꧁ Cʀᴏᴏᴋs: Bᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴇᴅ ʙʏ Bʟᴏᴏᴅ ꧂

Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 10

(I ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛɪᴛʟᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ʟᴏʟ)

Dear Diary, or, I think? I don't know how people start these things ☺
Anyways, I called Michael the other day, and I think we're really starting to become something. Well, we've only been talking for about a week, but still, love finds a way.
He asked if I had been looking for a job and I didn't really know what to say. "No, I've been in jail haha". I said yes (because I guess I probably should be?) and he said that the cafay was hiring and that I should apply for a job there. He said I was a quick learner :) I think I should do it, I can make money AND be closer with him. It's perfect! I don't really know how all that job stuff works, he said I needed a resumay? I've never thought about it because I never needed to. I can ask Mom, she'd know. Did Lucy even have an actual job? I don't think she'd know how to help me.

Well, besides all of that, life has been great since I got released. Two weeks in the real world and I think I'm getting the hang of it! Lucy keeps taunting me because I don't understand things like aljebra and other stuff I should've learned but it's not like she knows either. I told her she was raised in a catholic boarding school so what would she know, and she just shrugs me off. But still, who needs all of that junk anyways? I can't wait to see Michael again, I think he likes me ➸❤ maybe. I also am going to try to figure out more about my dad to get to the bottom of this all- I won't give up yet.

—Cynthia

I put down the diary and placed it behind my pillow, just so no one tried to snoop through it. Not that it's anything personal, but still.

I knocked on my mom's bedroom door, but there was no answer. I opened the door anyway, just to check if she was even in there- she was. Blacked out drunk, but she was there. Clearly not the time to ask her for anything, so I guess I have no choice but to ask Lucy. So, I went to her bedroom, the door already cracked open.

I peered through the opening, and she spotted me immediately, gesturing for me to come inside. I walked in, and I seemed to clearly be interrupting something- again. Lucielle and Rosemary were sitting at a vanity, Lucille munching on sunflower seeds and Rose painting her nails. There were two other girls sitting on the bed beside them, Christina from before and another woman I had never seen before. She had her red hair braided into two, and her and Christina were shuffling through photos. They presented each one to Lucy and Rose, making remarks about them. Bonnie was sitting in a corner, eavesdropping and reading a book of some kind. I, however, was standing awkwardly once again, feeling like I came in at the wrong time.

They all turned to me, seeming frustrated that I interrupted them. Lucille spit out a shell and pointed to an extra chair by the vanity for me to sit on.

"One second, Cee," she turned back to the red head, "what were you saying?"

She whipped out a photo of a man, clearly taken on a Polaroid. "I met this guy the other day- what do you think?"

Lucy took the photo from her, inspecting it before making an unpleasant face. "Oh, honey, no."

"Why, what's wrong with him?"

"He looks like he's into theater, all I'm saying."

She went silent, seemingly embarrassed. Lucy sighed, "Oh, don't tell me-"

"Well, why is that a bad thing? He seemed nice..."

"Because there's no chance, last time I dated a man who was an actor, he cheated on me... with another man. Find someone else."

Rosemary laughed at the comment, blowing on her freshly painted nails. The red head, whatever her name is, huffed and snatched the photo from Lucy's hand. She handed it to Christina, who was also trying to hold back her laughter so she didn't upset her further.