Chapter one (second part)

Chapter one, part two: Help (not) Wanted.


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My dad let's me work mornings on the weekends, that way I can have free time. I do feel guilty, though, since he spends almost all of his free time at work. I was a little disappointed when I showed up to work today...Nicholas wasn't there because my dad said he didn't need training anymore. I'm not for sure if I like that idea or if I hate it.

After work, Dad gave me my paycheck (like he does every Saturday, so I can buy Cd's.) Kristinia drops me off at the music store, but then she goes to the mall with her friends. She hates having to drive me around, but my dad makes her.

" When is your birthday again?" She asks me this every time she drives me anywhere.

"May 13th." I answered, annoyed.

"That means you have to wait another two months before you get your license?
She asked. Then she sighed a very loud sigh to let me know she wasn't happy about that.

It only takes fifteen minutes to get to Crescent Hill, which is where the music store is, (It's also where Nicholas lives, but that's besides the point), but with all of Kristinia's griping, it felt like an hour.

When she dropped me off, I walked in and went right to my little corner. They have all kinds of books that teach you how to play songs from famous musicians. I grabbed one that looked interesting, and started walking while I was also reading. Stupid mistake, because I soon bumped into somebody.

"I'm so sorry! I-" I looked up and lost the words that I was trying to spit out. It was...him.

"Hey Lilly...what are you doing here?" He held out his hand to help me up from the fall I took when I bumped into him.

I looked at his hand. After a few seconds, I grabbed it, but as soon as I was up, I jerked my hand to my side. "I'm just looking at songs that might be interesting to play. What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I'm getting some more sheet music for me and my guys." He said.

"What do you play?" I was surprised.

"I play the guitar. Do you play anything?"

"Y-you play an instrument?" I was too stunned to answer his question.

"Ha, yes. There are alot of things about me that you don't know." He laughed. Man, how I suddenly wish I did know those things.

"Hey, do you want to grab a bite to eat or something?" He asked me.

I nodded my head yes at his unexpected question, and we left. I didn't even care about buying that book that looked so interesting about five seconds ago.
We sat outside, in a private corner away from the world. The March air was a little chilly, but I didn't mind.

"So, you never answered me. What instrument do you play?" He asked.
"Guitar. Sorry for not answering you..." I told him. I was looking down at the table, too shy to look up at his face.

"It's okay. So...what do you do for fun?" He asked me.

"Well, I like to go walking in the woods behind my house, I like to read, I play guitar...why do you want to know about me? I'm a boring person."

"Ha, boring? I guess that makes me boring, too. I go walking everyday."

"Where do you go walking?" I wondered. Crescent Hill has no walking areas, except for the shopping mall, but that really doesn't count.

"I drive out to the country and go walking on the trails in the woods."

"Why would you drive that far just to go walking?" I asked him.

"To get my mind off of my problems." He said.

I looked up at him. "What problems could you possibly have?"

"Everybody's got problems." He smiled. Please. He's rich, popular, and (as much as I hate to say it: cute.) How could he have problems?

Like he had been reading my mind, he said: "Just because I'm rich doesn't mean my life is perfect, you know. Money causes more problems than anything."

That may be true, but having no money also causes problems, I thought to myself.

The waitress came and gave us our ticket for our meal. If you could even call it a meal...it consisted of two Dr. Peppers, chips, and salsa. (Which we never really ate, we just mainly picked at it while we talked.)

"It's five o'clock. I told the guys I would meet them for practice at four thirty." He said, looking at his watch, while getting the money out to pay the waitress.

"Five o'clock?! I was supposed to meet Kristinia outside the music store at four fifteen! I bet she already left me."

"It's okay, I can take you." He said.

"But I thought you had baseball practice. Won't that make your coach even more mad?"

"Baseball practice?" He laughed. "No, not today. It's Saturday."

"But you said you told the guys you would meet them for practice..."

He laughed again. "I meant my band. We practice everyday."

"You have a band?" I was almost speechless.

"Yes, and speaking of my band, that reminds me, we have a gig next Saturday. It's about thirty minutes away from here. Would you like to come? You can be my guest." He smiled.

"Definitely!" I was ecstatic. This would be my first concert!

On the way home, he told me about his band. He said he started it a year ago with some of his older friends. They don't live here or go to our high school, so I don't know them. We pulled up in my driveway, and sure enough, Kristinia's expensive tiny car was parked in the driveway.

"I'll pick you up at seven next Saturday."

"Okay, bye." I got out and walked to the door, smiling. Was this a dream?

"What are you smiling about? And who drove you home?" Kristinia asked as soon as I walked in.

"It's none of your business while I am smiling, and Nicholas drove me home. Why does it matter to you?" I asked her.

"Just wondering. What is he doing driving you home?" She asked, skeptically.

"Because, he met me at the music store and we went and got something to eat." I smiled at her. I knew what I had just said bugged the crap out of her.

"Well, you won't be hanging out with him any longer." She said, putting air quotes around the "hanging".

"And exactly how are you going to stop that?"

"Well...I was supposed to be the one driving you home, and since you went somewhere you didn't have permission to be going, I'm going to tell your dad." She smirked.

"Whatever." I walked past her and went to my room.

"Who has been in my room?!" I yelled, looking around at all the boxes that were piled up. My stereo had been unplugged from the wall, and was now sitting on my bed.

"Oh, that was my mom. You're going to be sharing a room with me. Unfortunately." She rolled her eyes.

"And why?!" I asked, still mad that somebody had been in my room, messing with my things, without my permission.

Jenny walked in to answer that one. "First off, don't talk to your sister like that," ugh, sister. I hate that word when it's used to describe Kristinia. "and second, because your father and I are having a baby!" Her tone changed after she told me the second part.

"This house is way too small for the four of us, how in the world are we supposed to have room for the baby and all the belongings that come with it?" I asked. Even though I knew what she had just told me, I didn't comprehend it very well.

I guess Jenny was expecting me to be happy for her, because she answered this to my reply: "Well, we are adults, and if we choose to have a baby, we can. Now, box up some of your things and when you get done with that, go to the cafe because you have someone else you need to train."

"Who else put in an application?"

"You're looking right at her." Kristina said, smiling. Crap.




Thanks for reading, and please, comment me and tell me what you think. Also, the first part of chapter two should be coming out at the end of next week. I hope you are enjoying the story so far!