An Excerpt From You Don't Belong

   Tracy frowned as her eyes surveyed her surroundings. The cramped, dingy apartment was a far cry from her sister’s three-story home. There was a torn couch in the left corner of the living room and a queen-sized bed with a 50-inch flat screen TV in the bedroom. A stack of one hundred dollar bills rested on the nightstand near an empty beer bottle. She knew better than to touch it or else she’d receive a beating. The cash that she’d received from Ashlynn would help her for at least a week. If it hadn’t been for Seina, Karlita wouldn’t have put her out. With no place of her own, she was forced to move in with her boyfriend, Ty. She really didn’t want to move in with him and wished deeply that she could go back to the only home that she’d known but that would be impossible. Karlita had chosen Seina over her.

   She angrily slung her one and only duffel bag onto the bed. This was all Seina’s fault. If Karlita hadn’t sided with her, she would still be living in the family’s home.

   It was Karlita’s fault as much as it was Seina’s that she was now homeless. But she wouldn’t remain in Ty’s apartment for long. He was a known drug dealer in the area and anything could set him off at any minute. Luckily, he wasn’t home at the moment. She knew that it wouldn’t be long before he took his anger out on her. Although she loved him dearly, she hated it when he’d beat her in a drunken, drugged-out rage. His fists would constantly pound into her flesh, slowly killing her with each hit. Afterwards, he’d always apologize and promise that it’d be the last time but the last time would never come.

   She sighed and plopped down on the bed beside her duffel bag. She reached over, unzipped it, and pulled out a picture of Mallory and Seina. Even her own daughter had sided with Seina and she had several choice words with her about it after her departure from Seina’s home. She didn’t regret calling Mallory on her cell to tell her how ignorant and stupid she was for choosing Seina over her. She did have one saving grace and that was Ashlynn. She’d shown her more loyalty than Karlita and Mallory. In fact, she didn’t know what she would’ve done without her.

   She took a black permanent marker out of purse and drew a large “X” over Seina’s face. She had another thing coming if she thought this was over. Then, she suddenly jumped at the sound of the bedroom door opening. Ty was home.