Downtown Boy

c h a p t e r 5

🎵She'll see I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love with an uptown girl🎵

-Billy Joel

It has been over a week.

Since my panic attack.

Since I left my house and the monsters that live in it.

I've been avoiding Hunter at all costs ever since the talk we had that night. Luckily, he hasn't cornered me alone either.

I haven't even been able to sit down alone and.....take everything in. Maybe it's the fact that I don't want to, or that I've been prancing around with Lacey that I don't have anytime.

I'm overwhelmed with everything. I am. But I can't just go to an empty room and start crying for no reason. I can't just look at this family and sob over something my family never gave me.

I'm envious, not even gonna deny it. Maybe this is what the Lord has written my life as. A miserable girl that'll end up being a kitten lady that will soon enough turn into cats and find love, something I might never find, and I'll be a proud mama.

"Sierra, I'm hungry. I want some toast." Lacey demanded as she shakes my arm, breaking my thoughts.

Giving her a hard look, she sucks in some air. Huffing, she musters up a tight lipped smile, "Please." It's like she was chocking on the word. She emphasized on each letter when saying it, trying to look innocent.

I'd been teaching Lace some manners. Well, forcing them upon her actually. You can't exactly blame me, if the kid wants something she better say 'please'. I get that this part of town doesn't have many people that might deserve the kindness, but there might be some who do.

For example; Granny Viv, Sam.

People who don't; Hunter the idiot.

But in all seriousness, I'd witnessed first hand the way people here communicate. And I would very much likely want to walk away and never go through it again.

Standing up from where I was sitting with the little girl, I make my way to the kitchen, her not-so-quiet footsteps were right behind me.

Trying to stop the smile that was forcing to break out, I stay quiet and take out the bread.

There hadn't been much to do in the house.

I would usually get an hour or three of sleep.

Try and make breakfast, I was getting better at it, I swear. Place it on the table and then cover it.

Hunter would usually wake up by then, but I would run away and start cleaning the bathroom or doing the laundry.

By the afternoon I would've been done with all my work. I didn't need to make dinner, Sam prepared dinner every night.

Everyone just went with it. He was pretty good actually.

Right now, the only people home are Lacey and I. Granny's at the Café, Hunter's at the car shop, and Sam's at College.

"Boo!" She screamed at me, shoving my arms on the process. I painted a terrified look on my face.

"Hah! You should see your face! You went like-" she widened her eyes and frowned her lips, "-it was hilarious! I bet Hunter would love making thousands of print out of it and sticking it around town!" She laughs.

Come on, my fake horrified face wasn't even that funny.

I give her my unamused face. I wouldn't exactly like the idea of that asshole to take a picture of me. Printing it is a big thing.