Caught in a mess

4 - Savior?

At last, the time came for me to leave. We ensured that every corner was sparkling clean before we locked up.

"What a day," Melissa sighed, taking the keys out of the door.

"Yeah," I agreed, gazing up at the moon.

The night was deep, the bright moon dotted the dark blue sky.

In San Francisco, the night air almost always carries a cold bite. I rubbed my hands over my arms, shivering from the chilly wind.

The uniform didn't offer much help; the shirt sleeves sat a little above my elbows, and my nipples poked out of the thin material. The skirt was above my knees, revealing my thighs. It wasn't my best option, but I'd rather wear this than my dirty uniform.

"Damien is gonna be here any moment," Lisa said. "We're hitting the club tonight. Why don't you come along and burn off some steam?" she suggested.

"Not tonight, Lisa." I felt too drained to hit the club, or endure Damien's company.

Damien was Melissa's boyfriend, and a real piece of work. He'd been making passes at me whenever Mel wasn't looking, and it was clear to me that Melissa was too blindly in love to see his true colors. I hated being the one to potentially break up their relationship, but I hoped Melissa would wake up and dump his sorry ass soon enough.

"Come on, Val, just a couple of drinks and then we'll head home," Lisa urged, trying to persuade me.

"Some other night, Lisa," I replied with a tired yawn. "All I need now is a good shower and some sleep."

"Alright," she sighed heavily. "I'll ask Damien to drop you off at your place."

"Hmm... No, thanks," I quickly replied. The last person she wanted to be around right now was Damien.

"Come on, Val, it's late and cold out here," she joked, swirling around to face her. "I sure as hell don't want you to freeze and die a virgin. I'll never forgive myself if you die without getting some action," she joked.

"Seriously?" I sighed, rolling my eyes at her, while curling my arms around my waist.

I hated when she teased me about being a virgin. As ironic as it may seem, I valued my virginity too much to give it away to just any man. I was preserving myself for someone serious, a man who was worth it.

"What?" She burst into laughter.

"Very funny," I retorted sarcastically.

"Okay, I'm sorry," she breathed, trying to hold back her laughter. "I just want you to be safe."

"I'm going to be fine," I smiled. "Besides, it's not that late. I can take care of myself."

"If you insist, then fine," she conceded, tossing the keys into her bag.

"I insist," I replied firmly.

"See you in the morning," Lisa said, pulling me into a warm hug. "And I hope you dream of some hot Italian hunk," she whispered into my ear, planting a quick kiss on my lips.

"Uhh," I chuckled, shaking my head in disbelief, raising my hand to show her my middle finger in a playful manner.

Her laughter still echoed as I dashed away, just as Damien's car approached.

Opting to avoid the highway traffic, I hurriedly crossed the road, heading towards an alley that served as a shortcut to my house.

The darkness enveloped the street, broken only by the faint glow of streetlights, casting small circles of light on the empty, cracked sidewalk. The quiet footsteps of passersby echoed in the distance.