Silent Screaming // Ansel Elgort

0.1

Ring, I heard the door to the store open.

"Hi, welcome to Lane's Grubb, how may I help you?" I flashed a sympathetic smile. 

As much as I just wanted to get out of this hellhole and just go home already, I knew this is what my mom would've wanted to see me doing. 

"Hi, Is there by any chance you know where a hotel might be?" A guy with bright brown eyes and curly brown hair asked. "Do I look like a map to you?" I raised my eyebrow. "No, I just-" I cut him off. "Up the road about 3-5 minutes from here, there's a huge sign that says Brooke's Inn, you can't miss it." I nodded him out the store.

My dad owns the store, the hotel, the gas stations, the libraries, the schools, and pretty much everything in town, he's a huge business man, my mom was too. Nothing was more important to her than her family and jobs. I miss her a lot, and if there was a way I could just see her one more time before she had gone... I would've just kissed her goodbye. I really would have. 

"I should have kissed her goodbye." I whispered to myself as a heated tear rolled down my tanned cheek.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" I saw a customer looking at me with concern all over her face. 

"Oh, sorry," I wiped my tears. "Is there something I can help you with?" I looked at her taking in every inch of her face. 

"Oh," she giggled, "it's okay, we all have bad days. And actually." She pointed to all the items on my counter to scan. 

I started scanning her items, "Story Brooke Lane." She smiled wide. 

I looked up at her through my eyelashes. "Yeah?" I packed some items into a bag. "Daughter of the most famous business man in town?!" She squealed.

I laughed. "That'll be twenty-seven dollars and sixteen cents." I said waiting patiently.

As she went to pull out her wallet from her purse, 2 condoms fell out. "Whoops, these must be yours?" I held them up to her. "Oh my go- yes. Thank you." I saw her cheeks turn a light shade of red.

She took out two twenties and I handed her her change. "Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you around." I handed her her bags and watched her leave with a smile. 

-- 

I got home and kicked off my shoes. 

I live with my maid, Truly. 

"Truly, I'm home!" I notified her presence when I heard a room door close.

"Welcome home Story. May I get you anything?" She asked politely. "Oh Truly, how pleased I am of you, but you know you're not even my maid, you're like my sister." I smiled. 

I walked into the kitchen to the smell of cinnamon, one of my favorite smells in fall. 

"How about... some hot cocoa, brownies, and movies?" I dug into the box of hot chocolate packets and took two out with tiny marshmellows inside. "Yassss. Date night, woohoo." She laughed, "I'll dig out some comedies and romance movies." She hurried to my movie shelf. 

Truly, is my age, younger by a couple of months. Her dad killed someone and she left her state because she didn't want anything to do with the murder. Yeah, I'm crazy for allowing her into my home, but we made a deal, she cleans and works in my home to live here. She's a really fun person, I don't look at her as my maid, she's my roommate. She's my little sister and my responsibility. 

Beep Beep Beep, the microwave went off warning me that the milk was warm enough. I took the packets, ripped them open and poured them each into separate cups. I watched it turn to chocolate as I stirred cautiously. I took my bin of brownies and sat on the couch and handed Truly her cocoa as she joined me.

"What movie?" I asked. "Safe Haven." She replied. 

Oh how much I love this movie, it reminds me of my life, you know.. runaways, lies, and pure craziness.

"Oh my gosh Truly," She snapped her head my way. "I saw the most cutest guy ever in the store today." I smiled. "I want all the deets now." Her eyes opened wide. 

"Well, there's not much, he was super cute, he's staying in a hotel." I looked at her shyly.