In the quaint cottage town of Red Grove, Daniella 'Rose' Elliott longs to escape her miserable life and pursue a brighter future. Yet, her dreams are thwarted not only by her family's financial struggles but also by an incident she buried away in th...
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Roses are red Violets are blue Friendships are bitter Conclusions are too
Dani didn't know how long she walked in circles, kicking trees and letting the wind dry her endless waterfall from her eyes, but she knew enough time had passed for her to look decent or at least less emotional.
The gravel under her feet turned to dirt as she ran past a few more cottages and up into his driveway. Only two cars sat in the driveway, shaded by the canopy of trees. One was sleek with black rims, the other was beige with dents all over it. She recognized both but knew none were Atlas's.
Still giving it a try as she couldn't wait for school, she tried the door anyway.
No response.
Judging by the sun, not that much time had passed, but it was still fairly early in the morning... Maybe they were still sleeping?
With a sigh, she knocked once more.
No response.
"Damn," she swore under her breath. Her eagerness died down as she turned on toes to walk down the steps. Maybe he wasn't home. His car wasn't there and his family was probably heavy sleepers. She was going to be a nuisance if she'd continued.
Just as she reached the last step, the squeakiness of the oak doors opening made her glance back. The person who answered the door was not his mom or one of his sisters. It was someone she hadn't seen in a while... Someone she wished she hadn't come across with this morning. Flashes of Chris falling down the stairs played repeatedly in her mind as she met his father's eyes. "Oh? Hi Mr. Anderson?" She blinked as he leaned against the door frame. "I wasn't expecting to see you here?"
Mr. Anderson's black eyes widened but soon narrowed as he recognized Dani's face in the distance. He was wearing a large robe that was slightly opened which showed off some of his chest. His raven-like black hair was all tousled up, as he had some sort of brown sauce dried on all over his cheek... peanut butter? In his hand was a white mug and the smell of coffee filled Dani's nose as she got closer, stopping meters away to keep a great distance. "Long time no see..." He sipped slowly on his coffee before finishing his sentence, "... Daniella?"
"Um, once aging sir, it's Dani?" She tried to smile politely, but the thoughts of her mom still lingered in her mind. The last time she saw Mr. Anderson was the last time she hung out at Adam's place before Gary's death.
Mr. Anderson, just like his son Chris, gave her off vibes. They both encourage Adam's old drinking problem and they were always so friendly with everyone—but her mom. At school events, bake sales, or even at the convenience store, most of her conversations with Mr. Anderson started off with the same thing—shitting on her mom. "I don't go by Daniella, remember."
"Sure?" He nodded and wiped the peanut butter from his face— it smudged even more. "How's Carrie doing?"
Dani narrowed her gaze. "She's shit? Just preoccupied with Malachi... as always."
