Beautiful Nightmare (The Beautiful #1) ✓

10 | then

"B-but you hate breakfast."

"No, I don't."

"Uh, yes, you do."

She glared at me. "I'm not going to argue with you. If you want to eat it, go ahead. If you don't want to, then, bye."

I shut my mouth and quickly sat on the high stool to begin eating. I'm going to intentionally refuse pancakes. No way in hell. I thought hard about my mom's sudden weird behavior, but nothing came to me. Then, I remembered something.

"Mom, I need to tell you something," I said feeling my hands starting to sweat.

"What is it?"

"I got a new job."

"Because they kicked you out from the previous one?"

The fork in my hand due slipped from my hold due to the jaw-dropping shock. "You knew?"

She smirked. "Of course, I know. I knew from the day you got the call. Did you forget that Julie is my friend?"

Julie is my previous boss's wife. Damn it, I'm so stupid. I totally forgot that Julie is such a blabbermouth. I grinned sheepishly at my mom. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"Honey, I have told you this a thousand times and I'll tell you again; you don't have to work. I know you think that I can't support the both of us without your help, but you're wrong. It's okay if you don't work. It's okay." She said looking right at me.

I looked away. "But then you won't have any free time and you'll be working non-stop. I want to help, mom. I don't want to be useless."

Mom sighed and placed a hand on my cheek making me look at her. "You're not a burden to me, Hera. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

I came really close to breaking down in front of my mom who has never seen me break down before. But I managed to maintain my composure and gave her a teasing smile. "Are you trying to make me cry?"

She smiled cheekily. "Is it working?"

I grinned. "Nope."

She laughed and shook her head while I got out of my seat, prepared to go to school. "I'll be going now. Don't miss me too much, okay?"

She scoffed. "You wish, young lady."

I was about to leave when a thought popped into my head. I gasped at that bizarre yet totally possible thought. Could it be?

"Are you dating someone? Is that why this whole thing happened?" I asked pointing at the stove where she was cooking.

My mom dropped the spatula the moment she heard my words and her cheeks turned bright red. "You're crazy to even think that." She laughed awkwardly.

"So you are dating. Well, if it gets serious, let the poor old daughter meet the guy, ya?" I said sounding like the parent and walked off giggling to myself.

Finally, my mom has a boyfriend who makes her happy.

< ~ >

"Hey, Ray," I said as I stood beside the cashier counter where Ray was.

"Oh, you're on time! That's great! Hunter is at the back of the store so, go to him after keeping your stuff in the break room. He'll tell you what to do, okay?" He said with a kind smile.

"Okay," I replied and placed my bag in the break room, and walked over to the back of the store.

I haven't seen Hunter in school or anywhere else for that matter after he dropped me off that day. He was really a hard person to spot. But then again, I didn't really want to see him either. I'll just be reminded of how he tortured me at work. Or how he basically called me his stalker.