Page 10 of Ruled Out

I waited at the end of the couch for two hours. The TV was broken from when Daddy had punched a hole through it. He had been really angry that day. I couldn’t even play my favorite cartoons anymore, but at least, that time, he hadn’t punched Mommy or me. It was good he wasn’t at home. The house was better when he wasn’t here. I didn’t know where he was, but I just knew I didn’t like him around. Mommy cried a lot when he was.

Mommy was still asleep next to me, but my stomach was starting to hurt.

“Mommy!” I whispered, trying to shake her awake, but she stayed asleep. “Mommy!”

She still didn’t move.

As I turned over my shoulder, I knew what I had to do. She’d had too much of that clear liquid—the name beginning with a V.Every time she drank that stuff, I wouldn’t get to eat, and lately, that had been happening every day.

It was okay though. I was good at feeding myself now, as long as there was something in the cupboards.

I tried to shake Mommy awake again, but it didn’t work.

When I got up off the couch, my stomach growled again, but this time, it hurt. Maybe there were some of those yummy yogurts left …

But there was nothing in the fridge, not even milk.

There was also no food in the bottom cupboards. Mommy normally had some ginger biscuits in there, but today, there was nothing.

My eyes started to sting.

It’s okay, Jessie. She has something somewhere. She wouldn’t leave you with nothing to eat.

I climbed onto the counter and opened each door until I found some chicken noodles. They looked old, but kind of nice.

When I found a pan, I filled it with water and set it on a burner. I’d seen Mommy do this a few times. How hard could it be?

Finally, the water started to bubble, and I opened the packet and dropped the block of noodles into the water. The smell of chicken filled my nostrils, and my stomach growled again.

I watched as the noodles broke apart and danced around in the water. It was kind of cool. Making myself some food made me feel grown-up.

Maybe Mommy would want some too.

“Mommy!” I shouted over to ask if she wanted to share, not that there was much to go around, but I didn’t want her stomach to hurt like mine. I could take care of us both.

“Jessie?” she groaned from the cushions. “What are you doing?”

My eyes wide with excitement, I raced over there, ready to tell her I got food coming. But the second I reached her, I heard the pan bubble over, splashing water everywhere.

“Hang on, Mommy. The noodles are going all over the floor.”

I ran back to the kitchen and tried to pick up all the slippery noodles, but they were stuck to the tiles. There was only one packet left in the cupboard. I had to save them.

“Jessie! Be careful?—”

It was too late though; when I stood back up, my head hit the underside of the handle on the pan, sending the hot water into the air and landing all over me.

And it burned really, really bad.

CHAPTER FIVE

MIA

Iswear my breath is freezing mid-exhale as I trudge through campus in my snow boots.

Yes, technically, we are on winter break, and there aren’t any classes, but the library is still open, and I’m determined to get some extra study sessions in. The florist I work at in the center of town has been crazy busy for the holidays, and while I need and want to pick up extra shifts so I can live on more than just soup, it’s left me with little time to get through my assignments.

I’m determined not to take handouts from Dad. Him paying a huge chunk of my tuition fees is compromise enough for the both of us.

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