"Here you go, girls. Do you need anything else?" Depeche Mode's "Black Celebration" played from one of the girl's phones resting on the mahogany coffee table next to a bunch of the girls stuff that included bags of recently purchased makeup and nail polish now strewn about in a mess as Delia laid down cups of tea that were still steaming and smiled down at them. Becka shook her head up and smiled to her while the other girl paid her no mind as she continued to focus on painting her nails black. "Thanks for the tea, Mrs. O’Sullivan. I think we are good." Delia returned the smile while heading towards the doorway out of the living room then turned and gazed down at her daughter while Becka awkwardly watched in feeling a mother/daughter disconnect in the air.<br/><br/>"Kaileigh, sweetie-" Her eyes shot up in fierceness and interrupted her with an exaggerated scoff. "Mom! I told you not to call me that anymore... I don't like that name. Why can't you just be like Becka here! And Steven too! I want to be called Kalmah. Why is that so hard to do for me..?" Delia's concerned brow furrowed back as she tried to hide her frown from her daughter."Well... if I can't call you the beautiful name I gave to you, my wonderful daughter... can I call you Nissa at least?" The annoyed girl released a sigh that only made Becka go back to looking away and doing her own nails.<br/><br/>"<i>Sure, mom</i>... WHATEVER. Can you leave us alone now?" As she exited, Becka let out a chuckle. "Kalmah, what's going on with your mom? I get why she would be concerned with you dropping out of school now at the summer before senior year begins- even though she seems surprisingly chill compared to your dad, but she just... is acting weird, don't you think? The way she was looking at you... just... weird." Kalmah didn't appear to show much emotion at all save a dismissive shrug. "I don't know what to tell you, Becka. She is just weird. The past many nights now for a while- and this will happen randomly, I'll be walking down to go get a snack or a drink, and she'll be in here in the dark, bawling her eyes out watching Kiki's Delivery Service. I'm like what the fuck, ya know... It's a good movie but nothing worth crying over an- Ah fucking really!!!"<br/><br/>The entire time she was chatting she was still painting her nails but became distracted and screwed up only to realize and interrupt herself which then prompted her dad's loud voice to yell back from a few rooms over in a disciplinarian's tone. "Hey! Stuff that language away, young lady!!" Becka scoffed with a low annoyed tone, "Your dad is such a prim douche bag." Around the same time, Kalmah rolled her eyes massively while returning fire. "I messed up my nail, Darren! You wouldn't understand! Jesus Christ!!!" Now she had really gone and done it. His footfalls were loud and fast as his large frame plummeted through the doorway while his voice was very stern and direct. She always called her father by his name just to egg him on more and often has overdone that and regretted it but is a victim of making love to the same mistakes.<br/><br/>"HEY!!! Now you listen here,<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F80%2Ff8%2Ffb%2F80f8fb21490d0b715b3365cff9d06b54.jpg&amp;hash=420cd2fc32fc6142ea74a2116de0670e" href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/80/f8/fb/80f8fb21490d0b715b3365cff9d06b54.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Kaileigh Nissa</a>!!! Don't you ever take the lord's name in vain in this house!!! You are on thin ice as it is already!! It's by the grace of your caring mother I haven't kicked you out for pulling yourself out of school against my orders!! As if you know what's best for you... proving you really are a child. I see the sass and disrespect on your face- Becka! I think it is time you went home, and Kaileigh-" She shot up from her spot on the couch and gave him a disgusted look while nudging past him only for him to snatch her by the arm and do the unthinkable that shocked Becka harshly.<br/><br/>A cry rang out from Kaileigh as her head was violently sent looking downward after her father had backhanded her with a violent smack that sent her down on one knee. While whimpering briefly as he became distracted by Becka's exclamation of, "Mr. O'Sullivan, how could you!?!" Kaileigh took advantage of his loosened grip and darted out and away to go run to her room and slam her door, locking it behind herself as she dived into her bed to squeeze her pillow and yell into it while crying. A little while passed as she heard the door beneath her window open. Turning over and peeking past her curtain, she saw Becka leaving finally, clearly upset as she moved out of view into the distance. This was something she never told her bestie about before and for good reason. They saw it as discipline and corrective action, but her father has been even rougher with his "discipline" in the past than this.<br/><br/>She fingered at her lip, tasted the iron of the crimson with her prodding tongue, and then gazed at it still fresh on her finger. Huffing out a huge sigh along with more post-crying sniffles, she propelled herself forward and left her room in a hurry then got back into the living room to grab her phone from the table only to freeze in listening to the argument going on between raised voices in the kitchen. They were in a heated argument about Kaileigh and her future now that she has made "the adult decision from her child mind" as her father put it. As soon as she heard him say how she doesn't have long before he loses all patience and forces her out, Kaileigh throws her earphones on and takes off sneaking out of the house, keeping Depeche Mode playing but switching to "Blasphemous Rumors."<br/><br/>As she walked down the side of the street in knowing the only destination she could turn to right now on the late morning of the dreary, overcast day, she fell absentminded in her dissociation taking place right now, being more on autopilot in her movements while her mind was drifted away. She didn't even care or know what her makeup and hair looked like right now after being a mess. Her phone buzzed with a text from her boyfriend, Steven, as she absentmindedly read his plea for her to come out with him to the club tonight while also noticing three messages of concern from Becka. Upon getting into town, it felt like people were staring at her and gossiping while she hastily moved along the sidewalk. Kaileigh could feel them looking at her bleeding lip and spinning rumors in their minds. At least, that's what her anxiety told her mind they were up to.<br/><br/>Before she knew it, she was before the beautiful, dark establishment of her most comforting and secure of dreams. Lagging at the entrance for a moment, she couldn't help but notice the radiant sign bursting out at her like a salvation that doesn't feel real. What this place meant to her was too much to describe in words she could try to formulate. To think that she could actually contribute and become a part of what she loved, it broke her out of her daze enough to put a smile on with those lingering sniffles even though that smile faded fast. Kaileigh rushed into the atmosphere that otherwise always washed all her troubles away and placed serenity upon her. Pulling her earphones out to hear laid back music of a dark atmosphere usually calmed her too, but today she rushed around in search of Auntie Andie, ignoring any familiar smiles and waves that quickly soured at seeing the emotional face darting around frantically. No matter how early it was on Saturday, kids have been known to get breakfast and camp out in waiting together for the doors to open. This business was always bustling with kids and younger adults looking around and hanging out.<br/><br/>Finally she saw her, standing there all calm, even and stoic as she always seemed to appear to the kids. Rushing before her, all she did was stand there with obvious anguish written on her, not to mention the fresh wound, as she said all she would say in the current area of Misfits she found her in. "Andrea, please take me to your office, right now, please..."