Burning

Burning

She gripped the bottle in her hands as she took drink after drink from it. Trying to drown out all the sorrow she saw every time she closed her eyes. The quote her mother used to say to her kept repeating within her mind.” Everything will be alright” she hated that quote since nothing ever was “alright” in her world. As she sipped the last drop of the bottle, her body grew light and she fell onto her bed into a drunken sleep……….
Ali woke up the next day with a throbbing headache and longing to hide deep into the darkness. She left her room to walk into the living room, where she discovered her mother with her panties half way down to her ankles and a satisfied smile on her face.
Ali exhaled “Not again” as she covered her mother up with a blanket.
“Hey there” a deep raspy voice spoke startling her. Ali turned to see Jim, one of her mother’s boyfriends. He stood there without a shirt letting his potbelly hang out in the open.
Disgusting she thought to herself as she ignored him to go back into her room. But Jim grabbed her arm and pulled her with enough force to knock her to the ground.
“you better answer me when I say something to you Girl!”
“Screw you” Ali picked herself and tried to run to her but Jim pounced on her trying to restrain her like he did to her mother.
“Stupid bitch, I guess I gotta discipline you like I had to do with that slut” he jerked his head towards her mother who still laid asleep.
Ali wouldn’t become like her mother, she struggled and wailed at him with a deadly fierceness.