My British Bear

Chapter 5

 Apparently Brooks had called the police in the middle of the night, and they showed up and questioned my uncle about child abuse. And cue façade! Well, I wasn't whisked away to anywhere, so apparently they believed him.

I yawned and slowly woke up to the ridiculous, repeated beeping of my alarm clock. I stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I tried to wash the horrible taste of vomit and alcohol out of my mouth with mouthwash.

I had drunk alcohol once before and, of course, I got another hangover.

I brushed my teeth, hopped in the shower, and quickly got dressed. Quiet as a mouse, I grabbed my backpack and snuck out of the house. The wind was calm as I stepped outside, and the crisp air burned my nose and lungs. I took a deep breath of the freezing air and made my way to the edge of the road.

A dark spot in the snow caught my attention. The spot looked like blood in the dark morning. My stomach churned and I shakily bent down to touch it. My fingers brushed it and I realized it was just a spill of some drink, judging by the bottle cap nearby.

As I was bent over the snow, I heard a giant truck approach. I straightened, startled, and stared as the semi truck rushed past. I yelped and fell back in the snow as the it was gone in a blare of light.

A wave of freezing water soaked me to the bone. I stared, shaking from the cold and my wet clothes. I angrily gave the driver the finger before falling back into the snow and hugging myself. I shivered there until the bus drove up.

I walked stiffly onto the bus (my clothes were pretty much ice at that point) and passed the driver without so much as a glance from her.

Per the usual.

I made my way to the back and shoved myself in an empty seat and curled up in the corner. I stared out the window and watched the harsh street lights flash past on the way to school.

By third period, I still felt like a sopping wet dog because of the truck incident. My tennis shoes squeaked infuriatingly as I made my way to class, which was science. I slid into my seat without any confrontation and began to read the board.

Happy Monday, Students! I hope you had a good weekend. Yeah right. Today you will need the following as we are talking about precipitation in depth;

A pencil

Your science folder

A notebook

An--

"Hey!" I cried as suddenly all my folders and books went flying. I stood up and glared at a tall, masculine girl who was snickering.

"Oops." She put a hand to her mouth, faking sincerity. "Sorry, Markia."

"Maria!" I snarled.

"Whatever." She smirked as she walked away.

I gritted my teeth and started to pick up my stuff. Suddenly another pair of hands began to pick up the stuff. I looked up to see a blonde girl with blue glasses smiling at me.

"Thanks." I murmured.

She grinned and put my stuff on my desk. "You're welcome! I'm Chloe."

I smiled. "Maria."

"Wanna sit with us at lunch?"

"Sure, I guess." I shrugged.

She grinned, revealing blue braces. "Sweet! Seeya at lunch!" She skipped off, grinning.

Well... uh... okay then. New friend?

I had to say, the thought made me happy. Only after she sat down did I realize she was Chloe. The Chloe. The one Brooks talked about.

Yes, lunch was much more lively with Zachary and his girlfriend, Molly, Jess and her boyfriend, Seth, Angel, Brooks, and Chloe. (Also known as The Flaming Glory, Greasy Granola, Cinnamon Bun, The Olympian, Angle, British Cupid, and Nerd.)

School was much more bearable knowing them.

I opened the door to Sweet Beans and Bakes and stepped inside the warm and wonderfully smelling shop. I plopped down at the coffee bar and waited for one of the waiters. A paper caught my attention and I picked it up. It was an application for the coffee shop. They needed an all and odd jobs person.

I was so caught up in reading it I didn't realize the waitress had come up to me. "Yeah, no one's applied yet. The job starts Saturday. Good pay. Ya'd be perfect for it."

I looked up to see a plump black woman smiling at me. "Really? Maybe I'll apply." I set the paper back down on the stack and she pulled out an order tablet.

"What can I get for ya today?"

"I'd like a mint hot cocoa and one of those brownies, please."

She smiled at me. "Comin' right up!" She handed me her pen. "Fill that appy out," she tapped the stack of papers, "and I'll get it before ya leave."

Before I could protest, she whisked away and set about getting my order. I instantly liked the large lady. She was friendly and didn't seem to have a bad bone in her body.

I quickly scribbled out the application without any hopes of actually being chosen. But, it was an escape from home, and I needed money.

She handed me my stuff and swept up the application. She scanned it over. "Looks good, hon! I guarantee you'll get it!"

I blinked. "Really?"

She smiled and winked. "You heard it from a little birdy."

"Thanks," I glanced at her bronze name tag, "Reese. I appreciate any help."

"Don' worry, hon!" She patted my head with a large hand and grinned. "Aunt Reese 'ere'll take good care of ya!"

I smiled at her. "Thanks."

"Of course, darlin'! You ever need help, you come a knockin' or callin'!" She scribbled an address and phone number down on her order tab and handed me the slip.

I pocketed the slip and smiled. "Oh! Hey, I need to pay you!" I reached for my wallet, but she interrupted me with a chuckle.

"Already put it on my tab. And now don't you bother protestin', it's already done."

It seemed that a grin was permanently etched into my face when I was around the lady. "Thank you... Aunt Reese."