Chapter 1

Anna POV

The water was shut off—and I knew exactly why.

"I'm sorry. I wish there was more I could do for you." Karen, the brown-haired receptionist, said.

"There has to be a mistake. I sent my dad to pay the bill. I am never late on bills. You know this, Karen." I responded hurriedly, not understanding how the water had been shut off for the month.

"I know, honey. I'm very sorry. Your dad said he was going to bring it by?" She asked.

"Yes. So much for assuming he could accomplish this one thing for me." I laughed, despite there being zero comedy behind it.

I handed Karen the money I had left from this week's payday. Hopefully, this will be enough to have the water turned back on for the month.

"You will get through all of this, I promise," she assures me. I offer her a forced grin and depart fast.

Despite the strong connection that Karen and I have, she lacks a thorough knowledge of what truly goes on in my regular life. She will only see what I allow her to see. She sees me in here quite often, because I'm the only one who is responsible enough to pay the bills.

This is the same thing over and over again. I'm weary of this. I'm weary of supporting my family merely because my dad can't hold a job. Ever since Mom went away, I have been responsible for caring for the entire family. I love my family. I adore my sister, and I treat her like she is my kid. Half of the time, it feels like she is. I simply want to feel like a regular 20-year-old too.

I phone my father's number and eagerly wait for him to respond.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Dad, I just got back from the city, and Karen tells me that you never went in to pay the water bill?" I do my best to be cool, but it isn't working.

"Oh yeah, I'm very sorry about that, Anna. I'll pay you back for it." He mumbles.

"Where the fuck did the money go, Dad? That was $120," I shouted. Tears begin to collect in my eyes, and I have to struggle to prevent them from flowing out.

"I took it to the casino," he admits.

Of course. And the Dad Of The Year honor goes to...

"What the hell is your issue, Dad? Our water got switched off. You can't keep spending the money I give you for bills and just take it to the casino! Does this house signify nothing to you? Are you fucking kidding me?" I shout at him. I tried maintaining cool, but all of my self-control went down the toilet.

I wish my life was normal. I wish I had the typical life of a twenty-year-old. But, no. I have to slave away and work my ass off to maintain my family while my dad takes all of my hard-earned money to the casino and tosses it away. I feel hot tears stream down my cheeks and hurriedly attempt to brush them away. The walk to my job is near downtown,and it only takes around five minutes to get there. Thank God. Crying absolutely will only make me seem worse if it starts to rain and I have to go to work with wet hair and wet clothes. When I come inside the modest cafe, I see Sara smiling brightly at me, but her countenance instantly crumbles when she sees my bloodshot eyes.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" She asks with anxiety on her face.

I attempt to hold it together, but it is practically impossible as I stand in front of my closest buddy. She promptly pulls me in for a hug.

"What happened? Who do I have to kill?" She asks. Mother Sara doesn't play.

I chuckle softly at her reply, "My dad is just so aggravating. He grabbed the money for our water bill and squandered it all in the casino. So I just had to pay another$120,and now I'm not going to have enough money for my textbooks. I simply don't see why he needs to go and do this type of thing all the time,"" I cry.

"Hey, don't weep. I know, he truly sucks right now. It will be okay, though. I promise. I suppose my brother might have the identical textbook you are seeking that you can just have. Don't worry, okay? Everything will be OK. I promise." She assures me. It sounds so easy when she says it. I wish it were as easy as just 'notworrying.' God, I want to.

I had to make myself appear decent before my shift started, and thank God Sara brought some makeup with her to disguise the black bags around my eyes.