"Cash has always been a very caring person, even if she won't admit it to herself. She likes to do things her way, you know?"
Nina's gaze turned soft as she drowned in the memory of some other time, some other place, perhaps the very one she was about to present.
"She took her friend's death very hard, blamed herself even- she was the one who'd been by Luna's side the entire way, after all. She could've fought harder, nagged more, convinced her one way or another not to listen, not to go through with it- in the end, Cash felt she'd let her friend down."
"When the baby was born, it was Cash who was there, by Luna's side, holding her hand, cutting the umbilical cord. You see, Luna's family disowned her when they found out she was pregnant, so
"Hey, Cash- what are you doing?"I turned to give mom an exasperated look as I motioned to the boxes upon boxes, some full, most of them empty, nearly overtaking the floor of my bedroom."Cleaning."Her brows furrowed as she took in the sight of all the boxes nearly overflowing with the variety of trinkets I'd already stuffed into most of them. From keychains and headbands to travel mugs, collectible figures, and plushies- a whole slew of shit from the theme park Asheton had taken me to yesterday.I don't know how or when he'd managed to get all that stuff into my room and I'd been way too tired last night to deal with the mess when I came upon it after Nico left, so I just closed the door on all the cute l
"Hey!" I snapped. Both my mother and the obscenely handsome stranger already on my last nerve finally stopped talking. "Don't assume shit, got it?” My eyes shot daggers at the man daring to meet my gaze. “You don't know me. And another thing, what the hell's wrong with you? You got a thing for married older women with kids or what? What kind of ploy is this- offer them a job and they'll come running? Are you insane?!""Cash wait-"But no. I was done waiting.I was a speeding bullet on a one-way track to utter destruction, flames, and all.Her luck had run out. There was no stopping my fury this time. "What's the matter with you, huh? How are you going to just stand here and let this bastard sweet talk you like that? What about Dad?!"Mom bit her lip, her golden eyes flitting nervously from me to the stranger behind us. Good. At least she had the decency to look embarrassed after getting caught. I mean, who the hell brings their own daughter to a hook-up?! And with a man half her age
To be honest, I never once thought that something like this would happen to me. I've always been adamant about what I wanted to do with my life- what I would become. Every time someone had something to say, my family especially, about the inevitable future that awaited me if I didn't change my ways, I'd laugh in their faces. Expectations didn't have to be met. Inevitable future? Give me a break. I wouldn't be like the rest of the idiots in my family. No sir, not me.I'd rise above and conquer the curse every single one of the women in my family seemed to be plagued by. Mom, on the other hand, had other thoughts."Mark my words Cash, one day you're gonna have to bite your tongue and remember what I'm telling you now. There's no way around it, life happens and when it does it'll be when you least expect it. It'll come at you with such force you won't even realize it until it's right there in your face."How could I not roll my eyes at that? How could I not snort in derision at the ab
"Hey! Open the door, Cash! I know you're in there!"The pounding at the door just kept coming. One after another. The hollow blows against the wood kept growing louder and louder until I wasn't sure if it was a person at my door or a whole army. I chanced a glance at the time on the upper right corner of my laptop screen:12:07PMRight on time."I told you last night I'd be stopping by today to pick up the finished manuscript, didn't I? I even texted and sent you an email early this morning just to remind you. Again! So you can't tell me you forgot or some other excuse that I'm sure you're concocting right now as I speak. Now open up!"A smirk curved the corner of my lips. He never deviated from the script.In as innocent and pleasant a voice as I could muster I called out to the person assaulting my door. "Who is it?"Just as I imagined it would, the pounding at the door stopped for all of five seconds, the time it took to gather himself no doubt before the rapid-fire blows fell up
"I just don't see why I have to dress up. It's your job-interview-meeting thing!" I spat angrily.If there were two things that fucked me up, it was dressing up and getting up early.And here I was doing both.Mom burst into my room at the crack of dawn like a hurricane with make-up and dresses and shit and once she was satisfied off we went to... wherever here was.And from what I could see of this mystery place, we sure weren't in Kansas anymore.Big. Immaculate. And screaming MONEY were all the buildings and homes we passed with cars that cost more than a house in every driveway and parking lot.I'd never felt so uncomfortable in my life. And I was in a dress. And heels. Wearing make-up!I clucked my tongue again, crossing my arms tight over my chest. This was a load of BS."This is the first time, I've ever heard of a job interview allowing "moral support" inside." I huffed. "What kind of job is this any- oh, shit!"I stumbled as the heel of the pump I'd been forced to wear lodged
"I have never been so embarrassed, Alfie! Never in my life!"A smirk pulled at the corners of my lips at the sound of my mother bursting through the front door. Her voice, laced with mortification and verging on the edge of hysterics, was music to my ears."But what happened, honey? I can't understand anything you're saying if you don't tell me."I could hear mom groan. I could practically see her rubbing at her temples in annoyance at poor dear old dad, who was just trying to understand, after all."What happened? What happened?! Oh my God, everything was a complete disaster Alfie- that's what happened! Your daughter- she... she- ugh, she makes me so mad!"Dad's weary sigh could be felt all the way to my room. The smirk tugging at my lips pulled tighter until a smile formed as I imagined him rolling his eyes at mom's dramatic antics. The sound of her stomping through the living room, her angry mutterings filling the entire house as she went, followed by her heavy footsteps as she mad
"You know, just because I'm forced to be here doesn't mean I have to listen to you. I can scowl all I want, I can frown all I want and I can sure as hell curse all I fucking want."I was pissed off and not just because mom had been smiling and giggling like Glinda the Good Witch the entire ride here but because the place we now sat in was a hundred- no, a thousand times worse than the first one.The walls glittered with gleaming shades of gold, the sparkling chandeliers hanging above our heads were far more ornate than the last ones, and the damn plates and silverware staring at me in the face were a shimmering shade of 24K gold!Did the owner of this damn hell-hole have any idea how many people he could feed by selling just one measly butter knife?!The more I looked around, the worse my mood became. I could feel the levels of irritation rise steadily with every chair, every intricately designed flower arrangement, every breathtaking painting, and glint of gold that caught my eye. Th
"Oh Lord, every time I imagine what a pair you two would've made, I start getting angry all over again!I mean, can you imagine? An eligible wealthy bachelor like Rio Asheton with my very own Cash Huxley... you'd have been the envy of all your friends, your sisters, cousins, and anyone else with a brain! Ha... to have been in your shoes Cash..."I finished typing the last sentence in the final paragraph of the second chapter to the newest manuscript I'd started about a month ago and finally turned to give my mother the attention she so desperately wanted.Tossing an arm over the back of my chair, I cocked my head to the side as I held up three fingers. "A) I don't have friends, B) I could care less what anyone would say, has to say, or will say in the future, and C) what are you waiting for then, go get 'im, girl."Mom clicked her tongue in disapproval, to which I replied with a wink before turning back to shut the laptop on my desk.With a yawn, I lifted my arms high up in the air un