I'm putting on my shoes. I look at the clock that is above the older wooden table with a bright red tablecloth with golden flowers. It's already 15 o'clock, my dad will go ballistic if I don't go to the store before he comes home.

He wasn't the same after my mom died. She was a kind woman who loved me and my brother dearly. Our father also cared about us and was a solid father, but now he spends all his evenings at the bar with who knows who and doing God knows what, and I'm at home and have to clean the whole house, cook, and also care for my 12-year-old brother Shawn-and be grateful for it.

While I'm deaf, I'm good at reading lips and after a lot of trouble I also learned to speak quite decent. I took money from my desk and looked at my brother.

"Will you manage 30 minutes alone at home so I can go to the store?"

"Of course, I'm not a kid anymore. Yesterday I turned 12, remember?"

His smile warmed my heart and made me willing to endure it until I'm 18 in 2 years and can take him far away from here. I was happy that I got to protect his happiness, because Dad took mine away long before.

"Naturally I remember. My baby brother is growing up into an old man, how could I forget," I said sarcastically and tried to concentrate on what he's saying.

"Ha ha, how funny. Could you buy me some candy from the store?"

"Yes, but don't forget to wash your teeth after you eat them. And if Dad comes home before me, go into your room, lock your door and go play."

"Okay."

My brother was really tall for his age and had the bluest eyes you can see and a little messy dark brown hair. He also became more tan from playing outside and helping me. We are quite the opposites-I have lighter brown wavy hair with green eyes and fair skin that only burns and not tans, and right now I'm also rocking a bright blue bruise that I tried to hide behind my makeup.

Makeup was an escape for me, a shield, in which I could feel normal despite the circumstances. I also like to have a morning routine, but of course I didn't have much makeup. I have old ones from my mom that she gave me before her death and the one I got from Lily for my birthday. I always did it in my room so Father doesn't see me. He needed the bathroom for his puking session after the night out.

I looked at my brother. For his birthday I bought him a new black hoodie with his favourite series Friends on it and a new pair of jeans. I'm so happy he wore it today. I was wearing a floral pink dress that came to my knees and had my hair in a cute updo, and I also had on my favourite sneakers.

The apartment was really small. We have one bathroom and 3 extremely small bedrooms-so small that you can have only one bed and a wardrobe-so we have to study at the kitchen table when we're alone. Now I bolted out of the apartment and down the stairs.

On the way I saw my best friend Lily. She tapped my arm.

"Hi Eve, where are you going?"

"To the store, I have to buy some vegetables and meat for dinner. You know how he gets if I'm not already cooking when he's home."

"Eh, that asshole. I can't believe he allowed you to transfer to my school after all this bullying you got just because you're deaf. It's not like you can control it. And your asshole of a dad, if you can even call him that, won't even buy you hearing aids."

"Yeah, he thinks that I have to deal with it myself, but I know that he just wants more money for the bar downtown. But I'm happy that he transferred me, because now we can be together."

"Yes, this year is going to be the best, most spectacular and amazing year ever."

I couldn't help but laugh.

Lily has been my best friend since kindergarten, when she asked me for a pencil and I didn't hear her-because duh, I can't-and she was very sad because she thought I didn't like her. But then she found out I'm deaf and she tried to talk to me. And boy, do I tell you how hard I tried not to laugh. She tried to speak slow and I appreciated it, but she spoke slow and made the funniest faces. She asked me if I wanted to play and I said yes, of course. She was an adorable kid with her blonde hair in pigtails and her freckles. She also had overalls and a light blue shirt underneath. Now she's a head taller than me, with the body and fashion style of a model and the most gorgeous light brown eyes.

We were walking past a park with a lot of trees. It was already November so they didn't have many leaves left.

We stood before the store when I heard a ringtone-it was Lily's.

"Hi Mom, what happened? ... Okay, alright." She turned to me. "Sorry, but my mom needs help. Could you go to the store alone?"

"Yeah, go ahead, see you later."

"Bye."

I understood. Her father left them and since then her mother became very weak, so she has to help her a lot. I also saw Lily having a good time with some boy named Mason, so when I see her I have to ask her about it.

I went in the store and the heat hit my skin. Our apartment didn't have a good heating system, so I liked going here to warm up. I have to take Shawn with me next time so he doesn't get a cold. I took the shopping cart and went down the aisles and picked everything we needed. The store was very full, which is strange because normally at this time there's barely anything left. The store also isn't that big so it doesn't have a lot of stuff, but I liked how kind everyone here is, and I really love talking to the staff, because usually no one listens to me besides Lily.

I tried to pick something from the top shelf when something bumped into me.

I'm so tired. I don't want to get out of bed. The alarm kept ringing, so I finally got out of my cozy big bed with my favorite blue sheets. I went to my wardrobe and put on grey sweatpants and a black hoodie. I certainly wasn't a morning person, that's for sure. I went downstairs and saw my mom in a pink apron, her blonde hair up in a bun.

"Good morning, honey. How did you sleep?"

"Good. What are you making?"

"I'm making some sandwiches so you won't get hungry at training."

"Awww, thank you. Just so you know, I have soccer training every day now because the season is about to start."

"Okay, be careful not to burn yourself out."

"Okay, bye."

I grabbed the sandwiches, hugged my mom, and went out the door.

My mom is a sweet woman. She's very short-or maybe I'm just too tall. She has the same blue eyes as me, but I inherited my father's black curly hair. Ever since I was small, everything revolved around soccer. Not gonna lie, I'm very good at it. Despite the fact that I'm 17, I'm at the top of the game, so I have to stay fit at all times if I want to join the most famous club that just invited me.

Every girl who approached me never wanted me for me, but for the money that came with me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying every girl is like that-it's just that the ones around me were.

I walked into the changing room and saw my best friend Mason. He's tall, just a little shorter than me, with blonde hair and green eyes. He was talking with some other teammates before training started.

"Ooohh James, where have you been? We missed you."

"I was busy transferring documentation and preparing my new apartment to move in."

"Oh yeah, you're moving-I almost forgot. But why are you moving? If I lived in that manor, I'd never leave."

"I just want to stay lowkey for a while and be independent. And also, that 'manor' is quite far from here, so my parents and I made this decision."

"Wow, good luck with that."

"Thanks."

I changed my clothes, went to the field, and started training.

After training, I got a call.

"Hi Mom, why are you calling?"

"Hi dear, could you go to the store to buy some baking powder? I'm planning to bake something and I saw that I don't have any."

"Yeah, I'll stop at the little shop on the way."

"Thank you, be safe. Bye."

"Bye Mom."

I wanted to go to the store anyway, so it wasn't that much of a problem.

I took the keys from my backpack, went to the parking lot, got into the blue Audi, and sat down. I drove for about 15 minutes and stopped at the store's parking lot. I went in and picked up the stuff I needed, when I saw the most beautiful girl ever.

Her eyes were gorgeous, even from afar, and she looked like the kindest person to exist. I wanted to talk to her, so I did something stupid. I bumped into her.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking ahead."

It was a lie, but she didn't have to know that. She looked confused, almost scared, and didn't say anything back. She just gave me a nod, a smile-the most beautiful ever-and went away. I really want to see her again. Did I scare her? OMG, I'm so stupid. Why couldn't I approach her like a normal person? Maybe I'm crazy or something.

I went back to my car and sulked a little. I never felt this way about anyone, and now I feel it for a girl I saw for one minute. I started the car, still in a sour mood, and drove home.

I opened the door and saw Mom making a mess.

"What are you doing, dear mother?"

She looked like she had done a science experiment that went horribly wrong.

"Well, I tried to bake a cake, but I didn't realize the mixer was on, and the flour went EVERYWHERE-and when I say everywhere, I mean it."

I chuckled and went to my room, still thinking about the girl from the store. Should I go again tomorrow? Maybe I'll see her.

I woke up and showered. I put on some jeans and my favorite grey hoodie. Today I also tried to style my messy hair. What if I see her today? I was so excited all day. It was the first time I thought about something other than soccer-but I wasn't complaining.

I arrived at school and went to Mason.

"Hi bro, how are you? I just got here. Did I miss anything?"

"Not much, but I heard some new students are coming today to our class."

"Wow, newcomers. Nothing new-it's not really important."

I went to the gym and did some cardio. Yesterday I trained too much with weights, so now I had to slow down. I picked up the sandwich my mom had meal-prepped for me. I was really grateful to have such supportive parents.

After gym, I walked down the hall and saw Mason with some girl. I think her name was something like Li... Lilian... Lana... no, I think I remember-he called her Lily. Yeah, that sounds right.

I went to class and sat in my chair when the bell rang. I put my head on the desk when the teacher came and said,

"This is our new classmate."

I lifted my head and saw...

I was walking out of the store. I don't know why I ran from that boy who bumped into me - I was just so nervous because I couldn't make out what he was saying; I had turned too late. He seemed nice and he was also very handsome. Oh well - I probably won't see him again anyway.

I was walking down the road and stopped at my house. I drew a deep breath. I really hope he isn't home yet. My heart felt heavier with each step. I slowly opened the door and saw him - my father. He's very tall and muscular. He really scares me. As soon as I stepped in I was greeted with a vase flying toward my face. Luckily, over the years my instinct became almost immediate, so I only got one cut on my forehead. Then he started yelling, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? NOTHING'S DONE AROUND HERE. YOU'RE JUST SO LAZY. I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING." His words don't faze me anymore. It doesn't matter how much I do around the house or how much I do for Shawn and even for Father. If even one thing is out of place or isn't done up to his standards, it's the same as if I didn't do anything.

"I'm sorry - I'll go cook right now. It'll take just ten minutes; it's almost done."

"YOU SHOULD'VE DONE IT BEFORE I CAME HOME. I ONLY ASK ONE THING FROM YOU AND YOU CAN'T EVEN DO THAT!" At the end of this sentence I was met with his hand on my face; a hot, burning sensation went all over my cheek. I think it hurt even more because he did it. It's betrayal, but I was numb. I didn't feel anything. The only things I felt were the pain that became even stronger with each hit and the pain in my heart. Maybe he should just end me and it would all be over.

I suddenly heard a voice that snapped me back from my thoughts. I saw Shawn and he was raging. He stepped in front of me and started yelling at my father, "IT'S NOT LIKE YOU DO ANYTHING. SHE RAISED ME WHEN YOU WERE AT THE BAR, AND SHE DID A DAMN GOOD JOB, AND SHE WAS ONLY EIGHT AT THAT TIME. SHE GAVE UP HER CHILDHOOD TO SAVE MINE." A tear went down my cheek. I never knew I could be more proud of someone, but I know that this has to end. I think we have to escape sooner than I expected. I know that Shawn doesn't deserve this. He deserves a more stable home - but can I really provide for him?

Father finally let go of me, but I knew this was going to leave bruises. It always does. My skin is very sensitive and every hit - especially a hit that strong and repeated ten times - shows on my skin. I hurriedly grabbed Shawn and ran to my room, after hugging him and putting him in his room. After a close inspection of my body I saw that I still had some old marks on my stomach and also new marks on my hands. I guess I'll have to wear a long-sleeve shirt. It's okay - I'm used to it anyway.

I lay on my bed with purple sheets that I had just washed and picked up a book on my nightstand. Reading was something that I really enjoyed. You can pick any world you like and be whoever you want. In the book I could be brave and strong; I could fight monsters and be happy. I felt buzzing and picked up my Nokia phone. I looked who was texting and saw Lily's name.

"Hi Lily - how are you?"

"hiiii could be better but it's going alright. How about you?"

"Good. Don't forget that school starts tomorrow."

"Of course I won't. OMG I'm soooo excited."

"Yeaah me too. Can't wait to be in the same class as you. Have you got everything ready?"

"Yeah, I just have to prepare my school uniform and wash my hair."

"Okayyy good luck. I'll see you tomorrow byeeee."

"Byeee."

Lily didn't know about my situation at home. I didn't want her to know because I don't want any pity, especially from her. After I washed my hair and sorted my uniform I went to check on my brother and went to bed.

In the morning an alarm woke me. Ugh - who thought it was a good idea to start school at 7 a.m.? Like, are we for real? I got up from my bed and dressed. Today I took extra time and care with my makeup to cover up the bruise, and I was proud - it looked so flawless that if it wasn't for the pain I would almost forget it. I packed my brother's lunch and made myself a quick breakfast. My father was already out, so it was quiet and peaceful. I put my shoes on and walked ten minutes to school.

When I went in there was a teacher waiting for me. She showed me around the school and all the teachers seemed nice. The school was really huge. Luckily I have Lily or else I would get lost right away. The teacher led me to my first class and introduced me: "This is our new classmate Eve. She is deaf, so if you're talking to her make sure that she's looking at you. Be nice to her." The class didn't really react, so that calmed me a little. I honestly just want to blend in as much as possible and then one day disappear in peace.

When I looked around I saw Lily and another familiar face, but I just couldn't remember where I had seen him. I walked down the huge classroom to Lily, who was already smiling at me, and then I noticed that the boy who felt familiar had changed his seat to the table beside mine and Lily's. Weird. Maybe the teacher said that he should change his seat and I didn't catch it. I sat on the outer seat of the table and watched the teacher. I tried to keep up by reading the teacher's lips and I think I did a pretty solid job. Maybe the school won't be as bad as I thought.