Roommates

Chapter 33

As Aurora finished her shift, she couldn't help but stay sucked into her emotional dwelling. She couldn't shake the feeling, so she decided when work was over, she'd call her family back and give them a piece of her mind. Even though they never seemed to listen to her, she was determined to let them know that they failed her as a daughter and as a sister.

When the supervisor came to release her for the day, Aurora beelined for the time clock and she rushed to her car. She sprinted across the parking lot, deftly dodging cars operated by oblivious drivers. She could have beaten an Olympic track star with how fast her legs carried her. Her feet barely touched the sidewalk.

In her car, she fumbled with her phone to dial the number of Daniel's cell. Her fingers could barely feel the screen beneath them as she jammed the digits in.

She held the phone up to her ear and impatiently tapped her foot, waiting for the first ring. She pulled fraying stitches from her jeans, ultimately tearing a hole in her worn clothing. She had already ripped them on the knee cap, so it wasn't like they were nice jeans anyway.

Daniel's voice never sounded more vicious. "What do you want, Aurora?"

"I want you to be a good father!" Aurora's chest tore open like her jeans, relinquishing years of resentment and rage. She didn't hold back. "You chose to be my dad, but you have never once acted like it."

"You are such an ungrateful little—"

"I had so much potential, Daniel! I was born to be a good person and my entire life, all you have done is try to destroy me. I will not be like you."

Daniel's end of the line was silent, which only fueled her anger.

Aurora took a shallow breath, beginning to hyperventilate. The car began closing in on her and her vision became tunneled. "I didn't deserve to be treated like a stray. I didn't deserve to be beaten and ignored and yelled at and silenced. I was supposed to be loved by my dad."

He didn't say anything. A testament to his attitude towards her. Nothing she has to say was worth responding to. It never was.

"You never did anything right for me. You're a hateful, awful person, Daniel!" Met with nothing, Aurora yelled, "Do you hear me?"

When she couldn't hear his Darth Vader breathing anymore, Aurora pulled the phone from her ear to check if he was still on the phone. The call had dropped.

"I hate you, Daniel James! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" She grumbled as she dropped her phone into her lap. She grabbed her steering wheel, gripping it with all of her might and she shook it. The cat rocked back and forth as she screamed as hard as she could. She screamed until her lungs gave out and the blood vessels in her eyes popped. Her prickly eyes began to water and tears fell down her cheeks. She couldn't bear to keep them in any longer.

She continued to curse and yell. Unbeknownst to her, customers in the parking lot began looking at her and watching her like a circus animal. They snickered at her and laughed as her silent cries failed to reach them across the lot. A nervous mother and her two giggling children crossed the aisle to avoid her vehicle.

One customer even reported her to Evangeline, stating that there was an employee losing her shit in her car. Recognizing the make and model of Aurora's car, Evangeline immediately knew it was her, but she waited a few minutes to respond to the distress. She wanted to give Aurora some space to process her emotions.

Evangeline came out to the parking lot and found Aurora's car in all its quaking glory. She came over and knocked on the window with a timid smile. When Aurora caught a glimpse of her, she immediately banged her head on the steering wheel. "Go away!"