High Hopes|✔

Chapter 8

O P H E L I A ' S P O V

It was exactly one week since I last saw Levi. I hated to admit that I missed his presence.

I thought back to our little lunch thingy and how I hadn't felt comfortable like that in quite a while.

Not even with Kace.

Today was paycheck day and this was probably the only day that I didn't have to spend extra hours at work because everyone would actually stay to receive their check.

It wasn't a check for me though, Rachel just threw a few coins and bills in an envelope and then she gave it to me.

I didn't have to work tomorrow and I wanted to arrive home early to start some housework which would most likely continue into tomorrow.

After I had gotten my payment from Rachel, I left the keys on the rack and began my journey home.

The sun was on the verge of setting and it was the first time in a very long time that I was on my way home before outside started to darken.

I could barely see my house in the distance, even after a cool twenty-minute walk.

What I did make out clearly though, was a large truck situated directly in front of it and two police cars.

My pace, along with my heart rate, quickened at the sight.

I didn't know what to expect, especially in a situation like this but with it being my life, I could expect anything but good.

As I was now a mere few feet from my house, I slightly began jogging as I saw two men bringing my couch from inside the house and a man about in his fifties scribbling down something on his clipboard.

"What's g-going on?" I panicked as I arrived at the scene. "W-What are you doing?" I motioned to the men who continued to carry my stove out of my house and into the truck.

The gentleman with the clipboard looked at me in a bored manner, "Are you the owner of this house? Well— if you'd call it that." He rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I am, why are you taking my s-stuff?" I looked frantically at all of them.

"We're confiscating all of the furniture to this house because it is currently on government's property. We're sorry for the inconvenience caused." He didn't even spare me a glance as he spoke tiredly, as if he said that line a thousand times and as if he was used to leaving a thousand people homeless.

"What —" I felt tears in my vision. "I'd been living in this house for t-two years, there must be a m-mistake." I tried to plead as I wiped the tears with the back of my hand. My voice rose. "This — this is illegal!"

"Look lady," He snapped, losing all patience. "Stop making my job more complicated than it already is. I wanna get out of this neighbourhood before I get gunned down." He shoved his clipboard in my direction. "You're the one that has been living on government land illegally so don't even get me started."

He looked back at the officers as in some time of reassurance that they're still there.

I could understand why you'd need protection in this part of town.

"W-What's this for?" I looked down confusingly at the papers inked with letters on them.

"Sign them to have proof of your awareness of what is taking place here." I looked down at the papers, proof that this was all happening of as right now.

I signed the papers, not even sure if I had written on the dotted lines with the amount of water in my eyes at the moment.

My tears fell on the paper and the man grimaced disgustedly at the gesture.