All Alone

All I saw was four bent fingers flying at my face, faster than the speed of sound. Everything went black for a split second, until I opened my eyes and was blinded by the warehouse light on the ceiling. I licked my lips and tasted the salty taste of my own blood. I slowly lift myself off the ground and walk over to my locker off the rink. I grabbed my soft, freshly cleaned towel and wiped the blood off my face. I looked down at the towel, which represented my failure. The rules are simple. Get in the ring, fight all 3 rounds. If you win you get $500, but if you lose you only get $50. It's simple fight club rules. I turn around and see the guy who just beat me to a pulp get high fives, and the $500 just handed to him. I get changed and pack all my stuff into my ragged gym bag, throw it over my shoulder and walk to the leader of the fight club to get my "prize".
" Hey Phillip good fight today. Here's your fifty."
" It's Lip, and there's no need for the lies. We all know I sucked out there."
" Don't say that. You're just a rookie. Come back next Friday and give it another shot. Don't give up," Carl encouraged me.
" Yes sir. Have a nice night," I said as I turned around. I walked out of the hot B.O. smelling warehouse into the icy Southside of Chicago air. I was of course stupid enough to leave my jacket at home. I stuck my hands into my sweatpant pockets and walked down the street. After a good 20 minutes I turn the corner to enter our apartment. I look up to the window that belongs to our apartment and see that the light is on. I enter in the code as fast as I can and run upstairs to my apartment, 7B. I grab the keys out of my pocket and fumble for my door key. I swear if there is a robber in my apartment again he is going to take a trip out the window. I unlock the door and burst in. I look around ready to see a tall guy in a ski mask but all I see is my little sister Sofie trying to read to my passed out, drunk mom, who is laying on the floor. Sofie had put a pillow under my mom's head. Sofie was sitting next to her trying to sound out all the words in her new picture book she got for her birthday. Sofie just turned 6 last week. She loves picture books and really wants to learn how to read. Since she is not in school at the moment she is trying to teach herself.
I close the front door and lock it. I walk to the closet and set my gym bag in front of it. Sofie finally looks up from her book and puts her pointer finger to her lips, trying to tell me to be quiet. I don't listen to her, knowing my mom won't wake up even if there was a dude playing a trumpet as loud as he could in the room.
" What the hell are you still doing up! I told you when Claire dropped you off that you needed to go straight to bed."
" I know Lip, but I heard mom come home so I came out to see her." I look at my sister and see the loneliness in her eyes. It's hard for me to have to support both of us, go to school and be able to have time with her. I try my hardest to hang out with her but I never have free time during the week I am at school. Then after school I go to work at the Burger Prince down the street. And then as you know I have the fight club on Friday's.
" Come on. I'll get you some water and then you have to go to bed. Okay?" I tell her.
" Okay," she says as she walks to our room. I go to the kitchen to get her water. When I walk into our room she is already asleep. That is what she gets for being awake at 11:47pm at the age of 6. I put the cup of water on the nightstand next to the bed, tuck her in and give her a kiss on the forehead.

I open my eyes as my alarm clock goes off. I turn over and see that Sofie's babysitter already picked her up. Claire is great, she takes care of Sofie for free. Occasionally I pay her with a nice dinner. I get up and get my jeans and shirt on. I go out to the living room to see that my mom has already left the house to go on yet another binge. I get my jacket off the couch in the living room and put it on. I make sure I have my keys and grab an apple for breakfast before I head out the door for work.
I step out into the freezing air and blow into it to see my breathe turn into steam. I used to love doing that when I was little, I used to think I was doing magic. But now I know it is just some stupid science that had killed my dreams as a kid. I walk down the street and walk past the alley way near our apartment. I hear a painful yelping sound coming from inside the alley. I look down and see a guy about my age getting the crap beaten out of him. I run down the alley and yell after the mugger. He looks up, sees me, then runs off. I run over to the dude on the ground. His lip was bleeding and you could already see a big bruise forming around his eye.
" Are you okay?"
" Do I look okay to you?!" he said back. I couldn't tell if he was joking or not.
" Sorry," I said under my breathe but I guess he heard me because he responded with,
" Relax bro, I just messin' with you." I helped him stand up and told him he could come over to Burger Prince so that I could help him clean himself up and give him a free meal since his wallet got stolen. We walk into the restaurant to see no customers at all.
" Holy crap dude! I should probably leave, it looks like you've got a lot on your hands already," he laughed at his joke and then walked into the bathroom. I'm not gonna lie, I laughed too. First funny thing I've heard in awhile. I head into the back to see "The Silent One" sitting in a chair and reading a book. I call her the silent one, well, because she doesn't talk. She just does her job and goes home. She almost got fired once, because she won't talk to the customers. Our manager told her she needed to or she would lose her job, so now she talks to the customers. I walk over to my locker and put my jacket away. I throw my apron on and put the stupid red visor on my head. I go up to the counter and stand there, waiting for customers. The door to the guys room swings open, and mugger kid walks out without a shirt on.
" Sexy," he says sarcasticly gesturing to my visor. " Hey so do you happen to have an extra tee shirt, mine went from white to red so I have a feeling a new one would be the best idea,"

" Uh yeah let me go check," I head over to the lost and found in the back. You would be surprised of what things end up in there. Once someone left a wig. Anyways, I dig through the box and find a neon green shirt that looked like it could fit him. I walk back up to the front and toss it to him.

" Thanks man," you could tell he was from the hood. People from outside the hood would of asked if it was clean, or where in the restaurant we found it.

" So, what's your name, and what were you doing getting beaten up in the alley?" I asked.

" Names Danny, and I don't know, some low life mugger decided I was a good target,"

" You don't look like someone who would let themselves get beat up, what happened?"

" The dude had a knife. I'm surprised he didn't stick me. Oh and thanks for savin' my life."
" Sure. No problem."
" What's your name?"
" It's Lip."
" What the hell kinda name is that!?" the look on his face was priceless. Never got that kind of reaction when I tell people my name.
" It's short for Phillip."
" Ah, well nice to meet you Lip."

After that moment Danny and I became best of friends. We helped each other out with everything. He even watched over Sofie if Claire had something to do. He tried to help her read. She was getting really good at it. We had been friends for about a month. I thought I had finally found my happy spot. All I needed was a friend. During this month my mom had gotten worse. She wasn't coming home at night like she used too. One time she was gone for a whole week. But I have stopped paying mind to her because not worrying about her was helping me be less stressed.

It was a Thursday and Danny and I were going to go tag the mini mart on Carver St. I had the closing shift at the Burger Prince, so me and " The Silent One" were going to be closing up. I finished sweeping and told her I was going home. Of course there was no response. I gathered up my stuff and headed home. I walked up to my apartment, 7B. I unlocked it and saw Sofie on the couch with a piece of paper in her hand. I didn't even think about how late it was and how she should be in bed. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes and held out the paper for me to look at. I take it out of her hand and and see that there are words on the paper.

" Wait... Sofie.. did you just read this?" all she does is look at me and nod slowly. " That's great! I'll take you out for a treat later."

" Lip, just read it..." I look down at the paper and read;

Dear beautiful children,

I am writing this letter to tell you that I am leaving. Forever. I won't be coming back. I left you guys $20 on the kitchen counter so that you guys have some money. And Sofie if you are reading this, the easiest way to say this in words for you to understand is, "I'm leaving, goodbye."

MOM

I look down at the paper and just crumple it in my hand.
" Sofie how much did you understand?"
" Most of it. Especially the last part." I gesture her to come over to me. She jumps off the couch and jumps into my arms crying. How could our mom do this? Leave us like this. And how could she have that be the first ever thing that Sofie could read? How?