Chapter One
Roxy Carson was your everyday typical teen girl. She concealed the look of the girl next door. She had straight, long hair that traveled well down the crook of her back, long dark natural black eyelashes that every girl dreamed they had, perfectly round emerald eyes, the perfect b-sized breast, and a body that belonged in a magazine. But Roxy hated her body. It brought in too much attention from the boys around town, and that is the last thing she had on her mind.
She had just turned seventeen years old two weeks ago, and it was the day she had begun her waitress job. Roxy had a family that she felt she needed to help take care of. Her father passed away when she was only ten years old from a car accident. It nearly broke her mother. The moment she was old enough to get out into the world and work, she did.
“Roxy, can you cover my shift for like an hour tops,” asked her best friend, Brooke.
“Sure, Brooke. Where are you running off to now?”
“Joseph is back from out of town, and he wants to see me.”
“You mean he wants to f**k you in the storage closet again.”
“Not if I get to him first.” She softly chuckled while twirling her hair.
Roxy just rolled her eyes. Brooke was her best friend, but anytime Joseph was around, she would give up anything just to jump his bones. She was also the same age as Roxy. Brooke was also unbelievably beautiful. She was the opposite of your everyday girl next door. She had the beauty that made every man that looked in her direction drool. She had shoulder-length blonde wavy hair that flowed naturally, natural plump pink lips, breasts that popped from every shirt she owned, deep baby blue eyes, and a perfect size three body type. She did not ever need to try but could steal away any man’s attention. She always got exactly whoever it was that she wanted.
Brooke and Roxy practically grew up together. Their mothers were also best friends, and they lived only a few blocks from each other. Brooke’s mother, Sasha, was Roxy’s mother's saving grace when she lost her husband. Every day since then, Sasha has kept her mother busy by taking her to social events with her and showing her the time of her life. Roxy did not have such luxury, but she knew her mother needed it a lot more than she did. Roxy got through by doing her online schooling and going straight to work after each day. She never had a moment to just herself, and she likes it that way.
Roxy was headed off to take one of Brooke’s tables order until she noticed who was sitting at it. Clara. She was awful. She got her kicks by tormenting Roxy as much as she possibly could.
“Hello, Clara. What would you like to order today?”
“Uh! They will just hire any old trash to work in this place. I would like to speak with the manager if you would be so kind.”
Roxy’s blood began to boil. More than anything, she wanted to take her anger out on the girl who caused most of her problems. Before she did anything she would regret, she stomped off in search of the manager.
“What is happening to me?”
That is when she heard a small voice inside her mind. “Hello Roxy, my name is Rain.”
She turned around, expecting someone to be behind her, but no one was. She shrugged her shoulders, thinking it was her mind playing tricks on her. She found her manager Mr. Brunson sitting in his office. He was a middle-aged man with scruff for a beard. Even though he was not very muscular, you could tell he still took care of his body. He had a bald head and was nearly six feet tall. He would always wear a nice suit to work that showed he was someone to take seriously.
“Mr. Brunson, sir, I am sorry to disturb you, but someone has requested to speak with you.”
“Is it the Clara girl again? I honestly just wish she would leave you alone. Roxy, you are a hard worker, and you do not deserve to have that girl always coming in here to bother you. Would you like for me to ask her to leave?”
“No, but thank you.”
Mr. Brunson had become a sort of father figure to her. He was always kind to her after learning about her father and took her under his wing. Roxy was first introduced to him by her mother, Esther. They had come in here for dinner a few months ago, and Esther was surprised to see him there. They got to talking and catching up, and he hired her a few weeks later. He took care of her in a way no one had in a long time.
“Then come over with me. We are going to settle this once and for all.”
Roxy rolled her eyes at the prospect. As much as Clara deserved to have a piece of her mind, she knew the situation would make her highly uncomfortable. After years of emotional abuse from Clara, she still had not developed the courage to tell her to go to hell. Roxy hated confrontation. She wanted to go on with her life as normal and to avoid Clara at all costs.
They were now standing in front of the table that Clara and her friends sat.
“What seems to be the problem.” Mr. Brunson said.
“Your waitress here is the problem.”
“And what exactly is she doing to interrupt you?”
“Nothing! That is the problem. She is not giving me the most excellent service I desire. Do us all a favor and fire her already.”
“It seems to me that the only problem here is you and your friends. I will not tolerate bullying in my restaurant. If you cannot learn to accept Ms. Carson here as your waitress, then you are free to leave. Thank you for your time.” Mr. Brunson walked away, smiling. He knew Roxy would have never had the courage to say that, but he was more than willing to say it for her.
After that, Clara was somewhat friendly to Roxy and allowed her to serve her until she and her friends finally left.
“Hey, chick! What happened while I was gone?” Brooke had returned with the biggest grin plastered on her face.
“Yup! You got some alright.”
“Not to brag, but of course I did. Joseph gives the best sex.”
“Uh-huh. Sure, he does. Can we go home now?”
“What is wrong, Roxy? You look…defeated.”
“Clara and her friends came in sitting at your booth. Don’t worry though, Mr. Brunson put her in her place.”
“Wow, that b***h! She better be lucky that I was not here. What did she say to you that made you so upset?”
“The usual, that I am trash. Don’t look at me like that, Brooke. She is right.”
“No! You both are wrong. Roxy, you are beautiful! When are you finally going to realize your worth?”
But Roxy did not respond. This conversation always ended the same way. Roxy desperately wanted to see what everyone else saw in her, but she just could not. She rarely took care of herself because she was too worried about now paying bills and looking after her mother.
Brooke dropped Roxy off in front of her house before squealing tires and speeding out of there. Brooke hated to admit it, but she was a little scared of the neighborhood Roxy lived in. It was not a bad neighborhood per se, but it did have a notorious reputation for break-ins.
When Roxy opened the door, the smell of cooked chicken filled her nostrils. She made her way into the kitchen to see her mother cooking for the first time since she was a child.
“Hey, mom. Why are you cooking?”
“Don’t be silly, Roxy. Do I have to have a reason to cook for my daughter?”
“Yes, actually you do because you have not cooked since I was like twelve.”
Roxy knew by now that her mother only cooked for her when she had news to share with her.
“Sasha got me a job! I am cooking to celebrate.”
“Congratulations, mom!” Roxy headed straight for her mother and squeezed her tightly into a long hug.
“Whatever you are cooking smells just like that chicken pot pie you used to make when I was little. Wait…is that what you are cooking?”
“It is still your favorite, right?”
“Are you kidding? Of course, it is!”
Before long, her mother was pulling out dinner from the oven, and they were taking their seats at the small dining table that sat on the opposite side of the kitchen. Roxy began stuffing her face. It was nice to have a home-cooked meal for once instead of ordering take-out like they did almost every night.
“So, mom, tell me about this new job.”
“Well, I will be helping to manage one of the clubs that Sasha owns. Do you remember the one she used to tell us about that? The one that basically started her on her way to where she is now?”
“Yeah, it was called Night Owl, right?”
“That is the one! I am so excited, Roxy! She said that I could be making a lot of money from this place. It is an offer that I really do not want to say no to.”
“It sounds great. Why would you say no?”
“Think about it, Roxy.”
After a moment, it sunk in. She realized the exact reason her mother had thought about turning down the offer.
“Mom, that is all the way in Georgia.”
“I know, honey, and that is why I wanted to talk to you about it first before I gave Sasha an answer.”
Roxy had to think about this. She would be leaving behind her best friend, her only friend. Not to mention the job that she just got. But the one thing Roxy was not was selfish.
“I am happy for you. If that is what you want to do, then who am I to stop you.”
“That means so much to me. I know you have built a life here, but I feel like this could be a fresh start for both of us.”
Roxy had built a life here, but she knew how unhappy her mother was. If this would cheer her up, who was she to tell her no.
“Your right. You deserve to start over somewhere fresh, mom. We will make the most out of this, and it will be the most epic thing ever.”
Little did Roxy know that her whole life was about to be flipped upside down.