A maid and two brats

5

Pain.

Raw, aching, fresh, agonizing pain coursed through me as I watched them lower him into the ground. The kind of pain that left me unable to shed a tear. So I stood there, next to the few people who loved or at the very least knew my dad through his very troubled life.

Gwen, Sam, her mom, and little brother, and me. Mom was only allowed to observe from a distance.

"Deb," Sam called softly as I stared at the family a few blocks away at the cemetery. I could see them, but my mind was far gone, drifting into the handful of memories I could keep from my dad.

"Hmm?" I licked my dry lips, turning to her.

"Are you okay? You..." she paused, probably weighing her words. "You have barely said a word and...not even a tear."

I snorted, shaking my head. "I'm fine bestie." I just have no tears left to cry. I had shed every last drop the second my best friend drifted asleep in her bed we shared last night. "just letting my mind wander."

"What about?"

"What I'm going to do now, where I'm going to stay. How I'm supposed to live now with one parent dead and the other sure to face a jail term." I snorted humorlessly.

My life was a never ending cycle of problems.  

Along with the hurt weighing in my heart, there was confusion and uncertainty.

"Debby," she said slowly in a calmer tone, looking around suspiciously, "last night when you were speaking to Miss Gwen," she paused and her eyes drifted to where Gown and her mother stood, speaking together. "Your mom gave me this." she shoved her hand in the pocket of her jeans and handed me a small note.

"What is this?" I looked to where my mom stood very far from us.

"I don't know, but she was specific about not trusting Miss Gwen, and before you ask I did not get to ask why. All I know is that's a number for some lady and your mom really needs you to call her."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "I don't need my mom, I never did." I folded the paper, ready to toss it aside, but Sam caught my hand first.

"At least give it a call. Your mom is not the worst human on the planet and I'm sure she would not just leave you with no help."

"Okay I will do that later," I sighed, placing the paper in my pocket next to my phone. "Right now, I need some fresh, new air."

"There's a lake on the far end of the cemetery." she took my hand, "let's take a walk there."

"No," I pulled my hand from hers giving her a pleading look. All I really wanted to do was be alone. She understood and stepped back.

"Just don't take long,"

"Thank you."

The soft, rippling sound of the stone dropping into the water did a ton to calm my nerves. I picked up another stone, throwing it into the water and snirting as it dispersed a small school of fingerlings.

After throwing the last stone into the water, I folded my legs, so my chin rested on my knee. I no longer bothered to fight the tears that streaked down my face, seeing as I was now alone and without an audience.

Burying my face between my knees, I let the tears stream freely for what felt like the next few hours, but was really only a few minutes.

A warm feeling radiated into me, followed by a familiar scent that made me snap my head right up.

Zachery sat next to me, watching me carefully through his green eyes that were nearly hazel. It was the second time he'd sneak up on me in less than 24 hours.

"Do you never get tired of crying?" he took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to me.

"How gentlemanly," I bit back sarcastically, feeling my anger double at his presence. "Also, I'm not crying." An obvious lie.

"I'm sure," he held my chin and wiped the drying tears on my face despite my protests.

"What are you even doing here?"

"My grandfather's burial." he shrugged.

"How can you be so nonchalant about something so important." I voiced my annoyance this time.

"I only bother to care about people who care about me," he said simply.

"You don't seem to care about anyone."

"I guess no one cares about me then." he gave me a charming smile, and for some reason, it made my heart flutter in the subtest way. "I'm sorry about your dad."

My eyes widened, "you are sorry about my dad."

"Is it so unbelievable? Sadly I'm human. I may hate my parents but I know how f****d life is without them,"

I made a face as if to say "language" and he chuckled correcting himself. "I mean, I know that life can be hard without your parents."

"It's nothing I cannot handle." I was used to hardship since I could remember. Working multiple jobs to take care of myself, dealing with parents such as mine, and still carving out time to study hard enough to fulfill every one of my dreams. Hardship was engraved right into my existence. "I'll be fine."

"You better." he pushed himself off the ground.

"You're leaving?" I said in the complaint before I could hold it back. As much as I disliked him, his company was oddly comforting.

"I have to go back there and fulfill the duties of an only grandson," he said scornfully. Somehow I could figure he did not like his family so much.

"You know we may not be so different from each other." I blurted.

"Funny," he said drily.

I rolled my eyes, getting to my feet too, I slipped on the grass, landing back down on my bottom. A cracking sound in my back pocket made me gasp.

"What was that?" he held a hand out to me, amused.

My rickety old phone could only handle so much in a lifetime and I was sure this was the final straw for it. "Phone." I pushed myself up, ignoring his outstretched hand. I pulled the phone out of my pocket, "Yup, completely shattered." the note Sam had given me fell to the ground next to me.

"That's broken really badly." he crouched down and picked the paper.

"I'm sure Dave can do something to help it." I turned the phone in my hand, examining it carefully. Dave might just give up on it when I showed him yet another c***k on my dear old phone.

Of all days, my phone had to break today.

"Who's dave?"

"He's my neighbor and is great at fixing stuff." I had lost track of how many times Dave had saved my life by fixing my phone.

"Interesting," he traded the paper in his hand for my phone in mine. I busied myself with trying to figure whose number was written on the sheet, giving an indistinctive, "hmm-hmm," when he asked if I was going to fix the phone.

I could not help but wonder why mom wanted me to call whoever it was and what they could possibly do to help me. 

I raised my head just in time to see him sending something flying right through the air and into the water. "That's my phone," I screamed as it sank into the lake with a splash.

"I know," he said simply. 

"You just threw it into the water,"

Another nonchalant shrug and an "I did."

"Why would you do that?" I asked stunned by his absurdity.

"Don't tell me you were really going to ever use that trash again."

"Well that trash is all I've had to communicate in the last year." why could I not just strangle him right now? I turned and watched, wishing my phone would float up, so I could at least pick it up.

"Get a new one."

"Easy for you to say. Some of us do not exactly have a home bank to run to whenever a psychopathic bully decides they feel like tossing our phones into the ocean." I held my hand on my waist, glaring at him.

"It's a lake," he corrected.

"Same thing!"

He chuckled and dug his hand in his pocket, taking out his sleek phone. He opened his palm revealing my sim. I was shocked to see he had taken it out, but even more shocked to see that he was replacing his phone's sim with mine.

"What are you doing?" my brows furrowed.

"You can take mine," he said simply, restarting his phone.

"And why would you think I want your phone?" I let out a dry laugh.

"I was not exactly asking what you want." he pointed to the paper I was still holding. "you clearly have someone to call. You need a phone."

"I'll manage, keep your charity." I shot back.

"This does not nearly count as charity." he scoffed, handing the phone to me.

"I don't want it." I stood my ground. Even though I needed a phone now, just the sight of this phone was scary for me, especially since it was not mine.

"Last chance," he said, raising his head above me, "my friends are on their way here and my offer will be taken back the minute they get here. Be stubborn all you want we both know you need this right now. Even more than me."

I chewed on my lip, weighing my options. He was right. I needed a phone more right now "You are such a jerk,"

"I get that a lot," he smiled ruefully and shoved the phone in my palm. "Put that in your pocket, Damien is here."

I turned to see the other members of the four persons boys group approaching us and for some reason, I followed his advice to put the phone away. Damien, the leader and probably most handsome of them—not that I cared—reached us first.

"Ugly, it's you!" his perfectly white teeth glowed as he spoke. 

"I have a name." I stood my ground, giving him an eye roll. "It's Debrah."

"Ooh, she's feisty today." Josh gave that annoying laugh that made my blood boil.

"Leave her," Zac said, almost defensively, "she's going through stuff today."

"Yeah, I heard your daddy died," his tone was more mocking than comforting, "condolences and welcome to the world of orphans."

"Do you even have a brain, Aaron?" Damien gave him a sharp look. "My parents are still well and Alive. And yours too." he turned back to me and I know I did not imagine the way his face softened as he looked at me. "Sorry about your dad."

"Not needed." I shot back, I did not need his feigned sweetness, "just you and your friends leave me alone. I am going through enough for one day."

That was genuinely all I needed.

"You're being rude even when I try to be nice," he barked a long laugh that worked to make me boil further.

"Guys, let's just go home." Zac spoke before anyone else got the chance to, "I had to leave my game halfway for this shitty ceremony." he loosened his tie and it was only then I realized how hot he looked in a tux.

"I'll see you around soon ugly." Damien said with a proud smile, "you have the day off today, seeing as you are still...brooding."

I rolled my eyes, forcing my mouth to hold back from all the words I so badly ached to rain on them. As they turned to leave, I realized I still had Zac's handkerchief he had given me.

"You forgot this," I said quickly, taking it from my pocket.

"You gave her your handkerchief?" Damien raised a brow.

"As a gentleman, it is my obligation to offer a handkerchief when I see a lady crying," Zac said mockingly. It was almost like he was a completely different person with the others around.

"You call that a lady?" Josh and Aaron barked loud peals of laughter.

"More like a skinny horse that's been starved for days." Aaron chipped in shamelessly. Each one of them was more disgusting than the last.

I was used to their brutal jibes—after enduring them every single day for the last two years, I had to—but today they hurt, even more, maybe it was the fact that I had had the longest and saddest day ever saying goodbye to dad and I worked to hold back from crying, chewing on the inside of my cheeks.

The one thing I would never do was let them see me cry.   

"Let's go guys," Zac finally said, throwing one last emotionless look my way, before turning around to leave with the others.

I released a breath I did not know I had been holding in as their laughs and mocking jokes faded with each step they took away from me. Sucking in another, sharp fresh breath, I made my way to where I sat before trouble found me working to calm my thoughts over the next few minutes.

Sam walked up behind me and took a seat next to me.

"I saw the evil four just come from this direction." she said softly, "the triumphant grins on their faces were troubling. Are you okay bestie?"

"I am," I forced a laugh. "I always am. Where are the others?"

"Doctor Gwen had to rush back to the hospital for an emergency, she'll be back soon and my mom took little bro back home," she told me.

"She let you stay?" I was a little surprised.

"My mom is not a heartless monster Debby, she might be a little strict but she understands that my best friend needs a shoulder to cry on right now."

"I never cry," I countered, holding my chin up. If anyone knew how much of a lie that was it was Samantha.

"Your puffed eyes have already given you away." she wrapped a hand around me and made me lean on her shoulder. "You're staying the night over at my place again tonight right?"

"I don't exactly have many options do I?" I raised a brow. "I don't want to think about anything for now.

She gave a small hopeful smile. "Have you called the number yet?"

I took out Zac's phone that was still in my back pocket and a small gasp escaped my best friend. "Where did you get that from."

"The water gave me, to dry my tears." I found the strength to joke and she made a face. "One of those jerks gave it to me."

"Why?!" she cried, eyeing the phone that probably cost a small fortune.

"He tossed my phone in the water." I felt the urge to do the same in revenge for them always being intolerable assholes to me, but thought better of it and started dialing the number on the note my mom had given me.

"Is it against New York's law to murder rich spoilt entitled brats?"

"I have been asking the same question for the longest time," I shot her one of my special fake smiles.

"Who are you calling?" she gestured to the phone as it rang.

I raised the note so she would see. "I want to get this done with so you'll drop it."

The receiver picked the call on a second ring.

"Yes?" a harsh and firm woman's voice spoke through the phone.

"Hi, I'm Deborah Griffin," I explained, deciding to get to the point. "My mom asked me to call you for some reason, she was arrested yesterday." I gave the best explanation I could come up with.

"Oh dear," she gasped, sounding more worried this time. "what happened to her, where's Rick?"

"Well, I would tell you, if I at least knew who you are." Sam and I exchanged brief looks.

"I'm Agnes, your mom's sister," she explained quickly, worry, coloring her tone.

"My mom has a sister?!"