Burn Me Right

Chapter 9

Autumn grabbed her computer and notebook and jotted down her thoughts. This was something she had always done when she felt anxious or overwhelmed. Right now, she was feeling all of it.

"Oi," Rowena yelled a little louder.

"What?" Autumn put her pen down and turned to Rowena.

"Been calling you for the last 5 minutes. Where are you lost?" Rowena pulled the notes closer to her body to see what Autumn was writing.

"Grateful for life? Really, Atty?" Rowena threw the book back onto the table.

"I am just reminding myself that there are good things to be happy about, that's it," Autumn slid the book back to her side.

"What you need," Rowena grabbed Autumn's phone and pulled the store app onto the screen, "is a man in your life." She pushed the phone toward Autumn to sign onto the dating app she was using.

Autumn took her phone back from Rowena and closed the app. The thought of dating someone didn't sit well with her. If Nicholas had found out, she would have been in huge trouble, and she didn't want that. She didn't like letting that man control her life, but what could she do? Nothing.

"Seriously, Att, you should think about it. You are 20," Rowena rolled her eyes, grabbing her bag. Autumn shook her head, threw things into her backpack, and closed the zipper.

"I will," she responded to Rowena, knowing she won't.

"Let's go," they both stepped out of the library.

"We haven't heard anything from any companies we applied to. That is what is on my mind right now." Autumn adjusted the belt around her waist. It was making her chest pop, which she hated. Her cousins and family were always critical of her, and the poor girl was always nervous about it.

"Stop fumbling with the belt, Autumn. You are fine. Nobody cares how you look like. You just have to be comfortable in your skin." She adjusted Autumn's belt to the same position where it was earlier.

Autumn struggled with self-esteem. Lack of interactions with people made her very self-conscious about her appearance. She struggled with it all her life. Her confidence took deep plunges, especially in social situations. She wasn't the best at it and would cower in discomfort whenever someone looked at her.

"But..." she pouted.

"No more words, Atty. People aren't thinking about you the way you think they are thinking about you," she smoothened creases on Autumn's clothes, "let's go. You need to get some milk and groceries." Rowena grabbed her wrists and started dragging her towards the store.

She purchased the necessary items and neatly organized them in her paper bags. Briskly, they walked toward Rowena's house. As soon as she opened the gate, Peaches jumped on her. She carefully put the groceries down and smothered her goldendoodle puppy in her arms.

"I missed you too. Let's go home." She wrapped his leash around her wrists and picked up the paper bags. Rowena put the puppy in her backpack and zipped the bag.

"Bye, Mrs. Archer." She bid goodbye to Rowena's mother, but the woman ignored Autumn.

Zyler got ready to finish his task. He pulled up the address Trevor sent him. He decided that whoever stepped into that house would be dead. He hit the accelerator, urging his car forward to the destination. He knew this would be easy and wouldn't take longer than firing a couple of bullets into her body. It was almost evening when he got to that spot. The neighborhood wasn't dirty, but it wasn't precisely high-end either. It is like a place where all poor people come to repent. "Why did I expect something more?" he scoffed.