The Good in Sin

Wednesdays

Phoenix walked straight to the diner when he got out of school, like usual. Except on Wednesdays he went to his friend, Carl's house and did homework, played video games, and ate snacks. Carl's mother was much older than Autumn and didn't approve of her being so young with a child, so she was never nice to Autumn when she came by to pick him up. She treated Phoenix like her own when he was over there though; she fed him knowing he was starving all the time. That was why Autumn put up with Brenda's harsh words, because she fed Phoenix, and he always had fun.

Occasionally Brenda would take the boys to church, and Autumn never protested, but being that it was a Catholic church, Autumn chose never to bring Phoenix on her own. She abandoned any faith she had when her religious parents kicked her out and stood by her beliefs. However, she knew it was important to allow Phoenix to think for himself, so she told him he could always go to church with Carl's family if he wanted to, and she never expressed her uneasiness towards religion for this reason.

As a kid, Phoenix never had much interest in church, anyway.

"Hi mom." Phoenix said loudly when he came in through the doors, the bell ringing throughout the diner as he skipped up to the bar.

Autumn smiled and put her finger to her lips. "You're so loud." She told him with a light laugh.

"How was your day?" He asked her, hopping on the bench of the bar and twirling around.

"The usual." She said. "Yours?"

"Good, I finished that book about rockets today."

Autumn lifted her eyebrows and high-fived him. "Another one? Good job, buddy." She said while he lifted himself from the bench and high-fived her back with a happy jump. "Do you have another book to read?" She asked him.

He shook his head with a small shrug. "I finished most of the books at school, but it's alright."

Autumn leaned in and rested her chin on her hands, looking at her handsome boy. "Well, how about you and I go out to the bookstore tonight and get you something to read?"

Everyone who was paying attention watched as Nix's eyes widened in excitement and he sat back on his knees on the bench and grinned widely. "Really?"

"Yeah!"

He clapped once and danced a bit, laughing along with his mom. "Thanks mom! But when does the book store close?"

Autumn leaned away from the counter and thought. "It closes at eight, but I got you." Jessica, Autumn's co-worker for that night, winked. Jessica was never close enough for Autumn to call her a friend, but she was nicer than Jenna to the customers, and she adored Phoenix, especially since he reminded her of her little brother.

Autumn never remembered if Jessica was sixteen or seventeen, but she always arrived after the high school got out, and she kept her head down and worked, joking around with Autumn occasionally when Billye waddled in fiercely as she always did.

Autumn furrowed her eyebrows at the young girl who honestly didn't look that far off in age compared to Autumn, who looked like a child herself, annoyed that she keeps making so many people work her shifts. "You don't have to do that-"

"Oh, shut up, the bookstore is just across the street." She fought back. "Go."

Phoenix was already out of his seat and at the door. "Thanks Jessie!" He said sweetly.

"Really, thank you." Autumn said, and followed her son out the door and into the bookstore that was a good ten-minute walk down the road.

"There's so many." Phoenix said in excitement when they got to the bookstore.