Cheated [NaNoWriMo]

Noon Day 1

Her lips come into contact with the edge of her glass as she slowly tips it back. The sweet taste of apple juice slips between her lips. She smiles for the first time today. Angel always liked warm apple juice since she could drink it quicker, plus she never let go of her childhood memories.

Her paint brushes were sitting on a nearby table as she took her first break of the day. A peanut butter sandwich sits on her lap. She's been nibbling on it since she started work, but now she can finally eat it full force. Her mouth wraps around it, eating about a quarter of the sandwich in one bite.

She wipes the corners of her mouth and stares at the painting she's been working on.

It was simple paw prints on a hardwood floor. The dusty paws leave a trail into the bedroom, where a pair of slippers sits beside a bed, one foot being slid into them.

She smiles about when she first thought of the painting. It was a memory of her's from when she was younger and had just gotten her first pet, a little smoke colored kitten that she named Bagel. She lets out a low chuckle remembering the day.

The little kitten jumped up onto the kitchen counter where some flour had been sitting from the previous day when she made cinnamon buns. The flour stuck to the kitten’s paws and Bagel thought it was the funniest thing that she left a trail when she walked.

Little kitten foot prints were all over the house. Angel had to chase the kitten down, give her a bath, then lock the pour thing in the bathroom until she could clean the mess that had been made.

Bagel was so disappointed to see her foot prints had been cleaned up that she sat in a corner for an hour. That's when Angel had had enough of the down trotted kitten.

More flour was brought out and placed on Bagel's and Angel's feet. They ran around the house together at eight am. Until her mother had woken up and yelled at them. It was the weirdest day for her. How did she know that her mother would wake up early on a Sunday?

Angel takes another bite of her sandwich. The painting is almost done, which makes her sad. She doesn't want to sell this memory, but she needs the money.

The shuffling of her bare feet on the hard wood floor takes over the room as she searches for her camera. It sits in the case in a corner, underneath her naughty Mrs. Claus outfit from Christmas.

She tosses the outfit aside and takes a picture of the half painted painting. The color only goes down halfway, in diagonal sense. The kitten's footsteps are only pencil lines at the moment, but she'll take another picture once it's finished.

Her laptop dings, which causes her to turn her head towards the image of a dog's butt. She lets out a small sigh and lands in her office chair.

"What is it Roger?" she asks the man on the other end.

"Angel honey, I was just wondering if you've completed that painting with the kitten," Roger responds in his most business man tone.

Angelina moves her chair to the side so Roger can see the half finished painting.

"You're done already? It looks great!" Roger exclaims, causing Angel to move back in front of the camera.

"Actually I'm not done yet. It's half painted Roger. Do you think it'd sell for more like this?" she asks him while glancing over her shoulder at the painting.

Roger nods excitedly like a child on Christmas morning, which causes her to glance into the corner where her costume still sits. Her cringe must be noticeable as Roger's face twists into a look of concern.

"What's has happened my dear girl?" he asks as he leans closer, his hands under his chin. He watches her closely, looking for any hint. Then he sees it. The dark circles under her eyes are screaming at him, but he was too lost in her eyes. He shakes the feelings off quickly and leans back, getting comfortable.