Beautiful • OBJ (under editing)

chapter six

raj's story.

|Raj|

I kinda feel bad for making Odell look stupid. I just feel like he's only getting attached because he feels bad. He keeps spending money on me and I'm not a charity case.

Odell's cool but he's very arrogant and I'm not going to let his ego be boosted up anymore than it already is.

After he left decided to cook dinner. It's been a while since I've cooked a full meal. I think the last time I did was for my husband. Ex-husband.

James and I got married straight out of high school. I was stupid in love with him. He had me wrapped around his finger and knew it. For two years I did any and everything for that man just for him to leave me high and dry.

He filed for divorce right around the time I found out I was pregnant. I felt so alone and the only person who I've ever been able to talk to about anything was slowly dying in a hospital bed.

All the money my mom had saved up was running out and I was desperately trying to scrape up change. I sold most of our belongings but I was too late. She was dying and I was going into debt. All that was a year ago. But it constantly echoed through my lonely apartment each day.

When she died I couldn't even cry. I didn't cry. I felt like I was being punished for the abortion. I was jobless and almost homeless. I sold my mother's house and got my apartment. I saved all the money that was left for rent.

I got a job working at a hotel until they found out about my record. When James first tried to leave me, I was so stressed. I thought I could handle it but when I saw him in the car with another woman, I was so angry. I tried to hit them with my car. I went to jail and had to pay a fine. They let me off with a slap on the wrist because it was my first offense.

I got fired from my job about a week ago, I think that was the last straw for me. I still don't know how I'm going to pay my bills.

Now that I'm down from the high of almost killing myself and having an extremely attractive man constantly in my house, I realize that I have absolutely no way to pay my bills, I'm still in extreme debt and very depressed.

Life didn't get any better.

I started to cook dinner. I thought it might bring my spirits up. Once I finished, I sat on the couch and scrolled through social media. I couldn't remember the last time I paid my phone bill, but my data was still on so I enjoyed it.

I looked at the clock. 9:34pm.

Odell might be home. But, how does that work? A couple days ago, he told me to forget I ever met him. Then he showed up at my house.

Would he be mad if I went to see him?

Would he have an 'Ashley' there? Nah, it's too early for an Ashley, that's midnight behavior.

After a bit of contemplating, I got up and put some food in tupperware containers. I couldn't take too much because I had to ride the subway.

I walked to subway, rode for about 45 minutes, then I walked to the condominium. Again, security will believe anything.

As soon as I stepped into the building, something came over me. I felt instantly overwhelmed.

I made way to the elevator and when I went to press for the twelfth floor I noticed my hands were shaking and it becoming harder and harder to hold the containers of food.

Once I reached the floor, I tried to quickly walk to his door but the room started spinning and everything was moving in slow motion. I heard the tupperware fall to the ground and my knees gave out from under me.

Then everything went black.