Diane sat at the mirror in her bedroom and watched her red and slightly swollen eyes. It helped to fan her anger. She needed that anger to fuel the fire that would burn Sam and Gloria. She was going to stay there till her father returned.
Meanwhile, Gloria and Sam were sitting on a couch in the parlor, where Sam had just finished narrating what had transpired between her and Diane.
Gloria couldn't decide if she wanted to encourage or discourage her. It was good for her to defend herself against Diane, but what she did would only amount to more bullying. She pulled Sam closer and had her head on her lap, then she began to massage it.
"Does it still hurt?" Gloria asked kindly.
"A little," Sam purred, enjoying her mom's fingers in her hair.
"You did well today, love," Gloria commended.
Sam furrowed her forehead in surprise. Her mom would always scold her when she fought with or spoke back at Diane. She used to think her mom hated her too, but she came to realize she was only trying to keep her out of trouble.
Sam was starved of sleep and, in no time, she dozed off. Gloria watched her daughter sleep. She gathered her messy hair as much as she could and bunched it up in a bun. Sam had her father's red hair. It's a shame he never wanted her.
Henry had gone on to marry a woman from the same background as he and was chasing his money wherever it was. He intended to find it. She had been left on her own to fend for herself and the child the best she could. She was only eighteen as of then.
She had fought all her life and was still fighting. Even the women she shared the slum with looked down on her. When Fred started to court her, those women had tried in one way or another to change his mind.
Her marriage to Fred was like a slap in their faces. Though her marriage to Fred was anything but a happy ending, she wasn't going to leave. Not when she had no other place to go but that slum under the ridicule of those women.
No, she wasn't going to tell her daughter not to fight. It was the survival of the fittest anyway.
The loud honk of a car horn jerked Gloria out of her thoughts. Sam sat up too.
Fred had the habit of honking when he got home, so Gloria and Sam would come out and welcome him. They speak of being self-centered.
Before Gloria and Sam could make it through the door, Diane ran past them. Worried that she was in some kind of danger, the mother and daughter ran after her. The scene that met them outside made them freeze in their pursuit.
Diane had thrown herself into her father's arms and was screaming in panic and pointing at the duo. "Save me, daddy! They want to kill me! I can't take any more beatings! Get them away from me!"
She had it all planned. While Sam slept in Gloria's lap and Gloria was getting lost in her thoughts, Diane heard the car enter the compound. Eager to cause trouble, she had run downstairs immediately to meet her father, but spotted the two in the parlor and had a plan immediately. She waited for the inevitable horn.
When it blasted, she ran out ahead of them. As she had expected, they had run after her, which added up to her acting and her red face made it look like they were assaulting her.
Fred was furious. He cradled his sobbing daughter as he glared daggers at them. These two ungrateful fools dared to hit his daughter. He could see how red and swollen her eyes had become. Gloria took a step forward, leaving the mother and daughter dazed.
"Fred, I can explain," Gloria said.
He held Diane's arm and pulled her along with him inside the house. Sam and Gloria had no choice but to follow.
"What happened?" He asked immediately. Diane got seated.
"I..," Diane began, then looked up at the mother and daughter duo fearfully.
Sam's and Gloria's jaws were almost touching the floor from surprise at Diane's acting skills.
"Don't be scared of them, baby. I'm right here. They can't hurt you again. Go on and tell me what they did to you."
Fred encouraged her softly. Diane mentally grinned. It was time to unleash the hounds.
"When I came into the house…" she narrated timidly, "…I saw Sam eating from the pot."
Sam's eyes widened in shock.
"I told her to stop, but she wouldn't. When I touched her, she exploded!" Diane flailed her arms in the demonstration.
"She started raining blows at my face! When I tried to defend myself... Mom," she pretended to be emotional and began to sob again.
Gloria was beside herself with rage. Diane had never called her mommy. She knew Diane was a snake, but this was just the height of it all, and she was having none of it. She stepped forward again, but this time, no one was going to mute her.
"None of that happened!" Gloria snapped. "When I came in, Diane was bullying Sam like she always does. She was pulling her hair and I only told her to stop. I didn't even touch her."
Fred was beside himself with fury. He stood up, strode to Sam, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her towards the couch where Diane was. Sam stumbled and barely made it to the couch before she fell awkwardly against the edge of it. He then pulled Gloria against him, held her jaw roughly, and made her watch the two girls.
Diane was seated on the couch with her fake tears, and Sam sat on the floor next to the couch.
"Look at these two girls, Gloria. Who among the two of them looks bullied?" Fred asked in anger.
Gloria had to look away from the pain that came from the force of his fingers on her jaw. Sam's face was fine, aside from the bruise on the side of her face, which she said Fred inflicted on her in the morning. But Diane's was full of scratches, black and red spots that would be blue by evening, and swollen eyes. She looked bullied. Fred finally let go of her. Gloria rubbed her jaw painfully.
"Whatever was the cause of the bruises on her face, when I came, Diane was manhandling Sam," Gloria defended.
"Was that not what she just explained here?" He yelled in her face. "Are you deaf?!"
"I'm not deaf!" Gloria yelled back in his face.
"And I'm not blind either, especially to the way you are so hasty to blame Sam each time…"
Fred landed a heavy slap on her face and sent her crashing to the floor. He squatted down to her level and looked her in the face.
"You think I don't love Sam?!" He yelled. "You think I've not been a good father to her?"
He turned and strode back to Sam and pulled her up roughly into the crook of his arm and held her jaw with the other hand, pressing so hard that Sam's eyes began to tear up.
"You are damn right, Gloria. I don't love her. And I sure as hell am not a good father to her. Do you know why?"
It seemed his fingers closed around her jaw tighter with each word. Sam feared he was going to crush it if he pressed harder.
"Because I have no business loving her or being a father to her," Fred continued.
"Even her father did not want her. She's just a bastard you got from throwing yourself at rich teenage boys in the hopes of gold-digging your way to success. You whore! But you know what my business is? Diane, I love her, and being a good father is my business," he squeezed harder, bringing his face close to Sam's.
"So, next time you think of hurting my daughter, remember that!"
Sam whimpered due to the unbearable pain.
He pushed her back against her face against her will. Diane grabbed her immediately and dealt her a heavy slap.
"That's your lesson! Never mess with me, you bastard!" Diane cursed.
Gloria came and helped Sam up and put her behind her.
"She may not have a father, but she has a mother," Gloria said, glaring at the father and daughter.
"You are my wife, Gloria. You live in my house. You are everyone's mother. I say you are. Get off my sight!"
Gloria pulled her daughter along and began to leave.
"Not you, Sam. I have a task for you."
The two stopped. Gloria reluctantly let go of Sam's hand and left. Sam warily approached the duo. When she got close enough, Fred asked, "Have you made lunch?"
Sam nodded.
"Good. I need you to go get my things from my office."
She subtly let out a breath in relief. She had thought Fred was about to bully her again. He fished a key out of his pocket and handed it to her.
"Take this…"
When she took it from him, he turned and gracefully flopped on the couch next to Diane who had been glaring at Sam all this time. Sam stared at him, confused. The office he was talking about was about forty minutes away. He would usually give her transport fare. Maybe he forgot. When he looked up again and saw her standing, he frowned.
"What are you waiting for?" He snapped.
"Ride fare," she replied timidly.
"You don't need a ride fare, my dear. It's just around the next neighborhood," Fred said.
"It's actually far," she corrected.
"Well, since you have the strength to beat people up, I guess you will manage just fine. Leave now; you must be back before dinner or you don't eat."
Diane's mood had improved. She was getting her revenge in full.
'So, this was it after all' Sam thought bitterly. Fred was never going to let any harm to his daughter slide.
Going to her room, which served as the store where useless furniture was kept, Sam couldn't tell if Fred kept those things there to torture her or if he just enjoyed saving trash. She changed out of her apron and changed into another dress, which wasn't so different from the previous one. It was a knee-length summer dress that flared from the waist down. It used to be a white dress with red roses. Now the roses have faded to pale pink. At least the white stayed white.
She examined her bruises with a broken mirror she usually kept on the window sill. The bruise from the morning was already taking on a purple tint. Where Fred had held her jaw was red now. She had a few scratches too, from their scuffle early on with Diane. Her face was a mess. She wouldn't have minded much if she didn't have to leave the house that day. She couldn't afford people to stop her all the time to ask what happened to her. It happens most of the time. Going on foot would double the attention.
She pulled off the band that held her hair in a ponytail and shook it out. She almost screamed when she picked up her mirror. Her hair was all matted and dull. She looked possessed. It was better than showing her face, though. With this covering her injuries, people will prefer to stay out of her way as they'd think she's a crazy woman. She preferred that, so she fluffed it some more. Perfect!
True to her words, Sam got a lot of stares. Hiding behind her hair, she could spy a great number of women staring at her.
Kingsheart, as the town was called, was like the heart of the state in beauty and wealth. This small business town attracted a crowd of elites who would come to shop and eat in one of those fancy restaurants. Her stepfather was one of them.
It was tough, but she made it. She entered the luxurious restaurant hurriedly, went to Fred's office, and picked up a bag from the desk. Whatever it was. She didn't mind checking out and headed for home immediately.
As she walked down the street, Sam decided to follow a shortcut through an alley. Sam had a short moment of peace as she walked through the alley no one was taking that route, but immediately she stepped out into the world again. She collided with someone and fell. There was a clattering sound as the other party dropped something.
When Sam looked up, she saw three men looking down at her. Sam hurriedly got up.
"I apologize for running into you boys. I'll be on my way now." She smiled awkwardly and made to leave, but the young frontman held her wrist. She turned and glared at him.
"Where do you think you are going?" He asked. "Who is going to fix this?" He pointed at the phone on the floor.
Sam panicked internally. She had never had a phone in her life because she couldn't afford it. How could she then pay for them? She looked up at the men. They appeared to be between twenty and twenty-three years old. She hoped she could beg them.
"I'm really sorry, sir," she pleaded. "I don't have any money."
The boy holding her hand pulled her along with him back through the alleyway while she struggled to pull free. They took a bend into another alleyway.
"If you don't have money, I know another way you can pay us," one of the boys said. "I say we whore her to a brothel for some money," The other boy laughed in agreement.
"I say we start whoring her right away." The one holding her turned to her and began to back her into a wall.
"No, you won't," Sam gritted her teeth and kicked him in the groin. His face contorted in pain as he staggered and eventually fell. His comrades had stopped laughing. They came at her furiously. Sam swung the bag at them and got the one in front. He fell on his back. Before she could make another move, the other boy already held her hands behind her. Sam tried to wiggle out of the situation, but he was way too strong for her.
"You can't escape from us," he sneered in her ears.
The boy she had hit with the bag got up, rubbing his jaw as he approached her. He punched her in the stomach. Sam howled in pain.
"Let her go."
They all turned at the voice to see a tall man in a black hoody and jeans. He was standing against the setting sun, so Sam couldn't see his face clearly. She could see, though, that he had black hair.