I

"Fuck!" I screamed as I crumpled up the letter and threw it is the trash.

"What's wrong, Alfred?" The owner of the diner I was working at came up to me.

"I got declined again, Mr. Harrison," I told him as he started to pour himself as cup of tea.

"Well, you aren't going to find many jobs in Joplin," he told me staring into his cup longingly.

"That's it!" I slammed my fist on my now open palm, "I'll go to L.A.! They have to have plenty of jobs for me to take."

"That's not exactly what I meant-" Mr. Harrison started before I cut him off.

"Can I have my pay for this month? I need to go and get a new job," I said now excited.

"So you are just going to drop everything and head off to L.A. where you don't know anyone or have a place to stay?" Mr. Harrison asked me, taking a sip of his tea.

"Well, I can find someplace to stay and I don't even know anyone here so what is the difference?" I asked him.

"If you believe you can make it out there all by yourself, then take the $150 plus the tips like always and be on your way. I will not stand in the way of your dreams Alfred but if you can't make it don't expect me to hire you again," He said chucking after that.

"Thank you so much, Sir. I won't disappoint you and will be out of your hair and able to make it on my own just watch," I said heading over to theregister and taking out the money I need. I then emptied the tip jar in my pocket.

"Goodbye, Alfred," Mr. Harrison said to me before I slipped out the door.

"Goodbye," I said and started to head home.

XxXxXxX

I walked up my driveway which sat empty since I couldn't afford a car. I called my land lord on the way here and told her that my last payment would be on the kitchen counter and I would be out of her hair.

I took my keys and opened the door as I gave the stray cat that always sat on my porch step one last shoo before going inside. I went straight to my room and packed up my last belongings. I had two pictures sitting on the fireplace mantel as I took them down.

One of them was me and my mom and my dad before they died in that fire. We are sitting around a bowl of popcorn as I sat on my mom's lap as my dad was tickling my mom making both of us laugh. We had huge smiles on our faces as we smiled at the camera. A tear started to form at the corner of my eye. I quickly wiped it away and wrapped it in a sheet of bubble wrap before placing it in the bottom of my passenger trunk.

The other picture was of me and my two aunts. Aunt Aiyana and Aunt Malia. We were playing a game of London Bridge in which they caught me and were holding me in their arms. I was giggled and Malia and Aiyana smiled with huge grins as my uncle's fist was in corner of the picture in a thumbs up sign. I wrapped that in some bubble wrap and placed it in my trunk before going to my closet.

I took all my clothes and my one pair of sneakers and placed them in my trunk. I closed the lid and grabbed a backpack. All that was left was a couple of books and my dozens of notebooks filled with songs and lyrics. Some of them weren't complete and some of them were ready to go straight into my guitar. I took all of the money I had hidden in a lockbox under my bed and threw that in there to before zipping it closed.

I grabbed my trunk, slipped the backpack over my shoulders, and grabbed my guitar which was neatly placed in its case. I threw the keys and the rent money on the counter and took one last look at the place before leaving.