It's been almost a month since Bobby had found her, and Amanda had gotten a quite bit comfortable in the house. She was happy, she was really happy.
She looked over to Bobby who was sitting on the chair next to the television, watching the Hockey game. She bit her lip and grabbed up a piece of paper and threw it at him. She giggled when it hit him in the head and he turned with a death glare. She smiled and walked over to him.
"This game is boring." She laughed. "Is it okay if I go up to the store to get some stuff?" She asked. She had yet been able to go anywhere by herself.
Bobby looked to her. "..Sorry, baby.. You can't. Not yet. Do you want me to take you?"
"But, Bobby. I'm seventeen.. And… well, I want to go by myself."
"I know, but we just want to make sure.."
She nodded. "I getcha." She sighed and threw another piece of paper at him with a giggle. "Then, I'll be upstairs then.. When is Jerry coming over?"
"Soon.. He said he'd be late." Bobby looked over to Angel which was trying not to laugh at him. "What?" He threw the piece of paper at him and looked back to the T.V.
Amanda made her way up the stairs into her room. This place was great. Though she'd like to go out sometimes, she could deal with it. She was going to start school again next week, and God.. She couldn't wait. Eleventh grade, she was almost there. She'd be in a different school than last year, and this time.. Everything would be different. She'd be happy! She'd try to make friends, and she might of even got a boyfriend. Oh, that would be great. She couldn't wait. Though she was a bit anxious about meeting new people, being in a new school and all, she knew that it would be better than any time before.
She grabbed a book from underneath the bed and started reading. It was "Minion," by L.A. Banks. It was a good book, so far.
Hundreds of flying vermin circled their heads with beady, glowing red eyes and huge, menacing fangs, diving at the team in a high-pitched aerial attack.
"It's too fucking many of them to shoot! They're moving too fast," Rider shouted.
Amanda laid down and continued reading. This was one of the good parts. She wondered what would happen next.
After reading a few chapters, she pulled herself from the bed and smiled at herself in the mirror. No more bruises, no more cuts. Just beautiful, infalliable skin. She brushed her hair back and sat at the vanity, picking up some make up and started putting it on. Blue eye shadow. Not so dark, just light. Black eyeliner and mascara and light pink blush and lipstick. She laid her chin in the palm of her hand and held her head up.
She never had any of these things, she never looked this beautiful. She was trying to think of what to wear for the first day of school. Should she wear a dress? Or.. Pants? Or a skirt and a really cute shirt? How should she put her hair? What color eye shadow and lipstick should she wear? Really dark, or.. Medium dark, or.. Really light? Or should she wear make up at all?
All of it was so exciting. She stayed up during the night just thinking about it. Other than that, her sleeping habits have gotten better. Almost no nightmares for the past few weeks, no more tears in the middle of the night. They were all happy about that.
She got dressed up and walked downstairs. She couldn't wait to see Jerry again. She hadn't seen him in a while, and she missed him. She walked down the stairs, her long hair down and in curls. Her bright blue eyes burned brightly, matching the bright blue shirt and denim skirt.
Jerry, Angel, and Bobby were talking about the game but they immediately stopped when Amanda came down. She looked at them with wide eyes and blushed. "Jerry!" She rushed down the stairs and basically tackled him.
He coughed with surprised and hugged her. "Hey, girl.." He said with a smile. "You look nice. You look beautiful."
Bobby blinked and looked over to Angel. She was seventeen alright. He chuckled and stood, stretching. "What are you talking 'bout, Jer.. She's always beautiful."
They all watched her blush and pull away, sitting between them.
"So, I heard you're going back to school next week." Jerry said, wrapping an arm around her.
"Yeah.. I can't wait." She gave that bright smile that could make even the evilest, or most depressed person smile with joy. "It'll be great."
"Yeah.." He said.
"But just be careful," they all said in unity.
Amanda smiled. "I will.. I promise. You guys can't watch me all the time, so.. I have to be careful, and well.. If I ever see my dad again, I'll… I'll tell you.. And.. Stay away from him and stuff." She looked down.
"Good.." Jerry rubbed her back and looked up to Bobby and Angel as they both jumped up with enthusiasm.
"YEAH! SCORE!" Bobby chuckled and sat back down. Their team had won.. Ugh, finally. He looked to Amanda.
"You okay, girl?" He asked.
"Yip!" She smiled and threw the paper at him again. "I'm getting hungry though."
"Well.." Jerry said. "How about we all go out for dinner? I'll bring my wife and kids.. And, you guys can come.. Our treat?"
"You sure you can do that?" Angel asked. Jerry hadn't completely gotten out of his debt, but, he got out of most of it.
"Yeah.. I want to. To celebrate Amanda going to school next week, and plus.. She hasn't met them yet." He shrugged.
"Really?" Amanda bit her lip, trying to keep in the excitement.
Jerry shrugged. "Sure."
"YES!" She jumped up and hugged him. "I'll go get my coat!" Amanda rushed off, leaving the three of them with a smile. She rushed back down. "Where we going? Where we going?" She bounced.
They laughed and Bobby put an arm around her. "Wherever you want, baby doll."
--
They had went to McDonald's and Amanda got the biggest thing possible. She knew she wouldn't be able to finish all of it, in a long shot. But hey, it would be fun! She smiled to Jerry's wife, Charlene (sorry if that's wrong.. I don't remember!). "Nice to meet you!" She smiled again and shook her hand. She looked down to his two daughters. They were so cute!
They both wanted to go play in the play pen and Amanda agreed to go play with them. "Come on! Let's go have some fun." She chuckled and took their hands and walked into the play pen. She started to play with them. She ran around the place like a maniac, playing hide and go seek, and all other games that they chose. "You're fun, Amanda." They both said.
She smiled. "…Thanks, you guys are too." She tickled them.
"So, how is she doing, Bobby?" Charlene asked.
"She's doing really good. She's going back to school next week," he nodded. "We haven't heard anything about her father.. So, he's probably still in jail awaiting trial. It's either that or waiting for bail."
Charlene nodded and took a bite of a French fry. "How about you, Charlene?" He asked.
"We're doing good. We're doing better than we were." She smiled and kissed Jerry.
"Yeah, I kind of figured that." He smiled, finishing his soda.
He watched the kids and smiled, turning to Angel and Jerry. "…So, what now?" He asked.