A New Kind of Love

Be My Escape

Be My Escape

My alarm clock shouted 'wake up!' in my ear. I was instantly agitated. I hit the stupid thing so hard it fell from my night stand. I put my pillow over my face as it continued to blare in my ear. My mother busted through my door just as I was about to scream an expletive. "Ainsley?! Are you okay?"

I removed the pillow and looked at my frazzled mother. Even in her weary state, she looked absolutely beautiful. Her full, auburn hair was fanning her face, and her makeup was done. She looked a lot younger than she had when we lived in New York. The distance from her former husband must've been the cause. "Yes, Mom. I'm fine," I said, sleep thick in my voice.

She didn't look convinced, but she let it go. "Get up, you need to get ready. I have an interview at nine and I need to get on the road," my mother said as she picked up some dirty clothes and put them in my laundry basket. I sat up, intrigued. I didn't think my mother would be going to back to work so soon. The divorce left her drained and you could tell. After my father's affairs, my mother started looking twenty years older. She didn't want to go outside or talk to any family. She tried to stay strong for Adalyne and I, but it didn't work. Her eyes grew worn.

"Really? Where?" I smiled at my mother and watched a smirk stretch across her face. My mother worked for a small, but lucrative business in New York. She had business running through her blood. That's what made her a good match for my father.

"Xavier Corporations out in Palisades Court. Medium-sized company that sells material for different manufacturing companies," my mother said as she glanced at herself in my full length mirror. She tugged at her navy business suit, and smoothed back a few stray hairs. She looked determined.

"Good luck. I hope you get the job," I said as I sat up and threw my legs across the bed. I looked at my ashy feet and sighed.

My mother smiled at me and made her way toward the door. "Thank you, sweetie. Now get up!" She opened my door and went across the hall to Adalyne's room. "Hurry up! You need to be out of here in forty-five minutes!"

I listened as her feet made soft thuds on the carpeted stairs. When she got all the way down, I laid on my bed. As I stared at the ceiling, I realized that I would be seeing Jake again. I smiled and sat up. Just then, I realized that I needed to get to the bathroom quickly. If I waited for my sister, I'd have to go to school grungy. I jumped up, grabbed some under clothes, and ran for the bathroom. As I closed the door, I could here my sister curse. "You little brat!" she screamed.

I laughed with victory. I disrobed and stepped into the shower. It was hot and pounded my skin. It felt so good and exhilarating. As I washed, I found myself thinking about Jake. His laugh, his smile, his eyes. My thoughts wondered to his face more than I was willing to admit to myself. Quickly, I finished showering, and made my way back to my room. Fifteen minutes was all I needed to be showered and ready. Hopefully, my sister wouldn't take forever. I grabbed my things and made my way downstairs.

My mother was in the kitchen drinking coffee while looking over her résumé. She looked up at me and smiled. "Wow. You are growing up so fast. Can you believe it? My youngest, a junior in high school." A sad weariness replaced the glow in her eyes. "Too bad your father can't see you like this." My mother tried her hardest not to speak ill of my father when he wasn't around, but I could still hear the contempt in her voice. I sat across from her at the breakfast table in our vast kitchen. Pouring myself a cup of orange juice, I smirked, and replied, "His loss."

My mother chuckled and nodded her head. She checked her watch and sighed. "All right. It's 7:50. I better get going. You guys should head out, too." She leaned over and kissed my forehead. Without another word, she walked away, making her way to the front door. "Adalyne, be safe!"