I was on my way to the blue peterbelt. It was extremely cold. My hands and feet were ice cold. My pitbulls were barking at the trees. It was snowing heavily. I could smell my perfume. I was wearing a t-shirt, pajama pants, a jacket, and boots. As I walked to the semi I thought to myself “How to stay warm.” I reached for the door handle and pulled. “Uh-oh” I said to myself. I walked into the garage and went to a box. “Third row down, fifth one over.” I mumbled. Then I remember something.
I used to live behind Chesapeake High School. Father was getting his third divorce; he had another girlfriend, which he basically lived with her. I had two brothers, CJ aged seventeen, and Cole aged fourteen, he was a year older than me. Father had left us at the house for six months without electric, or water. Father would come down once a week to check on us. He has left us with a car battery, and some water. We hooked up a heater and a light to the battery. We heated up food and water (when we wanted to take a bath, but about time we got done, the water was cold again.) on a gas burner.
It was August, CJ’s eighteenth birthday. As he packed, I begged him not to go. “Please don’t go, I’ll be a better sister.” He gave me a stern look. “I’m done doing dads job, I have to go Charee.” My eyes filled with tears “you don’t have to go, you want to, you’re abandoning us.”  His eyes fell to the ground. “I’m not abandoning you and Cole.” I didn’t say anything. He looked at me and said. “look charee, I was there for you, I basically took care of you when mom and dad got divorced, when we were put into the foster care system, and the past six months when dad left us here to be with his girlfriend.”
When my brother left father was ticked. “Now I’m forced to take you with me.” Father had said angrily. I packed clothes, blankets and left everything else. I had moved to ten different schools in the past three years, I’ve learned to have a few things. When we arrived there I examined the house. It had a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, one bedroom, and a basement. Father’s girlfriend was named Francis. “How is this going to work? Sleeping arrangements.” I had asked. “Cole you’re sleeping in the basement, there’s a bed, and a TV for you, and Charee you’re sleeping in the semi.”
Later that night, it was time for bed. It wasn’t bad at first, school started up and the months went by. After a while I locked myself out, by accidently hitting the lock when I jumped out. After three times, father got aggravated with me.
It became winter, it snowed heavily. It’s been eight months already. I locked myself out. I went to the garage where my dad kept the keys, I couldn’t see. “Dang it.” I said in frustration. I was to scared to tell my father. So I went to the bed of his truck and sat there. Several hours had passed, and I just remembered the small school bus my father had gotten. The wind howled through the trees, I was freezing to death. I ran over to the bus hoping it was unlocked. “Please, please, please.” I pried the door open with my frozen hands. It was warmer inside. As time passed, father came out and left for work.
It was brighter when I looked out the frosted windows. I climbed out and went to the garage. I had memorized where the keys were. “Third row down, fifth one over.” I unlocked the truck and went inside to get warm. I never spoke a word.