25 Hours

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Taking the stuffed animal with me was not a good idea. 

In fact, it was a really dumb idea.

I was currently staying with an old friend, Britt, and as soon as she saw it she burst out laughing. The whole night her boyfriend and her were taunting me about ‘getting soft’ all about some dumb kid who was going to die.

They were both high on whatever drug they were able to find earlier in the day, and I knew that whatever they said that I would normally take as jokes I should take seriously. So when they started whispering about cutting the thing up and burning it over the stove, I quickly hid it in my old backpack.

I still considered the thing as Joe’s and I couldn’t do that to his toy.

It was still there, hiding in the bottom of my bag. The past times I had come here I had yet to see him again so I hadn’t had a chance to give it back. Tomorrow was my last five hours so I was just planning on giving it to Tracy if I didn’t see him.

“Welcome back!” Tracy chirped as I approached her desk. “How was your weekend?”

I smiled politely and quickly made up a lie. “It was great, my old friend in town so it was nice to see her again.”

“That’s great, I love reuniting with old friends.”

Her smile allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief. She totally bought it. Good. “So what am I doing today?”

“You are helping out with a special event we have today.” She smiled at me with raised eyebrows.

“Oh?” I asked. They normally had me just to visits to the kid’s room or help clean up the playrooms.

“The local craft store donated a big swell of stuff so we are going to have a little craft day! The cafeteria also is going to be having made your own Sundays for the kids which will be a real treat. We have five other volunteers but your help will be much appreciated. They are going to start bringing the kids in at one thirty but they are setting up right now.”

My stomach started to fill my butterflies but I forced the nervousness out of my brain. “Where is it at?”

“Oh yes!” Tracy giggled, “My bad, it is down the way in the gathering hall.”

“Alright,” I nodded lightly, “I guess I’ll be heading that way.”

“Alright, hope you have a good time.”

I didn’t bother replying as I made my way to the gathering hall. No. I was too caught up in my own thoughts.

She said there would be other volunteers there and I prayed with every fiber in my being that they wouldn’t be my age. I wanted them to be sweet little girl scouts in grade school or old grandparents wanting to get away from the nursing home.

I had never worked well with people my own age.

Every new high school I went to always ended up with me eating in the bathroom or library while whispers about me where shared. The only reason I was staying with Britt is because she needed someone there who knew how to cook and to clean up for her.

The one friend that I did have was the reason that I was here.

I still don’t know why I even went with her. I knew that spray-painting sides of buildings and drinking stolen bottles of wine wouldn’t end well. It was pathetic how far I went just to be accepted as her friend.

Simply pathetic.

From my old shirt that wrinkled in far too many places to my old shoes that were starting to tear anyone could tell I wasn’t the type of girl who would be at the top of the social ladder. My pale face and long frizzy hair didn’t fit in with the styles shown on the models in magazines.