𝙴𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎

Chapter Nineteen: Reflected Intentions

The snow fell delicately from the sky. It was Saturday morning, winter break was only next week. November passed rather quickly; other than prom, it was quite uneventful. Lily's parents agreed to let her stay in Italy with her dad over winter break. But, since he is busy, Lily's mom told her that she could bring her friends and that we would be staying in one of her dad's houses. So me, Itsuki and James are all going there with her.

Not only are we celebrating Christmas and New Years, but also Itsuki's birthday is on December 22. I was excited, obviously, but I had no idea what I should get him; for his birthday and for Christmas. I was sipping on a cup of hot chocolate when I heard my mom arrive home.

"Hey sweetie," She smiled at me as she came through the door.

"Hi mom." I smiled back.

"Hey, sweetheart, I need to ask you something." She sighed.

"What?" I asked.

"Well I need you to get a job. I can't afford to keep food on the table for the both of us if I just work as a cashier." She sighed.

"Mom, how come you're paying for me to go to a fancy school when we can't even afford food?" I questioned her. She sighed.

"Abby, one of the reasons we moved was because I wanted you to go to a good school. Especially since you were failing most subjects, but I don't blame you sweetheart. Your school back in Rosetown was terrible. Not only the teachers but the students as well," My mother finally admitted. I shook my head.

"Mom, I'm pretty sure that food is a lot more important than whether I do well in school or not." I argued. She nodded.

"That's why I want you to get a job, Abby. You're going to be in college in only a few months- not even a full year. Soon enough you're going to be paying for rent." My mom countered. "This is a good start."

"Fine," I finally agreed through a sigh. I had been wanting to get a job for a while now; I already made a resume a few weeks ago, though I was still annoyed by this sudden demade.

I was sitting on the couch texting Lily. I was asking her if she had any ideas of what job I would be good at.

"What about that bookstore you told me about?" She wrote. "Didn't you say that only that old lady worked there?"

That actually wasn't a bad idea...

"Ooh that's a good idea. I'll go over there with my resume now. Thanks, love you!" I typed then sent.

I walked across the street to the bookstore. I pulled the door up and stepped inside. The old lady greeted me at the counter.

"Good morning Abby," She smiled. I was kind of happy that she actually remembered my name.

"Good morning," I smiled warmly back at her.

"And what brings you here today my dear?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Oh I was wondering if you're currently looking to hire someone," I chuckled nervously. She smiled.

"Of course, of course, my little bookstore is always looking for new staff members!" She beamed, with little wrinkles in the corners of her eyes. "After all, the more the merrier!"

I smiled back at her and handed her my resume after striding over to the front of the old and stained wooden counter. The next day the lady called me to tell me I had gotten the job, and that I would be working there every Saturday. I was mostly excited rather than nervous, which is a little surprising considering the fact that I almost always get nervous whenever I try out something new. The old lady (her name is Evangeline) showed me how to do my job. It was decently simple, actually. I just had to sit at the wooden counter and wait for a customer to pay. She showed me how to use the old rusty cash register. And when a box of new books came, I just had to take them out and shelf them by genre.