Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 98264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Grandpa continued to yell from the porch, but I kept going. The destination didn’t matter as much as getting the heck out of there, but when a brightly lit sign from the grocery store appeared at the end of the road, it felt like a beacon guiding me home.
Grandma had made liver and onions for dinner. It was exactly as disgusting as it sounded, but I’d managed to hide the majority of it under my rice and green beans. With my worm money burning a hole in my pocket, I headed inside for a Coke and a candy bar. My parents would have shit a living, breathing turkey if they knew I was eating junk while I was gone. But, hey, that knowledge would only make the Snickers that much sweeter.
I was still perusing the drink cooler, debating between Coca-Cola Classic and Dr. Pepper, when I heard her voice. It was quiet and shy, not at all that of the rude girl from the creek.
“Oh, um… I thought it was going to be three ninety,” she said.
Leaning to the side, I peeked around the cooler. Long, brown hair, tie-dyed tank top, and muddy white canvas shoes.
Nora Stewart in the flesh.
And wasn’t that just fan-freaking-tastic.
Groaning, I sulked back behind the cooler with hopes that she wouldn’t notice me. She was already checking out, so with some luck, I could avoid her completely.
“You gotta account for tax, honey. It’s four seventeen,” the clerk replied.
“Dang it.” She sighed. “I always forget about tax. I, um, well… I only have four dollars.”
My eyebrows shot up. That was impossible. She should have turned a crazy profit for the day. I’d dumped almost ten bucks in worms at her feet before I’d stormed off.
Which, by the way, was not my smartest financial move. But, fine, I wasn’t great under pressure. She was bratty—albeit cute—and had gotten me all flustered asking questions and I hadn’t known what else to do. I’d regretted it pretty much immediately, but I’d been too proud to go back. Especially after I’d almost busted my butt on an old stump in the ground.
Curiosity killed the cat, and I once again leaned around the corner.
“Can I put something back?” She crinkled her freckled nose as she took inventory of her purchases: a loaf of bread, the tiniest pack of ham I’d ever seen, a bag of chips, and pack of watermelon gum.
I twisted my lips. My parents were strict about making me pay for anything extra that I wanted, but I’d never had to buy my own dinner.
The cashier offered her a sad smile. “If you put the gum back, you’ll have enough for the rest.”
Nora shook her head. “No, that’s a surprise for my brother.” She grabbed the chips and handed them to the clerk. “I don’t need those. Do I have enough money now?”
“Yep. That’ll work.”
Her shoulders sagged and a sharp knife of guilt stabbed me in the stomach. I had more than enough money in my pocket to cover the bag of chips—all of her groceries for that matter. However, after the way she’d yelled at me, I didn’t figure she liked me all that much.
Still, I could have helped.
But I was twelve, and she was a girl, who was probably just going to shout at me again, and if she didn’t holler at me, offering to pay for her groceries would probably embarrass her. And if it embarrassed her, it was sure as heck going to embarrass me.
So, like a fool, I stood there and did nothing.
I watched the cashier bag her groceries and pass her the change.
She thanked the lady and tucked the money into her pocket. Then she took her bag and headed for the door.
“Hey!” the gray-haired man in line behind her called out, bending over to pick something up. “You dropped this.” He extended a hand toward her and there it was: a perfectly folded ten-dollar bill.
My eyes narrowed as confusion rocked through me. If she’d had a ten in her pocket, why’d she say she only had four dollars?
The older man shifted gears into lecture mode. “You need to be more careful with your money, kid. You can’t let it fall out of your pocket like that. A different kind of person might not have given it back.”
She stared at him for a beat, sporting the fakest smile I’d ever seen. “Right.”
What she said next changed the entire course of my life.
I didn’t know it then, but with three words, the universe kicked the first domino that would ultimately form the sprawling path of my future. A path I would struggle to travel. One that would collapse under the weight of my regrets and eventually knock me to my knees, but I’d never stop getting up and forging ahead because it would forever be the only path that led me back to her.