Chapter One
Naya rubbed her lowerback as she waited for her drinks.Her tired eyes scanned the bar before looking up at the clock above the glass shelves that held the booze.She had two more hours before she could finally go home and crash.
She’d never been this tired in her life.She worked two jobs to save up enough to leave the city, but it seemed to take forever.She wanted to be away from the place that held so many bad memories, but it seemed every dollar went to living expenses like rent, electricity, and water.She got the cheapest phone she could get, never spent money on clothing, and very little on food.She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had fun or had a day off.
Thoughts of her mother filled her head.This person who birthed her, who was supposed to love and take care of her, had left her for a man.Naya had woken up in their tiny apartment to find her mother and her things gone.She’d left a short note saying she needed to be with the man she’d met less than a month ago.The words on the note had blurred as tears filled her eyes.
Naya,
I’m sorry to leave without saying goodbye.Tim thought it best to have a clean break.You’re twenty-two years old, and it’s time you took care of yourself.
Love, Mom
It had taken Naya two days to feel brave enough to leave their apartment.She didn’t have a choice.She had to get a full-time job as quickly as possible.She worked part-time at the library and earned nowhere near enough to support herself.
Within a day, she’d gotten a job at Landry’s Garage.Even though it was full-time, it barely covered the rent and electricity, so she’d gotten another job at Frenchy’s Bar.
She disliked both because of all the attention she received from the men she worked with and the customers she had to deal with.She wasn’t used to it.When she lived with her mother, she’d been sheltered.She’d always gone to school and then home, and when she graduated, she got a part-time job at the library, but she was either there or at the apartment.
Naya had always been a shy girl and was bullied in school so much that she’d shut down and had a hard time letting people past the wall she’d built around herself.Everyone except her mom—and when she left, Naya had no one.
Naya hadn’t always been what she considered weak.It was only when she was eight and her dad died.Her mother spiraled into depression so deep, she was unable to get out of bed for months, then Naya felt lost, scared, and lonely.She’d done her best to take care of herself and her mom, at the same time grieving for the father who had been her world.
Naya had been in third grade at the time, and although she’d been able to get herself ready for school most days, she’d been too young to realize how much she smelled or how dirty her clothing got.That’s when the bullying began, and it never really stopped.She’d been an easy target for mean kids because she had no idea how to fight back.Teachers tried to help, but Naya hadn’t told them everything for fear they would take her away from the only parent she had left.
She’d learned quickly how to bathe, wash clothes, brush and braid her hair, and make small meals using the few groceries she’d been able to buy with the assistance of a neighbor and food stamps.It had taken her mother a few years before she was able to take care of herself, and she got medication to help with her depression.
For a while, things had been okay.But then her mother had started bringing men home.She’d told her daughter she was lonely and needed companionship, but most of the guys had scared her.
Things had gone from bad to worse, and Naya found ways to stay away from home as much as possible—the majority of the time she’d spent at school and the library.
“Yo, Naya,” a voice barked at her across the bar.“Stop fucking daydreaming and get these drinks out.”
Naya’s eyes jerked up to see the bartender, Barry, scowling at her.
“Yes, sorry,” she said.She picked up the tray, turned, and walked off.
For the next two hours, she delivered drinks and bowls of peanuts while dodging men’s groping hands, and also cleaned tables and mopped up spills.By the time her shift was done, she felt like a zombie.
“Hey, Naya, Terrik is ready to leave so he can see you home,” Curtis, the manager, said.
Naya nodded and set the washcloth on the bar before heading to the office to grab her purse and jacket.When she came out, Terrik was waiting by the door.Fortunately, the bouncer, Terrik, lived in the same building she did, so she wasn’t terrified walking home at night.
Terrik nodded at her and held the door open.“You look ready to pass out, girl.”
She tried to smile.“I’m okay.”
“You work too hard.”
She shrugged.“I don’t have a choice.”
Terrik grunted but continued walking.Four blocks up there was a tall building that housed twenty-six apartments.Some of them were spacious, with nice views, but the one she rented was the cheapest studio on the top floor, with barely room for a single bed and a chair.The kitchen consisted of a dorm-sized refrigerator, a hot plate, and a sink.One tall, thin kitchen cupboard stored everything she needed for herself with no room to spare.She hung her clothing from a rope she’d strung in one corner.The bathroom was a closet-sized room with a pedestal sink, a toilet, and a tiny shower.She was petite yet still struggled to fit into it.
Naya followed Terrik up four flights of steps to his floor.
“Thank you, Terrik,” she told him as she started up the fifth flight.
“Get some sleep,” he said as he headed down the hallway to his apartment.
