Tattered Beauty (Watty Awards 2011)

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

            The next afternoon Kelsey and I dressed in our best—meaning our least dirty pair of jeans and a nice shirt—and headed to the church a few blocks down. Was it blasphemous to wear jeans in church? I believed it was…which may have been why I was doing it. Seventeen years of dreadful church services drills that stuff into you.

            Charity giveaways are the place to be amongst the homeless community. Clothes, shoes, coats, blankets, games, and more were given away to the “less fortunate”. I hated being a part of the “less fortunate”; it made me feel so small and helpless. I was so much better than that. How about the “more unfortunate” instead?

            Kelsey and I rummaged through the various bins and boxes. “I like this dress!” I pulled it out. The dress was black, but a floral pattern covered most of it up and there was a black sash around the waist. It would be a tight fit, but I grabbed it anyway. I also found a nice dress shirt and some Ugg boots knockoffs with the tags still on. I couldn’t wear the boots now, but they sure would be helpful in the winter.

            I could not believe the luck I was having with the giveaway.  This was definitely one of the better ones. I let Kelsey shop in peace while I snuck off to peer into the entertainment box.  She disagreed with me always want to get a new game or something fun for the two of us. She insisted that I could entertain myself—yeah, right.

            Luckily for me there were some gently used roller blades in the box. I snuck them into my bag stealthily, certain she had not noticed. “Hailey…what did you just put in there?”

            Caught. Damn. “Oh, nothing.”

            She dug around in my sack. “You don’t even know how to roller blade!” Kelsey criticized. “I hate it when you get all this useless shit.”

            “I do too! When I was 14 I started a roller blading league and beat everyone in it in our weekly tournaments!” She bet I was going to break something; I bet I was going to be a professional by the week’s end.

***

            On Sunday in the early afternoon I decided to test out my rollerblading skills. Something about saying, “I’m going blading” made me feel cool. Kelsey was out doing what she did best—her job (wink wink, nudge nudge).  It was hot outside so I wore a black tank top and some denim shorts.

            I started in central park, my favorite place. Why? Stupid childhood memories I would rather not discuss. I don’t like to remember the past. Anyway, I only fell once. I found that to be an acceptable number since I had not been on wheels for five years. I skated and skated, and I was crossing the street: then it hit me.

            A car slammed into me. Not very hard, but I felt like I slammed my head against the hood. It all happened so fast I couldn’t give you a play-by-play of the entire thing. Once I came to a stop a foot from the car, I tried to regain my bearings. I felt no broken bones or limbs being torn from me or paralysis—then again, I wouldn’t feel the last one. I was too stunned for words; some people die from these accidents. “Watch where you’re going, will you?” I yelled at the driver.

            Then I noticed it was a limo. The same one from Friday night. I know you’re thinking, “Limos all look the same…” I’m not psychic or anything. This limousine was silver, with diamond encrusted license plates. You ever seen one of those? Didn’t think so.

            I sat uselessly on the pavement in front of it. I was star struck, surprisingly, when none other than Daniel King himself stepped out of the limousine. He knelt down in front of me. “I’m so sorry, miss.” I could not believe that the son of the richest man in New York was personally apologizing to me. The driver looked devastated. The man was a stereotypical driver—black, chauffeur hat, and a cheap looking suit. He did not feel bad for me; he was mourning the job he was sure to lose.  “Laurence, why weren’t you paying attention?” Daniel snapped at him.

            “Sorry, Mr. King, sir.” Laurence mumbled.

            “It is fine—I’m alright, see?” I gestured to myself and smiled. It made me nervous, speaking with him, I mean. Daniel really was as gorgeous as other people said and how he looked in magazines. In fact, he might have been even more perfect in person. His hair was a dark brown, with red undertones; it flopped into his eyes. His eyes. They were a heart achingly lovely green. Like the color of emeralds.

            His bright green eyes bore into mine. He glanced up at my forehead. With a small smirk he said, “You’ve actually got a rather nasty gash on your head. May I assist you to the hospital?”

            I put my hand to my forehead. When I lifted it away, sure enough, it was slick with blood. Now I was aware of it I could feel the blood trickling down my face and neck—which is a totally disgusting feeling. “Yeah, that might be a good idea.” I agreed. I took off my skates and struggled to my feet. Daniel opened the door for me and helped me inside. My adventure with him was about to begin—to think it all started when I got hit by a limousine.