Leaving It All Behind [Formerly Help Wanted]

Leaving It All Behind [Chapter One]

The bitter wind beat incessantly against my skin and I shivered as I snuggled my face closer into my thick scarf I had thankfully thrown on before I left my apartment. If there was anything I hated about living in Michigan, it was the freezing winter weather. I sighed as I thought about the kind of nice warm weather I would be experiencing now if I had chosen to live in Florida, or somewhere else in the south.

I really should have chosen the south when I ran from the cops...

I looked around miserably at the buildings surrounding me while I was making my way to the grocery store. Watching all the cars pass by on the street made me wish that I had enough money to buy myself a new car that didn't break down all the time. This time, there was something wrong with the engine and I wouldn't have it back until Tuesday, today being Saturday. Just my luck.

The inside of the warm grocery was a welcome relief to my wind chilled skin. I made my way quickly all the way to the back of the store, heading for the milk, stopping for some bread and cocoa puffs on the way. What can I say? Even though I was now 18, I still absolutely loved the chocolaty taste of my life-long favorite cereal.

As soon as I found everything, I made a bee-line for the self check out line, not paying attention to anything in particular. I was preoccupied with thinking about the coming day, where I would be going to more shops and stores and filling out more job applications than I wanted to count.

As I was considering what name to put on all the applications, I felt a strong bump on my shoulder, the forceful blow pushing me back a few steps.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," a deep voice said suddenly. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and -"

"I don't need your life story. I'm sorry too, and now we keep walking," I snapped, continuing my stride feeling annoyed at the world. Honestly, you bump into someone, you don't need to explain what was happening every second of the way through; you apologize and move on, it's as simple as that.

"Well sorry," the man said, holding out the 'r' to let me know he was being completely sarcastic. I rolled my eyes and just kept going towards my check out; I really needed to get home, it was getting late.

The later it got the more cops that came out, and the more cops that were out the more chance I had of being caught.

Groaning, I remembered what I had forgotten. "Crap!" I muttered to myself, astounded that I could completely forget the hair-dye I needed. Now on top of getting home, I needed to find myself a supermarket after I got out of here.

I hurried through checkout, pulling out the little money I had. This little excursion was really going to cut me back on pocket money. I shoved the bills into the machine and waited impatiently for my change and receipt. Grabbing both, making sure I didn't forget even a penny, I ran to the end of the lane, bagged all my things except the milk and practically ran out of the store, not caring about the strange looks I was getting.

After walking for 10 more minutes in the ever-dropping temperature of the winter air, I found a drugstore that looked promising.

Feeling my face blushing slightly as I walked in, I remembered that I was still holding my bags from the other store, what with having no car to leave them in. Call me stupid, but I hated going into a store carrying bags from another. There was just something that made me feel bad about it. It makes no sense, not even to me.

Ignoring my urge to walk back out, convincing myself that I really needed the hair-dye, I went straight to the isle along the far right wall that looked like it held all the hair products.

I smiled slightly when I saw the rows of dye. I wonder which one to choose...

I looked into the mirror they conveniently had at the end of the isle, I eyed my appearance carefully. My dull, dirty blonde hair hung limply down to just above my elbows. I needed to make this change drastic, something that would make me look nothing like myself.