Invisible String

Chapter 7

"Hey Amanda, it's Elise. Can I please talk to Jenny?"

"Oh hi Elise! Jenny is in the back, but I can transfer you. Just warning you though she was really upset with you earlier."

"I know, thank you for the heads up."

I sit in silence for nearly five whole minutes before she picks up.

"Elise?" Jenny answers.

"Hi Jenny, I wanted to call in hopes you would hear me out. My mother got rushed to the emergency room last night and I was just so worried that I forg-"

"Elise. I can't have employees that I can't rely on."

"You can rely on me though! I have never 'no call no showed' before. I was going through alot. Please believ-"

"I'm sorry El. It's not up to me at this point. I wish you the best though, okay?" She says before hanging up.

I toss my phone on the bed and sob. Not even out of sadness, but instead it's frustration. How could they do this to me? I have worked there for three years and have never done this before. How could they just disregard me like that? I pace around my room trying to think of other jobs I can apply to, but then I hear my phone go off.

"Hey Nev.'

"Are you okay?" She asks, most likely due to the tone of my voice.

"They won't hire me back, I just don't understand." I cry.

"It's going to be okay," she sighs. "My parents are going to ask around their endless chain of connections to find you a job."

"That is so nice of you guys, but you shouldn't have to-"

"They won't take no as an answer." She interjects.

I nod even though she can't see me. I know she's right.

"Thank you, Nev. I don't know where I would be without you."

She insists that I don't need to thank her. That I'm her long lost sister and we will always have eachothers backs. She also invites me to stay over at her place, but I reject her offer. I need to stay and be on standby in case my mom needs me. Plus it would be nice to have the house clean to welcome my mom back. I start to rip her sheets off of her bed and put them in the washer. I gather all of the trash and take it outside. The dishes get washed and loaded into our old dishwasher. I even dust our decorations and clean our windows. The cleaning helps me stay distracted. Once moms sheets are done drying I carefully make her bed and fluff her pillows. I wash my bedding next and while I wait for them to be done I decide to play on my phone. I do a little bit more research on moms illness and make plans to elevate her lifestyle. I started looking online to find a light foldable treadmill. Maybe walking more will help mom physically and mentally. The cheapest one is $230, I checked my bank account, $18.91.

"Great." I say sarcastically to myself. I try not to stress even though I know we have bills coming up in two weeks.

A message appears on top of my screen so I click on it. It's from Kai.

"Hey. Wanted to check up on you. You doing okay?"

I type back and say, "Yep. Thank you for helping."

I get up and check on my sheets, they're ready to be thrown into the dryer so I do just that.

Another message.

"Of course. I have been in your situation before, if you ever need to talk... I'm here."

I furrow my brows and squint at the message. He's been in my situation? What does that mean? Anyway, I'm not in the mood to sulk.

"I'm sorry that you can relate. Thank you again, goodnight."

I send it and hope it doesn't come off harsh. I replay the night that he came to the hospital, the kindness that he showed me and how he really seemed like a good guy. I know that if I entertained him too much we would both get hurt in the process. Hopefully he will understand and we can remain friends.

I do my skincare and put my hair into one long braid down the center of my back. My bedding should be done now. I make my way to the laundry room and confirm that they are dry, I make my bed and climb in. My phone vibrates again, it's another message.

"Goodnight, Elise."

I toss my phone aside and close my eyes. It's been a long day, I should really get some sleep.

After tossing and turning for about half an hour I finally achieve deep sleep.

When I wake up in the morning I notice that its raining outside. I check my phone to see a text from Nev.

"My parents might have found you a job! Ill call you when I find out the details!" It reads.

I sigh from relief and hope that it works out. I cant really afford to go too long without working. I see that I have another message, but its from Kai. I open it immediately.

"Would you like to meet up today? Cafe in the bookstore? We can discuss Stefan Mas's new book?" He asks.

I ponder for a moment. My mom should be coming home today, but I'm not sure what time. I decide to wait on responding to him and I give my mom a call.

"Hi honey," she answers softly.

"Hey mom! How are you feeling?"

"Oh I feel much better. They should be discharging me soon."

"Do you know around what time?" I ask.

"Maybe in a few hours. I'd say around noon."

"Okay mom. I'll be at the hospital at noon to pick you up then, okay?"

"That sounds lovely. I love you, Elise."

"I love you too, mom." I hung up.

I look at the time and see that it's only 8:55AM so I decide to text Kai back.

"Sure. I'll be there at 10:00AM, but I will need to leave by 11:30AM."

I get up and retrieve some clothes from my overflowing basket. I decide on black leggings that flow out at the ankles and a graphic t-shirt that I cut into a crop top. I layer on some jewelry and put on some old Vans. It's raining so I also throw on a long knitted cardigan. I take in the state of my face and hair in the mirror on my vanity. I brush the braid out of my hair that I slept in and toss it up into a claw clip, letting my wavy brown hair hang out of the top. I brush my eyebrows, sweep mascara across my lashes, dab concealer onto the dark circles under my eyes, brush some blush on my cheek bones and finish off with a coat of pink lipgloss.

I grab my purse and find my keys. I grab my phone from the bed and check my notifications. Another text from Kai.

"Perfect. I'll see you there."

I lock the front door behind me and climb into my car, holding my breath while the engine decides if it wants to start today. I exhale when it decides it does. I make my way to the bookstore while some slow songs play over the radio. I can't decide if the feeling in my stomach is butterflies, or a warning that something isn't right.

I ignore it and pull into the bookstore anyway.