Audrey is mine.This piece of shit will never touch her again.
I swing my attention to my baby doll’s face, expecting to bask in triumph as she reads the new terms in her employment contract.
I doubled her pay and limited the scope of her duties.
Except she stares blankly at her contract.Dread weighs like a brick in my stomach.
I’ve already failed her once today.I can’t fail her again.
I’ll fix whatever made her look so torn.
I can’t lose her again.
Ever.
Chapter 5
Audrey Tripp
The black letters swim in my vision.I blink and read the educational requirements again, but my brain refuses to process the words, so I skim lower.
With fewer hours, almost double the wages, astronomically better benefits, and a defined list of duties, this contract is a dream come true.
Or would be, without the damning words near the top of the page.
I swallow as emotions clog my throat.
The dates at the bottom mock me.
I have three months to meet the requirements, or I lose my job.
Three months to study for, schedule, and pass the General Educational Development Test while working crazy hours due to the company’s leadership change and following reformations.
After my ex-stepfather’s attack, I never went back to school.I never graduated, so I don’t have a diploma.Just the thought of opening a textbook would send me running to the toilet to vomit.
I swallow again and close the folder.Cold sweat trickles down my back.
Bottomless blue eyes pierce into my soul.For the tiniest sliver of time, I long to throw myself at my big brother and bury my face against his chest.I want his strong arms wrapped around me.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, pulling me away from my insanity.Since most people who message me are in the room, it must be an update about my mother.
Reality barrels into me like a freight train.I look away and focus on breathing.Everything hurts.I tremble from head to toe.My legs feel like jelly.
I can’t lose this job.My mom depends on me.
I grit my teeth and grip the folder so hard the edge digs into my palm.
I’ve overcome my fear before.It took years to piece myself back together after my ex-stepfather’s attack, but I did it.I can do it again.
Three months.I’ll get my GED and renew my employment contract.
Even if I didn’t need it to keep my job, I’ve put it off long enough.Having the equivalent of a high school education is the bare minimum for most jobs.By not having my GED, I’ve set myself up for failure; no reputable company will hire me for a halfway decently paying job without one, no matter how impressive my employment record is.
With my decision made, I tuck the folder behind my tablet and force my mind into the present.
Brennan sits leaned back with his chair swiveled toward me, his elbows on his armrests, and his fingers steepled in front of his chest.His stare bores into me as though he can read my deepest, darkest thoughts by sheer force of will.
I swallow, preventing my heart from leaping free, and glance around, expecting everyone else to be looking at me as well, but an older Black man holds everyone’s attention with a presentation on the projector.
