Chapter 4 No Sympathy

My allowance was cut by 300 dollars. So, I was left with barely enough for the cheapest meals every single day after spending on school necessities.

Although my life was on a terribly short countdown, I still wanted to make it count by taking the college entrance exam and fulfilling my dream.

Regardless, I would work part-time as a flyer distributor every Sunday afternoon. My boss paid me an extra 20 when he found out the predicament I was in.

Half a day of work would net me a hundred, and I was paid on the spot. This money right here was essential for my survival.

One Sunday, I was going to take a shower at home before going back to school after I finished my work. However, I saw my mother rummaging through her bag when I got home.

Then, she looked at me and demanded like a dog with a bone, "I'm missing a hundred. Did you steal from me?"

I had questions, but she strode over and grabbed my bag before I could say anything. There was no money inside, no matter how much she searched. That did not deter her. Instead, she started a body search on me.

That was when she found a hundred in my pocket. "You actually stole from me!" she spat.

I knew I was in for a beating whenever she had the crazy eyes on. That look in her eyes drew out some kind of primal fear in me, causing me to instinctively back away as I defended myself tremulously, "I didn't… I didn't steal. I worked part-time for it…"

She didn't believe one word out of my mouth.

Sure enough, she slapped me and screamed almost hysterically, "Lying again! Did you forget everything I taught you? Do you think I'm a fool? Do you really think a lie like that can trick me? I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

She pulled her charger out of the socket and grabbed my arm. I was yanked to the ground as she cracked that charger on me like a whip.

The pain was more than words could describe, but my heart was already numb to it. She had a militaristic way of handling me ever since I started attending grade school. I started off confused and then heartbroken. Eventually, I started resisting, but now I was just numb.

My mother had her special teaching sessions for me handled down pat. She used the charger wire because that seemed like the perfect educational tool.

She'd learned through trial and error that sticks and hangers would leave bloody marks, but the pain left by charger wires? Oh, those wiry things hurt.

During her lessons, she also taught me how to pinch someone enough to inject pain but leave no traces. Sometimes, she would teach me that beating someone with a bat wrapped in a towel would be painful, but would leave the person with no visible injuries.

It was cruel and almost comical, but it was something my mother found out by experimenting on me, her own son.

My stomach was starting to tear again. I knew that sensation.

The money I had worked so hard to save was all taken away by my mother. Now, I had less than 10 dollars to my name.

I was going to be in for it for the next couple of weeks, so I thought I would try to survive on one single bun for three days.

Sadly, I severely overestimated my body. One day, my vision suddenly turned black during my morning jog in gym class. I fell to the ground unconscious.

My teacher carried me on his back and charged right to the infirmary. The medic checked and said it was low blood sugar.

My classmates told the teacher what I was dealing with. Although my teacher couldn't interfere with familial affairs, my tale still shook him.

Still, it wasn't exactly odd for students to faint from low blood sugar due to stress during their senior year. Most of the time, the student would be fine after waking up, and the teachers would send them back to class.

Nonetheless, my teacher rang up my mother due to my unique circumstances. My mother was reluctant to come over, but my teacher insisted on her being here. Finally, she begrudgingly agreed to drop by.

When she came, she saw my teacher urging me to eat the food he'd bought for me.

My mother took it the wrong way and thought I was up to something, so she slapped me right in front of everyone. Then, she shrieked, "You failure! I thought you fainted! You seem fine to me! Stop acting already! I hope you drop dead!"