Skylit by Jordan Wadley (black female authors TXT) 📕

"Thank you," Lette's voice was smaller than I'd first witnessed, making me angry at the clown once more.

"I could break one of her arms or legs to send her to the hospital too, just to get her out of your hair if you want?" My words were still slightly slurred but I could feel myself coming down from the high. The recent events suddenly felt jumbled together and out of order, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't remember anything from detail.

"No, that's fine. I just had to thank you." Her violet eyes came to contact with mine and in her eyes, gratitude shined out passed the tears. "I thought you'd resent me because I was into a different sex. Most girls I try to befriend always think I'm coming onto them, and that didn't even cross your mind. It wasn't like I was actually coming onto anyone, but since I like a different sex it automatically puts me into a place I don't want to be in. I'm so sorry."

I didn't respond, simply just grabbing her shoulders and bringing her into a tight hug. I knew what it was like to be resented for something you couldn't handle, of course I couldn't judge Lette for something she had no control over.

"You shouldn't be sorry for something you can't control Lette, you're my first friend in this hell hole. Just because your not what people want you to be, doesn't automatically mean your a bad person. Why the hell should you apologize?" I noticed sooner than later, that everyone in the yard still stood and stared at us with either excitement or disgust.

"What the hell are you staring at?" My voice was deadly as it echoed across the school property. "Get on with your own goddamned life."

Slowly but surely people turned back to their own conversations, or to talk about what they'd just witnessed, and left our own group to talk.

"That was awesome Rose, I'm Daniel." The boy that rolled the joint now had a name.

"I'm guessing that was pope we smoked?" I asked with a sly grin. Daniel's face suddenly turned to one of surprise, the other three guys that sat in the group and some others laughed at his surprise and smacked me on the back.

"How can you tell?" He asked with a laugh.

"It's already starting to wear off, duh! Pot don't wear off so easy, I'm still feeling a little bit but now I can most likely walk." I laughed and let go of a smiling Lette.

The guys begin to laugh and converse with one another, sending all my attention to Lette.

"You remind me of a big sister." She mumbles ashamed. "Most people just run with the crowd, I'm surprised the guys even stood up to Clare with you. You haven't even been to school yet and everyone already loves you, it's almost impossible to believe."

"Well, I guess I like having a little sister if that's okay with you?" I ask picturing my sweet little brother in her gentle face. Her pale complexion lit up like a Christmas tree followed by a large smile.

"That's awesome!" She jumped into my arms again, clinging onto me like her life depended on it.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but would anybody care to skip the first couple of classes and grab something to eat? I haven't tried the Starbucks here yet, anybody mind?" I couldn't comprehend what happened until Lette jumped on the back of my motorcycle and the others rode down the road in their own vehicles.

The room seemed almost too silent when I walked through the house, nobody was home at the moment. I dropped Lette off at school after the lunch bell rang like the others. I always skipped my first day of school, today I figured it may've been different but smoking the rest of the pope with Daniel really didn't help.

I sat down on my couch with a sigh, waiting for something to do while my music played on my phone. Collide by Skillet came on my radio, and with a loud yell I blared it through my tiny speakers.

I continue to stared aimlessly around the room in my reclined chair, simply enjoying the peace of mind.

I hadn't realized I fell asleep until a door slammed on the other side of the kitchen almost immediately catching my attention. I'd figured she'd be out for the rest of the night like usual, in my heart I could feel the dread weighing me down.

"Why ain't you at school?" Even though her voice was calm and collected, underneath I could also hear the anger slowly growing with each passing moment.

"I got sick." I said with a bored sigh.

"They would call me, do you really think I'm stupid? You do this all the damn time Roseline, I'll go to jail if you keep missing days like this! I wouldn't do well in jail, I'd probably get raped because of my body! Do you want your mother to get raped? How selfish are you?" She spat the words like venom in her mouth, easily complimenting herself along the way. I sighed with a roll of my eyes and stood, walking pass her without another word passed.

"You're not my mother." I spat the words, easily letting the hatred I felt for her reach into my words like a slap to the face.

I didn't turn to see her reaction or gauge what her next reply would've been, I didn't need to. I knew she'd forget the words like she usually did and drown herself at the bottom of her whiskey bottle.

As soon as I gently closed my bedroom door I let out a sigh of relief. I knew getting into another fight with her would use the rest of my energy, staying cooped up in my room is what I'm used to. It seemed to be the only way I could get away from her when she drank.

Not soon after my head touched the soft edges of my pillow had I heard more voices in the halls. Beth didn't usually invite others over unless Jake wanted other things, but more than one person was unheard of.

A loud crash vibrated the house, and I couldn't even think before I ran out of my door and stood in the kitchen with fumes flying from my ears.

My aunt Tris had her hands placed on her hips as a sign of aggravation, her frown was pointed directly at Beth as two men, not much older than me, flanked aunt Tris.

"What the hell is this?" I yell above the yelling Beth seemed to be doing.

"This isn't none of your business girl," The gruff man with blonde hair spoke beside Tris. My anger sparked like gasoline to a fire, I didn't realize what I was doing until I had him pinned to the wall by his neck.

"This is my god damned house damn it, don't tell me what is and isn't my business. That woman lives in my house, I suggest you show some fucking respect." He looked at me with surprise, along with the boy that stood next to him, before jerking out of my touch.

"Rose, it's fine. They're a few friends of mine. You're mother-" With a wave of my hand, Tris halted in mid-sentence.

"She is not my mother, are we clear?" Something on my face must've warned her, because within a moment she continued the sentence correctly.

"Beth stole four full bottles of liquor from my bar tonight, I need them back or I lose my job." Her voice shook at the end with sadness, I knew she needed the money worse than anyone else in my family, and without her job she'd lose her home.

"Beth," My voice was sharp with an edge to it, like usual when I spoke to her. She snarled at me like a dog and clung tighter onto her purse.

"You have five seconds to return the bottles to aunt Tris, or I'll make you. Do we understand each other?" I was mocking her and I knew it, she used to do the same thing to me when I didn't give her my earned money.

I could tell she knew what I was doing because with a laugh she hid the bag behind her back.

"Like that's gonna happen." The kid with the darker hair stepped forward with a frown.

"Ma'am, please she needs this job." He seemed much more polite than the blonde kid still looking at me with caution.

"Who the hell are you two? She doesn't deserve your respect kid, so don't give it. Beth, give me the bottles now!" Everyone's head snapped to me at my harsh tone, even if Tris looked at me with gratitude I didn't like the constant stares.

Beth shook trying to resist my command, tears gliding down her face.

"I don't have anymore left, I don't have any money. Please can you just pay for me?" She sounded completely pathetic and desperate.

I walked forward as Beth shook, looking at my startling form before turning to the blond again.

"She beats me, please don't let her beat me." She pleaded again. I froze a step away from her at the words that left her mouth, sending me into a train of jumbled memories.

Flashes crossed by me in less than seconds. Beth's hand wrapped around my throat when she drugged me, she was angry. She was only angry because I didn't give her money, so she drugged me and beat me. She excused me from school for weeks, only so she could wear me down enough to pay her the money.

"Rose!" Tris' terrified voice spoke off into the distance. It felt like their was a plastic wall that stood between us, I could see her but I couldn't hear her. The anger that consumed be created a block around me, like a protection barrier.

Everyone's eyes stared at me wide eyed.

"I beat you?" I asked slowly with clenched fist. It took everything in my power to keep my voice controlled, to keep from screaming and yelling in her face with pure rage. Heat travelled up my feet, slowly roaming upwards until I felt sweat breaking out beneath the thick layer of clothes.

The blonde that stood behind Beth now began to slowly back up, his blue eyes staring at me like I'd finally became some monster.

"You locked me up," I spoke with a deathly calm tone. "and totured me, for money. Again, you say I beat you?"

I laugh...

And laugh....

And laugh.

Suddenly I felt bones crushing beneath my palms, frightened brown eyes much like my own, staring at me in fear. I noticed in a far away land that two pairs of hands were wrapped painfully around Beth's forearms. Her mouth contorted into one of pain, pure and absolute pain.

I felt the need to smile at the pain she was suffering through. But it slipped in heartbeat.

The hands that were wrapped around her had purple veins poking out like an alarm system, the arms to the person looked to be almost on fire at the blistering color.

I could slowly feel the barrier around the outside world crashing down, voices were heard all around me but I