Whenever it was time to pay for textbooks, Logan and I would approach Grace together. She always dragged her feet with mine, only paying after the teacher had called repeatedly. Then she'd yank my ear and blame me for it.
The worst was when I turned eighteen. I'd just got accepted to college and worked all summer to save for tuition.
But just before the semester began, Grace and Brian stole the tuition money from under my pillow while I slept. They locked me up, saying they were going to marry me off.
They brought a man to see me. He limped, his face was covered in dark spots, and he had a mouth full of rotten teeth. He even demanded to spend a night with me.
There, on my knees, I begged Grace and Brian desperately. I promised them I wouldn't ask for a single penny while I was at school. And I even promised them all my earnings after graduation.
I was on my knees for what felt like ages before they finally nodded, acting like they were granting me mercy.
That whole ordeal ended up giving me depression.