Back Better Than Before

[7] Sketches and Jobs

That night, around 4 o'clock AM...

Adrianna woke up quickly gasping for air. Another night, another nightmare. She sighed getting up from bed. She wasn't getting anymore sleep tonight. Adrianna got up and went to the bathroom to wash her face. Wiping her face, she stared at the mirror. Adrianna didn't see the 'beautiful' girl Caroline had said during their shopping trip. Instead, she saw tired, lifeless blue eyes. There were dark circles under her eyes from many sleepless nights. Her face was too pale and signs of stress and worry were clear on her face. Adrianna walked back to her room and grabbed her sketchbook from her bag of belongings that she had brought with her when she left. It was a miracle that her book didn't get wet from the rain. Although the same could not be said for the rest of her belongings.
    Flipping through the sketchbook, Adrianna recalled her memories that came as nightmares over the years. There were sketches of all the torture she went through in that house. Here was sketches of the closet where she was locked into as a kid when she tried to talk to other people. Or the stairs that Jasmine pushed her down when Adrianna tried on her heels. There were more sketches of similar types of torture. The broken, sharp edged beer bottles that Michael used to threaten her and sometimes cut her with.
     As the pages flipped, sketches of the bullying at her school started appearing. The lone girl walking all alone in a crowded hallway as everyone pointed and laughed at her. And the "populars" of the school dumping food on her. A couple of boys shoving her into a locker. And lastly, a sketch of the photoshopped provocative image of her with some stranger that had been hanged on the lockers of the school.
Adrianna never knew why everyone at school despised her. She had never done anything to anyone but her classmates always seemed to find something to blame her. Graduation had been one of the best days of her life. After high school, Adrianna wasn't allowed to go college. When she had asked to continue her education, Michael had driven her to a strip club and had said, "With or without further education, you are going to end up here as a prostitute anyways. So, why waste money on you?" Adrianna never asked for further education again.
    But that was all the past. Now, Adrianna was going to show them what pain was. She was going to show them where she ended up without an education. Before, she hadn't thought that she would get her revenge. But, Stephen would help her get revenge on the Montclair family. Then, they would all pay.
***
    When Stephen woke up, the first thing he smelled was french toast and coffee. He was disoriented for a few seconds. Martha, the housekeeper, wasn't supposed to come back until next week, so who was cooking? Then, he remembered yesterday's events. He rushed to the kitchen, quickly grabbing a t-shirt and putting it on.
    The first thing he saw when he walked into the kitchen was Adrianna standing by the counter. Unlike yesterday, she was wearing tight jeans with a sweater top and knee high boots. She looked beautiful no matter what she wore.
    The second thing he saw was the French toast and coffee on the kitchen counter waiting for him.  "Are these for me?" He asked just to make sure.
    Adrianna jumped, not hearing him enter the kitchen. Her eyes grew wide and she clutched her cup. "Oh, yeah. That's for you." Adrianna said once her heart stopped racing.
     "Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you." Stephen asked worried. Adrianna nodded but didn't elaborate on why she panicked.
       "I figured you would want breakfasts when you woke up so I made some." Adrianna said, changing the subject. Stephen nodded and took the plate.
        "Thank you. But you really didn't have to."
         "I wanted to. It's the least I can do. After all, you are doing so much for me."
         Stephen didn't say anything and instead took a bite out of the French toast. "This is really good. I didn't know you could cook." That was a simple statement but Stephen didn't know under which circumstances Adrianna learned how to cook. And Adrianna was going to make sure it stayed that way. She smiled, not saying anything.
          Adrianna bit her lip, wondering how to tell Stephen what she was thinking. She was an independent woman but Stephen deserved to know. After all, he was taking care of her and helping her get her revenge.
       "Stephen..." Adrianna started. She wondered how to tell him. There was no point in beating around the bush. "Stephen, I'm going to go look for a job."
**************************************************Hello readers! Sorry for the long wait for an update. I wish I had an excuse but I really don't except procrastination. Sorry it is so short.
Thanks to anyone who voted, commented, read, and added this story to your reading list.
Keep reading,
-R