I'm Still Sadie

Nifty Nell

NIFTY NELL

I watched Campbell leave until she became nothing more than a simple silhouette in the morning sun. Meanwhile, my mom wandered back inside the house, satisfied that all of her issues had been dealt with.

Little did she know that not everything had been tucked away or wrapped up with a frilly bow. Because I was still here.

My thumb traced over the wallet in my hand, and nagging feelings started to creep inside my mind.

While it was an almost decent move to make (considering the circumstances) to give Campbell back the money I stole from her house, plus some extra to get home, I could still add the fact that I was a thief to my resumé.

But who said I couldn't reprimand the situation? I paid back Campbell, so that meant that I could pay back the Harmony Diner for the meal I had; I could pay back Brandi for gas.

Today was payback day.

As I started to walk down Creekside Drive, large gray clouds blanketed the sky. It wasn't clear if the sun was there.

The walk from my house to the diner was quite a lengthy one, so I had time to process everything that was going on.

Was I really going out of my way to repay Brandi Schumann? That wasn't very 'Sadielike', but then again, maybe that was a good thing. After seeing Imposter Sadie and just what she was like, it couldn't hurt to drift apart from the ol' Sadie norm.

As the pebbles in the parking lot crunched and scattered underneath Nell's shoes, I stopped in front of the Crimson Cafe. It was early, so the place was empty, except for a man wiping down tables. Peeking my head through the door, my arrival to the restaurant was signaled by the jingle of the bell.

The man who was wiping tables lifted his head. "Table or booth?" he asked.

I cracked my knuckles on one hand, while the other patted my wallet in my pocket, as if I was worried that someone had stolen it. "Uh...neither," I said.

He threw down his cloth onto the table and strolled on over to me. "Then what can I do for you?"

I cleared my throat. Was I actually nervous to do this? I stuffed my hand into my pocket, and retrieved a fistful of cash. With the man eyeing me, I counted the money. "This is...$15," I said.

"Okay."

"This covers the cost of my meal yesterday, plus a tip for the service. Sorry I didn't pay it then."

The man pocketed the money himself. "Great, glad everything is being sorted out."

"I'm also kind of looking for someone."

His dark eyebrows raised. "You gotta make this a little easier for me, kid. Who are you looking for?"

"Brandi? Is she here?"

He shook his head and retreated back to the table to go fetch his cloth. "Nope," he said as he turned back to me. "She isn't on the schedule."

I drilled the toe of my sneaker into the green carpeted floor of the diner. "Do you know where I can find her?"

The man sighed as he started on his next table. "I don't know, her house? Have you tried there?"