Aurora’s P.O.V
Something had happened today…something that I wasn’t even aware of.
Because…why would he suddenly leave like his tail was on fire if there wasn’t something urgent on his mind? Maybe there was an emergency? Or maybe he had spotted someone outside that window who was his friend? Or maybe that person was a troublemaker he wanted to keep me away from?
As soon as that thought entered my head, I shook it to clear my mind off of such rubbish thoughts. Caleb? Keeping me away from troublemakers? The thought was so incredulous that I wanted to laugh. Yeah, he might have come here to try and apologize and make amends, but that didn’t mean he was suddenly my knight in shining armor.
But then I remembered Mr. Hemmingway and paused in my thoughts. Caleb had helped me that day…but it was mostly because of Caroline, wasn’t it?
Most probably, he thought of me as a charity case to get into some kind of brownie points. Maybe he was doing all this because Caroline was being nice to me? Maybe he just wanted to get into her good books?
But then that night came into my mind, the time when I had gone out to throw the trash and found them about to kiss in the park while swaying on the swings.
Right! What was I even thinking?
They were already dating and seemed to be going strong. However, I couldn’t believe that Caleb was being nice without any reason. Whatever it was…I didn’t want any part of it.
If him asking the School Principal to provide me a full scholarship, that too behind my back was any indication, then the only ‘feeling’ he had towards me was pity. And I didn’t need that. I had been fending for myself and my brother for the past few years, and I could continue to do so, on my own.
“Hey, kid!” Jeremy called out to me as soon as I entered the kitchen after clearing out the table as the last customer left, leaving the diner empty for now.
I paused to find two of the senior waiters huddled around Jeremy, concentrating on a piece of paper that Jeremy was holding up for their inspection. My heart slammed against my ribs in fear. Was it another complaint? Did Caleb do that because I didn’t take his offer?
“Hurry up, will you?” Jeremy called again as one of the waiters, Hayden, looked up at me in irritation.
Placing the tray I was carrying on a side table, I headed to the three men, fear gripping my heart in a vice grip.
Was I going to get fired this time? After all, two complaints in a month were enough to get me fired. But since they were pretty much from the same people…Jeremy would understand right? That Caleb was a bully from school who just hated my guts?
But as I neared the table, I saw that Jeremy had a list of groceries placed out on top of the table and was noting stuff down from the piece of paper he held.
“W-what is it?” I managed to stutter out, my nervousness getting the better of me.
“We have a catering job next week. Uptown, 146 C Loudon Street.” Jeremy told me, handing over the grocery list. “It’s an eighteenth birthday party so they requested the youngest staff. You, Hayden and Roan are on the team. Go get me everything from the list and remember to keep Riley somewhere safe for the night. You might have to stay past midnight.”
“Past midnight?” I don’t know why but looking at the paper just brought some kind of stirring in the pit of my stomach, like a sense of foreboding creeping in that something bad was about to happen.
Riley and I have never been separated ever since he was born. He had slept in the same bed with me until he turned two years old and even when I had transformed my father’s old study room into his room, he would often come up to my room in the middle of the night, when he had a bad dream. But that had changed the day my father had barged into my room, looking for cash, and slapped him when Riley had refused to get off of the mattress in fear.
From then on, I had to keep his door locked whenever our father came home, so that he accidentally didn’t stumble upon Riley. But even then, we had been in the same house.
Let him stay somewhere safe? A sleepover with one of his friends, perhaps?
It was a tough decision to make on my part and I couldn’t even think about not having him home for the night. Given that I did reach home very late myself, but not having Riley around…
“Aurora?” Jeremy’s voice snapped me out of my trance and I looked up at him to find him holding out the grocery list. “Roan will go with you to the market. Get those within the next two hours, before the evening rush hits.”
“Okay.”
After Jeremy gave out the list, Roan and I headed out to get the groceries in his motorbike. Thankfully, he wasn’t a rough driver and was kind enough to help me up and down the bike as well.
However, when we were almost done with the groceries, he looked at the second list with a frown.
“Is…everything alright?” I asked, seeing as to how he looked a bit worried.
“Did you notice that the address said Uptown, Loudon Street?” He asked me, turning the page in my direction.
I nodded, telling him that I had noticed. “Is there something wrong with that?”
“Thing is…Uptown itself if pretty posh. Not to mention, Loudon Street is like the Manhattan of Maine.” Roan shook his head. “Why would people from there order food for a birthday from a tiny diner like ours? Especially when they already have some high end restaurants in that particular area?”
Upon hearing Roan’s explanation, that sense of foreboding in my stomach only grew stronger.
The order was indeed unexpected and the most concerning part was that Caleb and his crew lived in that area. Even though I had never been to that part of the city, I could tell that it just might have been him or one of his friends that had pulled off this stunt. But there was no way that Jeremy was going to believe me over the customer.
Now, as we headed back to the diner with fresh supplies, all I could do was hope that my gut feeling was wrong, and that we weren’t stepping into any kind of trap.
*
*
“Riley…do you have any friends at school that you like a lot?” I asked him as I served us both a ham and turkey sandwich with a side of fries, which I had gotten from the diner.
Riley looked up from his plate with a smile. “Yes…I do! I have Rosa.”
I smiled at him, knowing that he was talking about a female friend, but even though they were kids, I would prefer him to be with a male…just in case the parents complain.
“How about boys, sweetie?” I pinched his cheeks lightly. “Do you have a friend who you can have a sleepover with?”
That just caused him to frown. “What’s a sleepover?” He asked in his adorable baby voice.
“It’s where a few of your friends stay at your house and you watch movies, have dinner together and have loads of fun!” I explained to him as best as I could, even though my heart hurt for him.
The last time I had a sleepover had been when I was eleven. Joyce was my best friend in middle school and she had invited me to stay at her house one last time before she and her parents moved to Seattle. It had been one of the best nights of my life.
She and I had stayed up watching High School Musical and then we had played with the child-friendly makeup that her father had gotten especially for her. The way her family adored her had made me envious of her from time to time.
Unfortunately, Joyce had already left by the time my mom had gotten pregnant with Riley and by then, I had lost all contact with her as well. However, it was a friendship that I would cherish forever in my heart.
Now, I looked towards Riley to find him looking at me with his eyes wide in wonder. “Can I do that?” He asked quietly, his mouth full of a big bite.
“Yes, of course.” I smiled at him. “I’ll ask one of your friend’s parent’s tomorrow. If possible, you can have a sleepover as early as next week.”
I was hoping and praying that one of the parents would agree to the sudden request, because if they didn’t…I had no idea of what I was about to do with Riley.
Having a five year old all alone in an empty house was a big NO-NO for me, but other than that, the only person I could think about who would help me keep him safe was Jeremy, both because he loved Riley and because he knew exactly how violent my father was.
Jeremy had asked me to file a complaint several times, so that my father would be sent to jail and I wouldn’t have to spend all my money repaying his debt, but each time, I had denied the offer, for the same reason. I couldn’t be separated from Riley; he was my life-line. If the authorities took him away from me, there will be nothing left for me, no hope, and no will to live.
And despite everything that I was going through, a stubborn part of me wasn’t ready to die just yet.