Valentine Martin woke up in the early morning, scrunching her nose as she heard unfamiliar moaning through the wall. She sat up, massaging her face to get the sleep away. Straining her ears, she heard it again.
"Use your words slut. What do you wa...
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Valentine had awoken early in the morning. Slowly, she got up. Her hand reached for her phone, staring at the time on her phone. It was six am.
Even though Valentine's body was screaming in protest while she was getting up, she was determined. She just wanted to go back to sleep. Just for five minutes...Valentine shook her head, slapping herself in her face to awaken herself more. No, she needed the money. She couldn't and wouldn't mooch off of Kenji and River any longer. So, as quietly as she could, the brown skinned woman got herself ready for the day.
Around seven, Valentine was on her way to the thrift store, her mind traveling to last night. To be honest, Valentine was still a little wary of River. Blame it on her past with men.
But, if Kenji said he would do no harm, then he was probably right about it. He never lied to her, never deceived her. And Valentine hoped he never would.
Though, she had a feeling she would always be wary of River. It was just in her nature.
Valentine stood in front of the store's door, her heart pounding in her chest as she gripped the handle and mentally prepared herself for what was to come. She was absolutely terrified- even the thought of Tyler was enough to send her into a spiral of anxiety. She hadn't been back to the store since the last time he appeared, and her fear and paranoia was only getting worse with each passing minute. She ran through all the possible scenarios in her head, the endless what ifs playing and dancing through her mind, creating a throbbing headache.
"Are you going to open that door or not?"
Valentine spun around at the sound of the voice behind her.
It was a Caucasian elder woman, her hair dyed blonde and she had thin lips that were pursed in a straight line as she watched Valentine with a disapproving look on her face. She was dressed in an expensive-looking mustard yellow suit with black heels, a small black Chanel bag slung over her shoulder. The woman looked Valentine up and down, her gaze judging and almost condescending.
Valentine's outfit was far from fancy. She was simply dressed in casual attire. The slightly cropped shirt was a lightish sapphire. The sleeves were sunny yellow and the jeans were plain but the embroidered stars on them gave it a unique look. The high-heeled sapphire with gold stars sandals added a couple of inch to her already decent height. Her wild strawberry blonde coiled curls danced in the wind, the scent of her strawberry shampoo whirling in other peoples nose as they passed by.
Because Valentine was in such a hurry in the morning, she had forgotten to bring her coat. It didn't matter though, because the cold didn't bother her, anyway.
"Some people actually have important things to do, " the woman continued to rumble as she pulled her scarf closer for some warmth in the cold morning.
"Oh, yes! My apologies," Valentine smiled politely, opening the door of the thrift store, immediately locking the woman out as she tried to come inside as well.
