DISCLAIMER: Besides the fact that you all know, I don't own newsies,
something's wrong with me. It'd be one thing if I wrote new stories after
I finished one, but no, I have like 7 started, and I'm starting another
one. And I own Merrily. If you want to use my character or be in this
story don't hesitate to ask. It might be a bit confusing to begin with but
I hope it'll all be good! Please read and review!
RUNNING FROM THE LIGHT
PROLOGUE
I don't' know how she does it. Six kids, one mother, one father who's the father of only two of those kids. She is such a slut. A fucking whore. What's funny is that all her kids are mistakes. What's even funnier is that of all the mistakes she's ever made, I'm probably the one she regrets the most.
15. She was 15. I was 15 a year ago. I'm more then half her age. That's so wrong. Thanks to her I was such a messed up child. I was so messed up! I even remember once in 3rd grade . . .
**********
"Merrily . . . why don't you tell us a little about your family?"
"Well my mom just had a baby, it's a girl."
"Oh really? And what does your father think about this?" I think I just stared blankly at her. "Your dad?" she repeated.
"I don't have one."
"When did they divorce? After she got pregnant, right?" she was trying so hard to patch things up. No teacher would want to subject their students to what I was putting them through. Well it was too late for that.
"My mom was never married. In fact I don't' even know who my father is. Or my brothers father. He's different then mine. And so is my sis . . ."
"I think you should sit down now Merrily" she cut me off but damage had already been inflicted. Oops. I think I scarred some kids emotionally that day.
**********
I don't' think I've ever called her mom. I mean like straight to her face. I might have said "my mom" when referring to her but only because she bore me in her womb for nine months and gave birth to me. That's the only motherly thing she's ever done for me.
Max. Ah Max. Max the ass. Max the bastard. Max the son of a bitch. Max the asshole. Max the jackass. Max. Don't' get me wrong here. Max is a great guy. That is if you want to get beat and bitched at every night. Which is evidently what she wants. Because that's what she's got.
I was proud of her when she finally got married. She had just had her fourth child, Marigold, but Max was actually the father. So they got married. I was hoping that married life would change her. Maybe she would settle down, become a good mother, care for her children. A year later she had Hunter . . . and Max was the father. It was great. Sure he beat her. Sure her job doesn't pay much. Except for the tips. She gets mad tips. Sure she had five kids. Sure . . . except for that, and plenty more factors I didn't list, things were great. Then it happened. She got pregnant. But oh no . . . it wasn't Max's child. She reckons it was one of her "customers" who impregnated her. Too much drinking on the job I'm guessing. Things got worse at home. My life went from bad to hell. No exaggeration. School sucked. Home sucked. She sucks (not for free of course). I had to get out.
I tried. I honestly did. I found ways to cope. Dance was the only place where I could actually escape. Dance was the only way I could channel my anger. Until Max dearest made me quit. He made up some crap lie like we didn't have enough money to afford my dances lessons. Bull shit. He runs a fucking car dealership. Have you any idea how much those people make? A hell of a lot. How did he get that job? I have no idea. But he fits very nicely into the slime bucket asshole role. Anyway I was forced to quit. That's when I discovered something worse then hell, my life. No one cared about me. I was the fucking live in baby-sitter. I couldn't take it anymore. I remember that day so clearly, so well. The day that I cracked.
My alarm was broken that day. Or maybe I just accidentally on-purpose forgot to turn it on. Well whatever the reason was, I woke up half an hour late.
"Shit!" I yelled. I didn't have to worry about my 'siblings' hearing me because they have as bad a mouth as I do, sometimes even worse. I ran down stairs after throwing on my favorite pair of jeans and a blue peasant blouse. And a baby was thrust into my arms, literally.
"I called you in sick. I need you to care for Harrison."
"What the fuck?" I screamed in her face. Harrison chose that time, of all times, to start wailing.
"Don't you bitch at me! You're making him cry!"
"Look! I'm not a fucking slut like you are. I don't sleep around fucking everything that has a penis, no matter how big or small it is. He's your son. You can take care of him yourself!"
"Don't tell me how to live my life! I've got problems you wouldn't even start to understand! Go bitch at someone else, not me. I've got to get to work. Take care of Harrison. NOW!"
"Oh I see, you put your clothes on just to take them off again? Don't' forget to bring your pills and condoms. Oh silly me I forgot . . . you keep those in your purse. Just in case right?"
"What's the fucking noise for?" we both turned to see Max, wearing only boxers, leaning against the doorframe. "Can a man not fucking sleep in his own house? What will it take to shut you bitches up?"
"Talk to your stepdaughter, she's being the bitch!"
"Merrily, don't give your mother a hard time."
"Here Max" I thrusted Harrison into his arms. "Have a baby. I know you don't care anything about him but I don't' care about him even more!"
"Don't' you give me this shit!" he placed Harrison on the table, not too gently, and slapped me. For the first time ever he dared to slap me. He had actually slapped me. "Do you learn your fucking lesson bitch? I'm letting you live in my fucking house, so don't give me this shit. Why can't you just be appreciative for once? Just once in your damn life, be appreciative!"
"Bastard!" I shouted right back at him. Harrison was screaming and crying out of control now and I just noticed Hunter running around the house singing a new little jingle to himself. I think the words were somewhere along the lines of 'Merrily's a bitch.' That set me off. "Shut the fuck up asshole!" I screamed at him. And Max went berserk.
"It's one thing to curse out your mother's son because she's a whore but when you curse out my son . . . You're just asking for it bitch" before he could do anything to me, I kicked him right in the nuts. Max sunk to the floor, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Don't fuck with me Max. Just DON'T!" I stormed upstairs and stuffed some clothes, CD's and my CD player, necessities, and a wad of money into my backpack. I ran into THEIR room and grabbed an even bigger wad of money from their 'hidden stash.' It's the least they could do for me for putting me through this hell. I slipped on my red sneakers and threw on my Quicksilver sweatshirt. I ran into Lily's room and kissed her on the forehead. Just looking at me half-sister made me start to cry. She blinked her long eyelashes and opened her big blue eyes.
"Merrily?" she asked it a questioning tone.
"I'm leaving Lily" she threw her arms around my neck.
"Don't leave me here! Take me with you!"
"I can't. I'll miss you kid" I guess you'd say I could stand Lily. Actually I have a soft spot in my heart for the girl. She sort of reminds me of me when I was a kid. Plus she's not a child of Max so that's a bonus.
"Bye Merrily" she said with a sniffle. "I love you."
"I love ya too" I choked out. I walked out of her room and down the stairs. Without looking back I opened the door, walked out, and slammed it behind me. The sun was just starting to rise and I turned and walked west, away from it. I was running away. I was running from the light.
RUNNING FROM THE LIGHT
PROLOGUE
I don't' know how she does it. Six kids, one mother, one father who's the father of only two of those kids. She is such a slut. A fucking whore. What's funny is that all her kids are mistakes. What's even funnier is that of all the mistakes she's ever made, I'm probably the one she regrets the most.
15. She was 15. I was 15 a year ago. I'm more then half her age. That's so wrong. Thanks to her I was such a messed up child. I was so messed up! I even remember once in 3rd grade . . .
**********
"Merrily . . . why don't you tell us a little about your family?"
"Well my mom just had a baby, it's a girl."
"Oh really? And what does your father think about this?" I think I just stared blankly at her. "Your dad?" she repeated.
"I don't have one."
"When did they divorce? After she got pregnant, right?" she was trying so hard to patch things up. No teacher would want to subject their students to what I was putting them through. Well it was too late for that.
"My mom was never married. In fact I don't' even know who my father is. Or my brothers father. He's different then mine. And so is my sis . . ."
"I think you should sit down now Merrily" she cut me off but damage had already been inflicted. Oops. I think I scarred some kids emotionally that day.
**********
I don't' think I've ever called her mom. I mean like straight to her face. I might have said "my mom" when referring to her but only because she bore me in her womb for nine months and gave birth to me. That's the only motherly thing she's ever done for me.
Max. Ah Max. Max the ass. Max the bastard. Max the son of a bitch. Max the asshole. Max the jackass. Max. Don't' get me wrong here. Max is a great guy. That is if you want to get beat and bitched at every night. Which is evidently what she wants. Because that's what she's got.
I was proud of her when she finally got married. She had just had her fourth child, Marigold, but Max was actually the father. So they got married. I was hoping that married life would change her. Maybe she would settle down, become a good mother, care for her children. A year later she had Hunter . . . and Max was the father. It was great. Sure he beat her. Sure her job doesn't pay much. Except for the tips. She gets mad tips. Sure she had five kids. Sure . . . except for that, and plenty more factors I didn't list, things were great. Then it happened. She got pregnant. But oh no . . . it wasn't Max's child. She reckons it was one of her "customers" who impregnated her. Too much drinking on the job I'm guessing. Things got worse at home. My life went from bad to hell. No exaggeration. School sucked. Home sucked. She sucks (not for free of course). I had to get out.
I tried. I honestly did. I found ways to cope. Dance was the only place where I could actually escape. Dance was the only way I could channel my anger. Until Max dearest made me quit. He made up some crap lie like we didn't have enough money to afford my dances lessons. Bull shit. He runs a fucking car dealership. Have you any idea how much those people make? A hell of a lot. How did he get that job? I have no idea. But he fits very nicely into the slime bucket asshole role. Anyway I was forced to quit. That's when I discovered something worse then hell, my life. No one cared about me. I was the fucking live in baby-sitter. I couldn't take it anymore. I remember that day so clearly, so well. The day that I cracked.
My alarm was broken that day. Or maybe I just accidentally on-purpose forgot to turn it on. Well whatever the reason was, I woke up half an hour late.
"Shit!" I yelled. I didn't have to worry about my 'siblings' hearing me because they have as bad a mouth as I do, sometimes even worse. I ran down stairs after throwing on my favorite pair of jeans and a blue peasant blouse. And a baby was thrust into my arms, literally.
"I called you in sick. I need you to care for Harrison."
"What the fuck?" I screamed in her face. Harrison chose that time, of all times, to start wailing.
"Don't you bitch at me! You're making him cry!"
"Look! I'm not a fucking slut like you are. I don't sleep around fucking everything that has a penis, no matter how big or small it is. He's your son. You can take care of him yourself!"
"Don't tell me how to live my life! I've got problems you wouldn't even start to understand! Go bitch at someone else, not me. I've got to get to work. Take care of Harrison. NOW!"
"Oh I see, you put your clothes on just to take them off again? Don't' forget to bring your pills and condoms. Oh silly me I forgot . . . you keep those in your purse. Just in case right?"
"What's the fucking noise for?" we both turned to see Max, wearing only boxers, leaning against the doorframe. "Can a man not fucking sleep in his own house? What will it take to shut you bitches up?"
"Talk to your stepdaughter, she's being the bitch!"
"Merrily, don't give your mother a hard time."
"Here Max" I thrusted Harrison into his arms. "Have a baby. I know you don't care anything about him but I don't' care about him even more!"
"Don't' you give me this shit!" he placed Harrison on the table, not too gently, and slapped me. For the first time ever he dared to slap me. He had actually slapped me. "Do you learn your fucking lesson bitch? I'm letting you live in my fucking house, so don't give me this shit. Why can't you just be appreciative for once? Just once in your damn life, be appreciative!"
"Bastard!" I shouted right back at him. Harrison was screaming and crying out of control now and I just noticed Hunter running around the house singing a new little jingle to himself. I think the words were somewhere along the lines of 'Merrily's a bitch.' That set me off. "Shut the fuck up asshole!" I screamed at him. And Max went berserk.
"It's one thing to curse out your mother's son because she's a whore but when you curse out my son . . . You're just asking for it bitch" before he could do anything to me, I kicked him right in the nuts. Max sunk to the floor, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Don't fuck with me Max. Just DON'T!" I stormed upstairs and stuffed some clothes, CD's and my CD player, necessities, and a wad of money into my backpack. I ran into THEIR room and grabbed an even bigger wad of money from their 'hidden stash.' It's the least they could do for me for putting me through this hell. I slipped on my red sneakers and threw on my Quicksilver sweatshirt. I ran into Lily's room and kissed her on the forehead. Just looking at me half-sister made me start to cry. She blinked her long eyelashes and opened her big blue eyes.
"Merrily?" she asked it a questioning tone.
"I'm leaving Lily" she threw her arms around my neck.
"Don't leave me here! Take me with you!"
"I can't. I'll miss you kid" I guess you'd say I could stand Lily. Actually I have a soft spot in my heart for the girl. She sort of reminds me of me when I was a kid. Plus she's not a child of Max so that's a bonus.
"Bye Merrily" she said with a sniffle. "I love you."
"I love ya too" I choked out. I walked out of her room and down the stairs. Without looking back I opened the door, walked out, and slammed it behind me. The sun was just starting to rise and I turned and walked west, away from it. I was running away. I was running from the light.