June's Story

BASED ON TRUE EVENTS

“Did you buy something from Apple?” June’s grandmother’s voice rings out through her phone.

“No, not recently, why?”

“My card got charged $5.99 for something and I can’t figure out what it is.”

“Oh, I can check my subscriptions, hold on.”

A car pulls into the driveway. June hears the gravel crunching from in her room. She doesn’t need to look to know it’s her step dad, Heath, returning from who knows where. Her eyes roll before she can stop herself.

Figures, she thinks to herself. He obviously had time to go do whatever it was he wanted to do but not pick her up from her school. June was eager to get out of her household. As a result she started the Upward Bound program at her high school to get college credits. It’d look good on her resumé and even better when she applied to university in a couple of years. Heath was supposed to pick her up as her mother was getting her hair done for her birthday. She’d told her to text him when the bus was bringing her back to the school.

Of course, June had but then her signal cut out when they hit the backroads. She hadn’t heard anything back from him until 20 minutes after she’d been sitting out in the cold at her school. His text message had read, ‘that’s not how you ask,’ and June decided to just walk home. She’d gotten a couple dollars from her mom to stop by McDonald’s since she hadn’t eaten. When she came home her step dad’s car was gone and her younger brother said he didn’t even know that he left.

“I don’t have any current subscriptions, so I don’t know what the charge is for.”

The front door slams open and shut. Heavy footsteps sound.

“Huh. Well–,”

June looks up from her position on her bed to see her step dad come into her room.

“Hold on for a second,” she speaks.

“Get out in the living room right now,” Heath growls.

This time she manages to hold in her eye roll.

“Can you give me a couple minutes please?”

“You think you can boss me around?” He comes closer.

“I’m on the phone with my nana, I just need a couple minutes.” She didn’t mean to say it with an attitude but what was his deal? If anyone was going to be upset, it should be her.

The next thing June knows is that her phone flies out of her hand and across the floor.

“What the hell?”

“I just sat up at your school for thirty minutes waiting for you and you think I care about you being on the phone?” He yells at her, spit flying.

Sure you were, she thinks, that’s why I had to walk in damn near freezing weather.

“I’m just trying to–,”`

“I didn’t ask for your response! You’re disrespectful and don’t know how to listen to directions.”

June gets up to grab her phone only to end up slammed into the ground. Her ears start ringing from the impact. Heath’s knee hits her stomach as he holds her in place.

“Get off of me! What the fuck is wrong with you?”

She knew she shouldn’t cuss but what in the actual hell was wrong with him? She could feel the McChicken she’d eaten threatening to come back up. June barely paid attention to the next words coming out of the man’s mouth. She was pissed and ultimately over it.

For four years it had been nothing but bullshit. She’d been beaten all over her body with a leather belt while her mother watched on just because she didn’t like living there. She had been kicked out and threatened to be sent to juvie. She’d had to sacrifice so many things for the sake of keeping his peace–including her own. For example, for her birthday two years prior her mother was ordered to spend her money buying his daughter new clothes as she was moving in with them that month. Apparently Heath’s military disability check could only cover the two iPhones that he bought his daughter–despite June being told they’d never pay for one for her. As a result, June’s only present from her mother was a free scoop of ice cream from Baskin-Robbins. Her mother had the audacity to say she should’ve charged her gas money for taking her. What a joke.

“You know what? I’m going to throw that phone away!” Heath moves from off her after screaming for who knows how long–June wasn’t listening.

Unbeknownst to either of them, June’s grandmother was still on the phone trying to figure out what was going on.

“I wish you would throw her phone away! I’ll press charges on you!” She yelled though neither of the two on the other end could hear her.

June attempts to get her phone before him again. Once more, it’s futile. She crashes into the TV as he shoves her out of the way causing it to fall over.

“Oh so you’re going to try to throw the TV at me too?”

Understanding that she wasn’t going to get anywhere, especially without a phone, she darts out of the room. She ignores anything else that comes out of Heath’s mouth. Her bare feet carry her out of the house. June ends up down the block knocking on her friend Mya’s door with tears streaming down her face.

It takes about an hour to explain the events to her friend (and family), then to her grandmother and mom–who was livid–and for her mom to come back from the city and mediate. In the end June knew it was pointless. At no point had she ever seen her mother defend her against Heath. Hell the woman didn’t even defend herself. But still, June hoped that she would’ve.

All she’d gotten from her mother was blame for her not being able to finish getting her hair done and a scolding for ‘throwing the TV’. Of course anything June said about the situation was thrown in the trash, where her phone thankfully was not. She guessed that whatever threats her nana had made about it as well as whatever common sense her mother had left prevented Heath from acting on his threat.

“We’re going to the outlets tomorrow to go shopping for your mom, if you act right I might get you something too.”

Unsurprisingly, this was the only apology she got. When the time came, she was able to get two pairs of shoes, sweatpants to match a hoodie she got months before, and funnel cake. However, her gratitude was slim to none and didn’t last long as the day after she was put in another uncomfortable situation.

For around three hours June was lectured on her behavior. Naturally, no accountability was taken on Heath’s end and everything was blamed on her. Part way through the conversation she’d mentally clocked it. To say that his words went in one ear and out the other would be an understatement. Though despite her lack of listening she’d be able to give a basic rundown of everything that was said. Afterall, she’d dealt with similar ‘conversations’ for four years. Due to this, she knew there wasn’t anything that would change within the household. She’d always be painted as the villain and scapegoat and he’d always be the self-proclaimed king. Her mother would never have her back and her younger brother was the bystander who seemingly did nothing wrong.

June decides that there’s only one thing left for her to do–leave. She doesn’t want to. She prefers to go the legal route. She’s been planning to start the process to get emancipated at 16 later that year. It was a long shot, sure, she doesn’t have a job, no real way to take care of herself, and definitely no other place to stay–at least not really. The chances of them granting her her freedom were low. She knows that the law hardly ever does anything anyways. This had been proven to her when Child Services refused to move her or her brother even after being called around seven times. She also really just wants her mom to be done with the man–as if.

“You’re dismissed,” Heath says finally.

It was when she got back to her room and began packing a bag that she realized her shoes and sweatpants had been taken from her. An unamused chuckle leaves her lips. This wasn’t the first time he’d used this punishment to ridicule her, but it sure would be the last. Instead of complaining, she throws on a pair of sneakers, grabs her hoodie, and jumps out her window.

Her last thought:

I wonder how long it’ll take them to realize I’m gone.

The answer:

Two hours.

She’ll never know what Heath’s response would be but she won’t care. Her grandmother would be worried sick until she hears from June–something that wouldn’t happen for a while due to June turning her phone off. Her mother’s only words after finding out about her leaving would hint at June’s punishment when she returns. June won’t care because she simply would never go back. Not to live at least.

And so, the fifteen year old girl began a new journey. One that she would both question and be grateful for even years later. Was it the right decision? The world may never know. It’s not like there’s a device to see what would happen had she stayed. In the end, June would be far more than okay, even if it didn’t look or feel like it at times. After all, people with strong wills and spirits always end up where they need to be. And June’s were forces to be reckoned with.