Built For Failure

Chapter 2

The sound of a pan being scraped and the feel of a vibration going off next to my cheek wakes me up. I look around and notice that a blanket has been placed over my legs, indicating that I managed to fall asleep on the couch last night.

"Vera, are you ready for breakfast? I fixed some french toast and bacon if you'd like some." My mom's voice rings through the living room.

Groaning, I stand up and stretch while taking a glance at my phone. I saw that Alex texted me 30 minutes ago, so I unlocked my phone and read the good morning text. Making my way to my bathroom, I brush my teeth and wash my face so I can fully wake up before getting dressed in a pair of leggings and a graphic t-shirt.

I walk to the kitchen and look at my mom as she places her plate on the dining room table, grabbing a couple forks and knives for us. Placing two french toasts and three pieces of bacon on my plate, I take a seat across from her and begin cutting up my breakfast.

"I saw that you fell asleep on the couch last night, is everything okay?" I nod while chewing. "How was school yesterday?"

"Oh you know, the usual. Aspen gives me hell for relying on Alex. The girls got asked to homecoming by the way! Kai was kind enough to ask Raelyn while Jaxon decided to pick Aspen to go with him."

My mom watches me thoughtfully. "So what about you? Did anyone ask you?" I shake my head.

"Don't be discouraged, you're a beautiful, young lady who deserves only the best. I do advise you not to put all of your eggs into one basket, you know that's what happened with your father and I."

I finish up my breakfast and pick up her plate to stand at the sink and wash. Lathering up a dish rag, I start washing the dishes that were already in the sink and mom stands next to me. "How about we do something today since it's the weekend? We don't have to sit at home all day, unless you want to do that."

Pausing, I nod along and place the dishes in the dish drainer. "Alright, what do you have in mind? I know I want to go somewhere for lunch."


"How about we go to the mall? You can stop wherever you want and that gives me the chance to scope out the Bath and Body Works sale!" Agreeing, I slide on a pair of flip flops and grab my bag with my phone in my hand while mom grabs her things and slides on some flip flops too.

Sliding into the passenger seat, I put my seatbelt on and mom cranks up the Malibu. For a car that's over 20 years old, it still decides to run. We hop onto the highway to get to the mall quickly, but of course, we hit some traffic along the way. I shoot Alex a quick text to tell him good morning and my plans for today. I gaze out the window as we pass by a few cars but laugh when I make eye contact with someone.

About 30 minutes later, we are pulling into the parking lot at the already packed mall. "It is literally 10:30 on a Saturday, why the hell are all these people out? I can't find a parking space that's up close." My mom says as she's looking for a closer parking space. We lucked up and were able to find a spot that's close. Mom glances over at me. "Hey, look at Dick's, I bet they sell some there."

I roll my eyes and chuckle at her joke, opening the car door and stepping out before I shut the door. Shifting my bag onto my right shoulder, we walked side by side into the mall. We stop at the directory so we can figure out where the hell we are going.

"Okay, so Bath and Body Works is to the right, did you want to go into Torrid before heading there? We can also look for a homecoming dress, if you want. No pressure in finding something, you still have another 2 weeks."

We make our way to Torrid, where I find a couple pairs of ripped jeans and a t-shirt. Hopefully this won't cost me too much, this store is fucking expensive as hell. I love it though.