Summer seemed to be worse for me when it came to being around Janet and my siblings. I had to do everything for everybody and I was still confused about what “SSS-BIhE calculator” was. Why did Paris do that? Several times I wanted to call my dad and tell him, I want to live with you, but I didn’t have the number. I studied that piece of paper every night. I dreamt about it those letters. I wrote them everywhere and recited them like I was getting ready to star in a play and that was my only line. “SSS-BIhE calculator.” After a month in a half I didn’t even look at the paper anymore. The letters were engraved in my head. Even though I didn’t look at the paper I still carried it with me everywhere. It had gotten just a little wrinkled but it was the closest thing I had to my dad and Paris. The only thing I had.
When Janet would get frustrated with me for no reason at all I would reach my hands in my pocket and squeeze the piece of paper. After a whooping or a slap or something I did even though I didn’t know I did it, I’d hold on to the piece of paper.
One day, Leah was being nice and let me play in her room with her. It was raining outside so she couldn’t play with Tessa. I couldn’t touch anything though. Only look. This particular day was special because she held out a doll that she considered her most favorite doll and she let me hold her. The doll was very pretty and even looked a little like Leah with its curly black hair. I hardly moved while I held the doll. I didn’t want something to happen and then I’d be blamed and wouldn’t be able to play with Leah ever again.
“Hey Chloe, since you don’t have any dolls, I’ll let you have that one if you want it,” Leah said.
I thought I was dreaming. “I can have it for real?”
“Yea. I have plenty of dolls. Next time we play together you can bring your own doll.”
“Wow. Thank you!”
I was admiring my new toy when Alex and Trenton busted into Leah’s room very hyper.
“Leah, Dad’s here look what he got us?”
Alex handed Leah the toy and then Trenton turned to me, “Our dad got one for you too,” he said as he handed me one.
It was a little knick knack doll that stood on a round block. When you pushed the button a string would loosen and the doll would fall limp and when you pushed the button again it would pull the string tight and the doll would straighten back up. It was fun to play with.
“Come on, Leah. Dad is ready to go,” Trenton said.
“Bye Chloe,” they all said in unison.
“Bye,” I said back as they left me in the middle of Leah’s room holding my new doll and the limp doll.
Leah returned seconds later telling me to get out of her room. As I stood up to leave my piece of paper fell out of my pocket.
“Hey, what is this?” Leah said as she picked up the piece of paper.
I immediately reached in my pocket hoping that that piece of paper wasn’t my piece of paper but when my pocket was empty I knew I was gonna be in for it.
“Hey, Chloe what does this mean?”
She was nice. “Uh, I don’t know.”
“Did your dad give it to you?” she asked.
“Yea,” I lied “But I don’t know what it means.”
She studied the paper really hard examining it for a really long time and then she said, “I got it.”
She went over to a box that kept her school things inside. She reached in and pulled out a calculator. Using the calculator she typed in some numbers and then turned it upside down. “Oh,” she said disappointed.
“What?”
“I thought it would spell out a word but it’s just a bunch of numbers.”
“Let me see,” I said.
She showed me the calculator and the numbers read 555-8143. Of course I thought remembering the hello that Paris spelled out on my calculator.
“Do you know what it means?” Leah asked.
I shook my head.
“Oh well. Here you go,” she said handing me back my piece of paper.
I took it from her and we both left out of her room together. I placed the piece of paper back in my pocket and carried my new toys to my couch. I finally had a doll to sleep with at night. Just as I was placing the doll on the couch a loud smack sounded and my back began to burn.
“What are you doing with Leah’s doll?”
“She gave it to me,” I said as I tried to hold back tears.
“You’re lying.”
“No, she really did give it to me.”
“Go put it back in her room.”
“But—”
SMACK. I didn’t even get the words out before her back hand stung across my face. “What did I say? And don’t you dare talk back to me.”
I broke and Janet was pleased. She lived to see me cry. She lived to see me suffer. She lived to make sure I didn’t.
I slowly crept back into Leah’s room and placed the doll back on Leah’s bed. When Leah gets back she will give me back the doll and Janet will see that she was wrong, I thought.
I was wrong. Leah came home, seen the doll on her bed, and didn’t say a work. It was then that I knew I had to get out of here. Everyone in this house was against me. They were bred to hate me and no matter what I did they would always hate me. I had to get out of here. Sometime in the near future I would be using my dad’s number and as I laid on the couch in the dark I smiled. A real genuine smile because I knew, finally I would be happy.
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