Morningstar

Chapter 11: A Job

Running my hand over Cerbs fur, I let a sigh slip before I sat back and eyed the comforter, "A personal escort?! Is he insane?" I scoffed and looked down at Cerbs who stared at me with a blank look.

The nerve of him, and I mean then he just blames it on the dog.

Cerbs stood off the bed and stretched before heading out the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

The biggest worry was what the hell I'd do for money...I need a job. Now that I've got a bad reputation I doubt anywhere will hire me. Cleo only got her job because of her grandparents.

A loud tap came to my window, smacking me from my thoughts.

What the hell?

Pushing out the bed, I headed to the window, slowly pushing the curtains back before I noticed Justin standing tossing small pebbles at the window in an absolutely annoying pattern.

Who told this tool he could come see me?

I pushed open my window and stuck my head out, "Go home!" I shouted in a hushed tone. He just moved closer instead, "I'm coming up."

Oh for the love of God, "Could you not? We're through Justin, go home." I said aggravated with him. I could smell the heavy scent of liquor on his body.

He began climbing and fell off, landing on his back and then muttering about how much he missed me, how he needed me. This is embarrassing for the both of us, "Get up and walk your ass home." I said tucking my hair back as he tried and failed miserably to get up on his two feet.

The guy was completely shitfaced.

"Bella! Bella baby! Come back to me, please!" He shouted loudly now, for fucks sake! "Hush Justin! You're going to wake my parents!" I whisper shouted as I looked to their home.

He began sobbing now, "Listen, I forgive you for that idiot decision. But we can just say now we both-we each made mistakes. We both cheated. But now we're okay Bella. Baby, please." He shouted loudly and obnoxiously.

Lights around the neighborhood began turning on as he continued to cry out my name with a thousand 'please's.

Oh for fucks sake.

"Go home Justin!" I shouted now, annoyed with this bullshit.

He began trying to climb the house again, "Bella? Is that Justin?" Mom shouted from the front door.

Fucking HELL!

Sighing, I grabbed my robe and slippers, pulling them on and heading down the stairs past the sleeping old Hotdog in his bed, to see Damien softly shutting and locking his grandpa's room.

I ignored him and pulled the front door, "Jus-Justin stop-Get down, yeah hi, I'm here. Come down before we have the damn ambulance waking up the entire town." I called to him as he hung awkwardly clinging to the home trying to climb it to my window.

Standing in the grass, I watched him slowly get down before he walked over and by now all the neighbors were watching with their nosy ass faces.

My parents lingered by the door, quiet and trying not to cause a scene.

This is so stupid.

"What are you-" he cut me off, "Marry me Bella, you're my dream woman! Dream! Marry me please." He said stumbling over to me as the stench of liquor poured over his words.

I sighed and rubbed at my forming migraine, "Go home Justin, please. Go home." I said gesturing to the street.

He was good for about a minute before he dropped to his knees and bunted his head into my stomach sobbing like a damn child.

Stepping back, I watched him drop to his hands and knees. "You're causing a scene." I muttered watching him reach into his pocket and toss a ring at me.

Great.

The ring smacked off my chest and onto the ground with a light pat as it fell into the grass.

"Marry me! You won't ever do better. Ever!" He shouted forcing himself to stand before he stumbled forward and into me.

God if this is as great as they get, I'll begin adopting cats now.

I caught him and gently laid him onto the floor.

A throat cleared behind me and I stared back at Damien, not really in the mood for his charades and shit. "I'll drive him home." He said reaching down and grabbing Justin with a single grip before yanking him to his feet. "Let's go lover boy." He muttered.

I watched them struggle with Justin's legs giving out a few times.

Every house on the block was staring out their windows or front doors, watching the desperate Justin being escorted into the Devils truck.

What a scene that was.

Eyeing the ring in the grass, I sighed softly and reached down picking it up. Footsteps grew closer and I stared over my shoulder to see mom walking over. Her expression was prideful before she looked me up and down, "Marry him Bella, find the Lord again. You need a good Christian man to help fix you." She said running her hand down my arm.

Everything in me wanted to laugh and tell her she's lost her shit, but instead I thought of myself as a prostitute, maybe Damien was onto something.

If I don't marry him I'll have to go through hell to try and fix my reputation. Reputations are huge for jobs here. I never went to college, and in a small town like this-well there's not much to do without a degree.

This is so annoying!

I sighed and slipped the ring on while mom muttered it was what was best for me.

As she headed back to the house, I stood on the lawn staring down at the ring on my finger feeling like this was the worst decision I'd make.

Maybe I'll stay with him long enough to save money so I can flee. I'll leave this single minded town and head north. Anywhere far from here.

The trotting of four paws came and I looked at Cerberus as he walked over and nudged me inside.

I pet his head and went inside shutting the front door and going up the stairs to my room feeling like maybe just maybe, I could come up with the money by selling my organs.

"What organs do we not need?" I asked Cerbs as he hopped on the bed giving me a blank stare.

Kicking my slippers off, I tossed the robe to the small chair and shut my bedroom door going to the window to shut it too.

But as I lifted my hand to push the window down, the ring glared back at me with a taunting manner that screamed he won.

Pulling it off, I tossed it out the window and slammed it shut, stepping away with a heavy guilt or weight of something on my chest. Worry?

"I don't want to marry him, I need to come up with a way to get money without fixing my reputation." I stared back at Cerbs and then out the window as the sound of the truck pulling up came.

Damien got out and shut the door walking up the driveway and stopping to stare down at the ring. He left it and walked inside the house while I laid in the bed letting sleep and worry fade.

Even if they were dreams of Hell and burning flames, I felt they were more comforting than the reality of this hell.