Branded

Chapter 1

"Well who would have thought that a waitress from Rowena would have had the balls to bust me out with my old 45? And who would have thought that a farm boy from Telico could outsmart the smartest lawmen and walk outta there alive? My name is gonna make the hist'ry books. Too bad I won't be here. I may have started out with small time crooks. In a year or two I'll be as known as Chicago's Al Capone!" Jeremy Jordan sings through my stereo system. Lee thinks that I hate musicals, which I do, but this song just kills me. I restart the song just to hear the first one minute and twenty seconds all over again. If Lee knew I had her CD, she'd either kill me, laugh at me, or just give me her "I knew you'd enjoy this" smug look.

I'm alone in our small apartment as I clean and decorate for Lee's surprise. Its her eighteenth birthday today and she's thousands of miles from her family. On my eighteenth birthday I found out my dad had cancer, but I at least had him near me to spend the day with me. Lee only has me out here on this stupid continent, or country, or whatever. She does have an uncle out here, but rich folks don't socialize like a real family. He sees her when she goes to work for him and that's it.

Lee's uncle, Tom Van Allen, is the chief of police in Sydney. So Lee was able to come work as his PA or organizer or something with him. Not that she needs the money. Her family has so much and she could pay off her Visa easily. But, the school requires we have some kind of job for a credit. Graduation is in two months, but we'll be living here for another eight. Some stupid person at our old school messed up and now we're stuck here.

I don't even hear her walk in, but Lee is standing in the doorway, giving me her smug smirk, just as I've restarted "This World Will Remember Us" once again.

"Oh, hi Lee" I say as I feel my cheeks get a little warm.

"Are you blushing? No way, I've accomplished the impossible," she starts, "Is that my CD?"

"What? I'm not blushing. I don't blush. And yes, it was in the player so I just decided to play it. I was too lazy to change it."

"Fine, you're not totally blushing... but you are a bit." She takes a pause again and smirks, "You like this, don't you? You actually like a musical!"

"Okay, hold up, I like this song and only for the beginning. And I don't even like it that much." I lie. She can read my lies and just smiles.

"What's all this?" She asks looking around at the very limited decorations.

"Oh, well, I didn't know you'd be home so soon. But this is for you. Happy Birthday, bae" I say holding up a small box for her.

Lee smiles at me, "You didn't have to get me anything. Really."

She holds the white box and reads the little card attached. She smirks and tries to act angry at me, "You wrote my full name."

I just smile at her and anticipate the look on her face. She carefully removes the red ribbon and lifts the lid off. Her eyes light up with happiness, disbelief, and every other happy emotion. She pulls the delicate chain out of the box and lets the small pendant swing for a few seconds.

"You can't give this to me." she whispers.

"Yes I can. You're my best friend and I want you to have it." I say.

Lee puts on the necklace and smiles. The charm is a simple piece of Swarovski crystal with thin gold holding it to the chain. It was my mother's, but I have no occasion to wear it. My jewelry consists of bracelets and the necklace Lee gave me when we were fifteen. And even that is only a piece of bracelet cord with a small charm on it. Lee is so classy that the necklace fits her. And its simple enough to be worn any time, but beautiful enough to be worn to classier events.

"You are unbelievable," she pauses for a long while, "I love you." She gives me a hug before she goes to call her family. Not like anyone will pick up, but she at least has to try. That way, they can't get mad and say she is ignoring her family and blah, blah, blah.

I decide to call my dad. The phone rings and rings, but no one answers. He's probably sleeping. He sleeps a lot these days because of how weak he's become. I recall our last conversation before I left. He told me to be strong and brave and that even if I didn't see him again, I'd always have a piece of him with me. He melted down both my mother's and his wedding rings and made them into one. I now wear it constantly to have them both with me always.

My mother died when I was six months old, but I can still vaguely remember the warmth of her smile. I look more like my dad, but I have her grey eyes. At least some of her carried over to me.

"Nikki, I'm going to bed now. Thanks for the food." I hear her say as she closes her door. By bed she means that she's going to eat all of the food I made her and watch movies until she passes out. That will be in about seven hours.

"Alright. I gotta get to work now, anyways. Bye, bae" I say. I grab my old hoodie and lace up my shoes. I lock the apartment door behind me and jog to the diner that's about a mile away.

The sun is just dipping behind the horizon when I make it in. I quickly clock in, get in uniform, and start to wait on the tables. Its usually the same crowd every night with a few new people now and then. I know all my costumers on a first name basis.

The bell above the door rings and I look as someone new walks in.