by Quell T Fox
“As you wish, beautiful.” He turns and leaves, as simple as that. This guy is weird.
Once I’m confident that he’s gone I quickly make my way into the room, locking it behind me. I put my bag of frozen food into the tiny bar freezer, hopeful that it will keep it frozen enough to stay safe enough to eat. I hear the muffled sound of my phone ringing again, I pull it out and again it says Private Caller, I take a second to think and it pops into my head. Damn, I need to answer this!
“Hello?” I say quickly.
“Hi, Friday? I-It’s Todd.” I knew I should have answered the phone earlier.
“Yes, hi! How are you?” Quickly changing my tone from frustrated to bubbly. Hopeful that I won’t be charged an arm and a leg for everything that he’s done for me. I know, I’m hopeful a lot, but as I said I won’t allow all this bullshit to bring me down and right now I have nothing other than hope.
“I’m well, but I have some bad news. Oh, but I also have some good news.”
“Bad news first.” I state dryly.
“The head gasket on your car is blown and fixing it will cost a lot of money. Good news is, the guy at the station wants to buy it for parts. Bill said he’ll give ya a c-couple hundred for it.”
Fuck. Off.
“All right, that sounds good.” It does not sound good. At all, but what else can I do? I’m trying to stay positive and keep my anger in check. “Could you do me one last favor though? All of my belongings are in the trunk, anyway you could get them over to the motel for me before tomorrow morning? It’s my last night here.”
“Sure thing Friday, I’ll do it as soon as I’m done with my shift tonight and I’ll let Bill know to write up the paperwork for ya.”
“Thanks Todd, you’re the best.” With that, I hang up.
What am I supposed to do now? I have nowhere to go, no car and maybe back up to a thousand dollars once I get the money for the car. That’s at least one positive thing. But how far is a grand going to get me? Why does my life suck so hard? All this crap in a matter of two days. Two days
My original plan, when I left was to drive back to where I came from, I refuse to call it home because it was never my home. I know plenty of people there, someone would let me crash on their couch. I could go to my mom’s but that is an absolute last resort. Almost not even an option kind of last resort. I’d prefer sleeping on the streets than staying in her roach infested Section 8 apartment. Now? I have no idea. Literally, no idea. I barely have family, no friends really, all the friends I did have weren’t mine and never liked me much anyway. They only hung around with us because of Doucheface. Not that I care, because I didn’t like them anyway. I wonder how many of them he was sleeping with. The more I think back on my life over the last four years, the more I realize that I have no clue what the hell I was thinking.
What have I done with my life? I used to be proud of where I was and how far I went, now? It’s not looking all that great. What did I do to deserve such a shit life? I must have been a real asshole in a previous one.
It’s like I have been on autopilot for the last four years. Same boring shit every day, it was at least a little better when I was working, but then I got laid off. I never found anything that was worth doing. Nothing seemed good enough, and we didn’t need the extra money because Asshole made enough for both and he preferred me at home and away from people. My goal was to start school again, but I guess I started getting lazy and was enjoying being content for a change. Funny how you don’t realize how bad things are until you take a step back and look in from the outside. I guess me finding him balls deep in another woman was a blessing in disguise. Maybe this is my chance at a new beginning. A chance to do more than just exist. A chance to enjoy life. It could be, but the way things look right now, it’s not probable.
This whole situation needs to turn from a negative to a positive, I’m going to make it happen. I’ve gotten through too much bullshit in my life to give up now. If I can deal with everything else that I’ve dealt with, then I can deal with this. It’s only a minor setback. That’s it. I got this; I can do this.
My phone dings, I pick it up to check who is texting me. It’s a number that I don’t recognize, but I open it up anyway.
Number: Hey Friday, it’s Todd. Wanted you to have my number in case you may need anything else. Text or call any time, promise it’s okay ;).
This poor goofy kid. He’s too nice for his own good. Maybe in a town like this it’ll work. I don’t know, I didn’t grow up in a place like this, so I guess I really don’t know. I don’t know what it’s like living in a small town, I’ve only ever lived in big cities. I respond back, thanking him and he tells me that all my stuff will be here late tonight after work. Like he didn’t already tell me that. He’s just being nice, I know, but I’m in a bad fucking mood. I wish I had friends to party with. Getting drunk sounds so good right now. I wonder what those guys upstairs are doing…no, that’s a bad idea. It’s bad enough that guy keeps popping up at random trying to get my attention. He is hot as fuck, don’t get me wrong. But he’s too arrogant for his own good, I can tell that much just from looking at him. He’d be good for a quick fuck, but I’m not even in the mood for that. At least it’s an option if I change my mind, I’m sure of that.
Taking the trash bags filled with my stuff, I dump them onto the bed. I need to go through all this stuff and sort out what I need and don’t need, since I’m not going to be able to lug everything with me. I ransacked our house and threw a bunch of random things into the bag. I wanted out of there as fast as possible. I spent too much time playing games at first, with the outfit and the shower that I let everything sink in. It all hit me while I was still there and in the process of taking my stuff.
I’m probably going to have to pay for another night at this motel, I don’t want to waste the money on it, but I feel like I don’t have a choice. I leave everything in a pile on the second bed that I haven’t been sleeping in. I make my way to the office and there is a different person behind the desk today. A middle-aged woman, her blonde almost white hair is up in a tight bun on the top of head, her long, crooked nose is turns up at me when she sees me walk in. I know this type, hates all other women, especially younger, prettier ones. She probably thinks I’m a hooker. Just great.
“Hi, I’m staying in room 7, I’m supposed to leave in the morning, but is there any chance I could pay for another night?”
“Let me check.” She takes a minute to look through a scheduling book, this place not advanced enough to use a computer program, apparently. “Another night in that room will be $129.00”
“What? Why? The other night is was only $59.00!” I’m exasperated at this point. I want to crawl into a cave and hibernate for the rest of forever.
“The other night wasn’t a Friday night. It’s our busiest night, the room rates go up. Take it or leave it.” She snarls.
Not wanting to spend that much of my money on a place to stay, I decide to take my chances on something else. I walk out of the office without saying another word. I stomp back towards my room like a child. Will anything ever go right? In my fit of rage, I don’t notice the small bag that’s sitting in front of my door. I only realize it when I kick it. There’s a note attached. I lean down and pick it up, plucking the note from the bag.
I don’t need a thank you.
-Maddox
His words cause an unwanted smile, making me forget about my anger for a moment. But I quickly wipe it from my face, worried that he’s watching me. I can’t let him win. Not that easily, not over a bag of food. I take the food inside, sit on the bed and open it up. I pull out a cheeseburger and fries. It smells delicious and I waste no time eating it, trusting that it isn’t poisoned. When I’m done, I go back to sorting through my belongings. Inside of the two bags that I grabbed, I find only a few things that I want to keep. Everything else isn’t worth it. I don’t plan on getting rid of it, exactly
. I’m hoping Todd can do me one last favor.
CHAPTER 5
Taking a look at the clock, I see that it’s a little past one AM. I’ve spent the evening browsing the internet and drifting in and out of sleep because I have no life. This is kind of like a nice vacation, how’s that for positivity? I stretch and kick the blankets off me wanting to check if my stuff is dropped off yet. My feet reach the rough surface of the rug and I walk quickly to the door, happy to see that my things are there. All laid out against the wall by my door. When I turn to go back in, I notice an envelope taped to the door with my name on it. If this is that guy again, I swear…I open it up to find 300$ and a note stating that it’s for the car. I feel like there should be more involved than just someone handing me cash, but I don’t care enough to ask questions right now. The car isn’t in my name, neither is the insurance. Fuckwad can deal with the repercussions.
I’m grateful that Todd wasn’t in a talking mood, because I’m not. I pull the bags inside, needing to go through everything soon since I don’t have much time left in this room. I’m kicking myself in the ass for lounging around for as long as I did, but on the other hand, what else is there to do?
I send Todd a quick text thanking him and asking for one last favor. I am hoping (once again) that he will have a place to store these clothes for me until I am able to get them back- whenever that may be. My phone dings, letting me know that there is a text. I check it immediately hoping that Todd answered me back.
Nope.
Doucheface: Baby, please talk to me. I’m sorry, come home!
Ding!
Asswipe: I miss you xoxo
Ding!
Fuckbag: I promise I’ll change.
Ding!
You get the gist, right?
Fucking pathetic.
What a fucknut. I type out a reply that has more swears in it than necessary, okay maybe they are necessary. But just before I hit the send button, I delete everything. He isn’t worth my time. Or my anger.
My phone dings again and this time I almost don’t check it, but I’m glad I do. This time it is someone that I want to hear from.
Todd: I’d love to help! I can keep that stuff as long as you’d like. I live alone, no one to worry about touching your things. I’ll keep them safe.
Is that supposed to impress me? I better make sure to not leave any panties with him…he’d probably hang them off the mirror in his car as an air freshener.
I send a short thank you back and let him know that I have to be out of here by 11AM tomorrow. He promises he will be here way before that to get everything from me. He has been very helpful, and for what? I haven’t done a damn thing for him… I almost want to tell him to be here at 11, so I can get as much sleep as possible. This may be the last night for a long time that I will get a good night's sleep, in a bed all to myself.
I spend the next hour sorting through the bags. Filling only one bag with my absolute keepers, including every pair of underwear - I wasn’t joking about that part. Not bad, considering I started with five. I also happened to find my toothbrush which I don’t remember taking from the house, but it was a wonderful surprise. I rush to the bathroom to brush my teeth, enjoying it so much that I think I moan almost the entire time. And when I’m done, I brush them again, because I can.
Going over the plan in my head, I’m not fully satisfied but I don’t have many options right now. Once I get back on my feet, I’ll be fine, but I’m going to suffer for a little while. I can handle this. Going back to Shitville won’t be the worst thing. Well, if I have to stay with my mom it might be. When I leave tomorrow morning, I’m going to get to a bus station and get on the next bus back to hell. Simple enough.
***
I wake to the sound of my alarm and snooze it. When it goes off the second time, I remember that I really need to get up to catch the bus. I checked the times before falling asleep last night, which was really late, or early, depending on how you want to look at it. The bus is leaving in a few hours and the bus station itself is an hour from here. I could wait and catch a later bus, that would allow me to sleep longer…
Bad idea, I know. I hop in the shower, again knowing this may be the last shower I take for a long time. I wash up quickly and dry myself even quicker. I throw on a pair of jean shorts, a tank top and my sneakers knowing that I have a lot of walking to do today. The weather channel said it’s going to be hot one today. I prop the door open and bring my bags out one by one, leaving them by the door. Leaving only the one that I am going to take, inside the room. It’s early but the heat is already setting in. I catch a glimpse of the four really hot guys loading up their jeep, they must be leaving today too. I stop for a moment to watch, because as arrogant as that one seems, he’s still nice to look at. And all four of them together? I think I’m starting to sweat, and it isn’t because of the heat. I pull my large sunglasses down to cover my eyes. I can at least hide the fact that I’m staring.
Maddox, the one that I’ve had the pleasure of encountering on multiple occasions is leaning against the side of the car smoking a cigarette and looking at his phone. He is the shortest one in the bunch, but that doesn’t take away from his looks. At all. With his sleeveless black shirt, I am absolutely enjoying the view of his tattooed covered arms and broad chest, I’m almost drooling I bet. The perfection of his hair adds to the cockiness that you can tell he embraces. It’s styled perfectly into a dark fauxhawk. His squared jaw is covered in a light stubble that I can see from here. He has the going-to-fuck-you-but-not-call-you attitude going for him. It works.
The tallest guy looks to be a little over six foot. His build not as wide as the other guys, but you can see the definition in him through his thin t-shirt, like a swimmer. His hair is a dirty blonde and is just long enough for him to tuck behind his ears, which he keeps doing since it falls out of place every time he bends over to pick up a bag. He’s the only one doing anything of importance. He’s rocking a pair of red Chuck Taylor high tops, which says a lot about his personality.
The third guy is sitting on a parking bumper in the space on the side of where their car is parked. His hair is a light golden-brown. Normally, when I think of a comb-over I think of an old guy trying to cover his bald spot, but not on this guy. Nope. His hair is swooped over in the sexiest comb over that I have ever seen. Black framed glasses rest on his nose, and he has a pointed chin that makes him look like he could be a model…maybe he is a model. Or a naughty teacher. Yeah, I like that one better. He’s also lean, but he fits nicely into the tight pair of jeans that he’s wearing. I’m totally drooling at this point.
The last guy looks like he has a stick up his ass. He’s bald, with a dark reddish-brown beard. I see a tattoo on the back of his head, but I can’t make out what it is because he’s too far away and pacing back and forth. He also has tattoos covering his arms, and hands. His build similar to Maddox, wide and muscular. He has on a pair of khaki shorts and a dark red t-shirt. Nothing fancy. He has that asshole look going, like he wouldn’t bother fucking you because you aren’t worth his time.
I find myself biting my lip, because all those guys are fuck-worthy in my opinion and I could really use a distraction from my reality right now. As much as I’d love for that to happen, I know that it can’t. I turn and go back inside before I get noticed. I pick up the last bag and drop it next to the rest of them. When I walk out this time, I notice Maddox staring me down. I pretend that I don’t see him, but it’s too late. Something is drawing me to him and I looked a little too long, he definitely noticed. He starts walking towards me, taking quick but sure steps. I refuse to look at him. I don’t have time for this guy and his arrogance.
“Did you enjoy your food?” He smiles a gorgeous toothy smile.
“I threw it out,” I lie, leaning against the cool brick of the building, pursing my lips.
“You’re lying,” he says matter-of-factly. I narrow my eyes at him. “What do you want?”
“
Come with us.”
“No,” I manage to choke out, but deep down I think that I want to do just that. Take off with a bunch of super-hot strange men, start a new life and forget about my current one that is full is nothing but hard times.
“Why not? It’s not like you have anything here. I overheard your conversation with that red headed dork, the one with the puppy dog eyes. He wants in your pants, you know.” He smirks.
Fucking cocky is right.
“What’s it matter to you?”
“It doesn’t.” He scoffs and turns to leave.
Fuck, I don’t know what to do! He’s right, I don’t have anything here or anywhere. What do I have to lose? Besides my life and my limbs? Nothing.
Fuck it.
“Wait!” He stops, turns and meets my eyes, that cocky smile playing across his lips again. His eyebrows raised in question. I ring my hands together for a moment and let out a sigh.
“Fine, I’ll go, but I need to wait for Todd to get my bags—”
“Put them in the jeep, we have room.”
“You guys just loaded that thing up, they won’t fit.”
“Hey, Lenny! Open up the back, we got more bags.” The tall guy nods and goes around the back to open the trunk that looks almost empty, even though I could have sworn it was just full of their stuff. “Get over here and help.”
Lenny walks over and picks up all five bags in one motion. I knew he was stronger than he looked. I guess Maddox’s idea of helping is to do all the work. Bossy motherfucker. But why is it making the butterflies go crazy?
“What’s your name, Beautiful?”
“Friday.”
“Well, well, I guess it’s my lucky Friday, isn’t it?” His tone sends shivers through me, unexpectedly. He takes my hand and pulls me towards their car. “Friday, I’d like you to meet the guys. This is Lenny,” he points to the tallest guy who gives me a wave and a smirk, “the baldy over there is Alec, and this fruitcake is Callan.” He lastly points to the naughty teacher, is he really a fruitcake? Cause that would be so very disappointing. Alec didn’t bother to look up, I knew he was an asshole. I get vibes from people and I’ve learned to go with it.