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Description
The clothes fell from their hangers without a fight. The room remained silent as the girl tiptoed back and forth between her bed and the now gutted dresser. Nothing but the quiet chirping of crickets filled her room.
A loud bang against the wall wall made the girl jump. A yell of anger quickly followed.
So the crickets and the fighting in the next room. Wonderful.
The girl took a ragged breath as she stuffed another shirt into the already overflowing duffle bag. She pulled her lips into her mouth and turned to glance into the darkness.
Her closet door remained open. The hangers hung, solitary, without clothes to hide their empty frames.
She nodded in approval and turned back to her over-stuffed bag perched on the edge of her bed. Her eyes scanned the empty sheets for any overlooked clothing. They swept over the empty drawers that sat open in thier wooden frame. With another breath, she zipped the bag closed.
Her feet made no sound on the carpet as she stepped across the floor. She pressed her hand against the cold knob and waited, trying hard to focus on the crickets outside. But her ears were pulled back to the loud conversation on the other side of the door.
"For god sake's, Tom! Is this honestly what you want to do with your life?! You're putting this entire family at jeapordy!"
"Shut up, Jess. Just shut up! You've been singin' that same tune all fuckin' year. And you know what? I don't care about this damn family anymore. No one ever appreciates what I do here! It's just you and the girl. 'Cause Ben's long gone, darling. And I'm fuckin' jealous of that bastard."
"How dare you! You know damn well that I am the provider for this family! You don't ever-."
She couldn't take it any more. She pulled her door open, not caring about the sound it made, and bolted from her dark room. She dashed down the hallway and into the kitchen, moving like a shadow behind the fight. She grabbed the car keys from the counter top and continued her dead run to the landing. With a leap, she jumped the first five stairs. With the bang of the boards beneath her feet, the fighting stalled.
For a moment, the only sound was her feet thundering against the naked, wooden steps. But as soon as she reached the door, she heard the shriek of horror.
"Maya!"
But Maya shoved the door open and bolted from the house. From the hell that she had been condemned to.
As she jumped into her rundown Honda, the screen door burst open. And they both stood there, stunned. But Maya shoved the key into the ignition and let the engine roar. She watched as her mother screamed in panic; her dad in anger. But she didn't care. Maya cranked the car into reverse and peeled from the driveway.
As she sped along the pavement, she watched them disappear from her rearview mirror. And with a smile, she realized this was the best birthday she'd ever had.