Pinch Me, I'm awake

Chapter 1

My hair was pulled back into a tight braid, causing a pulsating sensation on both sides of my head. I blew out a breath of air while cupping both hands in front of my mouth, attempting to see if my breath smelled as bad as I assumed. An after taste of bacon and cheese from that morning's omelette breakfast smacked me in the face.

I knew I should have brushed my teeth afterwards.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out an empty wrapper of spearmint gum and stared at it regretfully.

What could have been more important than omelette breath that I couldn't spare my last piece of gum?

Oh right. Approximately twenty eight minutes prior, I was seated in the passenger side of my brothers car, begging him to use his auxiliary cord.

"On one condition..." his eyebrows lifted one inch of a fraction, his eyes narrowing down to the piece of gum in my left hand.

"Oh c'mon!"

"Hand it over." He said with a grin of victory, snatching it from my hands before I could even react. And there I was thinking I was doing a great job convincing him.

That's my problem, I'm overly confident in myself--

My eyes skipped to the stunning blonde seated five feet away from me, her long luscious hair falling over her shoulders and a mesmerizing way she swung her long legs over the other.

but just as insecure.

I was seated in a flimsy blue chair outside of the courtroom, waiting for my name to be called. I had a pretty hefty seatbelt ticket weighing in my pocket, which probably explained the more reasonable cause of my headache.

"Leighton Hallider?" someone called to my left. My head snapped to a tall man in a dark grey suit, gazing over the crowd of people who were waiting their turn to speak with the prosecutor.

I raised my hand before I stood and approached him, receiving a welcoming smile. He led me to a door a few feet away and initiated for me to come in.

"Take a seat," he said. I obeyed and watched him as he sat down across from me, examining a few papers laid out across his desk. "So I see you have a two hundred dollar ticket."

"Yeah, and about that--"

"I can't reduce the price." his voice cut off my plead, and I fell back defeated. He noticed my expression and went into further explanation, "A seatbelt ticket is a federal law. Two hundred dollars is the lowest I can reduce it to."

"Listen," I began before he could cut me off again. "I don't have a job, my parents aren't even aware that I have two hundred dollars hanging above my head like a knife on a thread--"

"Good analogy." he interrupts.

Really? "I already owe a loan of four hundred dollars, I really can't afford this. Not now at least..." I recalled the 'Now Hiring' poster outside the grocery store that I had seen on my way here. "Could you give me a longer due date?"

He took his glasses off from his face and sighed, "Alright, I can extend it to October fifteenth."

I nodded, accepting his sympathized request with gratitude. Clearly its the most he could do. That means I'll have four weeks to come up with six hundred dollars. That shouldn't be too hard.

He signed the paper and gave it back to me, with the words "OCTOBER 15" printed in bold letters across the top right corner.

"Thank you." I murmured, walking out of the small office. I walked over to where my brother was waiting for me, just to see him conversing with the pretty blonde. Laughter escaped her pretty pink lips, her eyes twinkling with genuine interest. I don't blame her, my brother has a knack for swooning just about anyone over with his crystal blue eyes and charming personality.

"Can we get going?" I broke up whatever chemical that reacted between them with my tone of urgency.

"Uh yeah, sure." He said, gathering my things and handing it over to me. I smiled at her, hoping it was an assurance that I really didn't mean to disrupt the mood. But her intentions with my innocent and good looking older brother were anything but good.

My eyes locked on her long legs once more, noticing more skin revealed than minutes before. Was she that desperate?

"My names Melanie. Call me Mel." she says, standing up to shake his hand goodbye.

"Yeah? How ironic, my cat's name is Melanie." a shy smirk appears on his lips, a hint of recognition passing through his eyes.

I almost choked.

Back home, cradled between the two couches in our living room, is a light haired cat with vicious sharp canines and a hate for anything made of testosterone.

My brother wasn't the greatest fan of the cat either. Feelings were mutual between them.

"Aw, how cute." she gushed, clearly oblivious to the fact that he was trying to hide a laugh. "I'll see you another time, Michael!" she called after him.

I turned around and waved at her, turning around to face Michael as he pushed the main floor button on the elevator. "Did you already make plans with Melanie?" I made sure to emphasize her name, fluttering my eyelashes up at him.

He rolled his eyes, "Of all names, it just had to be Melanie." he pressed the button again impatiently.

"I bet you couldn't help but remember your pillow being ripped in shreds this morning." I stifled a giggle.

"Sheesh... dead give away." he groaned, stepping inside the elevator as the doors closed. "So what happened, did you get the ticket deducted?"

I sighed, "No. But he extended the due date. Which means you have to stop by the grocery store so I can apply for a job."

"You know, you still never told me why you quit as the receptionist at the Chiropractor." he narrowed his eyes at me.

My teeth clenched and my muscles tightened at his comment, but I was too familiar with the persistent question to let my emotions bypass me this time.

"The pay was bad." I lied.

"Eighteen dollars an hour isn't bad, Leighton." He pointed out.

"Forget it." I said as the doors slid open. I pushed myself through the group of people waiting to come in and rushed to the exit.

Forget it.