Becoming Goddess

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3

When the last bell of the day rings I run out of the classroom like it's on fire. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I start to head for my car towards the front parking lot. Ashlynn always parks her car next to mine and we will walk into school together - every day - except this morning she had been late I assumed, and at the end of every day we will wait to talk to each other about our days. But today was different. Very different indeed. Ashlynn's car was gone. Her brother passed down 'Red Beauty' to her. A 1989 red Camaro. You could spot that baby from a mile away. Nope, nowhere in sight.

She must have left early I thought either that or she ran out of here faster than me.

Yes it was unusual but surely nothing to get all worked up over. Maybe she forgot I thought. But then again, unlikely.

I decided to brush off that odd occurrence and get in my Miata. I tossed my backpack swiftly over my shoulder into the back seat. I buckled up my seat belt and started to slowly back out.

I knew I still had to meet Ivy at the Pronto Coffee House so I started to pull away from White Oak. As I left the parking lot and merge onto the highway the Ashlynn disappearance was totally forgotten.

Only to be thinking about something completely different.

My mom left me something I thought what could it be?

Technically I had only received one gift from my mom. Ever. She didn't even go out and put time, money, or consideration into it. Sure on my birthdays and Christmas I had gotten some things from my dad, but never my mom. She just handed me credit cards and sent me on my way. I didn't necessarily like all the nicer clothes at the mall, or felt like I had to stay up with all the latest trends. I only bought them hoping my mom would say something, anything about what I had gone out and bought and used her money for. But she never once did.

When I was born my mom gave me a necklace. Technically it was her moms and she wanted me to have it. It was a clear circular crystal-like ball the size of a gum ball, inside you could see the faintest hint of dark blue liquid like substance. I had worn it every day of my life, never once taking it off. It was the only thing I had as a reminder that my mom did love me somewhere deep down.

As I merge onto the exit away from the highway, I start to get anxious. What could it possibly be? I tell myself to calm down and to stop getting so worked up over this. I slowly take a deep breath as I hit the brakes at the red stop light. That was close I thought. My palms are sweaty and I start to get really ancy.

It's probably nothing I told myself calm down.

The light finally turns green and I stomp on the gas. I quickly pull past the light and come to a shopping center on my left. The huge sign up on the side of the road says HARBOUR PLAZA; I immediately turn left into the plaza and drive to the end where Pronto Coffee House is. Pulling into an empty parking spot I put the car in park unbuckle my seat belt, and breathe.

This is it. I told myself. I pull down the sun visor and pop open the mirror. My eyes are a little red from the cry I had last night, my hair still soft and straight as usual. I run my fingers through my hair a couple times before I close the visor and step out of the car.

I walk across the street and the first thing I notice once I'm drawing closer to the coffee shop is that it's completely empty. I enter the shop and look around. There's a fireplace burning hot (which is unusual for this early in fall in Jacksonville) in the far right corner with an assortment of couches and chairs. There are about ten tables or so in the coffee shop and not one person was sitting at any of them. The music over the loud speakers sounds like French or some other foreign language. The only other person in the coffee shop is the woman behind the counter. She doesn't smile; she doesn't welcome me into the shop, not even a glance. She has black hair cut short around her chin. Her face is really small and she almost looks as if she's frozen there. Scratch that she didn't look frozen, she looked almost disgusted. If it weren't for her face of hate I'd think she was a model. I decided that just standing here and staring isn't doing any good so I walked over to the counter and ordered a black coffee. At first I wasn't sure if the woman behind the counter heard me until she turned around and grabbed a mug and poured my coffee. I caught a glimpse of her bright blue eyes - which were filled with such hate. What is up with this girl? I thought. The way she handled the coffee -gripping it tightly- the way she had her jaw clenched- it made me think she was very furious at something or someone. I handed her two dollars - quickly wanting to get away and go sit down- and told her to keep the change. I quickly walked away before I could see what she did next. I decided to sit by the fireplace since it has the best looking couches and taking advantage of the coffee shop being empty.