Knight & Day

Humble Beginnings

+Phoenix+

My heart raced as my feet slammed into the ground in repetition. If you knew anything about me, you'd know that running was not my forte. Still, I had shit to do today and all of it was time-sensitive so there was no way I was missing my bus. Not again.

"Fuck!" I cursed, watching as a bus stopped at my usual stop at the end of the street. I pumped my legs faster, increasing speed and, hopefully, bettering my chances of actually getting on the early bus for once. Watching as the last person stepped on, I prayed the driver didn't pull off before I got there. The closer I got, the higher my hopes, until finally it seemed I had made it. Looking into the open sliding doors, I smiled at the driver. He looked down at me with a dull expression, obviously unimpressed with my accomplishment. I paid it no mind though as I reached my hand into my pocket for my fare. I pulled out my money and went to step up into the bus but before I could, the sliding doors closed in my face and he pulled off. I stood there for a moment, dumbfounded.

"Did this motherfucker just....?" I watched as the bus rolled down the street in shock. If this wasn't some bull to the shit! What the fuck was his problem?! I was standing right here! The door was still open and everything! How was I supposed to get to work on time now?! I swear if I ever come across that dude on the street, he was getting the ass whooping of his life!

I angrily shoved my money back into my pocket and stomped towards the bus bench to wait for the next one. At this point, I would be an hour late once I got there and no doubt, my boss would write me up and dock my pay. I was pissed. I needed all my money. I had bills on top of bills and I was already struggling with the check I got every two weeks anyways. It was getting to the point where food wasn't even a priority anymore. There were plenty nights spent using my growling stomach as a lullaby. Shit, I had to do what I had to do.

Besides, there wasn't anything I could do about it without a college degree and I barely made it out of high school. Not because I was stupid or anything, but because my life wasn't set up in a way that allowed me to give my all to an education. When you spend most of your childhood hiding in closets and nursing wounds and bruises, school becomes less of a priority and more of a inconvenience. I didn't have the time or enough convincing excuses to keep getting questioned by school officials on the frequent appearances of black-eyes and busted lips. So I stopped going everyday. I only went enough to not have to go to truancy court and to finish enough schoolwork to pass. Once I got my diploma, that was it. College never even crossed my mind.

I was surviving though. I'd worked countless part-time jobs, everything from waiting tables to washing cars. I even thought about stripping once, but the horror stories I'd heard were enough to scare me away from that. For now, anyway. If I fell on hard times badly enough, it definitely was a viable last resort. Like I said, I gotta do what I gotta do. Wasn't like anybody was helping me. I didn't have any close friends and the family that I did have, I wanted nothing to do with. I was left to fend for myself and if nothing else, I'm gonna survive. My will to survive was unmatched.

"How you doin', ma?" I heard a voice from my left. I turned to look and met eyes with some dude who was grinning like the Cheshire cat. He was decent looking but he was barking up the wrong tree. Beside the fact that I was in no mood for this, I just wasn't dating at the moment. I don't have time to care for anybody but myself and I wasn't looking to change that.

"I got a man," I lied. I dropped eye contact and pulled out my phone, pretending to text.

"Did I ask if you had a man?" he continued, taking a seat next to me. He was a bit too close for comfort so I scooted down.

"Nope." I kept my reply short to show my disinterest but apparently it didn't work.

"So stop actin like that. Obviously, he ain't shit if he got you ridin' the bus," he spoke, making me furrow my eyebrows and look over at him.