Additionally, it hadn’t escaped Brittany’s notice that her boyfriend had eyes for Tessa, and she never missed an opportunity to say something nasty to her, or insult her in some way in retaliation. Tessa had also noticed Brittany whispering to her mother whenever she walked by, and wondered what sort of lies and accusations were being spread.

Michelle and Kimmie had fought for days about how to equally divide up the closet and bureau space in their now shared bedroom, and Tessa’s head had ached from the piercing sound of their screaming. She hadn’t dared to ask for any space in the closet or even a single drawer for her own use, and kept the entire contents of her still sparse wardrobe inside an extra large trash bag. The air mattress that Debbie had mentioned had never materialized, so Tessa’s “bed” now consisted of an old exercise mat of Michelle’s and a pillow and quilt she’d bought for herself at a linen outlet store. She was constantly banging her head or shin into a wall or piece of furniture whenever she tried to turn over, and coupled with the constant noises of the TV blaring from the living room or someone arguing or a screaming child, she couldn’t recall the last time she’d had a good night’s sleep. Living in her car was beginning to sound more and more appealing with each passing day. Tessa thought caustically that she’d probably have a better shot at getting a good night’s sleep there than she would inside the Wallace home.

It was on a Wednesday, of course, when all hell really broke loose, because nothing and nobody would ever convince her that that particular day of the week wasn’t cursed.

Tessa arrived back at the house just after nine o’clock, worn out after a full day of classes and then work, and only having managed maybe a couple of hours of sleep the night before. All she wanted to do was brush her teeth, study for an hour or so, and then curl up on her mat and fall into an exhausted slumber. As she let herself inside the house, she kept her fingers crossed that the rest of the occupants could manage to refrain from screaming at the top of their lungs for just one precious evening.

But she was admittedly surprised when she walked through the living room to complete silence. There was no TV blaring, no babies crying, no loud voices hurling insults at each other. She recalled that Michelle was out on a date with Denny and probably wouldn’t sneak in until sometime after midnight, and had noticed that Debbie’s dark blue minivan hadn’t been parked in the driveway as usual. Maybe, just maybe, her prayers had been answered and she might actually get an hour or so of peace and quiet.

She ventured into the kitchen, which was in its usual state of disarray with dishes piled high in the sink and the counters littered with boxes and bags. She was just about to get herself a glass of water when she felt a cold shiver run up and down her spine, and the very unpleasant sensation of eyes upon her.

Tessa glanced up reluctantly, and couldn’t suppress a shudder as she spied Sean lurking in the doorway. He was tall and skinny, a distinct contrast to the short and pudgy Brittany, who was still carrying around an extra sixty pounds or more of baby weight. Sean was dressed like a gangbanger, in baggy jeans and a white ribbed wife-beater, his puny arms covered in tattoos. His greasy hair fell in lank, dirty blond strands almost to his shoulders, and both his ear and upper lip were pierced. Tessa had never been remotely attracted to that type of guy, and especially not to someone as creepy and vaguely menacing as Sean.

He gave her a smile that was really a smirk, and her hand shook a little as she replaced the glass. “Hey, Tessa. You look really hot tonight, baby. Your tits fill that sweater out real nice, don’t they? Not to mention the way your ass looks in those jeans. Mmm, mmm.”

She grimaced as Sean ran his disgusting tongue over his lips, and she thought yet again of how much he reminded her of some slimy, revolting reptile. “Leave me alone,” she told him firmly as she attempted to brush past him and retreat to the relative safety of her bedroom.

But he wasn’t about to let her escape quite so easily, and clasped surprisingly strong fingers around her upper arm before she could walk away. “But this is our big chance, baby,” he murmured to her in what he likely thought was a seductive voice. His sour breath reeked of cigarette smoke, cheap beer, and onions, and Tessa had to restrain herself from gagging. “Everyone’s out of the house. Brittany and her mom took the kids and Kimmie somewhere for dinner and then to shop at Walmart, and Michelle’s out with her boyfriend. Time for you and me to get to know each other a little better.”

Tessa tugged her arm free and edged a few steps closer towards the kitchen doorway. “No, thanks. I’m not interested.”

Sean quickly blocked the doorway, preventing her from making a quick escape. “Tough, because I am interested in you, baby. So are all of my friends. You should hang out with us sometime, have some fun, and stop being so uptight. You’re hot, Tessa, probably the hottest babe I’ve ever seen, and I’ve wanted a piece of this ass ever since I saw you. So, come on, let’s have ourselves some fun, huh?”

“No!” she protested vehemently, turning her head to one side as Sean moved in to kiss her. She placed a hand on his bony chest and pushed him away but he was stronger and more determined than he looked.

“I’ve wanted an up close look at these tits for a long time now,” he purred in a menacing voice. “Come on, let me see them, baby.”

Tessa slapped his hand away as he would have groped one of her breasts, an action that only served to anger him further. He clamped both of his hands around her upper arms and shoved her up against the wall, and this time she did gag when he ground his erection against the notch of her thighs.

“Feel that, baby?” he grunted like the animal he was. “That’s what a real man feels like. Come on, I’ll make you feel real good, baby. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a hot piece of ass like you. Screwing Brittany is like humping a whale or something. I want a real woman to fuck for a change.”

“Get off of me,” she pleaded, trying in vain to shove him away or twist out of his grasp. The combined odor of his breath and body odor was making her gorge rise, and she was on the verge of upchucking all over him when the door that led from the garage into the kitchen was thrown open, and the sound of an outraged female shriek reverberated through the room.

“What the fuck are you doing?” screamed Brittany. “Sean, you lousy, rotten prick! Get your goddamned hands off of that bitch!”