Good Girl ✓

Chapter Three

Mr. Reed let me place the last puzzle piece, which made me really happy. It took about three hours in total to finish, and lots of little rest breaks between that included tea and snacks.

"Amara," he said my name. I looked up at him expectantly. "What is your parent's contact number? You are staying here and they should know."

"Ehh, I'm not sure about talking to them. Mom said only to contact them for emergencies otherwise they don't want to hear from me. I really don't want to get into trouble," I explained, hoping Mr. Reed would understand. 

I don't think he liked my parents very much. Every time I spoke about them, he seemed disappointed and angry.

"Um... so, did you want to meet my cat?" I asked him. He hasn't met Scraps yet, properly at least.

Mr. Reed tilted his head to the side. I can tell he wanted to shake his head no but instead, he nodded and said yes. I grinned and he followed me back into my bedroom.

"This is my little Scraps," I introduced, pointing to my adorable baby who was curled up on a pillow. She stood up and did a big stretch, walking over towards us. 

"She's so cute, isn't she?" I asked Mr. Reed. He looked down at me and nodded. 

Mr. Reed looked back at my cat and put his hand out. She moved forward and rubbed her face against his thumb. 

"Scraps really likes you!" I cooed, reaching forward and itching her chin as she purred. 

"Well she should if she is under my roof," he mumbled.

Mr. Reed turned his wrist and looked at his watch. "It's six, what did you want for dinner?"

"I don't know. What do you usually like to eat?" I asked him. I didn't want to disturb his normal routine. He had given me so much already. 

"I am asking you, Amara," Mr. Reed stated. He walked toward the kitchen and I followed behind him closely. 

"I am happy eating anything," I tell him. "I can help cook something if you needed a sous-chef."

Mr. Reed laughed and shook his head. He pulled out a bar stool for me. My foot got stuck underneath the bar and I slipped, but luckily Mr. Reed was there to catch me. 

"Thank you, that was close," I said shyly. 

"You need to be more careful or you're going to get yourself hurt," he scolded me. My cheeks reddened and I smiled timidly up at him.

Mr. Reed walked around the countertop. He opened the fridge and put all sorts of pre-cut vegetables on the table and a packet of rice. I think he was going to make a simple stir-fry.

"If you can set up the table, you'd be a big help," Mr. Reed said as he started heating up the frypan and plopping the vegetables in. 

I nodded. I wanted to help him out as much as I could. I went around into the kitchen and collected two plates, and forks. I set up our seats and cutlery ready to eat. Mr. Reed took about fifteen minutes to cook the greens and then heat up the rice in the microwave. 

"Thank you for all your help," he praised me when we sat down for dinner. I blushed and smiled at him. I liked whenever I was commended. 

We started eating dinner. It was really yummy, despite me not being much of a vegetable eater. We ate in quiet and the only noise was Scraps walking around scratching the carpet and rain falling against the windows. 

When we finished, I stacked the plates to make it easier to carry, and Mr. Reed brought the hot frypan back into the kitchen. He said he didn't want me to burn myself, so he handled it.