The Past

Waking Up in NYC (Revised)

Everything is cold, and I mean everything. The tiny apartment, the old cracked tiled floors, the people in the building, and my toes stretching out from underneath the warmth of the heavy quilt. It's always been this way since the day I moved here a year ago. Even in the Winter my grandmother will keep the AC turned on for reasons I'll never really understand. Maybe it's because she live most of her life in the warmth under the sun of Tulsa, Oklahoma until five years ago when my grandfather died.

I stretched my legs out until I brought the one over to the side of the bed and winced as my foot met the cold tiles beneath it as the other foot joined it. The peace was then rudely interrupted by the buzzing of the old alarm clock until I slammed down on the off button several times until it gave up it's war against me.

"Shit," I leaned down to pick up the old wooden picture frame off the floor, "sorry dad." I slightly smiled and placed the photo back where it belonged.

I made my way across the room and grabbed the gross uniform dress and a knitted grey sweater to keep me warm. I eventually made it to the nearest mirror, which was placed in the bathroom, and cringed. My hair was in knots, tangled together for support. The many light blonde strands winced along with me as I took a brush through the rats nest. These are one of those moments I want to just rip all my hair out and cry like a baby all day.

"Sara! Honey your breakfast is getting cold!" I heard the old woman's fragile voice shout through the freezing house.

"I'll be right there 'ma!" I hollered back as I quickly brushed my teeth.

It's next to impossible to keep your footsteps quiet in this rundown apartment building, so you can imagine my pain as I heard every little patter on the floor from my grandmothers dancing and the noise from radio accompanying her. It wasn't that it really bothered me, it was the migraine that was visiting me on unappreciated terms.

"You know, that headache will go away if you ate properly." My grandmother smiled slyly as she sat the toast and eggs on the table.

"Well knowing that it's," I glance at the clock seeing I only had fifteen minutes, "10:45, and it takes me ten minutes to get to the diner alone, I'll have to take this to go." I grabbed the toast and kissed her cheek.

"Be careful sweetie!" My grandmother hollered while I made my way to the front door.

"Always am," I muttered through my teeth as I held the toast in between them while sliding on the worn out converse, "don't wait up for me!" I reminded her before I closed the door and made my way down the stairs and out to the breezy city.

I opened up the glass door to the worn out diner that was ever so slightly packed. I sighed as the smell of burgers and coffee entered my senses. Once I heard the ding of the bell of the cashier, I was taken back to reality and made my way behind the disgustingly warn out pink and silver bar. Everything was going smoothly until I saw Kathy, as slutty as she was busty, leaning over the counter to flirt with a customer in a business suit. I know that doesn't seem as slutty as most people, but her whore actions were confirmed when I noticed him playing with the ring on his finger while he leaned in closer to her.

"The nerve of some people." I heard Diane's voice from beside me.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," I snickered as I grabbed the coffee pot from her, "Kathy wants a sugar daddy, and he's already got a wife."

"I knew that," Diane laughed slightly, "I meant both of them. He's obviously into her, and I've seen her glance at his ring more than once."

Here's the thing with Diane; she's thirty-eight and recently divorcing from her cheating husband. Kathy, is known as one of the many younger women he has been known to have slept with. Diane also has a thirteen year old son she's been taking care of on her own for the past seven months. She's also kind of stepped in as a motherly figure, since my own mother died at childbirth and I just turned sixteen a month ago.

"Boss is here." I leaned over and whispered in Kathy's ear and stepped back quick enough to watch her jump back and spill hot coffee all over herself. It's not that I'm mean, but like I said; she's a whore.

"You're a bitch, you know that Sara?" Kathy barked at me through gritted teeth.

"Whatever you say Kath." I shrugged and went back to my job.

Around ten o'clock I finally began to be able to relax as the diner began to slow down. I was leaning against the counter while I waited for Diane to finish cleaning herself up from the day, and Alex to take the check from a couple in a back booth.

"I'm going to get myself home," Diane said at both Alex and I as they both approached where I was resting my elbows on the counter, "you girls got this?"

"Yeah, it's my turn to close up tonight anyways." I rubbed my eyes and pulled myself up.

"Don't be too rough on yourself now, I'll see you two later." Diane smiled as she walked out.

"How was school today?" I asked Alex as she found herself a spot across from me on a stool.

"Boring as usual." She laughed tiredly.

"That's nothing new." I sighed.

"You should come back." She broke the silence with the four words I hear from her almost every other day.

"Alex, I told you that it's just not that easy for me."

"I miss you Sara, everyone misses you." She pleaded

"I've been gone almost a year, I think everyone except you is over it." I sighed resting my head on the counter. We sat there like that in silence for the next twenty minutes without any other company other than our breathing.

"Looks like someone's had a rough night." Alex broke the silence as I shot my head up to notice a man with his head down walking in and going straight to the restroom.

"Must've been another fight," I ensured her, "you go home and get some rest, I'll close up."

"What about him?" She looked at me with her big blue eyes in concern.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"Okay, good night." She smiled and left me with the sound of the bell at the door ringing in my ears.

That was until I snapped out of my tired daze and realized I had to take care of the guy in the bathroom. I walked over and knocked several times on the restroom door and got no response but running water.

"Excuse me sir, we're closing. You have to leave." I spoke to him between the wooden door. If I wouldn't have jumped back quick enough, I would have been smacked in the face my the hard surface.

"Damn, don't you people know anything about privacy?" I heard his rough voice, but he kept his head held low to the point that I could make anything out.

"I'm sorry bu-" He rushed out the door without another word.

With that I made my way out, grabbing my sweater and pulling it over my head as I turned off the lights and locked the door. I started to walk away until I noticed a man in a suit approaching the diner. I could already smell the stench of alcohol burning through his clothes.

"I'm sorry sir, but we're closed." I said trying to get around him.

"You're really tiny," he began inching himself closer, "how old are you?"

"I don't think my size or my age is any of your damn business." I spat at him trying to get around.

"Now it is." He grabbed my arm aggressively and yanked me back.

"Let go of me!" I yanked away, barely causing him to lose grip.

"You're funny," He laughed sickeningly, "and weak." My heart started to go a million miles an hour. I kick him as hard as I can in his groin, but that doesn't seem to be enough. he starts yanking at me, and pins me to a wall by the trash cans.

"You little shit." He grows angrier and slaps me.

"Get off of me!" I shout as loud as I can before spitting in his face.

"You're going to regret that, you little bitch." He smiles horrible before he slams my head against the brick behind me.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!" I find the familiar voice running down the alley and grabbing the man off me. From there everything was coming in blurs. The last thing I saw was the familiar figure beating the man who assaulted me senseless before blacking out.