Wake Up Call (22 page)

      I forced my feet to work as I stumbled over to my Converse shoes and threw them on. It had to of been around 5:30 p.m. by now and it would start to get dark at any
time. The faster that I moved, the faster that I could escape Caleb.

      I swiftly reached out for my purse and threw it over my right shoulder as I yanked the bedroom door open and stepped out
into the dim hallway, in hopes that Caleb wouldn't attempt to stop me. Great!

      Caleb suddenly stopped pacing and stood frozen in place.
He looked as stiff as a statue. He glanced up at me and his eyes went wide. "Hey," he stammered. "Are you going somewhere?" His voice came out shaky, as he looked me up and down.

      I took a few steps toward the front door and pushed my purse into my ribs. "Yeah. I'm just going job hunting. I'll be back before you go to bed," I said quickly. "I have to hurry before it gets too late."

      Caleb jumped in front of me before I could reach for the door handle. His chest heaved up and down as he blew his breath out. "Let me take you. It will be quicker to just go in my car. I have a stop to make anyhow."

      I turned my head away from his creepy gaze and shook my head. He was acting more clingy than usual and I really just wanted to get away. "No," I blurted, not realizing how rude that it sounded. "I mean... I want to walk. I need the fresh air." I rushed over to the door and pulled it open. "Bye, Caleb."

      Caleb was silent, obviously at a loss for words, as I shut the door behind me and I took off in a sprint.

     The cool breeze playfully brushed against my face, making me feel relieved to get away, as I strolled down the sidewalk in search of my first spot.

       Finally, I was alone and could breathe for what seemed to be the first time in forever. My eyes scanned the beautiful night sky, while taking in the sweet smell of freedom.

      A few miles down the road
, I finally spotted my first diner. It was a small brick building with a sign out front that read 'Blu's Diner.' I took a deep breath suddenly feeling nervous as I stepped up to the door. The glass door had a listing of the hours and it looked as if they were about to close at six o'clock. I only had about ten minutes before closing time and the place looked fairly empty.

      I reached out for the handle and got ready to pull it open, when suddenly a young man stepped up to the door and flipped over a sign that read 'Closed.' Are you kidding me?

      Desperate, I waved my arms at him and attempted to get his attention. "No! I need to apply for a job. I'm not here to eat," I shouted, hoping the young man would understand. I knew how it was when it was closing time and you were just ready to go home, but he had to understand. It was important.

      The young man looked to be around my age, with short golden hair and big eyes. His gray eyes looked tired and annoyed as he glared through the window at me, shaking his head in annoyance. He stared at me for what felt like a lifetime before finally, throwing his arms up and reaching for the door handle.

       He groaned, looking me in the face as he opened the door and stepped out of the way for me to walk in. "You're lucky I'm feeling nice tonight. He turned away. "I'll go grab my father."

      I nodded my head and smiled at him thankful that he was giving me a few minutes of his time. "Thank you. I will be quick."

      The kid pointed over at a stool and brushed his golden locks from out of his baby face. His face had almost an innocent look to it, but something told me that he wasn't quite as innocent as he looked. "Take a seat..."

      "Avery," I said, as he searched for something to call me. "The name is, Avery."

      "Sure, Avery, it is," he mumbled.

      I quietly walked over to the red stool and took a seat. The whole diner looked a little worn down, but I guess that meant that it actually got some good use. It would probably be easy to make cash there and I really wanted the chance to find out. It definitely wasn't anything like Jace's diner, which made me sad, but it was hopefully far enough away to not get caught.

      A few minutes later a middle-aged man with graying hair walked out and glanced in my direction. The look on his face said that he was just as tired as his son was and just wanted to get out of the diner and to get home.

     He came at me with a steady pace and stopped at the stool in front of me. He huffed and looked me over. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I don't think that I have what you're looking for." He paused to turn away. "Thank you for stopping in."

      He got ready to walk away, but I wasn't willing to let him leave just like that and without even giving me a chance to speak. "You don't understand. I need this job and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you understand that," I said firmly.

     The man froze with his hand to his forehead. His face wrinkled up as he frowned and rubbed his eyes. "I wish that I
could help you, but I really can't right now. I'm sorry." His voice sounded sincere, which surprised me.

     My heart dropped when I realized that I didn
't have a shot. He seemed certain that I wasn't needed and I didn't want to waste anymore of his time.

      "Fine. I guess I will continue my search then." I jumped up from the stool, disappointed, and walked past him and his son as I reached for the door. "Thanks for your time."

     "Wait," The owner called out. "I might have an opening in a week or two. I have a waitress that is planning on moving to Chicago soon. Come back then and we'll talk." He signed as looked over at his son. "We might be able to help you."

      My mind spun just thinking about waiting a couple of weeks. I couldn't wait a couple of weeks to get out of Caleb's place. I needed to get out of there now. The wait seemed insane, although I was thankful for their help. I just smiled and pushed the door open. "Thank you. I'll come back in a couple of weeks."

      I stepped out into the night and stood motionless on the side of the road. I felt lost and clueless. I really had no idea where I was and I didn't want to spend the whole night searching for the next diner.

      At last second I turned back the way I came and decided to head back to Caleb's for the night. I would just have to spend the whole next day searching. I would do it the right way and call for a cab in the morning. Then I would go to Jace's house and grab my things. The sooner I got out of his life the better.

      Wanting to check the time, I blindly reached inside my purse to grab my phone. It felt as if I had been gone for hours and it was really starting to get cold out.

      When I finally got a grip on my phone, I flipped it open to see one missed call. My heart sped up as I read the name across the screen. The one name that was enough to almost bring me to my knees. Jace Montgomery.

    
I have to be strong...

     The walk back to Caleb's house was slightly long and cold, but I didn't mind. I was numb anyways. It was a feeling that I was used to and one that I had almost learned to welcome. The familiarity of it was all that I had known most of my life.

     I promptly stepped up to the front of the house and instantly noticed the little purple Sebring that now sat in the driveway. It hadn't been there when I had left and Caleb probably wasn't expecting me to be back so soon.

      I stood motionless in the driveway, the cool wind whipping through my tangled hair while trying to figure out if I wanted to go inside or turn back around. Truthfully
, the comfort of bed was sounding quite appealing at the moment and my legs were starting to feel a little sore from the walk anyways.

      Finally making the decision to stay, I made my way past the Sebring and up to the porch that was slightly lit up by the blue fountain lights that remained on.

       I ran my hand over the smooth wood of the porch as I made my way to the door and reached for the handle. The handle was cool to the touch and sent a chill throughout my body. I shivered.

      I could slightly make out Caleb's voice as I slowly pushed the door open and stepped into the house.

      "Shit. Put that away, Kat," Caleb muttered under his breath, thinking that I he was talking quietly.

     I gradually turned my head to my right to see Caleb shoving something in his pocket and waving his arm in front of him as if he was trying to get rid of something.

      "Avery. I didn't know that you'd be back so soon." He pointed over to the girl that stayed seated on the couch; her face was looking down toward the black carpet. "This here is my... friend, Kat."

      The girl
’s wave of red curls surrounded her as she briskly whipped her head up to look at me. I knew I recognized the name. Kat's baby blues went wide as she took in the sight of me. "Holy shit." She giggled.

     Caleb looked between the both of us with a very confused look on his face. "Is there something that I should know about?" He looked worried.

     I shook my head and pulled my hair from out of my face, before rubbing my hands together to get warm. "We've met before. That's all," I mumbled.

      Kat adjusted her short red dress while laughing under her breath. She looked just as stunning as the last time I'd seen her. It bothered me.

     "Yeah. It was quite a night." She paused and looked between the both of us before reaching for her black clutch bag. "Thanks for... you know. I'll contact you soon." She grinned.

      Caleb nodded his head and then turned around to face the kitchen. The look on his face was cold and unusual. "Bye, Kat," he said stiffly.

      Caleb's eyes seemed to stay glued to Kats every move as she walked through the living room, hips switching back and forth, as she made her way out the door.

     We both jumped as the door unexpectedly slammed shut behind her. She was definitely up to something and I didn't even want to begin to think what that something could've been.

      The room was silent for a moment as I sought to take things in. I had never seen Caleb act so strange and jumpy before.

      The desperate look on his face had my heart racing as he fiddled with his hands. He was definitely hiding something big and I wasn't sure if I wanted to stick around to find out. My first feeling was to grab my things and go, but then again I wasn't quite so innocent myself. "I'll be in bed if you need me," I muttered.

      Caleb watched intently as I walked past him and through the hall to the bedroom.

      Once inside I shut the door behind me and threw my purse down on the dresser, ready to get some rest.

     
I slowly spun around in the mirror watching my purple dress as it flowed around me and cuddled my every curve.

     I had never owned anything so beautiful in my life and I worked so hard to get enough money to purchase the dress. I worked for three weeks straight in my neighbor
’s yard helping her pull weeds and plant all of her flower seeds.

     I actually felt proud of myself for once and I only hoped that my parents would be proud of me as well.

      After one last final spin, I took off down the hall and gripped the railing as I made my way downstairs and to my mother’s room.

     My father would be gone for a few more hours and I really wanted to get the chance to share my happiness with mother. She always seemed less angry when he was around.

     There was even a little part of me that believed she would be better if he wasn't around. Maybe even a good mother. The thought of that still gave me some bit of hope. It was all of the hope that I had left.

      I just had my fifteenth birthday, and the dress that I bought myself was the only gift that I had gotten. I could tell that my mother felt bad.

     As I stepped into my mother’s room, my legs gave out on me and I ended up crumpled up on the wooden floor.

     The sight in front of me was enough to take my breath away and I felt all of my hope slipping away. My mother lay naked on the ground, her eyes wide open as her body twitched and she struggled to get air. I reached out with shaky hands and grabbed for her arm.

      "Mother!" I cried. "Get up. What did you do?"

     "You little bitch!"

     I looked up to see my father step into the room and reach for my mother’s head. "See what you did," he spat. "She can't handle having you around. You made her want to kill herself."

     I backed up against the wall and gripped onto the door. My heart stopped and I wanted to die.  I struggled to pull myself to my feet as I fought for air through my sobs. "No. I
…no."

     My father shot to his feet and was standing over me in an instant. He reached out and in one fluid
movement, he had me knocked back down to the ground and lying flat on my face.

   "Don't just sit there you, little whore. Call 911."

     "Avery. Wake up."

     I sat up in bed fighting for breath. My whole body was wet and my hands were shaking uncontrollably as I reached for my hair and tugged. I felt as if I was about t
o hurl or fall over dead. Whichever would happen first. "Jace," I cried.

     "I'm not Jace." Caleb's voice soared.