“Well, if you’re sure, honey?”
She put a smile on her face. “Yeah, Mom. I’m sure.”
Her mother grabbed the remaining contents in the bag and handed them to Lake. “Look what I got, your favorite!”
Lake’s stomach growled in happiness that it was finally going to be fed, and by her favorite grub at that.
“I don’t think she’s that hungry anymore. You should have seen the big plate of spaghetti she ate. She doesn’t need to get any bigger.” John laughed, pretending he meant the last part as a joke.
“So full you can’t even eat one bite?” Her mother smiled.
Lake’s eyes again went toward John, and his face said it all: ‘Don’t you fucking dare.’
“Yep, I’m stuffed. Maybe I’ll heat it up later after I finish my homework.” Yet again, Lake began walking out of the kitchen with nothing other than her belly rumbling…
Lake finally awoke when she realized the sound of her stomach growling wasn’t in her dream. I wish it was just a dream. Sadly enough, it was her reality.
As she sat up in bed, she had no clue how long she had been out by looking out the huge window to the dark sky. She could tell her body was still sore, and the crust in her eyes told her she had fallen asleep bawling.
She reached into her jeans’ pocket and pulled out her cell phone to check the time, finding she had slept until the middle of the night. She was actually happy about it, because the evil stepsister and the revolting old man would be sound asleep.
Lake headed downstairs and took her time as she showered in one of the guest bathrooms then dressed in clean clothes. She even got to make herself a nice, hot breakfast. When she was done, she headed back up to her bedroom to get to work on Ashley’s paper.
She clicked on the light to illuminate her new bedroom, which was actually better than it seemed. Sure, it was a little sparse, but at least it was safe up there. There was no way anyone wanted to climb those stairs; as a result, at least she could sleep soundly.
It was a little on the dark side at night, but the room really was cool with its triangular shape. Every inch was wood from floor to ceiling, and the exposed wooden beams made for a nice touch. She had her mattress, a chair, and a small desk which held an old box computer. She also had an old leather trunk where she put her clothes. She was pretty certain the trunk had come with the house, though. But, all in all, it had everything she needed for two days of living. Besides, a hell of a lot of people were turning attics into bedrooms. It’s a very hipster thing to do, right?
Lake sat down at her desk and turned on the computer. It was going to take five minutes for the thing to start up, but it would eventually get there. The paper was going to suck to write; however, the best part was she only had to make sure it was a ‘C’ grade paper, because a ‘C’ for Ashley was like getting an ‘A.’
Still waiting for the computer to fully start, she couldn’t help thinking about how the day had somehow managed to be worse than the previous one. John had given her twice the workload than usual, and her body couldn’t physically take it, nor could her mind. She hadn’t cried or reacted that way in a good while, and the only thing she wanted to blame it on was the fact that John had worked her to death. Don’t even think it. She didn’t want to believe she had possibly had a mental breakdown because of Vincent.
Lake squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep the thoughts of Vincent away. She was determined he was going to become dead to her. That was going to be the end of whatever they’d had for not even twenty-four hours.
Just six more months…
Lake’s end of her problems was going to come in June when she could finally graduate. Then no one—not John, Ashley, or even the mob—could own her. Lake would finally be a free woman. She was determined no one was going to change that, either.
At last, Lake could see her end in sight and nothing, nothing was going to come between her and her freedom.
Lake shed a happy tear. She could already hear the victory bells ringing.
Ding, dong. Ding, dong…
Chapter Ten
The Story of Vincent and Lake
The next few months felt almost as if someone was flipping through the pages of a book, skimming to the end.
Each chapter became a month. Then, before they knew it, they were six chapters in and finally at the month of June.
However, the story of Vincent and Lake had only just begun.
Chapter Eleven
A New Beginning and A Happily Ever After
Lake tapped her finger on the desk as she stared down the clock.
“Earth to Lake, are you even listening?” Adalyn snapped her fingers in front of her.
“What?” She turned her head away from the clock, only to look right back at it.