Chapter 5
Gloria was practically burning holes through me with her glare, snapping, not willing to let it go.
She said, "She's definitely hiding the card.
"I've searched everywhere. Bet it's right there in her pocket.
"Actually, now that I think about it, I felt something in her pocket at dinner last night."
Brett walked straight over to me.
His face was grim as he looked at the mess all over the floor.
Then he spotted the open nightstand drawer, and his expression suddenly froze.
He crouched down, frantically digging through the pile of papers and junk on the floor.
I knew what he was looking for, but he came up empty.
His face turned stormy as he shot to his feet, glaring at Gloria.
"Where's the bracelet?" he demanded.
My hands started to shake.
My throat was so dry, it felt like it was burning up.
Gloria glanced at him with a baffled look, like she had no clue what he was talking about.
"What bracelet?" she asked.
Then, all of a sudden, Gloria seemed to get it.
She said, "So you hid something valuable here?
"How would I know? That sneaky brat must've stolen it."
She shot me a glare, her eyes locked on the clothes I was clutching.
She said, "I bet it's right there in her pocket.
"The card and the bracelet, they're both in her pocket.
"Why else would she be clutching her clothes while she sleeps?"
My mind went completely blank for a moment.
I couldn't help but wonder if I should just grab the bracelet and bolt.
Gloria was in her wheelchair, so she couldn't come after me.
But there was no way I'd ever outrun Brett.
Gloria snarled, reaching out and grabbing my clothes in a death grip.
She said, "No one hugs their clothes all night while they sleep.
"If you've got nothing to hide, then show me what's in your pocket."
I clung to my clothes, my voice shaky with fear as I stammered.
"I-I just miss my mom. She bought these clothes for me," I mumbled.
Truth was, I just dug them out of the old clothes bin myself.
Gloria snapped, "Who would believe your nonsense?"
Brett finally snapped out of it.
He reached out and yanked me behind him.
His voice dropped, anger barely contained.
He said, "Mom, we'll talk about this later."
He turned around and gave my shoulder a reassuring pat.
He continued, "Go get cleaned up.
"I'm taking you to school today.
"And I'll talk to your teacher about the new guardian thing while I'm there."
My palms were slick with sweat as I hurried out of the room.
I could barely make out Brett's voice behind me.
He said, "Mom, that thing's not worth much, really.
"If you find it, it won't do you any good. Might as well just give it back to me."
Gloria let out another furious scream.
She yelled, "That little brat.
"She's just as rotten as her mother. Watch me tear her to shreds."
There was a flurry of shouting and arguing.
But by the time I finished washing up, ate the breakfast Brett made, and headed out with him, Gloria didn't get another chance to mess with me.
On the bus to school, I was so on edge it felt like everyone could see right through me.
Honestly, for years, there were countless times I stole things.
Even just eating or going to school cost money.
But my mom would never give me a single dollar.
Whenever she was drunk or passed out, I'd sneak into her wallet and steal whatever loose change I could find.
If there was no cash, I'd take those cheap gifts her boyfriends brought over and pawn them for whatever I could get.
And when there were no gifts, I'd even haul out pots and pans from home to sell.
Whenever my mom caught me, she'd smack me around and scream at me.
She'd call me a jinx, say I was nothing but trouble for her, and ask why I hadn't just died already.
I'd pick up nasty words from others and spit them right back at her, calling her a whore and saying she wasn't fit to be a mother.
She'd yank my hair, and I'd sink my teeth into her arm.
I'd scramble into school, dirty and late, looking like I'd just rolled out of a dumpster.
Then the teacher would lay into me with that disgusted, exhausted look, like she was sick of even wasting her breath.
The other kids acted like I was contagious, avoiding me like I didn't even exist.
And outside, street punks would block my way just to start trouble.
But at least, with some money in my pocket, I could get something to eat.
And when I got hit or yelled at, it made things a bit more bearable.
For years, I never bothered thinking about shame or where the moral line was.
All I knew was that I couldn't survive without money, no matter where I was or what I was doing.
As long as I had money, there was nothing to be ashamed of.
What was really humiliating was being left to starve or freeze to death on the street, with no one to care about me.
But right now, I was sitting on the bus.
Brett was sitting next to me by the window.
I'd managed to steal a bracelet.
For once, I didn't get caught, nobody suspected me, and nobody yelled at me or hit me.
But for the first time, I couldn't feel even a hint of satisfaction.
All I could feel was some weird, invisible weight pressing down on me.
It was like something was forcing me to keep my head down.
My head was so low, it felt like I was about to bury my face in the floor.
Brett probably thought I was asleep.
His phone kept buzzing, over and over.
Finally, he picked up.
I could barely hear Gloria's voice on the other end, hysterical and refusing to let up.
After a moment, Brett answered, his voice calm and steady. "She wouldn't have taken it, Mom.
"If you didn't find it, I'll take another look, okay?"
Gloria's voice on the other end got even more worked up.
Brett's voice dropped, quieter now.
He said, "I told you, she wouldn't take it.
"If she really did, I'd kick her out myself. You wouldn't even have to ask."
I couldn't make out what he said after that.
It was broad daylight in winter, but it felt like summer cicadas were going crazy in my ears.
The noise was driving me nuts, and for some reason, it had my nerves on edge.
Even though it was freezing out, my forehead was sweaty and sticky.
Suddenly, I felt this overwhelming urge.
It was like I was clutching a hot potato. I couldn't wait to ditch the bracelet in my pocket.
After we got off the bus, we still had a bit of a walk to school.
Brett led the way, and I followed close behind.