Tragic and Wonder: An Un-Fairytale [On Hold]

Chapter 17- Reality Check

Jade's POV

I woke up the next morning feeling a strange mix of emotions. I felt as though I was crumbling under the weight of what happened over the last 24 hours, yet I felt as though I could almost take on the world. Or at least most of the world. I knew that thinking back to James, I would be in trouble of losing this newfound confidence. I needed to keep moving forward. I could not afford to let my mind drift back to the past.

I looked at the time. It was 9:00 in the morning. I needed to let mom know I was still okay and where I was. First though, I needed to figure out where I was, after all the driving yesterday, I lost track of where I was. I got out of bed, showered, and changed to tackle the problems of today.

The hotel that I was in had a continental breakfast available, so after I gathered my belongings and placed them in my car, I headed in to eat some breakfast. The food was alright. It was nothing compared to my mom's cooking, but it was hot and hit the spot. I grabbed a cup of coffee to go, which was very sub-par. I made a mental note to find a café to sit and think and get an authentic cup of coffee, I guess that is what I get for working at a coffee shop. And there is that feeling again. That feeling of sinking. I cannot go back to work there. I simply must call Mr. Sullivan to let him know that I must quit. I hate being a quitter, but these last few days have me quitting things that I did not see myself ever quitting or at least not all at once or so sudden. However, what was done was done and it was time to pull what was remaining of myself into some semblance of being back together. I decided to call Mr. Sullivan right then. It rang three times, and I was starting to get nervous that he would not answer. I did not want to do this over the phone, so I was going to set up a time to meet him.

"Hello Jade."

"Uh. Hello, Mr. Sullivan" I said caught slightly off guard at his abrupt answer.

"What can I do for you, Jade?" He asked. He sounded almost like he knew what was coming.

"Well, Mr. Sullivan, I was wondering if I could set up a time to meet with you, soon." I replied.

"Jade, I am not going to lie, I had a feeling this was coming. There was something in our conversation earlier that made me think that you were going to ask to talk with me, and to be honest, I am a little afraid of losing you. You are a fantastic manager for me, and I would hate to think that it was something that I did to make you want to leave."

"Oh, Mr. Sullivan," I replied, starting to cry again. I told myself that I was not going to cry on the phone with him. So much for that.

"Jade, is everything alright? Do you need help? What is wrong Jade?" Mr. Sullivan asked sincerely.

"M-M-Mr. Sullivan. I am fine. Th-the only thing I can tell you is that it is nothing that you did at all, but I need to discuss it with you, and I would rather do in person than over the phone." I replied, pulling myself back together a little.

"Okay Jade. How about we meet tomorrow at nine in the morning? Will that work for you?" He asked.

"Yes. That should be fine." I replied.

"Okay then Jade. I will see you tomorrow morning."

"Okay Mr. Sullivan. Oh, do you know if James is working tomorrow morning?"

"No, I believe that Jessie is working the morning shift tomorrow. Why is something going on with James?" He asked.

"Um...No." I replied curtly.