Toddlers, Husbands, and Why I had to be Mature by 18

Chapter Four: Decisions

I hugged and kissed them and thanked my dad for taking such good care of them.

Months passed uneventfully. My kids were growing up before my very eyes. Summer was beginning, and spirits were lifting.

Annabelle had been very secretive, and it was normally just Jacob and Neil that came over for visits. I missed my friend, but it wasn't as easy to be around her as it used to be. Jacob always seemed a bit drawn whenever I saw him, but he always slapped on a cheerful smile and hid his sadness.

Neil also seemed a bit down. He was happy when he was over at Jasper and my house, but whenever I went over to Jacob and Annabelle's apartment, he would skirt around, trying to hide in corners and not be noticed. 

Whenever I saw Annabelle, she gave me a fake smile; her eyes were losing their warmth. Makeup was always caked on her face, her eyes covered in eye shadow, thick liquid eyeliner and mascara. Her mouth was always painted a crimson red, and her teeth were brutally whitened by some kind of chemical. She wore thick jewellery in her ears and around her neck. She wore huge fashion rings on her fingers. She always had some kind of gauzy nail polish on her long manicured fingernails. Her hair was curled and styled within an inch of its death, hard as a rock thanks to her hairspray.

Jacob looked more and more broken by the day, bags appearing under his eyes, clutching his head when he thought we weren't looking.

Jasper and I tried our best to support him without being condescending or nosy, but it was very hard on me to see my brother in pieces like this.

Annabelle's POV

Neil was becoming a successful model, and the cash was pouring in. Amanda Hartfield was very satisfied with all the money coming in because of him, and she offered me a job for modelling.

This had been what I was aiming for all this time. I wore beautiful clothes and made myself look pretty with makeup so that she would perhaps consider me as a model.

"You are just the girl they're looking for in LA. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a satisfactory figure..."

"Wait... did you just say LA?" I asked, my jaw dropping.

"Los Angeles, sweetie. They need a model for a new fall selection at Vogue... they gave me a very specific description, and you fit the bill. Are you interested?"

My mind was swirling. Jacob didn't know about any of the modelling that Neil was doing. I couldn't hide it if I went to LA. I could tell him that a woman spotted me and asked me to be a model, but if he ever saw Amanda, he might recognize her from the park.

I took a deep breath. "Very interested," I said. "Where do I sign?"

***

I got home that afternoon, feeling a bit guilty. I packed my bag secretively. I packed Neil's next. This all felt eerily familiar. I remembered packing my things as I prepared to leave for New York alone, not telling anyone. I packed Neil's bags that time too, but he was going to live with Hannah and Jasper at that time, he wasn't going with me.

I thought back to my time in New York. That adventure didn't work out too well... I was broke in a few weeks, and living off a waitress's salary. I had no friends. My cheeks glowed with shame as I remembered what I did when I lost my apartment. I couldn't pay for the rent or anything in my apartment, so I spent my nights at the bars, getting picked up by drunk men so that I had a roof over my head for the night. I bit my lip. Could I really risk that again?

I shook my head. This time would be different. I would be modelling for Vogue. I would get an excellent salary and a fresh start. I was getting tired of Jacob.