The North Star | COMPLETED ✔️

Chapter 26 ~ Never Again

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Chapter 26

Charlene woke me up at the crack ass of dawn in the most motherly way possible. "C'mon, Sweetheart. Wakey-wakey, eggs and bakey."

I grimaced and pulled the pillow over my head. "I'm going to need you to take all that sunshine outside where it belongs."

She chuckled. "Come on, sleepy head. Zeke wants you over at the shop, and he hasn't had his coffee yet. Trust me, you don't want him to come get you."

That got me. I sat up and stared at her as the memories of the previous day came rushing to the forefront of my mind. Bard had probably told him, about the tattoo, about my affiliation with Drake.

Mother fucker...

He's kicking me out.

I rolled to my knees and crawled off the bed. My head throbbed, and my stomach felt ready to purge itself of every vital organ I had.

Ever the angel, Charlene handed me two painkillers and, go figure, a whole carton of orange juice. "Bard told me to give you these." She grinned.

I looked from the pills, to the juice, and back to her facial expression. "It doesn't mean anything."

Her grin twisted. "I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to." I accepted the pills and the carton. "He's just... being nice."

She snorted, leaned back against the wall behind her, and crossed her arms. "Bard not only got up this morning, he drove to the store to get that." She motioned to what she'd given me. "Then asked me, with words, out loud, to go inside this RV and give them to you."

She stood straight, shot me a knowing smile, then walked away.

I stared in the direction she'd gone long after the door shut behind her, then downed the pills in one swallow and heaved a breath.

It doesn't mean anything...

Then why are you smiling? Inner Jessie snarked.

I forced my lips into a straight line and threw myself out of the bed.

The orange juice worked as a good replacement for actual food, and between it and the painkillers, I gradually began to feel human again.

By the time I washed off the smell of the previous night's alcohol, dressed, and reached the shop, there was a full house. Boe, Scarlett, and Zeke were all seated in their stations with clients. Four more people sat in chairs by the door, waiting for a turn. Charlene was in her usual place behind the counter, and the old man seemed comfortable, leaned back in a chair by the door. "You better start getting your lazy ass up, or you're gonna end up fired," he said.

I shot him a glare, but otherwise didn't respond. He didn't know there was a good chance it didn't matter. Odds were, I was about to get canned just for being me.

Zeke noticed me and patted the shoulder of the man he was tattooing. "Take a break, John. I'll only be a minute." He stood and strode over to the front.