“GET OUT OF MY WAY, I’M DISABLED!”
I pushed my way through the crowd, rolling over people’s toes and shoving them aside in order to get to the front of the line. Charlie squeezed through the crowd behind me, while Oberi flew over the fray, looking for spots I could push my chair through.
This time of morning, Commissary was packed, and we had to fight through a wave of people just to get to the counter to place our order. We’d been able to load a few more points on our card so we could get a couple of necessities for the rest of the month. We were in a hurry, so I wanted to get our drinks so we could get out of here. I barged my way through, and a couple of people swore at me, though I flipped them off before continuing forward.
It was rude that everyone stayed rooted in their spot when they could literally just take two steps aside so I could get through. They saw me coming and were just being jerks.
I didn’t expect the world to cater to me… but I’d always been a little princess, so yes I did!
“Do you have to be so obnoxious?” Charlie complained as I elbowed a girl aside.
“I will use this chair as a weapon,” I threatened. “Don’t tempt me. I’ve considered it more than once.”
And I was actively planning to. Just looking for the right excuse.
Someone’s in a mood, Oberi teased. She used her talons to grab at a guy’s hair and yank him out of the way. He waved her off, but it’d made enough room so I could finally place my order.
“Yay, it’s you,” Naya sang in a hateful tone behind the counter. “What do you want this time, to blow all your points again?”
“I’ll have a white chocolate mocha with oat milk,” I said as I slammed my card on the counter. “Don’t poison my coffee again, bitch.”
Naya gave a sneer, though she went to make my order. I kept my eyes on her, to make sure she didn’t slip anything else in it.
By the time we got our coffee, everyone knew to move, or face my wrath. We found a little spot by a window to enjoy our morning and split a chocolate croissant while Oberi morphed into a husky and horked down a breakfast sandwich.
“That’s a lot of caffeine,” I said as Charlie took a huge gulp of his drink. He’d ordered six espresso shots in his coffee.
“If I don’t drink it, I’ll fall asleep,” he told me. “The job only asks that I use a fraction of my brain cells.”
It was the weekend, and Charlie was required to work a double factory shift. I didn’t like how he was being booked for extra hours.
They’d moved me from the laundry room to the secretary’s office, as it was easier for me to do. I’d gotten excited, thinking I’d gain some access to files we needed, but they’d put me in a back room and had me doing nothing but transcribing old speeches that the Warden had given at past events. It was boring, and didn’t give us any resources, although I was only required to work there a few hours each week due to my recovery.
“I’m sorry. I know you hate that job.”
“If I have to label or pack one more box, I’m going to scream.” Charlie rubbed his eyes. “I really wish they’d put me in a different department.”
“You could ask to be moved.”
“I’ve tried, and they won’t. It doesn’t help that I know I’m helping the Warden make weapons to use against the people we’re fighting for.”
He leaned against the wall. “It won’t be for much longer. I’ll never go back once we’re out of here.”
It really sucked when your husband had a job he hated. Charlie’s mood was off whenever he had to go into work. It wasn’t every day, but when he disliked what he was doing this much, even one hour was more than either of us wanted him to spend there.
“If you’re going to be holed up in that stupid factory all day, I’m going to the library to see what I can find out about the lake,” I told him. “We should know what we’re getting into before we go down there.”
The minute those guards withdrew from the lake, we were going in. And by the looks of things, they were close to giving up on the search. Fewer guards were out there every day, and they stayed for shorter periods of time.
After we’d finished our coffee, he gave me a kiss goodbye, and we went our separate ways. Oberi bobbed behind me, dancing to whatever music was inside his head.
I was on my way to the library when I spotted Ivy. It was the first time I’d seen him in forever, and he did not look good. His clothes were stained and torn. He hadn’t stopped wearing the male uniform since his dad had shown up, and it just wasn’t natural for me to see Ivy in anything but a skirt.
His hair… it was an absolute wreck, something resembling a matted disaster, still that shade of black that didn’t suit him.
Charlie had told me to stay away from Ivy, and I had for weeks. He was right when he said that Ivy wasn’t a safe person to be around right now. But when I was confronted with how he looked now, I just couldn’t turn away. There was a hole inside of me where my close friend was, and the only one who could fill it was him.
Go to him, Oberi encouraged.We know he did you wrong, and yet, you still care. Give it one more chance.
