At My 16th Birthday, My Dad Threw $10 At Me And Told Me To Get Out. I Smiled — And Handed Him An Envelope He Was Never Meant To See.

are you planning?”

“I’m planning to survive my sixteenth birthday,” I said. “And I’m planning to make sure Lester understands that I know exactly what he is.”

The night before my birthday, I couldn’t sleep. I lay in my narrow bed staring at the water-stained ceiling, listening to the house settle and creak, knowing that tomorrow everything would change.continue reading …