CHAPTER 4

Mirror, mirror on the wall who’s the prettiest of them all?

Not you bitch, go sit down in the corner somewhere.

I’m surprised the mirror hadn’t broken in tiny fragments from the sight it had to reflect. Twisting my body to the side I used my finger to trace the squiggly lines that sprung up on my hips. My face screwed up in disgust when I viewed the stretch marks in the mirror. Grabbing both sides of soft fat on either side of my belly with my hands, I squished it tightly and sucked in a big breath imagining myself to be the ultra slim, slender and sexy girls I see strut down the school corridors or the celebrities plastered in magazines.

Releasing the breath I was holding, my balloon of a belly expanded into its usual bloated self. I looked down at my legs, cringing at the dimples indented on the back of my thighs. Eww. The thing is, they never did it directly at me, no, the kids at school bitched about me in the nicest way possible- behind my back.

“Luciana!”

My mother’s loud voice brought me out my self-assessment, “Yes mum?”

“Get your big butt down here right now.”

My mother just loved to announce my big butt to the whole world. Sighing, I threw on a robe around me and went down the stairs wondering what else I had done to make her life unpleasant because there seemed to be an ever-growing list.

I met my mum at the landing with her fists balled up, resting on either side of her hips and her foot tapping against the tiled floor.

“G’morning,” I said, hoping the hardened expression on her face would ease, but it didn’t, instead it grew into a scarier expression that I hadn’t ever seen on her face.

“Don’t good morning me, mind telling me why the police are in my house, saying that you smashed your car into this young man’s vehicle and left without informing him how you were going to compensate him? You clearly want to follow in your father’s footsteps, dontchya? ”

I froze on the spot at the mention of my dad. It was the most inappropriate of places for my mum to be bringing him up.

My gaze shifted behind my mum’s head where there stood two policemen and in between them stood a deeply tanned guy who I recognised as the owner of the car that I had bumped into yesterday. He looked at me with a victorious smile set on his lips, and a sort of mischievous twinkle in his eyes. My face grew hot as I realised I was standing in front of him looking so ridiculous with my just-woke-up appearance; I still had on my head the cut off tights that kept my cornrows neat, sleep could still be read in my eyes and the robe I was wearing was the only layer of clothing sparing me from everlasting shame.

“Ma’am we’re going to have to take your daughter in for questioning,” said one of the officers.

My mother raised both her hands in surrender and said, “Do what you want.”

Filled with disbelief at my mum’s coldness, I couldn’t say anything, but the look on my face said it all and it said it all to her face.

“I’ve just come back from a twelve-hour shift, I cannot be dealing with your shit Luciana. You’re an adult now, so deal with it yourself.”

Without further ado, she turned around heading for the stairs, but stopped when she noticed Bobby coming down, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked at me then shifted his gaze towards the three men who still stood by the entrance of the house.

“Mommy, why is the police at our house?” He asked quickly sensing something was wrong.

I couldn’t see my mum’s expression as her back was turned towards me, but her voice was lighter as she spoke to my brother, “They are just going to take Lucy somewhere, now come Bobby let’s go upstairs.”

“I want to go with Lucy!” demanded Bobby.

“No baby you can’t go with them,” replied my mum.

“No, I want to go!” protested my brother as he stomped his feet on the staircase.

“Listen Bobby, you will do as your told, now go upstairs to your room,” my mum said as she grabbed hold of his hand up the rest of the stairs.

It broke my heart to see him so upset as he’d been the one to comfort me yesterday as I stupidly cried on his shoulders. It was safe to say that there was an uncomfortable silence for the four us remaining. I was a little bit surprised when I turned around to see the arrogant twinkle in Buttbag’s eyes replaced with some other emotions that could be assumed to be guilt. Nah, that couldn’t be it.

“Miss, would you like to come with us?” asked one of the police officers as if he was actually giving me a choice.

I nodded as I silently started walking towards them, but just as soon I stopped a second thinking to myself: Am I really going to come out my house...like...this?

As if they were reading my thoughts, the officer who had just spoke said, “I’m sorry Miss but you’re going to have come with us now... like that.”