On Sunday morning, I went with Mom to Walmart for weekly grocery shopping. We were on food stamps before, after Dad got into prison for domestic violence, and Mom had to move out to Grandma's house.

It was difficult during the first few weeks because I didn't need to worry about food when Dad was still around, beating Mom and me every day.

I guess Dad's presence had its plus and minus. Because he earned enough money, Mom became an obedient housewife instead. Little did she know that her obedience allowed Dad to be a selfish, cheating bastard who beat her whenever she confronted Dad about his habit of sleeping with women outside.

How did I know all these? Well, because he beat Mom right in front of my eyes. If I tried to protect Mom from him, he would also beat me mercilessly.

I glanced at Mom, who was driving beside me. The edge of my lips perked up, knowing that we had separated from him, and he was finally jailed for things he did to us. However, I still believed that his sentence was too short for the grievous trauma he gave us.

Even though we had to survive with food stamps for a few months, things had been better right now, and we could buy groceries without food stamps, though we were nowhere wealthy.

"Why are you smiling, Em?" Mom suddenly asked.

"Nothing, I'm just in a good mood today," I replied.

Mom parked her car, and we took one shopping trolley before entering the Walmart.

I helped Mom pick up the things we needed in the grocery list, and after the trolley was filled, I asked mom to let me buy something from the stationary aisle.

I walked alone to the stationery aisle while Mom was taking the long queue. I only needed one thing, three to give glue sticks for convincing tomorrow morning.

I picked five glue sticks and was about to return to Mom.

But the moment I turned my head, my eyes met with a girl that came to the stationery aisle as well.

We were staring at each other in silence for few seconds before she opened her mouth, "Emmelyn Jones, why are you here?"

She checked the glue sticks in my hands, and I hid them behind my back instantly, "What's with those glue sticks? Are you trying to stick it up to your ass or what?"

"It's none of your business, Chrissy."

Fuck, what kind of luck was this? To meet this girl here when I was buying the only thing I needed for tomorrow plan.

I knew it was so unlikely for her to suspect me, but I still had to cover it up. Thus I grabbed few pens, pencils, and sticky notes.

I sidestepped her, trying to walk away, but Chrissy suddenly chuckled and commented, "Are you here with your poor mom? Living with food stamps like usual? I think poor people like you shouldn't be taken care of by the government. You're just a waste of air!"

I halted my step and darted my eyes at her. She was my neighbour, so she knew about Mom's situation when we first came here.

"Then what are you doing here, Chrissy?"

"Huh?"

"I asked you, what are you doing here? This is a store for regular and poor people like me. Then why are you here? I don't see Ashley here."

"What are you—"

"Maybe because you're not on the same level as her, that's why you come here to shop, right? So shut up with your potty mouth because you're no better than me."

I walked away from her. I really wanted to smash her head and stab her eyes with this pencil. But that wouldn't be enough.

Someone like Chrissy, I wanted to crush her after she got her head on the cloud. She was still very grounded since she hadn't joined Jessica's group.

Unlike the others, I had no idea how to ruin her when she was still a bootlicker in her current condition. So I had to wait.

I saw Mom already near the end of her queue. I put all the stationery and told her, "Can we buy these?"

"Ah, of course, dear."

"Thanks, Mom…"

**

We returned home, and I immediately helped Mom to cook for lunch.

I went to my room and waited until it was around 5 P.M.

I cleared my throat, preparing to act like I had a fever and then called Kristen. It took a while for her to pick up, and there was no voice from her side when she did.

"Hello, Kristen…" I said with a weak voice.

"Yes, what is it, Em?" Kristen also replied to me with the same weak voice, but hers was different. It was the voice of someone who was depressed, deprived of sleep perhaps.

"About Cerise…"

"Oh, yes! Did you finally get her?"

I could hear the excitement and expectation in her when I mentioned Cerise. I coughed few times to convince her before dropping the information.

"I asked her when will she return to school, and she said that she would go to school tomorrow."

"Finally! I really want to talk to her about her slander against me! I can't let her roam freely while slandering my reputation!"

"Yes… but you need to be careful, Kristen…."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Cerise said… she said that she has a plan to ruin you. You need to be careful."

"Ruin me? Did she tell you what she wants to do?"

"No, just be careful, Kristen…." I coughed few more times. "I'm sorry I can't help you tomorrow. I got sick. I think I'll have a fever soon."

There was no answer from Kristen. So I guessed that she must be so nervous right now.

"Goodbye, Kristen."

Click.