Mr. Clarke - COMPLETE

17✔️

Sorry I've been kinda MIA. I just got some books in from the mail and wanted to spend my spring break not having to worry about writing and just enjoy reading.

****************************

N I N A

"Are you alright dear? You seem a bit distracted?" Ms. Camille asks from the counter.

It's currently almost eleven at night and I've been at the diner since seven. Even though it's only been four hours, it's been a busy night and I'm very much exhausted. But that's not the thing that's distracting me. No, it's the words that Vincent had said after he'd kissed me.

I changed my mind.

Does that mean he's willing to break the rules of the contract for me? Or was it just a simple mistake and decided to follow through with it on accord to my feelings of potentially being hurt?

I shake my head of those thoughts and turn to the old lady staring at me. "Just been busy with school. I have a test coming up that I'm nervous about."

I hate lying to her because she's been nothing but kind to me but what am I suppose to say? Oh my history teacher kissed me on the lips after finger fucking me on his desk even though our contract states that we can't kiss.

Absolutely not.

Ms. Camille just eyes me for a moment before looking around the diner.

"Well," She sighs and starts grabbing a damp towel and handing it to me. "Now that it's no longer busy hour you can either clock out early and help clean the tables or you can stay for the next five hours."

I should stay for the remainder of my shift because I need to start saving up big time for the program in Manhattan. There's no way I can trust my mother in taking money out to let me use. Hell, she doesn't even know that I applied.

But, I haven't seen my mother a lot these past few weeks and the house feels so empty without her being there. She would either come home after I've fallen asleep or already be home but in her room with the door locked.

"I think I'll leave early. I want to watch a movie with my mother before going to bed." I try to grab the towel from her hand but she moves it out of my reach and gives me a sympathetic look.

"How is your mother?" The kind lady asks.

Ms. Camille knows about the situation with my mother. How she's rarely home and whenever she is, she's drinking a whole bottle of whine. I can see that she wants to tell me something every time I talk to her about it but she knows better than to get into other peoples family issues.

She's just a good person to tell all these things to. She never judges, never counters or ignores me. She just sits there and listens to everything I have to say.

"She's fine." I give her a tight lipped smile and grab the towel from her hand and start wiping off the tables and counters. Knowing that I won't say anything more, she sighs and walks to the back of the diner.

Forty minutes later, I'm now walking up the front porch of my house and walking inside.

"Mom?" I call out. I know she's home because her car is in the driveway.

"Mom!" I say a bit louder.

I know it's past midnight but she usually stays up until I'm home. Even if she doesn't talk to me she always stays up to make sure that I make it home safely.

I'm about to give up and head upstairs but then I hear clatter in the kitchen and then her voice.

"In the kitchen!"