Chapter 8: The Last Test

After that night, I stopped going to school.

I stayed in my room, blinds drawn, feeling the world shrink to four cracked walls. The only thing I could focus on was survival.

I was ready to drop out, but unexpectedly, the school agreed to let me skip classes and just take the exams.

The guidance counselor barely met my eyes as she handed me the paperwork, relief flickering across her face.

I guess they were as eager to see me gone as I was to leave. Either way, I got a sliver of hope.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

For the first time in months, my shoulders dropped. Maybe there was still a way out.

If the Evans family had ruined my education, I’d never have another chance in my life.

School was my lifeline. Without it, I’d be stuck picking up trash forever.

I staked everything on the SATs.

My room became a fortress of books, flashcards, and empty coffee cups. I studied until my eyes blurred, blocking out the world.

I studied day and night, working through practice problems, tuning out my mom’s curses.

Sometimes she’d yell so loud I had to wear headphones. I told myself I could outlast her—just a few more weeks.

Because her injured leg hadn’t been treated in time, it was ultimately ruined.

Watching her struggle, I felt a twisted relief—at least now she couldn’t chase after the Evanses.

I didn’t have to worry about her running off, chasing some lost fantasy. We were both trapped, but at least I could see my prison walls.

Because of this, her temper grew more violent, her disfigured face more twisted and terrifying.

I barely recognized her anymore. Sometimes, I’d catch a glimpse of my own reflection and wonder if I’d end up just like her.

As I picked up the broken bowls and plates she’d smashed, I said to her,

"Mom, let’s live well.

Let’s work hard and make it on our own.

Wait for me to get into college, wait until I have a job.

It’ll get better."

I wanted to believe it. I needed her to believe it, too.

She laughed, then started crying. Like she was possessed, she grabbed the pillow and hurled it at me.

"Get out!"

Her voice was raw with misery. The pillow hit my chest, but it didn’t hurt half as much as her words.