“I’m sorry that this is happening to you.”
I shrugged my shoulders at the same time, my left foot caught my right, and I flew forward, nearly falling on my face. Walter caught me with a boisterous laugh. “Still as clumsy as ever. I had hoped you would have grown out of that with age.” I couldn’t remember a time when Walter wasn’t a part of my life. He was more like an Uncle than a family friend.
My phone chimed, and when I glanced at the screen, it was Lindsey asking how I was doing. I didn’t even answer. I was too exhausted to answer anyone tonight. I was done. I had reached my breaking point. It was time for me to get away. Far away. Maybe a place existed where no one knew me.
I desperately wanted to find that place.
“No, I’m clumsier than ever.” As soon as the words left my mouth, my heel caught a divot in the tile, and I tripped, my ankle bent the wrong way, and I cried out in pain. Frustrated, with not only how tonight had gone, but my damned ability to trip over air, I held onto Walter’s arm and stopped to take off my shoes.
I left them there. Maybe someone would find them, and they could feel like Cinderella because I was done with them.
“Fair enough,” Walter said, opening the side door to the outside. People rushed down the sidewalk, staring at their phones or the ground to watch their feet, not bothering to care or notice me. I could get lost in the city right now, and no one would care. “I’ll have my driver take you home and keep the jacket. It’s cold tonight, dear.”
“Thank you, Walter.” His kindness meant so much to me. He had no idea. And to my feet. I was barefoot, and there was snow on the ground. It wasn’t a good combination and one that hadn’t even crossed my mind when I left the shoes behind.
A black car with tinted windows pulled up, and Walter opened the back door. When I stepped inside, the warmth of the heater hit my skin, and I sighed. It made me feel a bit drowsy with comfort.
Walter bent down and popped his head in the car. “Keep me updated on what you do, okay?”
“I will.” I gave him a small, tired smile, and he shut the door, knocking on the window to let the driver know we could leave.
I leaned my head against the leather seat and stared out the window. I could see everything, and no one could see me, just like at the gala when I found the dark corner. The tall buildings were lit up with Christmas lights, and a few businesses had trees up in their windows, giving the shops a magical appearance.
Horns honked.
People yelled.
Sirens blared in the distance.
I used to love the city, and now I was wondering why. I hated it right now. It was too busy. The people were cranky, and traffic was always at a stand−still. With my nerves frayed, I snatched my phone out of the pocket in my dress—amazing, I know—and searched for marketing jobs in the United States. I didn’t have a preference where.
I just wanted to be anywhere but here. I didn’t get to look long before the driver stopped, and suddenly, I stood in front of my door with my keys in hand. “Thank you,” I told him. He tipped his hat and pranced down the steps leaving me under the light illuminating the welcome mat. I unlocked the door and slipped inside, my feet frozen and sore. My back hit the door, and it caused it to slam, making my spine vibrate.
My chest rose and fell in rapid beats. I was about to start sobbing. I felt it building. Stress. The tension. I locked the door and ran up the steps, not bothering to say hi to Harvey and locked myself in my room. In a frenzy, I jerked the zipper down and let the dress fall to the floor around my feet. I grabbed an oversized Nirvana t−shirt, shrugged it on, and flopped onto the bed, tears slowly falling down my cheeks.
I didn’t wipe them away. I let my emotions work themselves out as I continued to look for jobs. I was overqualified for most of them, but at this point, I didn’t care. A tear hit the screen at the same time I saw a marketing manager position in Breckenridge, Colorado, just outside Boulder. At least, that was what the post said.
I googled the place since I wasn’t familiar with it, and my heart expanded with hope. The town was small, down to earth, and looked like a Christmas village. It looked like a place people would proudly call home. I continued to research, loving the vibe it gave. Small businesses everywhere, coffee shops at every corner (which was essential), and the resort looked breathtaking. I researched houses around there, and the price and my eyes nearly fell out of my head.
Woah, it was so much more affordable than New York City. I clicked the link on the job post, my nerves igniting excitement as I filled out the job application and uploaded my resume. I googled the company a bit, and a Chris Bates owned the resort.
Hey, what a coink−a−dink, I knew a Chris Bates in high school. He was so cocky, and I found it distasteful. He used his good looks, charm, and the fact he was a hotshot snowboarder carry him through youth without effort. Everything came easy for him.
And don’t get me started about the one night at the theater. We got locked in there the night before some event. We were forced to talk. That night changed everything and turned everything from bad to worse. We shared a kiss. A toe−curling, stomach-dropping, life−changing type of kiss. And then the next day, he showed up at the dance with one of my best friends. I wanted blood. I felt betrayed. I thought … stupidly I thought that kiss had been the beginning of something good, but clearly not. After that, we competed even worse than before in the subjects we took together. He’d already been set on outdoing me but after that … we did everything to outdo one another, and our banter...we could have won an award for our bickering.
If I wanted to be honest with myself, there was a part of me that had always had a little tiny crush on him, even after he showed up with my friend. What girl wouldn’t? He was too hot to put into words. And he was nice, apart form to me. No woman was entirely immune to his charms, and my hatred for him was partially self-defense. Plus, he really was an arrogant ass.
Anyway, on to more important and more relevant things, I clicked on the main webpage of the resort and read up on it as much as I could before my eyes blurred from exhaustion. The job hunt could wait until tomorrow. I laid my head on the pillow and shut my laptop screen, letting the movie of tonight’s events play in my head.
I had to get this job. I had to get out of here. Maybe this new Chris Bates could help with that. All I could to do was keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.
