"Do you want a refill, baby?" Indra, the waitress at the diner asks me.
"No thanks. I think I better head home. I'll see you tomorrow." I grab the book I've been reading all night and gently tuck it into my backpack. My laptop that's sitting on the table next to my empty mug and crumb covered plate is blinking at me with a silent alarm. It's 5:00 am. My mom will be getting home in thirty minutes. That's just enough time for me to jog home and beat her there. I slap my computer closed and shove it in my bag along with my homework.
"Thanks again for the coffee and the cinnamon roll was delicious." I tell Indra as I walk to the door.
"Anytime, baby." She waves me off.
My converse covered feet slap against the sidewalk as I start to run home. I hear a car driving up so I duck into the alley between the ice cream shop and hardware store. I lean out just enough to peer at the car. Mom? I look at my watch, the one that my dad gave me the night before he got arrested. 5:04. She's early. I take off sprinting behind the stores and houses on my way to our tiny house. Because I'm cutting through yards I get there just after my mom's car pulls into the driveway.
I watch her go inside and then sneak up to the house. I take a peek inside and see her in the kitchen. If this were our old house I could climb the tree and jump in through the second story window, but here's there's only one floor. She's pulling eggs out of the fridge. I know that she's making breakfast for me before I go to school. It's my first day at the new school. I decide to just bite the bullet and walk inside. First though I drop my bag on the side of the porch, tie my hair up in a ponytail and pull off my shirt so that I'm in a tank top and my yoga pants. I'm glad I wore those today.
I take a breath and then open the door. "Hey, Mom. How was work?"
"It was great, sweetie. And how did you sl-" She snaps her mouth shut when she turns to see me coming in the front door. She gives me a glare that reminds me of our old selves. She looks like the wife of the mob boss rather than the small town doctor that she's pretending to be.
"Where have you been?" She asks me after setting down the eggs and turning completely to face me. Her hands are on her small hips.
"I was out for a run." I motion to my clothes and give her a look of contempt. Ever since my dad got arrested we've been walking on thin ice.
"You know that I don't like you out on your own." She gives me a disapproving sigh.
"Mom, I'm almost eighteen and we're in a nowhere town. I'm fine. Plus, I always have my good friends with me." I slip the knife out of my back pocket and show her. I then reach down to take my shoes off and pull out the knife from my sock. Sure it's not actually a great place to keep it, but when I have no pockets it works.
"I still don't like it. Maybe I should try harder to get the day shift." She says and I can see the wheels start to turn in her mind. I can't imagine actually having to be around her for more than the couple of hours we're home together. It's hard enough already.
A/N If you want Bellamy's POV I have the same story just from his POV. Hope you enjoy both of them!
