Mother

[Avery's POV]

I stumble into the house, and the smell of booze and cigarettes immediately hits my nose. Grimacing, I pull off my heels and throw them aside before making my way to the living room, where my stepfather and his friends sit, placing bets on a wrestling match. From how loud they are being, it is clear that they're already two sheets to the wind and honestly didn't need this damn beer that I had to pick up.

After leaving Atlas' condo, I planned to go to the bar to nurse my wounds, but ended up getting a phone call about picking up some beer for the men sitting in front of me, and of course I couldn't possibly say no since I knew that he would threaten me with my mother if I didn't.

That was his favorite thing to do, especially since he knew that she couldn't possibly be out on the streets, and if that happened, I would ultimately blame myself.

"About time," my stepfather huffs. "What the hell took you so long?"

"It's called traffic," I sigh, handing over the twenty-four pac