AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I busy my mouth with chewing instead of saying the words I’m holding inside. I know it’s not his fault I’m in this situation, and I can’t blame his wife for not allowing him to adopt me. She’d probably give him hell if she knew he was still meeting me after his shift every Friday night.
But there’s nowhere for my pain to go. Anger erupts and pours over me, blanketing the hurt. I succumb to the rage. It’s easier that way. The anger comforts me.
So, Woods will sit here and pretend like he can fix my problems.
I’ll sit here and pretend like everything isn’t as bad as it is.
We both know the truth.
“Are they feeding you at least?”
I shake my head. “Do you mind if I order another cheeseburger to go?”
“Order whatever you want.” He hands me a twenty and stands. “I’ve got to head out.”
“I know.”
“I’m serious about talking to social services. I’ll go there with you and we can sort this out.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about me.” Nobody else does.
Woods lifts my chin toward the light, examining my black eye. “Only four more years until you’re legal. Things will get better for you. You’ll see.”
Only four. “Yeah. See you next week.”
He reaches into a shopping bag and pulls out a black North Face jacket. “You’ll need something warm for the winter. Happy Birthday, Thomas.”
I cringe at the reminder. I dread my birthday, but not in the way most people do because they don’t want to turn another year older. My birthday marks the day I watched my mother die. There’s nothing happy or exciting about it.
Happy Birthday? What a joke.
Chapter Five
The Present
Carla
I’m in a stranger’s bathroom.
Correction: I just freshened up with half a dozen baby wipes in a stranger’s bathroom because I’m about to have sex with said stranger.
I check the time on my phone. I’ve already been in here for seven minutes. I have to exit this bathroom soon, otherwise he’s going to think I have a stomachache. With my hand on the doorknob, I inhale a deep breath through my nose and blow it out my lips. My heart pounds with every step I take into the living room.
TJ’s apartment is very plain, though it’s a decent size for being above the gym he owns. Bare, white walls, a brown leather couch facing a flat screen, and a rustic coffee table are all that fill the room I’m standing in.
Marie Kondo would be proud, though it makes me wonder what, if anything, sparks joy in TJ.
TJ emerges from the kitchen and hands me a water bottle. “Sorry. I don’t keep alcohol here.”
“Water is fine.” Any more than the three beers I’ve already had and I’d be sloppy. I need to keep my wits about me, even if I’m doing something as witless as this. I twist the cap off and chug half the bottle.
“You seem nervous,” he says.
I do this weird, high-pitched laugh that I’ve never done before. “I’m not nervous.”
TJ steps closer, reaching out to twirl a strand of my hair around his finger. “Why did you come here?” The way he’s looking at me halts the excuse on my tongue, eyes boring into mine as if they already know the truth.
“I guess I just want to forget … about everything.”
