Chapter 1
When I woke up this morning the sky was so bright it struck even me with a burst of hope, and I wasn’t really a big believer in hope right now. I barely gave hope any stock before the absolute destruction of my life, so I certainly didn’t give it any stock afterward!
My entire life, it had always been, “hope means nothing. Faith and hard work mean everything.” So eventually, those very sentences are what I built my life around. I should have realized that decision was idiotic at best. A house cannot last on a flimsy foundation, and that foundation was about as unshakable as the Titanic was unsinkable.
Then, just when I’d accepted the minute amount of comfort the sunshine could bring, the heavens opened up and began to pour an inconceivable amount of rain. I’m beginning to think I must have done something so positively horrendous in a past life that God sees it fit to punish me in this one.
Today was going to be a clusterfuck. I could feel it in my right knee... or maybe that’s the rain I’m feeling. Regardless, today was the day it would all become official. Well, I suppose it was already official in the eyes of the law, but it still hadn’t quite sunk its vicious little claws into my brain.
The people I called my parents for as long as I could remember had kidnapped me. It seems ludicrous to even think that.
For what seems to me to be my entire life, they had fed me, clothed me, bandaged my scrapes, and kissed me on the forehead before I went to school. They took photos of me before I went to prom. They were... WE were normal.
We went rollerskating every Friday night and played board games on Wednesdays when I got home from school.
It’s strange trying to accept that the people who helped me study for my semester exams and made me blueberry, banana smoothies for my birthday are people who kidnapped me from a park when I was barely 2 years old. Strange is, quite honestly, an inadequate word to describe my current situation but I suppose it will have to do for now.
I digress, today is going to be an absolute clusterfuck. Today was the day that what was left of my “actual” family was going to come get me. So, my brother and his wife were going to come get me from where I was currently staying.
When everything went down, the police found it necessary to have my mental health assessed. Dr. Fite saw me, and all but instantly decided that under no circumstances should I allowed to simply return to my apartment and attempt to move on.
OH NO!
Dr. Fite decided that what would be best for me was going to live with the sad remainder of my birth family in the hopes that I would acclimate to their life.
I’m starting to work myself up and that can only affect me negatively right now. Deep breathes.
I guess part of me was excited to meet him. After all, he was, evidently, a billionaire. It’s not every day that you find out you’re related to a billionaire. Only a minuscule little part of me was excited though. For the most part, I was so absolutely terrified that thinking about it made me feel like a middle-aged PTA mom that got wasted on cheap wine and was now about to throw up everything she’d eaten that day onto the principal of her son’s school.
“KNOCK KNOCK LOSER!”
I sucked in air and stood up so fast I knocked my chair over. I couldn’t believe it.
“cOMe GeT THE DOOR!”
“Wait for a second Jean! I can only move so fast!”
The instant I unlocked the door it was slammed open.
“Jesus Christ Jeanie, were you trying to kill me with the door? Nearly bashed my freaking head in!”
“Boo-Hoo! Anyway, when’s big brother billionaire getting here? I’ve got to grill him before I let him take you away from me.”
“Jeanie dear, I don’t think you have a choice in the matter. Though it’s endearing that you’re trying to protect me.”
“Anything for you Jude Dude.”
“Please... NEVER, and I mean never, call me that again.”
I tried to give her a serious look but the sheer amusement on her face coupled with what she’d just called me was too funny. Not to mention, she was soaking wet and dripping water onto my welcome mat. Once I started laughing she couldn’t resist laughing either. When we both managed to stop laughing I paused to take a deep breath and then began to speak again.
“I’m going to miss you, Jeanie. You’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember and it just seems--”
“I’m going to stop you right there Jude. We’re staying best friends you miserable old cow! We’re going to talk every day, and you’re going to have to come visit because I’ve got your precious Clyde.”
She promptly wrapped me in her arms and squeezed.
“It’s going to okay you know. Everything always turns out alright in the end!”
“God I hope so... You better get a move on if you want to open the cafe on time today Jeanie!”
“Alright, alright. I’m going, but I just want you to remember that I’m always here for you if you ever need me. That’s never going to change. I’m always going to be your sister from another mister... Even if your fancy new older brother doesn’t work out!”
I froze. I could feel myself tearing up. “Better get out of here before I start crying!”
“See you later sugar.”
Jeanie gave me one last tight squeeze and then headed out to open her cafe.
God, I wish I could go with her. The cafe had always been, and probably always would be, my home away from home. It had big plush chairs and warm lighting and a heavenly selection of books. Don’t even get me started on the smell. It smelled exactly like Jean... Or more exactly Jean smelled like it.
Cupcakes and hot coffee. If anyone were to invent a love potion for me, it would smell like that!
I snapped out of my thoughts and headed to the bathroom.
“Time to tame the bird’s nest that is my hair!” I took a deep breath and began to untangle.
“Oh for Pete’s sake!!! Owwwwww.” I finally pulled through the last knot. I gave a heavy sigh. “Finally... Only took 14 years,” I muttered under my breath. “Now, to do makeup or not to do makeup. That is the question.” I decided on simple makeup.
I was a big fan of makeup, and if I planned on going out then it was pretty much guaranteed that I would look like a walking masterpiece makeup-wise. If I wasn’t going out though, there was really no point. I mean, no one would see it and I wouldn’t be able to touch my face against ANY of my pillows!!
“Okay, my left wing is perfect I just need to bring the end of the right wing up without completely ruining my eye makeup... Oh for fu... UGH. Every. Freaking. Time. I swear!”
I set my head on the counter for a minute to contemplate what I did to make God hate me so much. Then I went back to trying to fix my eyeliner.
“Close enough.”
Then the doorbell rang...
