Chapter 8

The day passed by quickly and school ended. I was sitting on a bench in the school yard waiting for Jasmine. She had said that her gym teacher wanted to see her and she knew that it would take a while. She would always say that her gym teacher did not like her and had it out for her since sophomore year. Jasmine had invited me to have a sleepover at her house. I was really grateful as usual for these sleepovers as I didn't have to go home and face an impending beating. I could also have one night where I'm safe and sleep peacefully. Allan did not care if I was there or not. Most times he didn't even know I was not there. I also look forward to a warm home-cooked meal and I really love Jasmine's mother's meals. Mrs. Thomas was a great cook and is a nice woman. She reminded me of how my mother was. She was always taking care of others. Jasmine knew I was grateful to be around her mother, because she knew how much I missed my mother. Thinking about my mother again and the dream I had this morning, I took out my locket from inside my blouse and looked at my mother. I ran my hand over the picture and felt better. Every time I looked at my mother's picture, I felt this way. Her smile was heart warming and I knew she is always with me. "Pretty lady." I heard a voice behind me and I jumped and spun around. Standing over me was Carson Knight in all his annoying glory. "What do you want, Carson?" I asked, closing my locket and putting it back inside my blouse. "Nothing. Who is she?" He asked. He came from behind me and sat on the bench beside me. "What's it to you?" I asked crossing my arms. "Woah, you're serving up a plate of feisty, Kitten." He said raising his hands in defence. I sighed as I gave in. "She is my mother." I replied. "Oh, she looks a lot like you. I guess you hear that a lot." He guessed. "Yeah, I used to. She died two years ago." I related. "I'm sorry to hear that." He said quietly. I look up at him and saw that he was being sincere. "Thanks." I replied. To be honest, I was surprised that he would be sympathetic about my mother's death. He didn't even know me. Suddenly, Carson's phone gave out a beep. After reading the text, he got up from the bench, putting the phone into his pocket. "Well, there is somewhere I need to be." He saluted me and walked off in the direction of his car, without waiting for a response. Yep, he was back to the Carson I know. Carson Knight was one weird boy. One minute he was here showing concern and the next, he seems cold and transformed back into the bad boy I was used to. I didn't have time to unravel the mystery of Carson Knight as I saw Jasmine walking from the school building and gesturing to me. WARNING: Abusive content, but only a small amount. ****** Today was now Saturday. On most Saturdays, Allan would go to a party or hang out at a bar with his drinking buddies. I love these days because he would drink all night and he would not come home until early the next morning. I was laying on my bed when I heard his car left the house. I took up my phone and looked at the time. It was a quarter pass two. I guess he decided to start his night out early. I left my room and went into the kitchen to see what was in the fridge to eat. The fridge was however empty. I saw only a small amount of milk left in the milk carton. It has been a while since I went shopping. This is due to the fact that I did not have any money as Allan spends the entire money on alcohol. He didn't care if there was food in the fridge or not. He did not care about me. All he cared about was his alcohols in the cabinet. My mother had left some money for me before she left, but it was not enough. It was fast running out. I knew I had to get a job soon. Pouring the last of the milk in a bowl, I made up my mind to go job hunting. I had cereal quickly, took up my phone and keys and left the house. Looking a job was harder than I thought. I tried almost all the small cafes and no one was hiring. I knew that this wasn't the right way to look a job, but I needed one as soon as possible. I was getting frustrated and tired. My feet were also killing me as I have been walking for over two hours. I looked up ahead of me and saw another cafe. I looked up at the sign above the door, which read: Miranda's Tasty Treats. I head in the direction of the small shop, hoping that my luck would turn over. The doorbell rang over the door as I entered. Only a few customers were inside sitting around tables or booths. A young girl with dark hair was at the cash register. I walked up to her and she gave me a welcoming smile. "Hello, welcome to Miranda's Tasty Treats. What may I get you?" The girl said in a friendly tone of voice. "Hi. May I speak to the owner?" I asked her. She looked at me for a short while and then she nodded. She left her post behind the counter and walked over to a door and disappeared. A few minutes later, the girl appeared with a lady. The girl pointed to me and the lady walked over to the counter where I was.