Uncharted

Chapter Eleven

Trigger warnings: Sex, mentions of drug use, mentions of child abuse/neglect

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11

March 2018

Mindy's House / Redding, California

CJ woke up abruptly, eyes wide open and scanning her bedroom. It was Saturday morning, the clock read 8:12 A.M. She turned to see Jess lying next to her, facing away and still asleep. It had been the soundest sleep CJ had had in a long time. She always slept better with someone next to her. While she felt well rested, the abruptness in which she had awoken was odd. She was always slow to wake, unless she had had a nightmare. She slowly sat up and quickly realized what had brought her out of sleep. There was a familiar but strong and unpleasant odor permeating the room. She started to gag and got up to find the source of the smell. She pulled open her bedroom door, the stench hitting her twice as hard.

She pulled her shirt up over her nose and quickly walked to the kitchen, the sound of sizzling increasing. Michelle stood facing the stove, cooking something in a pan. She heard CJ walk in and turned to her, spatula in hand.

"Morning," said Michelle, "Want some bacon?" She moved aside to reveal several strips of bacon cooking on the pan. CJ had never minded bacon; she'd typically eat it if it was being made but she didn't go out of her way to have it. The smell had never affected her in the way that it was in that moment. She wanted to ask Michelle to stop cooking it and open all the windows.

"I'm good," she said, backing away into the hallway. When she returned to her bedroom, she quickly began to open all the windows. As she was doing so, Jess sat up in the bed.

"Is that bacon?" asked Jess, picking up on the scent still wafting in from the kitchen.

"It is," said CJ, "And the smell is killing me."

"Baby doesn't like bacon?"

"Apparently not," said CJ, standing by the window to get fresh air.

"Well, get dressed and we'll head to the diner for breakfast." There was a small cozy diner five minutes away from Mindy's house that she and Jess frequented back in their college days.

They got dressed to go and twenty minutes later, they were walking into the small diner. The smell of freshly brewing coffee and cinnamon rolls cleansed CJ of any leftover discomfort from the bacon scent that had nauseated her that morning. They slid into a booth in the back corner of the room.

"I won't order anything with bacon," said Jess with a small smile, picking up the menu. After they had ordered, CJ shrugged her jacket off in the booth and settled in.

"So, when are you gonna start your house or apartment hunt?" asked Jess. They had never finished their conversation last night before they had passed out.

"As soon as I can," said CJ. "I figured I'd start searching around online for places up for rent. I only have so much time before it'll become obvious," She lightly touched her stomach. "I've also thought about going back to school, but I don't think it'll be realistic for awhile now. I can't enroll in the fall with a newborn and there aren't any schools around here with the program I'd need."

"I'd say you could come stay with me," said Jess, "There's probably a school in Portland that has what you're looking for. But I'm still in that little one bedroom." CJ paused thoughtfully, thinking about her potential options.

"I have a nest egg I was gonna use for school, but I'll need it for the baby and living expenses. If I get a place around here and stay for a year or two and continue to work, I can save up a bit more for a move and school expenses. But I'd still have to find a job that paid enough to cover daycare and living costs wherever I ended up." said CJ. "I think I'm gonna get a second job now at night and save up faster."