East Of Eden

Chapter One

Hi, my name is Holly Jackson. I'm going to tell you the reasons why I'm laying in bed, staring out my window at a small patch of city lights in the distance, and thinking about getting on my balcony and jumping off. I mean don't get me wrong I'm not going to actually do it, but contemplating it isn't actually doing it.

For the past couples years I have been wanting to get the hell out of this town. I want to leave and leave all of these problems behind. Let's start with the first one. Well my parents hate me, not actually, but let's just say I'm not there favorite child.

My brother Eric is in the Air Force and I haven't seen him in 6 months. He's my favorite brother out of two. My best friend, well she's my cousin Jenna, but I am very close with her moved too, but Chicago because her dad expanded his business over there. The love of my life and I broke up. So if there is a contradiction for me leaving, please do tell.

All these problems colliding with a very shitty school situation doesn't do well with me. I just turned 18 about 2 months ago. I have a whole other year of high school. I don't want to go to school for another year, have to go to college, and work a job that I most likely don't like for the rest of life. I don't want to marry some guy that I hesitated to marry in the first place, bare his silly children, and when I'm old and I'm sitting on my couch with sound of snoring coming from him on the other side of the room, I'm going to be living through a lifetime of regrets and decisions.

I look at my clock, and it's 5:45 a.m. I turn back to stare at those patch of lights that I love to stare at because they make me a slightly less depressed than I am. Trust me, I don't go to school with moody mood and an angry expression as I slum in my seat in the back while my teachers teach useless shit that I won't ever need.

Beep, beep, beep. I turn to press the snooze button. I get up and my visions goes blurry for a few seconds. I walk to my bathroom to get ready for the day.

By the time I've showered, done my hair, makeup, and got dressed, it's about to be 8:00. I get my purse and my keys. I throw my purse in the back of my truck bed and get in the drivers seat. As I make my way to school, I detour to go to circle K to get a dollar cup of coffee. I usually don't and just get the 50¢ one at school, but that coffee tastes like old marshmallow water. I'm very diligent about my money. Through many part time jobs and saving up my $20 a week for lunch money for the past years I've saved up around $6,000. I don't really know what to spend it on really. I have enough clothes and my parents pay for my hospitality and well being.

I walk in through the doors and the ding of the bell rings through the small corner store. I walk up to the coffee stand a pour a large cup of black coffee into the foam cup. Four creams and eight sugars. I put the lid on and walk up to the cashier.

He clicks a few buttons on the touchscreen pad in front of him. "$1.19." He says. I hand him exactly that amount. He organizes the money into the cash register. "Dammit." He says to himself. I turn to look at him. He hits the machine to his right. "Sorry the receipt printer is jammed, hold on." He says and disappears into the back of the store.

I wait there patiently and stare at the posters hung up on the windows of the front of the store. "Texas Lottery $5,000 Weekly or $10 million." Damn imagine having all that money. I start to day dream of the life I could have or what I would do if I won. The clerk returns from the back. "Okay, do you mind if I don't give you a receipt?" He smiles. I chuckle lightly. "It's fine, but can I have two Texas lottery tickets?" I ask. "Yes ma'm." He says. He unlocks the cabinet and rips of two tickets from the roll and hands me them. "$5.16" he says. This time I just hand him a $10. He gives me my change and I walk back to my beautiful gray truck.

I place the tickets on my console and put my hot coffee in my cup holder. I grab a penny from my coin holder in my truck. I grab the first ticket and scratch away. Nothing. I look at the time and it's 8:25. "Shit." I say as I drive out of the parking lot and to school.