The Princess Contract

Chapter Four

           "So uh, that guy wasn't weird or anything," Adam commented as they left the bank and started towards the bus stop. Abby shrugged, distracted by the ring. The ring her mother claimed to have sold. The ring her mother had been so desperate to keep secret from her. Why? Why lie? It made no sense.

          "Earth to Abby," Adam poked her lightly in the arm.

         "Yeah?" She replied, glancing towards him.

          "What are you going to do now?"

          That was a good question. What was she going to do now?

          "Sell it," she replied at last, her eyes settling on the faded letters of an ambiguous pawnshop across the street. She quickly glanced left and then right before setting off across the street.

          "Wait, Abby! What do you mean sell it?" Adam called, hurrying after her.

          Abby wasn't waiting. She finally had her ticket out of this hell hole, the escape she'd been waiting for. Maybe this wasn't exactly what her grandpa wanted her to do with the ring, but he'd understand. Pulling the door to the shop open, Abby was about to step inside when Adam grabbed her arm.

          "Abby, please, wait a minute," Adam exclaimed.

          She turned and looked at him. "What?"

          "Think about this a minute okay? Think about all we did to find that thing, all your grandfather did to make sure you found it and not your mother," Adam pressed. "This thing must've meant a lot of him to go through all that trouble."

          "He'd want me to be happy, Adam," Abby snapped, feeling guilt well up in her chest. "I can sell it and get the hell out of this town."

          "Then what? What about school? You wanted to go to college," Adam reminded her. "Running away won't fix your problems."

          "That's easy for you to say, isn't it? You have everything, you have no idea what I have to go through," Abby knew she was being irrational but she couldn't stop the words from spilling out.

          "That's not fair, Abby," Adam shot back, "I've never thrown your mom or your life in your face. I thought we were both better than that. I'm just trying to keep you from doing something you are going to regret."

          Abby was torn between feelings of intense guilt and blinding frustration. In her mind Adam couldn't even begin to understand how trapped she was, how awful it was to go back to that place every night, and how desperate she was to get away.

          "I need to do this, but I don't need you to understand," she said at last before pulling her arm from his grasp.

          "Fine," Adam declared, clearly frustrated. "Do whatever you want." He buried both his hands in his pockets before turning away and heading back to the bus stop.

          Abby nearly followed him but decided against it. Nothing she said would make him understand. She needed to do this, she needed to get out.

                                                                                              * * *

          The interior of the pawnshop wasn't at all like she had expected. It was neat and tidy, the shelves were sorted by type and held a variety of different items. A woman sitting behind the counter smiled at her when she approached.

          "What can I do for you?" she asked.

          "I'd like to sell this ring," Abby explained.