Fighting Chances

Chapter One

   Kylie Stone was sitting on her couch in her small apartment, "I can't believe it actually happened" she said to her dog Emy. Kylie had just gotten a call about a job she had applied for. She had taken classes to become a professional dog groomer, she had been working at a car dealership and hated it, but she hadn't had much experience and was thankful to even have any job at all. She was twenty three and living on her own. She had spent many years homeless and had not finished high school. She was determined to make it somehow despite her bad start to life. Kylie had found that trust was a synonym for stupid. She hadn't any friends and was determined to keep it that way. The new job she had applied for was a good way away which she had done purposely. She wanted to forget where she was from and who she was, to start over, but she would never forget no matter how hard she tried and she would always keep her guard up. She was going to be living in a small town called Hollowville, 'Just like me, Hollow and empty.' she thought. She wasn't sure what to expect. She had been raised in downtown A
ustin and now was going to a place practically off the map. "I must be nuts, '' she said to her little dog, a cocker spaniel she had found on the streets while she was homeless. "We are just alike." she had said when she had found Emy. The little dog was the only thing Kylie loved, everything and everyone else had always let her down. "Well Em it looks like me and you have a couple of things to pack" she grabbed a trash bag and threw some clothes in it, then she grabbed another and put the remainder of her belongings which were very few. She loaded it all into her old ford SUV and went back up to her apartment for one final time. Kylie clipped her best and only friend and family Emy to her leash and walked out glancing back at her first real home. As she closed the door she saw a picture sticking out from under her dresser and hesitantly went to pick it up. She took it not for sentimental reasons she told herself but more as a reminder and a warning that no one is trusting or caring, not even your parents. She stuffed the picture in her blue jean pocket and closed the door determined not to look back ever again. The past must stay the past. The present was the present which was only the future's past, she slowly closed her eyes, with that she turned and departed what she hoped would become her darkest days.
*****
She had just entered the town that she would now call her own. She pulled into the parking lot of the little cottage she had signed to rent to own. It was cozy and warm. "This is more like it, huh Em?" she asked her little pup, Emy wagged her tail in agreement. The cottage was a good way out of town and secluded which offered Kylie the privacy she had never been able to have in the city. It had a large yard and was just perfect for a person with a dog. Kylie plopped her trash bags full of her past life down on the floor of her new living room and headed back to her car, she was now going to go check out her new workplace. She drove through town slowly trying to get to know her surroundings, something that had been very important on the streets. She Saw a pastry shop called 'In Dough House'. 'Cute' she thought to herself, 'maybe a little too cute.' she noticed it was right next to her grooming shop and was hoping they had good coffee. Kylie figured she could use some coffee so why not sample it now. She headed in leaving her little pup tied to a pole out front of the shop. "Don't worry baby girl, mommas gonna get it togo."
"Hello," said a friendly voice from behind the counter. "My name is Hayle and I'm the proud owner of 'In Dough House' welcome to our town."
"Oh, thanks, I'm Kylie I just moved here." she responded.
"Well it's great to meet you, we have a lot of visitors. We are a tourist town but it's rare we have a new addition." Hayle said with such enthusiasm, Kylie was confused.
"Um, okay well I was just hoping to sample your coffee, I'm going to be working right next door," she quickly regretted giving out that information, on the streets you never tell a stranger where you live, work or even the gas station you go to for your fountain drinks.
"Oh, goodie, you will love it here. We have all kinda fun town stuff like our fall chili cook off, and winter dance, the spring plant event, Oh, and our Summer Splash Athon.   Not to mention all the festivals we have and events to raise money. We always have a fundraising thing for school supplies for the kiddos. They work so hard on making things for the crafts table. So anyways, where are you working?"
"Gotta tell her now that you opened your stupid mouth" she thought to herself. "Well, I'm going to be working at the dog grooming place. It's next door so I figured this would be my morning stop."
"That's great, I think we will get along well. See I have a dog that needs grooming and I have coffee and muffins. Just wait till you meet the rest of the crew."
"The rest?"
"Yep, us small town businesses like to get together and discuss our community."
"Well, I don't know, I'm not much into politics and that kind of thing. I'm more of the 'mind your own business' type."
"Oh, well it's not really politics, more like things we can add and share with others like, we might discuss events that affect our shops like shoppers jubilee and things. And we all have something different that we are interested in, so we take turns teaching others what we know and enjoying others interests. It's kinda like a club. I'm the baker so I give baking lessons and things on my turn and Mave is a photographer so she gives posing advice and we discuss things like that while Jamie, she is a writer and owns a bookstore. You might have seen it. It's called 'Empty pages' Ironically she named her kiddos Novel and Paige."
"Oh, she must really love books."
"She sure does. So anyways enough about us and the town, where are you from? Is that your dog out there? And if so, what's her name?"
"Wow, a bit of an overload of questions." Kylie responded not wanting to give up too much personal information. "I'm from Austin and yes that's my little pup. Her name is Emy and I rescued her from the streets about three years ago."
"Oh, that's great, You know my little brother went to highschool in Austin when my parents moved that way a few years back he's about your age. What school did you go to?" 'Oh great, not this same old question again.' Kylie hadn't finished High School, she had started living on the streets at fifteen and she didn't want to get into that. "Actually I didn't go to any school, all my learning took place at home." 'Wherever home was,' she thought, usually a bridge or park bench. sometimes Walmart but not for very long then they'd have caught on and called the authorities.'
"Oh, wow home schooled. You must have some awesome parents."
"Sure, real great" Kylie said sarcastically but thankfully Hayle never noticed.
"Well I have to be going, I think Emy is getting anxious out there."
"Okie Dokie, stop by anytime and I'll have to introduce you to the rest of the gange later." Kylie left with a single wave of her hand. "That was my first dose of small towns, nosey." she said to her little dog. No one had ever asked her so many questions in Austin and that's the way she liked it, her business was her business and their's was their's, end of story. The only people she had met in Austin that were so nosey had been trouble, the kind of person you run from like a bat outta hell. She had seen lots of that on the streets. Over all she had learned to keep things to herself, yes that was much safer.
Kilye took her little pup and headed for her new job at the dog grooming place called 'Sudsy Pup' when she entered the cute little building painted a light blue with a soft purple trim inside and out she heard a sound she loved the sound of a happy little pup wagging his tail, she could hear it gently clanging into a counter. "Well welcome to Sudsy Pup, how can I help you?" a soft toned lady said as she emerged from the counter holding the cute little scruffy mixed breed responsible for the tail wagging that had taken place. "Hi, my name is Kylie Stone, I'm supposed to start work here tomorrow and wanted to check out where I'll be working."
"Oh, it's so nice to meet you. My name is Maralynn and I own Sudsy Pup." the lady said, shaking Kylie's hand. "And who is this stunning little beauty?" Maralynn asked, looking down at Emy the cocker spaniel. "This is Emy, I found her on the streets about five years ago, she was just a little pup then." Kylie explained. She had learned that volunteering information you don't mind people knowing keeps them from prying, if they think you're open then they have no need to pry. "Well she seems well behaved."
"Oh yes, manners is not something we take lightly." Kylie joked "Well if she behaves herself you're more than welcome to bring her to work with you, as you might have guessed we have a fenced in backyard behind the building for the pups to play in. This little fella is Winky, my pup. I rescued him from a shelter three years back. He was also a little puppy back then."
"Well it's nice to meet you Winky." Kylie said, patting the cute little mix on the head. She truly loved animals; they are the only creatures that are truly innocent. "I think Emy would love to come to work with me, she and Winky can play while we work."
Winky and Emy both barked in unison to confirm that statement and the two women couldn't help but laugh. "And people say they don't understand us." Maralynn said followed by another chuckle.
*****

When she got back to her new cottage she couldn't help but feel a twinge of dred, she felt alone and in over her head. "It's just nerves, stop being stupid." she chastised herself. She knew that this was it she would either make it, or she wouldn't, this was her big chance to have a real life, no going back this was indeed for all the marbles.