Out Of Control

Chapter 11 - Guess Who's Back?

Chapter 11 - Guess Who's Back

~ Nikki's POV ~

"Last table is done!" I let out a sigh of relief, informing my boss that my shift was over for the day.

I hung my apron up on the wall and faced my boss, Ron. "Thanks, Nikki. What would I do without you?" The brown haired, green eyed middle aged man smiled at me.

"Hopefully you'll never have to find out." I returned the smile.

"I'll transfer your pay into your account by tonight. Have a good evening." Ron waved me goodbye.

"See you tomorrow, Ron." Ron wasn't one of those stern, rude bosses that one would usually imagine him to be. He was laid back, charming, and friendly - he was also attractive, if I do say so myself.

I opened my locker - yes, my workplace had lockers for its employees - and grabbed my handbag and phone. I carried the handbag in my left hand as I walked out of Anchor Café and onto the wooden bridge that lead to the bus stop. I now worked as a waitress in a café by the seaside and it wasn't something I complained about. The salty smell of the sea and the sound of crashing waves made me calm and, unlike most people, I looked forward to coming to work even though it was for nine hours all seven days of the week.

I worked my way toward the bus stop and sat down on the silver seat under the shelter, shading myself from Miami's sweltering heat. I unzipped my handbag to grab some change so that I could catch the bus home to my apartment. I was busy hitching out change when an elderly woman tapped me on the shoulder.

I looked up and gave the old lady a kind smile. "Hello, ma'am."

"Hello, dear. You dropped this." She handed me a small photo, the size of a passport picture. I turned it over to the printed side and my mouth dropped wide open.

A shocked look made its way onto my face as I realised what the photo was of. Memories flooded back and the cheerfulness in my mind was replaced with sadness.

I stared down at the photo of Jace and me. My tongue was stuck out, my nose was cringed, and one hand was holding a red cup while my other hand pinched Jace's cheeks. I remember Hailey taking this photo at the first party we all went to together - I had begged her to delete it but Jace insisted on keeping it and ran away with the phone.

The bus arrived and people rushed out from the inside. I noticed that the old lady was still standing beside me. "Thanks." I said silently. I hopped onto the bus, taking a seat beside the old lady since the bus was full and she was the only that seemed kind enough to let me sit next to her.

I was still staring down at the picture. It used to be my favourite photo but that was before Jace left.

He left like everybody else. He broke his promise and never came back. A few weeks after Jace left, I decided to move out. I couldn't bear the memories of Jace that were inside of the house. It was too overwhelming so I decided to find a job so that I could rent my own apartment. In the end, I ended up with a decent job and a not-so-good-but-good-enough apartment. For a month or two after I moved into my apartment, I was still in contact with Hailey, Kyle and Liam, but we had grown apart over time. It wasn't their fault, they were Jace's friends not mine.

It had been seven months. Not seven days, not seven weeks, but seven freaking months.

I scrunched up the photo and chucked it out of the window. I didn't need any sort of reminder of how Jace had isolated me.

Fifteen minutes later, the bus stopped in front of my apartment building. I said goodbye to the elderly woman, thanked the driver and walked into the building. Pressing the 'level three' button, I pulled my keys out of my handbag and waited for the elevator to come to a stop.