Chapter One
My feet were killing me. All I wanted to do was go
home, take a shower, and crawl into bed. Work had been brutal tonight.
I’d worked at the same diner for almost two years, but
up until last week, I’d only been part-time. The day after I’d graduated from
Morgantown High School, I’d switched to full-time.
I didn’t mind waitressing, not really, but my body was
still getting used to being on the move constantly. The diner, a small
family-owned business, was always busy with the same customers. Most of them
knew me by now and usually tipped well. We had a few college kids come in from
time to time, but they usually went to one of the more popular spots in
Morgantown. I didn’t mind because they were normally the ones who would leave
crappy tips.
I pulled into the driveway of my foster parents’ house
and yawned. I hoped they were asleep. My foster dad, Rick, was an asshole to me
most of the time. The only reason he kept me and the other foster kids around
was because of the nice checks he would receive for taking care of us. I knew
my time here would be up soon. Today was my eighteenth birthday. Hopefully, my
foster dad wouldn’t remember. I didn’t feel like getting kicked out of the only
place I had to go tonight. My foster mom, Tammy, wasn’t as bad as Rick. She was
even nice at times, but her fear of Rick’s temper would keep her from defending
any of the kids. Rick wasn’t abusive physically, but when his temper got the
best of him, he would go on a rampage that rivaled a three-year-old’s. Tammy
had learned long ago to lock up anything breakable.
I’d been in twelve different foster homes since I
was three. Tammy and Rick’s house wasn’t the best, but it definitely wasn’t the
worst. I shuddered as I thought about my last two houses. Yeah, I could deal
with Rick’s asshole ways. I didn’t give a gigglefuck about Rick’s temper as
long as he didn’t try to touch me.
I climbed out of my piece-of-shit car and headed for
the house. My car was the only thing I truly owned. I’d saved every penny I
could and purchased it two months ago. I’d paid six-hundred dollars for it, and
I’d definitely gotten what I paid for. It was a 1989 Chevy Impala. The body was
rusted out in several places. The rear fender was an ugly green color while the
rest of the car was a faded red. It was the ugliest Christmas-themed car I’d
ever seen. It was the ugliest car I’d ever seen, period. But it would get me
from point A to point B most of the time. Sadly, it wasn’t even legal, and I
didn’t have the extra cash to get everything I needed to make it so.
Once I reached the house, I stuck my key in the lock
and turned it. I frowned when the door didn’t unlock. I pulled the key out,
thinking that maybe I’d shoved it in backward, so I tried again. Realization
hit me when the lock still wouldn’t turn over. Rick had changed the lock while
I was at work.
I sighed in defeat before knocking loudly on the door.
Lights turned on in the living room, and then I heard the door unlocking.
Rick opened the door and frowned at me.
“Yes?” he asked.
“Um…the door wouldn’t open for me,” I
said.
“Probably not. I changed the lock.”
“Why would you do that?” I asked even though I knew the
answer.
“You’re eighteen now, Claire. You’re no
longer my problem.”
I laughed humorlessly. “Seriously? You’re kicking me
out on my birthday?”
“Yeah, I guess I am,” he said without
remorse.
“Can I at least get my clothes and stuff?”
He shrugged. “Make it quick.”
He moved out of the way, and I hurried past him toward
the room I shared with Shelly. She was a foster kid, too. She’d been here when
I arrived. She was only ten, but I’d found myself gravitating toward her from
the beginning. We would look out for each other. I hated to think about her
being here alone. I was pretty sure I was the only person in this house who
cared about her. I passed by the boys’ bedroom on the way to my room. There
were four foster kids here total—Shelly, me, and two boys. Kevin was thirteen,
and Jerimiah was eight. I wasn’t as close to them as I was to Shelly, but I
would still miss them as well.
I opened the door to my room and flipped on the light
switch. Shelly was sound asleep in the bottom bunk. I moved around the room
quietly, shoving my clothes and personal items into the suitcase I’d carried
around since I was first put into foster care. It didn’t take me long to pack.
I had very few clothes and even less personal items. My eyes misted as I picked
up the only thing I had left of my mom— a locket. I opened it up to see the
tiny picture of her and me. I was only a few months old in the photo.
My mom had been killed in a car accident right before I
turned three. Her parents were also dead, and no one knew who my father was.
With no family to take me in, I had been thrown into the foster system.
I closed my eyes and tried to remember my mother. As
always, nothing came to me, except the way she had smelled. That was all I knew
about her—that she’d smelled like strawberries. I closed the locket and slipped
it into my jeans pocket. Once it was tucked safely away, I closed my suitcase
and glanced down at Shelly. I hated to wake her up, but I couldn’t leave
without saying good-bye.
I crouched down next to her and poked
her gently a few times.
Her eyes slowly opened, and she stared
up at me. “Claire?
What’s wrong?” she asked as she sat
up.
“I have to leave, kiddo. My time is up.”
I tried to smile at her.
“What? Why?” she asked, panic filling her
voice. “Rick is giving me the boot. I
gotta go.” “He can’t do that!” she cried angrily.
“I’m eighteen, so technically, he can.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she sprung off the bed.
She wrapped her tiny arms around me. “I’m going to miss you so much.”
I hugged her back tightly. “I’ll miss you, too. Take
care of yourself, and keep out of trouble, okay?”
“You know I will. Will I see you again?”
I pulled away and cupped her cheek. “I don’t know.
Maybe someday.”
She nodded as her shoulders sagged in defeat. “Please
be careful.”
“Always. I love you.”
“Love you, too,” she whispered.
I pushed her back into bed and tucked her in. I kissed
her forehead before pulling away. I stood and grabbed my suitcase off the
floor. I gave her one last smile before I opened the door and slipped silently
into the hallway.
Rick was still standing by the front door when I walked
into the living room.
“Did you get everything?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Good, because you’re not welcome back here. Got me?”
he asked.
“Yeah, I got you.” I shoved past
him.
I didn’t look back as I walked to my car. I tossed my
suitcase into the backseat before climbing behind the wheel. I backed out of
the driveway and headed back toward the main part of town. I couldn’t stop the
tears from falling as I realized just how screwed I was. I had fifty bucks to
my name until I would get paid next week. There was no way I’d be able to
afford an apartment, even a shitty one. I just hoped that I could make decent
tips until then, or I’d be living on air. I had no money, no friends, no
credit. I had nothing. I was completely alone. The only thing I did have was my
car.
I patted the dashboard gently. “Looks like it’s just
you and me now, ugly Christmas car.”
I drove back to work and parked behind the building.
There was no way I was parking on the street. With my luck, a cop would come by
and notice that every sticker on my car was expired. I didn’t need a tow bill
that I couldn’t pay for. I shut off the engine and reclined the seat back so
that I was looking up at the roof of the car.
At least it’s not cold
out, I thought to myself as I closed my eyes.
My entire body went limp as I tried to control the
emotions raging inside me. I tried to find the positives, but aside from the
fact that I didn’t have to deal with Rick anymore, there were none. I tried to
shut off my mind, so I could sleep. I was working the morning shift tomorrow. I
needed the money too much to oversleep and miss my shift. Plus, I didn’t want
to do that to my boss, Rob. He was a really nice guy, too nice for his own good
sometimes.
I vowed to myself that I would figure things out when
I woke up the next morning. I had no other choice. I had to make a plan, or I’d
never survive.
+++
Two days had passed since Rick kicked me out of his
house. I’d accomplished nothing—unless I counted the tips I’d made. I was
living off of dollar cheeseburgers and washing in the restroom sink at work.
There was a Laundromat nearby, so I at least had clean clothes.
The first day, I’d left after my shift ended. I’d
waited until the diner closed and everyone was gone before driving back and
parking behind the building again. I’d made sure that I was up and gone before
the diner opened up the next morning since I was on the night shift. The second
day had gone much the same way, except I worked the night shift. I’d hidden at
the local library all day, losing myself in the pages of not one, but two
books.
It was the third day, and I was working the morning
shift again. I was taking my daily sink bath in the restroom, and one of my
coworkers, Junie, walked in on me while I was naked. Apparently, I had
forgotten to lock the door, and now, I was caught.
“Oh my God!” I screamed as I tried to
cover myself.
Junie looked like she wanted to die as she quickly
mumbled an apology and slammed the door shut. After I dried off with paper
towels, I walked back into the main part of the diner. I walked to the coffee
pots and started making both decaf and regular, praying that Junie wouldn’t
mention what had happened. Naturally, she cornered me while I was dumping
coffee grinds into the filter.
“Claire, why were you taking a bath in
the restroom?” she asked.
I glanced up to see concern in her brown eyes. Junie
was older than me, probably in her late twenties or early thirties. Her hair
was light brown. She was pretty but plain. She’d recently gone through a nasty
divorce, and she had lost a lot of weight. I knew the stress from her divorce
and trying to raise her two boys on her own was taking its toll on her.
“I didn’t get a chance to shower at my house this
morning,” I lied.
“Cut the crap, Claire. What is going
on?” she asked.
I debated on lying again, but I couldn’t do it. Junie
had always been nice to me, and I couldn’t lie right to her face.
“Rick kicked me out of the house the other night,” I
said as I looked away from her.
“He what? That asshole! I’m so sorry,
Claire,” Junie said.
I looked up to see her brown eyes had
filled with anger.
“Don’t apologize. There’s nothing you or anyone could
have done to stop him. We both knew it was coming.”
“You could call in and report him though. I mean, he’s
still getting paid for this month even though you’re eighteen.”
“And then what happens if Child Protective Services decide Tammy and Rick aren’t suitable foster
parents? Shelly, Kevin, and Jerimiah would be pulled and possibly put into a
house that could be ten times worse. Rick’s an ass, but he’d never hurt them. I
won’t be the reason they’re sent to a horrible home,” I said as I stared at
her.
She sighed. “Fine, I see your point, but it’s still not
right. What are you going to do?”
I shrugged. “I have no clue. I guess I’ll just keep
saving my tips until I can afford a place to stay. My car is fine for now since
it’s summer, but I’ll have to find somewhere to stay before winter hits.”
“I wish you could stay with me, but I have no room,”
she said, clearly upset over the fact that she couldn’t help me.
“Don’t worry about it, Junie. I’ll be fine. I just need you
to promise me that this doesn’t leave the two of us. I don’t want anyone to
know what’s going on with me. It’s embarrassing.” “Claire…” She bit her
lip.
“Junie, please,” I begged.
“Fine. I won’t say anything. I just wish I could help
you somehow.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just focus on taking caring of your
kiddos. They need you more than I do.”
She gave me a weak smile before walking over to a
family that had just walked in. I watched as she led them to a table and handed
them menus. I smiled as I watched the mom pick her baby up out of the portable
car seat and cradle the baby in her arms. A wave of sadness swept over me as I
thought of all the things I’d missed out on with my own mother. I just hoped
that this baby would have a better life than I had.
The rest of the morning went by quickly. By the end of
my shift, I was dragging. Once my last table was cleared, I walked into the
back room and grabbed my purse. I headed out to the front and waved at Sarah,
the waitress taking over my tables. She waved back before turning her attention
to the two guys she was waiting on.
Rob came barreling out of his office and
headed straight for me.
“Claire, I need a favor,” he said when
he stopped in front of me.
“Sure. What’s up?” I asked.
“I hate to ask you this, but Stacey just called off.
Can you work the evening shift, too? I’d ask Junie, but I know she has to pick
up her boys from the sitter.”
My feet screamed at me to run away, but I couldn’t do
that to Rob. Plus, I needed the extra money.
“Of course I’ll stay.” I smiled at him.
“Thank you. I owe you one, Claire. Don’t think that I
haven’t noticed how hard you’ve been working lately.”
I nodded. “I try. I’d better go put my purse away and
head back out onto the floor before Sarah gets overrun.”
He nodded before turning and walking back into his
office. I hurried to the back room, and I shoved my purse in my locker. After
making a quick stop in the restroom, I walked out onto the floor. Sarah was
running back and forth, trying to take care of her tables as well as mine. I
gave her an apologetic smile before heading to my side.
By the time my second shift was over, I could barely
walk. It was a Friday night, and we’d been especially busy. The diner didn’t
serve alcohol, which I knew kept away several potential customers, but we were
constantly busy with families. Most of them had tipped well, and I ended the
day with almost one-hundred dollars in tips. I smiled when I realized I would
be eating something besides artery-clogging hamburgers when I left. I might
even splurge on a salad.
“I’m beat,” Sarah said as we wiped down all the tables.
“I don’t know how you’re still standing. You’ve been here since we opened.”
“Sheer will and determination. Plus, I
made a ton of tips today.”
She high-fived me as she walked by. “Nice. Go buy
yourself something pretty.”
I laughed and smacked her on the butt
with my towel.
The tables were clean, the condiments and shakers were
filled up, and the floor was mopped, so I walked to the back room and grabbed
my purse. After shoving my cash inside, I told everyone good night and headed
out to my car.
I drove across town to Denny’s and ordered the salad
I’d been desperately craving. I even ordered a Coke instead of water. I was a
splurging fool tonight.
When I glanced up from my salad, I noticed two guys watching
me from a few tables over. Both of them were good-looking from what I could
tell. They were around my age, so they were probably students at West Virginia
University. Morgantown was a college town through and through, and the streets
were crawling with kids. I assumed that these two were local since most of the
students had packed up and headed home for summer vacation.
One of them noticed me staring, and he gave me a smile
that sent my heart racing into overdrive. Suddenly embarrassed by my gawking, I
looked away and used my blonde hair as a shield between them and me. I’d had a
few dates in high school, but they had been nothing to get excited over. I
wasn’t a virgin. I’d lost that to Scott Marks my junior year, but I definitely
wasn’t skilled when it came to the opposite sex.
I ate my food quickly and paid my bill without looking
over at the guys’ table again. My life was a disaster as it was. Adding a guy
would only complicate things more. I walked out to my car and quickly unlocked
the door before climbing inside. Once the doors were locked, I started the
engine and pulled away from the lot.
I couldn’t help but grin as I remembered the guy’s
smile. He’d been cute from what I could tell. His dark brown hair had been
shaggy, but it hadn’t been so long that it looked messy. His arms had looked
toned, probably from playing football or basketball. Those were the only two
sports, especially football, that people really cared about around here. Once
football season hit, that was what everyone would talk about. I wasn’t a big
fan of sports, but even I cheered for the Mountaineers.
I drove back to the restaurant and parked, trying not
to think about the cute guy or his smile. I yawned and reclined my seat. Yeah,
there was no way in hell I could think about boys right now.
TEASER:
