章 24: Chapter Twenty Three - Empire State of Mind

I always thought that pain was a state of mind that I could easily control if I truly believed it didn't control me. Most days, it worked like a charm. But in a day like today, I let it fuel my rage. It wasn't just pain anymore; it was a raw, innocent anger and I let it out in the form of tears. I let the salty liquid moisturize my cheeks all the way down to my chin until it dripped on my uniform.

My mother forgot to pick me up from school again, so I had to reach out to my dad and ask him to pick me up instead. He had to cut a very important meeting short and would "discuss" it with my mother later. She had passed out from all the alcohol she drank that morning.

I wiped away all my tears quickly as I didn't want my dad to see them. He always yelled louder at my mom whenever he saw me cry and she would yell twice as loud back. It did more harm and no good, and so I put on a brave little face despite the palpable pain in my chest.