Staring at the man she called her father falling down the muddy water gathered in front of their downtown apartment, Mona couldn't help but scream loudly as she ran to help him up.
"Father!"
This man would be her nemesis someday. How can a grown man always come home drunk and in debt due to gambling every single night? She didn't know what to do. He was all she had after her mother's death.
Mona was a twenty years old college student about to graduate and living in the slums with her father whenever she was not in the college hostel.
She was a young girl with beautiful green eyes, plump lips and sexy curves to kill. She had flowing golden hair. She is a down to earth feisty girl who hates being oppressed.
But her only weakness was her drunk and gambling father who takes every opportunity to squander the little money she has been paid from working part-time.
Due to her father's incessant demand for money, she rarely comes home. She would rather stay back at her shared hostel with her best friend.
Mona only checked on her father on weekends when she was free from studies. She will be graduating in a week's time and she doesn't have time to come visit him as usual.
"Come inside, father. You need to get washed. You have gotten yourself dirty", Mona said trying to get her father inside.
But her father pushed her off. She almost fell down.
"You… are just a piece of trash…like your mother. What use are you to me?", Mr Anderson asked in his drunken state.
"Father…", Mona tried to talk to him but he brushed her off.
"Don't you dare call me father. I can't even afford a nice meal. Just go… and look at my friends' daughters, they got a…. nice man to cater for their family but you…are just trash! Just like your mother!", He spat out distastefully as he struggled to get inside.
Mona watched as her father staggered into their apartment. She stared at the bruise on her hand. She really needs to leave.
She had planned with her friend to travel abroad to work over there. She had already applied for a job over there and hopefully, she might get it.
Mona sighed as she got inside to help her father. He must have messed up the room as usual.
That has always been his routine. She wondered how a father could be this careless towards his own daughter.
A father was meant to be one's protector but why was hers different? Why was her father different?
She missed her mother so much. She wiped out the tears forming in those green eyes of hers.
"Father, don't blame me…" she said to no one in particular.
***********
Just like any graduating students in college, the euphoria associated with finally being graduates was not hard to tell. They are always happy and filled with different activities or parties.
The girls go all out as they prepare outfits for their outgoing party. Even the guys don't want to be left out. But this wasn't the case with Mona as she was feeling sad and broke. Her father had taken all her salary again…for gambling as usual.
She sighed deeply as she saw her classmates choosing their outfits for the after party.
"Penny for your thoughts, beautiful lady?", A deep masculine voice whispered into her ears as Mona jumped in fright.
"Gary! Do you plan on giving me a double heart attack?", Mona rolled her eyes at her best friend.
"Double heart attack? Who gave you the first one?," Gary asked, putting her hands around Mona's shoulder.
"They did…and I am so heartbroken. If not for my father, I would have been able to afford it. But, it seems my father won't allow it", Mona said sadly.
"Would you be my girlfriend then? I would definitely take you around the world and lay the world on your feet", Ella said in a serious yet exaggerated tone.
"Take me around the world and lay that same world on my feet? Dude, don't you think your pickup line is lame?", Mona asked with a raised brow.
Gary whispered into her ears again," Just go with the flow, girl. Don't be a Killjoy".
Mona laughed so much that her stomach hurts. Her friend, Gary, was definitely a clown.
"See, I made you laugh even if I didn't lay the world on your feet", Gary said looking smug.
"Yes, you did! When did you arrive?"
"I just did and I decided to come to visit my friend and sister" Gary smiled as he ruffled her hair.
Mona looked at her best friend gratefully. He always had a way of making her feel happy. At least, she felt happy whenever she was with either of the siblings. Gary and Ella Bryan.
They came from a privileged family unlike her and had always been supportive of her since they met in high school. They became close when she helped Ella beat up some bullies.
Ella had to reject the offer of studying abroad just so she could be with Mona. Her brother Gary came up with an excuse of wanting to protect his sister. He also rejected studying abroad but his parents bundled him there.
He was only here because of their graduation. He would be leaving the next day after the graduation party.
Mona had to study and work at the same time so as to make ends meet. She lost her mother when she just gained admission into high school. And since then, she had to work part time so she could afford her tuition.
"Is it about your father, again? Do you want me to kick his ass?" Gary asked with an evil grin cutting into her thoughts.
"You want to kick my father's ass?" Mona asked in a threatening tone.
"Nope!" Gary immediately denied it. Mona burst out laughing at his quick denial.
Her father, who was very lazy and a drunkard, refused to help with her tuition fees. He rather gambled away any money he came across. Including Mona's hard earned salary. Due to her father's gambling, she had to move to a hostel with Ella.
Mona's mind drifted to last night at the club she worked at. She didn't know how she got home due to fright. That man was surely a weirdo! But he looks so respectable. How could such a person be a pervert?
She was never going to that bar again. Luckily, she had not filled in her information. She was lucky to be hired on the spot when the owner saw they lacked workers.
How would she have paid for those expensive wines? And that man wasn't even bothered about the broken drinks.
Mona's face flushed red when the memory of the man sniffing her neck popped up. She could feel her heart racing again. He was damn hot!
"You are definitely not thinking about your father!" Gary said when he noticed Mona's red face.
"Yeah. How could a pervert be so hot! I could…oh no!" Mona covered her mouth in embarrassment when she discovered she just said her thoughts aloud.
She immediately turned around and fled from Gary's presence. He was surely going to tease her all day long.