Young Annabelle (Y.A Series Book 1)

Chapter 5

"This is the cereal you will be eating from now on. Do you understand?" Mom had said.

That was it.

You eat this.

There are no other options. Only healthy, 'delicious' rabbit food.

I wish I could have some Cornflakes.

"I'm off!" I announced, quickly rising to put my empty bowl in the sink before rushing out the kitchen and into the foyer.

"Annabelle, wait!" Mom shouted at my back.

I could hear utensils banging together and her slippered feet rushing around frantically.

What the hell was she doing in there?

I shrugged as I tied my shoes – that's when it hit me.

The realization.

My head jerked up, horrified.

The purple lunch box!

I gathered my laces and shoved them down the sides of my shoes. I had no time for tidy little bows now. I scooped up my backpack, yelled "bye!" and opened the front door.

"Wait!" Mom yelled again.

I paused in the doorway and reluctantly turned to face her, horrified of what was to come. Mom ran from the kitchen with the beautiful purple lunch box swinging in her hand.

Damn it!

Almost made it!

"Annabelle, I told you to wait," She huffed. "Your lunch!" She lifted the box with a flourish like the models on game shows.

With a sigh, I dropped my backpack from my shoulder and unzipped it for her.

"You're welcome," Mom muttered, annoyed, as she shoved the box into my bag.

"Thank you," I mumbled back, zipping the bag back up and hoisting it onto my shoulder. I stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind me with an unintentional bang. An exasperated breath slid from my lips.

Why?

I remembered the high I was riding when I woke up. It only lasted until the beginning of breakfast and then, with a few stupid words from Mom and Katherine, it vanished. I pulled out my phone out of my bag and scrolled through my inbox, tapping the conversation with James from last night. A smile instantly broke out of my miserable expression as I reread the messages. It didn't make any sense. I was pissed off but reading his texts magically made the world okay again.

We hadn't even talked about anything special, it was actually nothing. 'Hey is this you?' 'Yeah it's me.'

That's it. Yet it made me so freaking happy.

I'm gone. So totally gone!

I shook my head at the grinning-idiot-in-love I called 'myself' and wheeled my bike out from behind the gate.

Small, grim clouds began building into jagged mountains. The wind picked up, pushing against me as I rode to work. It was a hot, humid wind and I could smell the impending rain. I sensed a blustery, monster of a storm closing in.

Halfway to work, the first crash of thunder rattled through me. I pumped harder on the pedals knowing the rain would begin to fall in a matter of minutes. As I got closer to work, I thanked God that I lived only a ten-minute bike ride from the club.

The coming storm meant the golf course would be closed along with all the outdoor snack stands. When Jenna and I first started working at the club, they explained that even if there was rain we still had to show up, because sometimes other work could be arranged. We'd be in a heap of trouble with management if we didn't show up, assuming work was canceled. Only management had the privilege of deciding when our shifts were canceled, and that wouldn't be done until after we'd taken the trouble to come all the way to the club in the first place.