The Only Exception

1

Walking to her casket, Letoya looked in and didn't expect what was on the inside. Sure she was gone, but nothing would prepare the woman looking on to actually see the other lifeless soul in a casket.

Apart of Letoya was gone, apart of her heart was missing now.

"Why is she here?"

"Oh now that she's gone, she wants to be evident in her life."

"Those faulty tears... who even let her in the doors?"

The voices met her ears like freight trains. Shaking her head slightly, she leaned over and placed a light kiss on the deceased woman's cheek. "I'll always love you."

A hand was placed on her shoulder, as a voice whispered. "I'm sorry Toya."

Whipping around, with a glare iced down terribly as her voice rose, Toya yelled. "No! Don't touch me!"

"Leto—."

"No! It should have been you! This is your fault! This is all your fault. It should have been you!" Pushing the intruder back a few feet, she stormed out of the church house.

That funeral held nothing but dead souls claiming to be alive... and Toya had learned that she had no time to waste on anything or anyone false claiming.

5 months prior

Letoya

The Meet

"L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore"

The music played in my ears as I pushed the basket through the aisles. My phone was to my ear as I multitasked between talking to my best-friend and looking on at the grocery list in my hands.

The store was bright with Christmas decorations, for the holidays were less than 2 weeks away. This jolly day was never so jolly for the me, and everyone trying to cook and revamp Thanksgiving was not the way for me either.

"Toy! Are you listening to me?" Kelly's voice jolted out of the speakers.

"Yeah Kel..." I mumbled lowly, grabbing a pen and checking off chicken from the list.

"Aight what I said then?"

Sighing, I fessed up. "Okay, I wasn't. What did you say?"

"I said, pick me up some birthday cake Oreos."

"So, you must have birthday cake Oreos money?" The question sarcastically came out as I went over to the next aisle and grabbed them. "I got them, now back to what I was saying."

Kelly squealed as I walked on to the cereal aisle in effort to grab some Frosty Flakes. "Thanks Best! Ok, now how much you said it is again?"

"Almost sixty five thousand dollars, bitch. I don't have that type of money, not even in a years savings. I'm just trying to get through college, why the hell does it cost so much? I don't know if I can do this Best, seriously." I complained as I looked down at the list to check the next thing off.

My best-friend of 2 years sighed. "I don't know Toy, we'll figure it out. It's all just too—."

Suddenly, my phone dropped from my ear when I carelessly turned to grab something and ran into someone else causing them to drop things as well.

Wide eyed and embarrassed, I rushed over to help pick them back up. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to run into you. I can be a bit spacey sometimes."

Placing the things back in the persons hand, a soft voice called back. "It's okay. Don't be sorry."

Looking up and finally meeting eye contact, my heart almost flatlined when I realized who I was talking to.

Mouth agape I exclaimed. "Oh shit, you're Jo Jackson."

She chuckled lightly. "I just so happen to be that person, and you are?"

"Letoya Luckett." I introduced myself formally as we shook hands. "I've followed your campaign, you're running for Senator in May."

"I am. I am." Jo's smile radiated before she pointed at the ground. "You... might want to pick your phone up."

Picking it up, I kept her head down for my cheeks were turning a bright rosy red. They always did that when I was becoming anxious about a situation.

Jo spoke again. "Well, I must be going now, it was nice meeting you."

I realized that Jo was really proper. On first thought, my mind assumed that she was just someone putting on the whole proper front on camera. On the contrary for my thoughts presently, she seemed to be this way naturally.

"You as well." That seemed to be the only proper response that I could pull up. I was not used to dealing with someone this proper in real life before.

With that being said, Jo retreated from the aisle, her heels clacking against the grocery store tile.

Looking over my shoulder, I watched her go before putting her phone back to me ear. "Bitch!"

Kelly huffed. "Girl! What happened?"

"It was Jo Jackson."

"Jo who?"

"The first female and the only black one at that to try to run for state Senator." I vented in annoyance.

My best-friend smacked her lips. "Did you ask her for some money? Cause me and you both could use some."

"No that's crude." I scolded my friend as I began walking towards the cash registers. "I'm about to check out and come back to the dorms, so when I call, can you please come down and help with the groceries?"

"Yeah sure. No problem." Her reply came out plastic and phony and I knew that I more than likely wouldn't be getting any help.

"Kelendria Rowland."

"Fine. Just call me." The line beeped and I knew that she had just been hung up on.

Rolling my eyes at Kelly's childish like behavior, I put my phone in my jeans pocket and began loading the groceries on the belt.

The whole time the woman rang the groceries up, I couldn't help but stare at the price adding up on the screen.

It was better to be safe than sorry, plus it seemed that I had 65 thousand dollars to pull out of a magicians hat.

"Fuck." I thought suddenly as I remembered that I truly sucked at magic.