Sad Story

C h a p t e r T h r e e

Linda sneaked quietly into her small, cramped room, turning on her desk lamp and placing her books on the small table in front of her ancient Windows 98 computer. As she waited, she scanned her table and saw her pill bottle sticking out among the mess. She reached out for it and held it close to her chest, sighing in relief, before popping a few pills in her hand and throwing them into her mouth, cringing as she swallowed.

"You forgot your medicine at home again," Ellie, the girl she shared bunk beds with, said as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

Startled, Linda looked at Ellie guiltily as she held the bottle behind her back, trying to come up with an excuse.

"Don't even think about lying. I came home and saw it on your table today," the thirteen-year-old scolded, propping herself up on her elbows .

"Please don't tell Dad," Linda pleaded.

"Linda, this is the third time!" Ellie whisper-yelled. Linda's eyes dropped to the floor as she nervously bit her bottom lip. "I won't tell Dad. Just stop forgetting to carry it."

"Thanks, Ell." Linda smiled weakly.

"What happened?" Ellie asked, pointing to the dark stain on Linda's blouse.

"Oh, this..." She placed a hand over the damp spot as she thought back to the accident. "It's nothing. Just me being clumsy."

"Of course," Ellie said, rolling her eyes as she fell back on her pillow.

Turning off her desk lamp, Linda changed into a faded t-shirt and pajama pants before getting into bed.

"So you're not going to shower?" Ellie questioned when she felt movement in the bunk below.

"If I go to the bathroom right now, Dad might wake up and notice how late I came in today, and you know how he gets."

"Yuck!" Ellie said in disgust.

Linda chuckled. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Shouldn't you be caring about your personal hygiene, not my sleep schedule?"

"Touche," Linda laughed.

**

"Wake up, loser!" Ellie said, nudging Linda awake.

"Shit, am I late?" Linda said, jerking up into a sitting position.

"Almost!"

"Crap!" Linda said, throwing the covers off and jumping out of bed.

As soon as she stepped outside her door, she was bombarded with loud squeals of children running up and down, playing before they got ready for school. She put her towel on her shoulder and started to make her way to the bathroom.

Linda's father, a man in his mid-fifties, climbed up the staircase to the second floor, a toddler sitting on his shoulders. He held a small pair of pants and was chasing around a butt-naked three year old. Linda couldn't help but laugh.

"Morning, Linda," he greeted, heaving heavily.

"Morning, Paps." She walked towards him and placed a light kiss on his cheek.

Before they could exchange any more words, the toddler hit the old man on the head.

"Horsey, horsey, go!" he squealed brightly.

Linda laughed out loud. "Go on, horsey!" she said, pointing forward.

Mr. Grover chuckled as he looked at his wrist-watch. "Young lady, I suggest you go take a quick shower before you're late for class."

Linda replied with a quick nod before she entered the bathroom. She shut the door behind her and noticed the sticker on the back was peeling off. She slowly outlined the edges as she pressed it firmly back on the door with one finger.

The sticker had an image of an animated, two-storied building, just like the one they were living in, with the words Home of Hope Orphanage below it. She placed her forehead on the sticker and shut her eyes, exhaling slowly.

******

  Mr. Willows pressed a button on the remote control in his hand, causing the curtains in Jace's room to open slowly. Sunlight fell onto his face as Jace slowly stirred awake. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up to find Mr. Willows smiling at him.

"Rise and shine," he said smugly.

Jace looked at the digital clock on his bedside table, then looked back at the lawyer standing at the end of his bed.

"School doesn't start for another hour or so. Why are you waking me up this early?" he asked angrily, narrowing his eyes.

"Because you are not supposed to be late, remember? And knowing you, you'll spend ages in the bathroom, so I figured the earlier you got out of bed, the better."

"Get the fuck out!" Jace yelled pulling a pillow from behind him and throwing it at his lawyer, missing him by almost five centimeters. Mr. Willows laughed as he walked out of the room, shaking his head and throwing the remote on the bed as Jace continued to glare at him.

"What the actual fuck!" he shouted in frustration, kicking his legs around as he fell back on the bed, only to hit the back of his head against the headboard.

"Son of a bitch!" he swore loudly, cradling his head.

Jace carelessly walked down the stairs, throwing one foot down after the other as though he didn't have a care in the world. He was now fully dressed in his school uniform, which consisted of grey trousers, and a dark maroon blazer with the image of a roaring lion and the words Lincoln Park Academy embroidered on the left of his chest. He wore a white shirt underneath, not properly tucked in, and his maroon tie hung loosely from his collar.

"You can't seriously be planning to go to school like that," Mr. Willows said as he watched Jace descend the staircase.

"Why? Isn't this the school uniform? I found it on the sofa in my room." Jace pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket.

The lawyer muttered something disapproving under his breath, obviously frustrated.

"Come on, old man." Jace placed a hand on Mr. Willows's shoulders. He used his free hand to put the cigarette in between his lips and light it before pocketing the lighter. He inhaled deeply, letting out a loud sigh as he shut his eyes, enjoying the taste and feel of the smoke. Exhaling it, he turned his head to the side and looked at his lawyer with a small smile.

"You don't need to look so frustrated. I'll try to stay out of trouble," Jace said with a playful smirk.

"As if," the frustrated lawyer responded, trying not to roll his eyes.

Patting the man's shoulder twice, Jace walked away, still smoking his cigarette.

"Smoking, drinking, or taking any sort of drugs on campus isn't tolerated, Jace, and the punishment is immediate expulsion," the lawyer shouted behind him.

"Don't worry; I'll try not to get caught," Jace said, giving him a thumbs up.

His lawyer let out a low groan as he watched Jace walk towards the tall, dark, oak doors. One of the maids handed him his school bag and asked if he wanted breakfast.

"I'd rather not," he answered.

The maid opened the doors for him, and he stepped out, finding a black Mercedes waiting outside the house. He descended the stairs and walked towards the car. The man who had picked him up from the airport the day before was standing outside the car, holding the door to the back seat open. Jace threw his bag inside.

"My name is Thomas and I will be your driver and bodyguard today," the man said, giving a slight bow.

Jace looked at him, studying his face for a few seconds before flicking out his cigarette and looking away. Thomas quickly shut the door, got in the driver's seat, and drove the car out of the big, iron gates.