A maid and two brats

9

"So what are you going to do now?" Sam asked as I folded the last bit of my clothes into my knapsack. We had left work pretty early, and I was thankful that after my encounter with Zac, I did not have any other rason to come across any other assholes for the day. My luck further extended to the fact that Gerald had to call in sick so I was let off the hook about the coffee stain on my dress.

I knew come Monday, I would have to deal with a lot of problems at school thanks to my face off with Holly, but at least I could take the time to settle in this weekend.

And then there was also my yet another weird conversation with Zachery today. He seemed really pissed at the way our conversation ended as he sped out in his car through the driveway. No matter how many times I thought about it, I could not imagine why on earth he was suddenly being so nice to me. It was terrifying. First at the hospital and then at dad's funeral and now he confessed to being worried about me. The thought still made me chuckle even now.

The great Zachery Leuders, the grandson of a business tycoon and politician, handsome jerk that made my blood boil every other day, was worried about me. Maybe just maybe my luck was starting to improve. Or maybe I was in a dream world, one I really needed to wake up from soon.

"What do you think I should use to get this stain out?" I raised my coffee-soaked dress to Sam, ignoring the questions she bombarded me with after I told her how my day went.

"That's the third question you dodged," she pulled the dress from my handa and tossed it in the garbage can befoee I could protest."

"What did you do that for?" I tilted my head in surprise.

"That coffee is going nowhere, so you should let go of that dress now." she took my hand and made me sat next to her on her bed.

"I really liked that dress, plus it was perfect to go out given the warm weather this month." September had been terribly warm through the months and I was thankful that the month was coming to an end in only a few days, maybe October would offer a much lighter and cooler atmosphere.

"You can have a few of mine. Tell me how you're going to go about staying in that house with him." she watched me through curious and worried eyes. There was my best friend always being the first to look out for me.

"I don't know," I threw my hand in the air and collapsed on the bed with a sigh. "I already accepted her offer to stay there and I cannot turn it down even if I wanted to," I managed to smile as I remembered Dalia's kindness. How did someone so sweet give birth to such a jerk?

"I don't want you to turn it down." she said softly, "as much as I wish you would stay here with me forever, I'm glad you got such a nice new place, but you know it would be torture living in the same house as Damien, and if it is true that he has the same attitude at home, then you might just be throwing your mental health in the garbage by living there." she was not wrong.

"I'll survive," I said in a less than convincing voice because I was not so sure if I would. I had shared the same fears as her since I realized who he was and even though I was doing a better job at hiding them from surfacing, I could only lie to myself for so long.

Damien was going to make my life a living hell. I had not an iota of doubt but I could think of a few other ways that my life could be more difficult. Namely, if I had to eat that soup that tasted like puke back at the foster care, which would only happen if I did not have a place to stay and had to go back there.

It was not an option I would ever consider. I shook my head quietly and repeated, "I don't have any other options, I will survive."

"I never doubted you will," she lay next to me and took my hand. It was our favorite position since we were kids. "But I'm going to miss you."

"I'm not leaving NYC," I chuckled.

"I know, but it's not going to be the same. It's not like I can visit you whenever I wish to." Her voice dripped with sadness.

"We will still get to see each other every day at the cafe, so I won't have to miss seeing you fawn over all the hot boys that walk in for some dessert." I teased, hoping to lift her mood.

"No I don't," she said with amusement.

"Of course, you do-n't."

"Such a meanie," she chuckled and swatted my arm playfully.

Zac's phone rang on the table where I had kept it as I rearranged the clothes in my bag. Despite how today had gone with him, I still planned to give it back and end whatever was going on between us. I got to my feet and answered the call, grinning as Gwen's smooth voice filtered through.

Sam mouthed that she would be right back and dashed through the door and I gave her a quick thumbs-up as Gwen spoke.

"How's my favorite pumpkin doing today?" she asked.

"I'm great thank you doctor Gwen." I walked back to the bed and dropped on it. "How have you been in the last few days?"

"Busy," she said in a tired voice. "I've been pretty occupied with work at the hospital and getting a good lawyer for your mom."

Even though I really did not want to hear the truth, I asked anyway. "how's that going?" I sucked in a sharp breath and rephrased to what really wanted to know. "How's mom?"

I had never been to prison before but from the stories I had heard, it was hell in there and even worse for someone whose everyday life was completely dependent on getting high and much worse for someone who was facing charges for murdering the man she was grieving. But apparently, I had more pity for her than she had for herself. If she loved herself, if she loved me or dad or even our family, she would work hard enough to break free from her addiction. She would not have let him die.

"Bad," I hated the honest bluntness in Gwen's tone. "Jail is awful enough but it's even worse for her. She cries every day and if I did not know she would be back to her old ways two weeks after Rehab, I would have been terribly torn for her."

"Will she be going into rehab now?" I asked, feeling a little hopeful.

"The lawyer is working at it, so we have to keep our fingers crossed," she sighed, "but I called for issues that matter more to me pumpkin. How are you my darling?"

"Much better than I was yesterday. I found somewhere to live."

"Oh love that's such great news, where?"

"It's no too far, in Manhattan. My aunt worked there as a maid here in new york for a few years, and her old boss allowed me to live in her house for the next few years until I can stand on my own feet again."

"That's lovely pumpkin. I'll call your aunt after this to ask the details, but for now, I'm so happy you would not have to go back to that foster home again."

"I'm even happier." there was a small beep on her end and she gave a small annoyed huff before speaking back into the phone.

"Pumpkin, I just got paged, so I have to go now. I'll call you again when I get the chance to okay?"

"Of course Gwen. thanks for checking on me." she was the one person I could always count on to do that.

"Don't thank me, I should even be calling more often. I'll check up on you soon again." she sent a kiss, one I returned before she ended the call.

*************************************

Later that evening, Sam and I helped her mom make some chicken soup for dinner. It felt almost normal and for a split second, I found myself wishing I was a part of this small happy family.

Her little brother Mason and their dog raced around the house making a lot of noise and her mom yelled occasionally to keep it down. I wished my parents ever made time enough to tell me to keep it down. It was mostly me sneaking out of the house whenever I sensed a fight coming up between them and sure enough when I would sneak back in they would still be at it, throwing curses at each other like teenage couples who loathed each other.

It was like I did not exist to them. At least dad bothered to care when he was sober. Which made me feel stupid for worrying about mom so much.

"What are you thinking honey?" Sam's mom asked, bringing me back to the present and the mix of brownies I was making on the countertop.

"Nothing really," I lied with a tight smile.

She stepped closer and patted my back softly. "You have been doing a great job taking care of yourself all these days, I guess I never got to ask you how you're holding up."

"I'm great." lies. I was on the brink of crying again. "I had Sam tell you I would be moving out on Monday," I placed a hand over hers on my shoulder, "thank you so much, Mrs. James, for your hospitality these last few days."

She replied with a small smile. "You're a most welcome darling. Yor parents and I may not have had a great relationship but you're like a sister to my baby girl, that makes you somewhat my daughter too."

"Mom would you please not make her uncomfortable with your cheesy talks," an amused Sam said as she prepared to grill some chicken wings on the far end of the counter.

"She's my guest, I'll be as cheesy as I want to." she regarded me with a small smile. "honey when I asked how you were holding up, I meant how are you...really?"

I turned to her and blinked a few times, wondering what she meant. "I don't need to hear you say it," she continued, "but I know these last few days have been brutal on you. No child should have to go through so much at the same time."

"I'll be fine," I had to be.

"I'm sure you will, but know that you don't always have to be strong all by yourself."

Yes, I do.

I gave a half-smile and nodded anyways, but she chuckled. "I know you think I'm crazy right now saying this, but that's fine. I hope soon you understand what I'm saying. For now, let's keep making dinner."

"What was mom saying?" Sam asked after we made dinner and retired back to her bedroom.

"It's nothing," I brushed it off with a small laugh. Although it was not exactly nothing. I had spent all of dinner thinking about what she meant by her words but I could not see how they applied to me. All my life I had to believe in relying on myself solely, because well that was the only person I had. Me.

There were others, my best friend, Gwen, and maybe my aunt, they could try to console me, but in the end, the only person I knew I ould depend completely on was myself and I intended to keep it so.

"Can we cuddle up next to each other like old times?' Sam asked with a childish grin as she shifted close to me from her side of the bed.

"You say old times like it's been ages." I chuckled, taking a large portion of the comforter to cover up, knowing it would piss her off.

"Well two weeks is a really long time and don't think I don't see what you're doing," she wagged her finger around the sheets with an amused smile, "but I'll let you have all of it since I love you too much and well we might not get to share a bed again anytime soon."

"It's not my fault I'm just so loveable"