I got up from the bed and walked over to the mirror that hung on my bedroom door. I ran my fingers through my hair while observing myself in the mirror. A tall curvy figure, hazel-brown eyes, slim nose, full red lips, a tanned complexion, and short, silky black hair same as that of my father (one of the reasons why my mother looks at me with scorn) with small tinge of brown at the end, remnant of the dye I used before stared back at me reflecting my appearances.

I planned to head out to meet up with my friend, Stella. She is a cheerful and sweet person, which is the total opposite of me. She insisted on seeing me after the scene I saw yesterday. Stella was older than me by 2 years; She was 21 while I was 19. I cleaned myself up and changed into a long sleeve shirt and a pair of pants. Stella always nags me to wear skirts, but I'm uncomfortable with exposing my skin. Then I headed out.

Along the way, I took out my phone and scrolled through the texts she sent to find the meetup place. I followed the directions she gave me and reached the spot. It was crowded and busy. I looked around only to see tall buildings everywhere. There was no sign of Stella anywhere. I spotted a cafe nearby send her a text telling her to come to the cafe. I opened the door with a chink .the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee, the bustling of the crowd and the happy smiles of the servers made me feel at ease. I sat near the window and looked outside supporting my head in my hands as I waited for Stella to arrive.

Stella texted back to arrive me that she will arrive in five minutes .i ordered a cappuccino. I waited for it to cool down. Ding! The cafe door opened, and a familiar figure stepped in. She had a short stature with green eyes and had brown hair down to her shoulders. Stella waved her hand to greet me. I smiled at her in return.

"I'm so sorry Leslie, Josh called me just as I was leaving the apartment," Stella said.

"I understand, I didn't wait long," I said, and she looked at me guiltily.

"Anyway, what did you want to discuss?" Stella asked me.

I told her everything that happened, and she gave me a concerned look.

"However, where my relationship with my boyfriend had gone didn't affect me. I didn't feel anything when I saw my sister and my boyfriend together," I added on.

For some reason, Stella's concern grew. Now she looked at me with eyes filled with concern and pity. I don't understand though. Isn't it good that I'm alright?.

"I want to move out," I told her, "and I want your help." With one look on her face, I understood she misunderstood.

"I have been thinking about this for a while," I added.

Stella agreed with my decision and agreed to help me with finding the right apartment. Now all that's left is to tell my family. I don't think neither me nor my family will miss each other. As it has always been, they will continue being a happy family of three.

"I'll inform them after I find the place .I'm sure they won't stop me."

Later that night, I sat on my bed in my room browsing sites looking for an apartment. I heard a knock in my door. I unlocked the door and opened it. I was greeted with my mother's pale blue eyes full of disgust. She stood at the doorstep staring at me. I waited for her to speak, yet she remained silent. It was hard for her to look at me with affection let alone talk to me I turned my back and sat on my bed and continued browsing.

"Leslie," she called out to me in a voice without any trace of affection or warmth."I have something important to discuss with you. Come downstairs." she left without waiting for me to reply.

I tucked the phone in my back pocket and followed behind her. We entered the living room to find John already sitting on the couch. The atmosphere was tense and serious. I probably received stares because the matter was maybe about me or it was usual. I took a seat across from my mother and waited for her to speak.

"Leslie," John spoke. "We want you to move out. You are already at the age where you should be independent."

"I understand," I replied. John, my stepdad, was a kind man but his kindness was only limited to his family. These words were a mere façade. They wanted me to move out, .but that was okay with me because I wanted to move out in the first place.

"That's it? Anything else?" I asked. They remained silent.

"We will stop providing for you within a months time," John added on.

They didn't say the reason, but I can tell it's about yesterday. Jenna played the victim. I walked out of the room and headed up the stairs. I slowed down seeing the two people shamelessly expressing their love. 

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