssa ignored her comments continuing to eat her sandwich.

Is everything alright? The lady that overlooked lunchtime questioned walking up to the table.

I was just trying to tell Alyssa here that it’s not okay to throw trash on the floor. The girl answered innocently pointing towards the discarded note from Alyssa’s mother.

Alyssa, the teacher scolded. I know you’re new here but we put our trash in the trash can. I hope I don’t have to speak to you about this again. She gave her a stern look.

Yes ma’am. Alyssa responded grinding her teeth together.

I have the whole school wrapped around my finger. The girl said proudly once the woman left.

Only because they are scared of your dad. Lyssa responded. I’m pretty sure that if your dad wasn’t so important no one would like you. Alyssa collected her lunch and stood up. Get out of my way.

You can’t talk to me like that. No one can. The girl huffed and Alyssa smiled, a thought popping into her head.

I bet no one can do this to you either. Alyssa replied pouring her leftover juice over the front of the girls shirt causing her to shriek. I don’t like bullies, stay away from me or next time it’ll be mashed potatoes in your hair. Alyssa threatened boldly but knew that she probably wouldn’t.

She was surprised with herself for sticking up to the girl at all. It felt good to dump the juice on her but she also knew that it didn’t make her any better than a bully. For a brief moment, she enjoyed her small victory. Hearing the other children’s laughter made her feel slightly better, at least it wasn’t her that was being laughed at this time, but almost instantly she felt a twinge of guilt over her actions. She knew what it was like to be laughed at, it was one of the worst feelings ever. Turning around she headed towards the girl offering to help her clean up.

Get away you freak! The girl shouted, removing any ill feelings Alyssa had felt over her actions.

The rest of her school day went by mostly smoothly. A few people pointed and stared at her but Alyssa