Hearts on a Page ~ Enemies to Lovers

Chapter 2: In My Little Corner

"And he was talking about how love doesn't exist and all this BS; it was wild!" Callie went on, replaying the events from earlier that day to our other best friends, Lydia White and Brayden Moore, over video chat.

It was about 8:30 and I had been off work for about a half an hour. Callie left right after our introduction to Oliver, but still managed to whisper in my ear that we needed to debrief what had just occurred this evening. As soon as I had walked into my apartment, I avoided my parents and bolted for my bedroom door. I logged on to the call through our group chat and walked right into Callie telling our friends the story of our interesting afternoon.

"Who does this guy think he is?" said Brayden, somewhat laughing because the whole story sounded straight out of a CW drama.

"You laugh now, but you're not the one who has to work with him for hours upon hours each week." I said, propping my phone on my desk and taking off my winter coat, soaking up the heat that feels much better than the cold October air. "I swear, I'm gonna wanna punch this dude every time he opens his mouth."

"Yeah, sure Joy," Callie said with a loud chuckle.

"What's that supposed to mean, Cal?" I said, stopping my movements in confusion.

"Joy, I love you, but you could barely talk around the guy. You were frozen, and not gonna lie, on the verge of drooling. I doubt you're gonna punch him, even if his opinions differ from yours." Callie said, releasing chuckles from my friends.

"Does Miss. Joy have a crush?" said Lydia, very curiously. "Now I wanna see what this guy looks like."

Brayden did a fake cough through the screen.

"Don't worry, Bray. No one's cuter than you," she said with a smile, making her large blue eyes bigger than ever.

"Thank you, that's all I needed," he responded.

"Maybe we just got off on the wrong foot?" I questioned. "I mean, I've only ever lived in the city, but moving as a high schooler has got to be difficult. He probably just needs to settle in. Maybe we could invite him to hang out some time?"

"You're a saint, Joy," Callie said. "But I doubt this guy's gonna change any time soon."

"Cal, I'll prove-" I stopped.

"Maybe if you got a real job, we wouldn't be living like this!" Dad screamed.

"Do NOT put all our problems on me." Mom replied.

They were doing it again. Their screams filled the apartment and fluttered into my room. My friends got quiet, knowing this was a usual mood killer. I gave a small wave and logged off. None of them questioned it.

It's been like this for a while and comes out during the most inconvenient times. My mom drops something or my dad does something wrong, and the gates of repressed anger are unleashed. It's partly why I got the job at Bennett's. Not only is having an income nice, but it allows me to not be home as much. Plus, reading has been an escape ever since I was little.

I go to my book shelf and pick up Pride and Prejudice . I sit on the gold velvet cushion placed on my bay window seat, and begin to read. When it seems they've reached the end of their argument, I let out a breath that I didn't even realize I was holding.

I look out my window, taking in all the little figures walking down the street. I see people, happy people, holding hands. They don't care about the cold air because they have each other to keep warm. I want that, I think to myself. But there's also a fear that comes with it. A fear that my parents created in me.

I get up and change into sweatpants and a comfy shirt. I throw my honey brown hair into a french braid, fiddling with my bangs in the large mirror that leans against my wall. I tuck myself into my oatmeal-colored comforter and turn the lights off. I didn't even feel that tired when I got home, but all of a sudden, my eyes are glued together and I sleep.