I strut in, trying to look cool, and see her standing at the desk, writing things down and on the phone, with an infant in her hand.
"Yes, I understand." She says into the phone. The baby begins to pull down the edge of her black v-neck, revealing a pale tattoo of a feather on her chest, just above her left boob. Its pale blue and purple with some green highlights.
I slip the now crying baby out of her arms so she can finish her phone call and she smiles slightly. I bounce the baby around and hum songs and make faces at him. He looks almost a year, and has thick dark brown hair, and big blue eyes.
He starts to giggle as Shae hangs up the phone and scribbles some stuff down.
"You know, for your big bad boy get up you got going on here, you're really good with kids." She says, closing a large book with numbers and records of pick ups and drop offs.
"Yeah, I have a couple siblings." I shrug.
"Well, that's Cole. He's 7 months old and doesn't like any of the staff members. I'm surprised he's taking so well to you." She says smiling at the little baby. I shrug once more.
"So, Miss.Shae has a tattoo, huh?" I smirk at her and she smacks my arm, grabbing the baby and heading to the back room. I follow.
"It was a mistake. My sister and I got drunk when I was 16 and we both got tattoos." She says, setting the baby down in a little crib.
"Ash?" She gives me a look.
"I-umm- I didn't know you knew Ashlynn." She seems uncomfortable, distracting herself with small tasks like picking up toys and moving chairs.
"I just met her today actually. She sits by me in one of my classes." She hums in acknowledgment.
"She would have only been about 14." I say.
"She was, and I took her with me to a stupid highschool party and we made some bad choices that led to my feather and a scene of Chicago across her waist line. Hip bone to hip bone." I nod, seeing how bothered she is by this.
"So, do you go to college?" I ask her.
"No, my mom died and my dad was an asshole so Ashlynn and I packed up and left, moved far away."
"Where did you used to live?" I ask.
"New Jersey." She states.
"So I'm guessing it was just you and Ashlynn?"
"No, I have an older brother, Drew. He moved to Texas." She tells me.
"Texas." I nod. "So, do you like working with children?"
"Why are you so interested?" She snaps, glaring at me.
"Just curious, why?"
"Aren't you here to pick up Rose?" She asks, trying to get rid of me.
"Yeah, but I wanted to talk to-"
"Then lemme get you your sister, jailbait." She says, ruffling my hair. I follow her to a room filled with little 3 and 4 year olds running around being crazy, except one little girl dressed in black in the corner. She has a whole big castle in front of her built out of faded neon colored blocks.
"Whatchya building there, Rosie?" Shae asks, leaning down next to her.
"Its the castle I'm gonna live in when I get big" she looks at Shae and starts describing the rooms. "See, this top part is where my room will be, and the kitchen will be right there, and the fam-i-ly room will be right there, and a big pool in-side, and a music room where all the music stuff will be, and my daddy's room will be there, next to that will be Jax and Sarah, he likes Sarah, and this one will be Camden and Darlene's room, he likes Darlene, and this big part will be you and Shaunie's room." She says pointing. I smile, trying to hold my laughs in.
"Oh, umm- Shaun and I arent-"
"Hey, Rosie!" I scoop her up from her seated position on the floor and she starts to giggle like crazy.
"How's my girl?" I set her on the ground in front of Shae.
"I built a castle!" She points to her side.
"Wow! Its so cool!" I pretend to inspect it closer and she smiles proudly.
"I made it all by myself." I compliment her on it and she wraps her arms around my leg.
"I'm tired, Shaunie." She yawns.
"Okay, princess. Let's go home." We walk back to the front and I sign her out.
"Will I see you tomorrow?" I ask Shae.
"Well I work here, don't I?" She seems snappier than before.
"Well, have a good night." I wink at her and she blushes, but still looks upset.
"What do ya say, kid? Speaker Knockerz, Hollywood Undead, or Eminem?" I ask as I buckle her into her booster seat in the back of my car.
"Speaker Knockerz!!" She shouts giggling.
"Whatever you want, princess."
~
When we get home, my dad is home, along with Jax. Jax is playing Grand Theft Auto in the living room while my dad is cooking mac-n-cheese in the kitchen.
"Where's Camden?" He asks, looking behind me.
"Oh, he was hanging out with a friend of his."
"Darleeeeeene." Rosie adds.
"Oh God." My dad shakes his head, turning back around.
"Angel, why don't you go bug Jax. He looks too happy in there." I say, setting her down. She laughs, and obeys.
"Dad, you know Cam's gonna be just fine. I'm not gonna let him screw up his life." My dad shakes his head again.
"Well you let him smoke, don't you?" He looks so mad.
"Dad, he'll do it whether we let him or not!" My voice gets a little louder.
"You don't have to encourage it! All the kids already think its cool because you do it!" He yells at me.
"Maybe if you were around more Cam wouldn't be smoking!" I yell back.
"Maybe if you didn't look like a mugger you could hold down a job and I wouldn't have to work 3 jobs and I could be here more!" He screams at me.
"Well maybe we all would have been better off if you would have died instead of mom!" I scream at the top of my lungs, stomping back to my room. I march into my room and In a moment of anger I slam my fist as hard as I can into the mirror. But there isn't only a shattering noise, there's a high pitched scream.
I turn, my hand dripping blood, and see little Rosie, tears streaming down her cheeks, a horrified look on her face, standing in my doorway.
YOU ARE READING
The Loser
Ficção Adolescente"That boy's gonna go no where in life." "He'll never get a job looking like that." "Colleges aren't gonna want a man who looks like a thug." "He better cut off that wretched Mohawk soon. No colleges are gonna like that." "He looks like a devil worsh...
