baby [h.s.]

three

            I hid in that hotel for two nights; it was my little paradise. But after those nights, I knew I couldn’t afford it much longer. And, money aside, I had to face the issue.

            Early in the morning I checked out of the hotel. I carried a plastic bag holding the outfit I arrived in; I had gone out and bought some clothes.

            It would take me far too long to walk back to my house, but the tube station was only two blocks away. As I walked, I looked around my wallet until I found my Oyster card. At that point, I was glad I had one.

            I scanned it on my way in and waited for my train. The schedule said one near Green Park was due for arrival any minute.

            I entered the tube when it pulled up and secluded myself in a fairly empty place. I rode in silence as anticipation ate me up. I knew that Parker probably wasn’t there; he would think I’m too worthless to wait two days at my house for me. But the worry still ate me up.

            I didn’t want to think about what he would do once he finally found me. It frightened me just to even think his name. It was evident that my peaceful, stress-free two days was over. It was back to the real world.

            The tube came to a stop and I got off. I kept my head down as I walked up the stairs to ground level. My flat was only four blocks from the station.

            The man that helped me, Harry Styles, had crossed my mind quite a bit since it happened. I was quite grateful for him; Parker would’ve found me standing on that corner if Harry hadn’t. Honestly, I was quite a bit disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to see him again. I wanted to thank him.

            But I knew it would be for the better. If I saw him, he’d ask questions that I didn’t want to answer; I wouldn’t be able to leave him in the dark. The man witnessed it up front. It was inevitable that I’d have to explain.

            I didn’t stop anywhere on the way home, so my walk only lasted ten minutes. Parker’s car was nowhere to be seen when I found myself out front of the building. Relief immediately flushed over me.

            My flat was silent when I walked in. Nothing appeared to be different than when I left it. The pillows were in the same place on the couch and all of the lights were off. The kitchen was untouched, with unwashed mugs littering the gray granite countertop by the sink. A magazine was still lying open on the wooden coffee table. It was surprising.

            It wasn’t until I walked into the bedroom when I realized something was different. My jewelry box was propped open and my cheap jewelry was strewn all around it on my dresser. Usually, I keep my jewelry box under my bed, and I wasn’t the one to pull it out.

            A gasp left my lips as I ran towards the dresser. Instantly I thought of all of the family jewelry I had in that box; my grandmother’s diamond earrings and my mother’s emerald and diamond necklace.

            I nearly cried as I desperately searched through the box, but I came up empty handed. The jewelry wasn’t there.

            I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. I knew Parker had done it; he was one of the only ones that knew where I hid the damn thing. I felt angry, betrayed, upset, and shocked. I could barely react.

            I wanted to call the cops, but I knew the London police were shit when it came to miniscule cases like this. Even with that knowledge, that’s what I ended up doing.