Their Paid Girl

Their Paid Girl - Part 7

Sheepishly Esther’s head disappeared, and after awhile I heard the shower running. I looked at the closed bathroom door then decided to change right in the main dorm room. I found another towel, dried myself off – chattering the whole time – before pulling on sweats and a long-sleeved cotton top.

I felt so much better and I was just preparing to get into bed, when I let out another forceful sneeze.

Goodness. It was a wonder I hadn’t pushed out a lung.

At that exact moment, a knock sounded on our door. I frowned, wondering if I’d imagined it over the sound of the running water.

But the knock sounded again, and my eyes narrowed. It couldn’t be him. He wouldn’t have the nerve.

Would he?

I contemplated ignoring it and pretending no one was here. But I’d just given a Guiness record sneeze, so clearly the person on the other side of the door knew I was in here. Groaning, I laboriously got off my bed.

Stalking over to the door, I grimly concluded that Adam better have his last words memorized when I flung open the door.

Of course it was him. Why shouldn’t life be predictable?

Adam held the box, smiling serenely at me with the distinct air of a person who knows they’ve done something wrong, but are fully expecting to be forgiven for it.

I closed my eyes, counting to ten before opening them again. He was still there. Holding the box.

I snatched it away from him. Sure enough, in it were my shoes and hoodie that he’d brought. To my surprise they were as dry as anything.

“You know, the entire purpose of the box was so I wouldn’t have to see your face,” I told Adam stonily.

“Yeah, I know, but Shawna, I just wanted to say—”

“Tell someone who cares,” I cut in, and slammed the door in his sexy face.

The windows rattled again but I ignored them, locking the door for good measure. I had just flung the box on the ground, when the water stopped and Esther came out, hair wrapped in a turban.

          “Jeez, Es!” I exclaimed, snapping my head away.

          “What?” she asked innocently, walking by in her birthday suit and leaning over to rummage for some clothes.

          I sighed. Of course Esther would use the towel for her hair and not to cover her body. That girl was so crazy.

          “So are you going to tell me what happened?” her voice asked me from somewhere within the closet.

          I dove under my covers, pretending I didn’t hear her, suddenly not eager to talk about any of it.

          When she repeated her question, I decided to go full out. I pulled the covers over my head and faked sleep. They were yanked away and my eyelids were pulled apart so I was forced to look at a peeved Esther.

          “Look, girl, you storm in here looking like you were hit by lightning, nearly knock this place down, before getting all snappy with me. You are so not allowed to ignore me. Now talk. What did the Wells do to you?”

          I sighed, pinned underneath her. Esther was so forcefully persuasive sometimes, and once she got a desire, neither Heaven nor earth could move her. It was a useful quality, but more often than not, it annoyed the life out of me.

          “Fine,” I snapped. “Just get off me, you curvy lump.”

          Esther grinned at me, partially amused by my grumpiness. “There we go! That’s my Shawna,” she cooed.

          I scowled, sitting up and attempting to run my fingers through my unruly, wet patch of hair.

          “Basically, I never got to see Angel.”

          Esther’s face was immediately sympathetic. “Oh, no! Honey,” she lamented, rubbing my arm reassuringly. “Why not? What right do they have anyway, not letting you see your own brother?” She looked mad.

          I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the tears that were pushing at my lids. “It’s not the end of the month,” I gave part of the truth. “So I wasn’t able to see him.”

          Because I was two hundred bucks short.

          “And anyways, they’ve got custody over him so they get to decide who he’s allowed contact with. Besides, Child Services ruled me an ‘unfit caregiver’ when they took him away, so it’s not like I have a chance if the Wells suddenly decide to give him up. I’m still in school.”

          Esther gave me a compassionate look. “Well, only a couple years left before you can get a full-time job!” she reassured me. “Then you can take him back to live with you. And in the meantime, don’t worry, hon. It’s almost the end of the month, and you’ll be able to see him really soon!”

          She smiled at me adorably. In Esther’s world, everything was so simple. She was used to others solving her problems for her, and whenever she gave me advice, she never knew the full story anyway. I could never tell her. She still needed protecting, and she was more of a girl than a young woman; fun was all she knew how to do. I loved her fiercely, but sometimes she just wasn’t capable of being the solid rock that someone like me needed.

          “You’re right,” I said, returning the smile.

          Strong or not, Esther was still comforting. And her cheeriness and obvious love for her friends always made my world better.

          “You’re so pretty when you smile,” Esther gave my hand a squeeze, before becoming excited. “So do you want to hear about what I was up to while you were gone?”

          I couldn’t help the answering grin. “Sure.”

          Yeah, I’d been gone. For a whole six hours. I was sort of thankful she hadn’t done the math and asked me in greater detail why I’d been so angry.

          As I lay in bed, listening to Esther’s humorous story about meeting a boy in the library and getting lost in the bookshelves, my mind turned towards the end of the month.

          I had a week and a half before my usual visit to Angel should happen.

          I still had two hundred bucks to earn, and with all my money going towards the visits, I barely had anything saved for next year.

          Next year, I snorted, right. I barely had enough to buy a food card every month so I could eat.

          Suddenly, the deal that Adam was offering didn’t sound so bad after all.

          If he was still talking to me, that was. Guys like him have egos which get wounded and bruised really easily. Sighing inwardly, I wondered just how much I’d have to grovel at Adam’s feet tomorrow before he’d agree to pay me again.

          Neither seeing him, nor being a part of his plans appealed to me.

          Ugh. Why did it have to be him?

 As I drifted off, my parting thought was that I really wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.

Note from ella:

Sorry for the boring filler chapter :( I know not much happened. Promise the next one will be much more like the rest of the story - light and funny with lots more characters :)