Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
As if reading my thoughts, the woman in the blue chair turned to me and said, “Don’t worry, they’ll help you. They always do.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I was too close to tears as it was.
I knew it was only a matter of time before my parents cut off my insurance. All the money I’d saved since I started babysitting in junior high school, working food service in college, and took whatever crummy odd jobs came along in the summers was almost gone. My little nest egg was running low.
Dangerously low.
I’d have to do something about it soon.
I wasn’t sure how I’d survive each day dealing with this pain head on. It seemed like an impossible task, and I didn’t like to think about it, so I sat and watched a woman so far gone she twitched and itched with withdrawal symptoms and a fat guy with a broken arm. I waited some more.
Patiently.
Mostly patiently.
The phone buzzed in my pocket, and I ignored it, hoping the fact that I hadn’t answered at all meant my parents would get the hint and stop calling. But as soon as the buzzing stopped, it started up again. I knew I couldn’t ignore them forever. I would tell them to stop calling and that would be it. I hoped. “Hello?”
“Christ, Bonnie, where have you been? When you didn’t answer, I was so worried.” Maisie’s voice filled the line and though I was sorry I scared her, I was relieved it was her and not them.
“I’m fine Maisie. Just out running errands. Filling out job applications and dropping off resumes. The usual.” The woman beside me smirked, and I glared her into turning around. The lies I told my best friend were none of her business.
“Oh. I’m glad, Bon. Good for you. Are you free tonight? We haven’t hung out in such a long time. I was hoping to treat you to dinner so we could catch up. Talk shit about people we used to know, eat greasy food and just…hang out. I don’t know, maybe go gamble for a little bit.”
If not for the hope and desperation in her words, I would have gone with my first instinct and said no. I didn’t want her to treat me to dinner like some charity case. Even though I missed my best friend, things were different now.
“I don’t know, Maze. I’m feeling kind of tired.”
She groaned in my ear, and I knew those blue eyes rolled toward the heavens. “It’s three in the afternoon, Bonnie, I think you’ll recover by eight.”
Damn. “I don’t have any money or any nice clothes, Maisie. How about we just grab some pizza and sit in the garden?”
“How about you throw on a pair of jeans, borrow a nice top from me or Kat and meet me for dinner? Or else.”
I knew the or else would be something worse than dinner out, so I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “Yeah, okay,” I said with a sigh. “Fine. Where do you want to meet?”
“You ever been to the lower level of Bullets & Beer? A totally swanky speakeasy style restaurant. Meet me there. Seven forty-five. Don’t be late.” The call ended just as the scowling woman in scrubs called my name.
I stood with a nervous smile, rehearsed what I would say and followed her behind the coveted door. To the doctor’s office.
He was a young man, not much older than me. He had kind eyes, but he didn’t smile.
“Bonnie Byrne, right?” He asked, and I wondered if he’d seen me on the news.
I nodded.
“How are you doing today?”
I shrugged. “I’ve been better.”
He nodded sympathetically. “I can imagine.” He paused, looking at me for a moment before scribbling some words on a prescription pad. “Here you go." He said and handed me a prescription.
I looked at it, relief washing over me.
“Thank you.” I said, before turning and walking out of the clinic.
Only six minutes with the doctor and I had a prescription with a few refills, and I was one hundred and fifty bucks lighter.
Before I could get back to Ashby Manor to mentally prepare myself for dinner, I had another stop to make.
“Red. I’m thrilled you finally came to see me!” Squeaker’s smile was wide and it seemed genuine on the surface, but only if I forgot all the threats he’d issued like a pervert handing out candy.
“Hi, Squeaker.” I didn’t want to get too friendly with the guy because I recognized that gleam in his eyes, and I didn’t like. Or trust it.
“Come to get something or drop something off?” Again, he spoke casually. Easily. But there was something in his eyes or the set of his shoulders that kept me on edge. Or maybe it was the creepy alley where he did most of his business.