Stranded at the right place

As Today started like any other day-boring, full of snarky remarks directed at the rowdy boys who couldn't seem to mind their own business. But there was one bright spot in her otherwise bleak world: her degree. Graduating with honors and a 95% average felt like a small miracle, especially given her background. She let the thought settle, allowing herself a rare moment of pride.

There was no one to share it with, no one waiting to cheer her name or wrap her in a warm hug. She'd learned young that celebrations were for other people. It was almost funny in a hollow way; how could an achievement feel so much like loss? Still, she stuffed the ache down and kept moving.

As she neared the dingy little house, she felt the chill return. Madam Green's place-never "home." Run-down walls and peeling paint, suffocating like a too-tight collar, and in the center of it all, Madam Green herself. A thickset woman with a temper that could curdle milk, she ruled the place with her sharp tongue and cold glances. Madam Green's idea of a "congratulations" would be a comment that cut deeper than a slap.

But for Elena, that place was just another step she'd survive, a small stage before the one she'd set for herself.

---

In a streak of bad luck, Elena spotted Madam Green standing on the porch, arms crossed, clutching a battered green backpack that looked like it had seen better days. Unease crept over Elena.

"Finally!" Madam Green's shrill voice cut through the air. "Keeping me waiting, you lazy bum. Take this and get off my property!"

Elena's blood chilled. "W-what?" she stammered, reaching for the bag. The weight told her it was stuffed with her few, worn belongings. "Where am I supposed to go? I haven't even turned 17 yet!"

Madam Green's eyes narrowed, a gleam of cold satisfaction lighting them. "Not my problem," she replied, voice laced with contempt. "You're old enough to take up space, old enough to find somewhere else to do it."

"What did I even do?" Elena's voice cracked, though she fought to keep it steady. "You can't just throw me out like this-"

"Oh, I can, and I am," Madam Green snapped, a wicked smirk twisting her lips. "I'm sick of your sulking around here, eating my food, breathing my air. Besides, there's a new girl coming. One who knows how to keep quiet."

Elena's throat tightened. "You're throwing me out... for someone else?"

Madam Green shrugged, her tone flippant. "For someone who'll cause less trouble. You think you're special because you're graduating? It's a piece of paper, nothing more."

Elena clenched her fists, the unfairness biting hard. "This isn't fair, Madam Green. I've done everything you asked. I kept my head down, my grades up-I've stayed out of your way."

"Life's not fair, girl," Madam Green said, rolling her eyes. "And a brat like you should know that by now. Now get gone before I call the police and have them drag you out for trespassing."

Elena swallowed hard, fighting the prickling in her eyes. She knew pleading was useless; she'd only be met with more ridicule. With a final, hollow glance at the place she'd reluctantly called "home," she hoisted the backpack onto her shoulder, feeling its weight settle like a stone in her chest.

As she turned to leave, Madam Green's mocking voice followed her. "Good riddance! You'll see-no one else is going to put up with you, either."

Elena took a steadying breath and walked away, each step filled with a new resolve.

Madam Green glared at Elena, then reached into her pocket and tossed a crumpled $50 bill onto the ground at her feet. "This is the last thing you're getting from me," she sneered, her eyes flashing with a cold warning. "And keep your trap shut. If I see the blues sniffing around because of you, you'll be hearing from me."

Elena stared at the bill, feeling her cheeks flush with anger and humiliation. "You're actually kicking me out with fifty bucks and a bag of hand-me-downs? Where am I supposed to go?"

Madam Green shrugged, indifferent. "Not my problem. Go wherever you want-just keep out of my hair. And remember, girl, you owe me. You'd better not cause trouble, or else."

Elena swallowed, resisting the urge to spit back every bitter word she'd been holding back for years. Instead, she picked up the crumpled bill, her fingers tightening around it. "I don't owe you anything," she said softly, her voice steadier than she felt. "I survived here in spite of you, not because of you."

Madam Green's lip curled, but she didn't respond. Instead, she turned and walked back into the house, slamming the door with a finality that echoed through the empty porch.

With one last look, Elena turned and walked away, clutching the backpack and the crumpled bill. She didn't know what waited for her next, but she knew she'd make it on her own.

As she walked away, Elena let the frustrated tears fall, feeling them streak down her cheeks, her dark lashes sticking to her skin. Each step took her farther from the place she'd never dared to call home, yet she cursed the day she'd been left there. How was she supposed to survive alone in a town .

"Come on... we've survived worse," she whispered to herself, though her voice wavered. That old reassurance felt hollow, and yet she held onto it like a lifeline, squeezing the tattered green backpack against her chest as if it might anchor her. But deep down, she couldn't shake the dark thought simmering in her mind: how much worse could it get?

A week ago, that acceptance letter from Boston University had felt like a miracle, an escape hatch, proof that maybe she could finally leave everything behind. She'd been accepted into the MLIS program with an undergraduate degree in history-a modest goal, but it was a start. The scholarship covered her tuition, something she never thought she'd afford, and for once, she'd allowed herself to believe in a future that didn't involve Madam Green's sharp tongue or the suffocating weight of survival.

But now, in the light of everything falling apart, that future seemed suddenly fragile. The scholarship was a blessing, but it came with conditions. Food and shelter were on her, and she had no idea how she'd survive fifty days on her own until the semester began. Fifty long days. She took a shaky breath. Fifty days felt like a chasm that might swallow her whole.

Her mind drifted to her few options. Reporting Madam Green could put an end to the years of insults, of being treated like an inconvenience, but then what? She'd been passed from house to house so many times that the idea of yet another foster home made her feel sick. What if it was worse? What if they stuck her in some place where she wouldn't be able to leave in time for Boston? She couldn't risk it. Boston was the only real chance she'd ever had, and she wouldn't let herself lose it now.

Her eyes dropped to the crumpled $50 bill in her hand, the only offering Madam Green had thrown her way. It might as well have been an insult, but it was also all she had. And that thought twisted her insides, made her realize just how thin the line was that she walked every day, how easily it could all slip away.

"Just hold on," she murmured to herself. "Get through this." She didn't know where she'd sleep, how she'd eat, or what she'd even do tomorrow. But for now, she could put one foot in front of the other.