Living With a Thief

Did this bitch just hang up on me?! Ravon thought. He tried to call back but the call immediately went to voicemail. This bitch really just hung up on me.

ψ⋆｡° 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 ⋆｡°ψ 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮 ψ⋆｡° 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 ⋆｡°ψ

Ravon sighed and put his phone inside the pocket of his hoodie. 

I can't believe Bronx would get another person's number when she needs to be focusing on her education. Ravon thought. This is so disappointing. And to add the cherry on top, she hung up on me! If she won't take my advice, I hope she makes good choices. Whatever. Fuck that bitch, I need to play my game.

Ravon rolled his eyes and continued to play his game. He never seemed to admit that he was worried about someone he loved; he just acted like he didn't care about whatever problems they may be going through, and that's what he was trying to do now. Usually, Ravon could successfully take his mind off of his little sister's problems but this time, he couldn't. He was away from his sister and there was no way he could help her if something bad happened, so of course every single little thing reminded him of her and how vulnerable she may be by herself. Every time he tried to ignore the perturbed voices in his head telling him to worry and stress over his sister, they just kept getting louder and LOUDER. Ravon's palms started to sweat and his forehead started, too. His stomach twisted itself into a knot his heart started to pump faster. He couldn't take it.

Maybe I should call her one more time to see if she's okay, Ravon thought, and maybe my stomach won't be tossing and turning. 

He took his phone out and called Bronx. Riiing… Riiing… Riiing… Riiing… Rii-beep! Please leave your message for-

Ravon hung up the call angrier than a bratty kid who didn't get any presents for their birthday - he could practically spit nails. 

How dare she ignore my call! Ravon thought. There isn't any way she couldn't have seen it- she's always on her phone! Ugh, whatever, she can eat her problems, I don't care.

Ravon continued playing his game and the voices did not bother him again. 

After about three hours, Ravon was called by his mother.

"Ravon!"

…

"Ravon!"

Did someone just call me? Ravon thought as he removed his headphones from his head. He sat on his bed for a few seconds, waiting for the voice to call him again.

…

"RAVON!"

 Oh, Mom's calling me, Ravon thought.

"What?" he yelled back. 

…

No answer.

Ugh, this is so annoying! Ravon thought. Is it that whenever I answer her calls, she turns mute all of the sudden?

He reluctantly paused his game and placed his controller on his bed. He trudged over to his living room, where he was met by his mother sitting on a ragged, brown couch. A cockroach crawled out from under a photo barely hanging on the wall.

"Yes?"

"There you are, finally! I was calling your name for, like, hours."

Ravon rolled his eyes and shifted his weight to one leg. "Get to the point."

"Alright, son." Ms. Valentina sighed and rested her head in the palm of her right hand. "When's the last time you went to work?"

Ravon remained silent.

"Hey!-"

"Can you wait? I'm thinking!"

Ms. Valentina patiently waited three seconds like a doggone good boy but then interrupted the silence.

"Hurry your thinking!"

"How can I hurry when you're hissing at me like Satan?-"

"Actually, it's like a snake."

"Whatever. Satan was a snake anyway," Ravon replied. "Maybe you'll meet him one day," he then whispered under his breath.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing untrue."

Ravon's mother gave her son a look that she thought made her resemble a fire-breathing dragon but Ravon looked at her back as if she was a kid pretending to be a raging bull.

"Anyway, let's get back on topic, yeah?" Ravon said, cutting the silence. "What was your question, again?"

Ravon's mother rolled her eyes. "When's the last time you went to work?"

"I haven't been to work for about a week."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't wanna go. I called in sick for a week and I'm going back to work tomorrow. Why do you ask?"

"Well, because we need more money."

Ravon raised an eyebrow. "...For?"

"For… for rent."

"We don't need any more money for rent, Mom, I put $1,000 in an envelope for rent already. I'm going to pay it, like, in two days or something."

Ms. Valentia's eyes nervously darted around the room before locking with her son's.

Ravon shifted his weight to one leg as he eyed his mother. "Why do you look so nervous?" he asked.

"Um… um."

Ms. Valentina's stomach started to flip around inside her. She began fidgeting with her hands as she nervously looked up at her son. Her mouth opened to speak but then closed when she realized there was nothing good she could say. This happened multiple times, which made Ms. Valentina remind Ravon of a goldfish he didn't remember to feed one day many, many years ago.

"Uh, someone stole the envelope on the table," she finally managed to say.

Ravon's poker-faced expression turned into a disgusted one. He stared at his mother as if she were a hairless, malodorous rat that had just snarfed down the most noisome, most moldy piece of cheese to ever exist.

The rat looked back at her son with shame.

Ravon swallowed the excess saliva in his throat. "Who?" he asked, though he already had an answer guessed.

…

"Um." Ms. Valentina sighed and thought of another lie she could say. She was expecting her nose to grow longer than the Nile River any moment then. "I don't know. I think a... a theif came inside and stole the money."

Ravon's eyes started to well up while the corners of his mouth melted downwards like snow on a hot day. He didn't know what to say. He was morified at the fact that his mother did it - again.