Too Far Gone (Urban)

23| Visiting Hours

The following day...

"Oh Curly," A deep voice purred in her ear, causing it to tingle. She swatted at the source of the sound and squirmed around. She felt a finger poke her cheek and whisper her nickname again.

"Curly!" A disembodied voice sang, louder this time. Chenelle squirmed around again with a deep frown on her face. She hated when people tried to wake her up. Her eyes squinted open slowly and the boss's gruff face came into view. He was smiling down at her. Her eyes traversed down his half dressed body, his upper torso covered in tattoos she hasn't seen before. They looked to be fresh, since the skin around it looked to be a bit red and plump. He backed up as Chenelle sat up and inspected the room. She was still in his apartment.

"Um..." She lowered her gaze down to her hands, which were still wrapped up from a few days ago. She brought her eyes back up to his face. "Sorry I crashed on your bed."

"It's alright Curly, I don't really sleep all that much." The boss replied, grabbing a nearby shirt and slipping it over his head.

"No shit? I guess you slept long enough after five years." She joked. The boss chuckled at her and entered the bathroom. She searched the room for a clock and saw that it was six in the morning. Sucking her teeth, she laid back on the bed and closed her eyes. However, she couldn't sleep because she was already wide awake.

"Got dammit..." She muttered. She sat up again and noticed that her hazmat suit was missing. Carlos was also missing from the scene. Last time she checked, he fell asleep on the couch... She decided she'll ask the boss if he's seen him when he comes out the bathroom. Her phone began vibrating wildly on the nightstand nearby. She was surprised she had it on vibrate for so long. She got accustomed to hearing her ringtone play every time she received a phone call.

Picking up the phone, she noticed it was Josh calling.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Where are you?" Josh practically screamed at her through the phone. "You missed like, three days of work!"

Chenelle forgot all about her day job since she's been working with the Saints. The work the boss had her do was a lot more difficult than baking donuts and cleaning out the coffee filter, but it paid a lot more than working as a bartista ever will.

"Um, about that," she began, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. "I kinda got a second job, and it seems that I won't be able to work at Apollo's anymore."

"What!" Josh shouted. Chenelle pulled her ear away from the phone with a pained expression.

"To put it simply, I quit. My new job has more uh... flexible hours that I can work with." Chenelle replied. "I'm sorry for the late notice, but the opportunity came quick."

Josh was silent for a few seconds before asking, "What about Rascal?"

Chenelle hasn't been talking to Rascal lately, but she assumed he must have quit too if he hasn't been showing up to work. Josh waited patiently for an answer, but instead of responding to him, Chenelle hung up. Just then, the boss came out with a towel wrapped around his waist. He also had one draped over his shoulder.

"Who was that?" He asked once he saw her toss her phone aside.

"My old manager." She sighed. She's gone from a college student, to a bartista, to a gang member. What a sudden turn of events. Her dad wouldn't be happy to hear that after what happened to her mom... Chenelle quickly changed the subject in order to take her mind of that tragic day. "So, what's on today's agenda?"