Splintered Illusion

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Chapter dedicated to Dark-Devil909 for being my biggest supporter so far! <3

Waking up with a text reminder from my dad that he was coming home tomorrow was not such a delightful way to start my Saturday. It meant I had a lot to do - cleaning the house for his arrival and going grocery shopping for a big feast with the little money I had.

So as soon as I finished sulking about it, I dragged myself from my bed and struggled to get ready. We only owned one car and I was forbidden to use it - not that I could since my dad took it, anyway - so I had to walk all the way to the closest grocery shop.

When I finally arrived, I grabbed a cart and practically ran to the vegetables aisle, knowing I would get distracted by the sweets, which was something I could not afford to have. Not only because I didn't have much money, but also because my dad would give me an extra beating for it - and his beatings were really painful.

Sighing, I glanced down at the list of ingredients I wrote down to make a nice, warm dinner for my dad tomorrow, something I was never allowed to have, unfortunately.

Quickly, I grabbed all that I would need before making my way to the checkout line. There was a slow, old woman in front of me, so I decided to go over my list one more time to make sure I got everything.

Shit. I forgot the ketchup.

Leaving my cart in line, I jogged to the aisle where I knew the ketchup would be, spotting it on the top-most shelf. Huffing in annoyance, I jumped like a mad-woman, swinging my arm around to catch it but failing miserably.

"Polly?" a familiar voice asked from behind me.

Immediately, my shoulders tensed and I shut my eyes, trying to convince myself that the person I just heard wasn't actually behind me. Nope, they're not here.

"Polly," the person chuckled, "that's really you!"

Tough luck. Exhaling deeply, I reopened my eyes and reluctantly turned, pursing my lips in what I imagined look like a forced smile as I caught sight of Owen.

He laughed. "I knew it was you, Polly. Can't miss you anywhere."

"Hi, Owen," I said awkwardly, forcing a small laugh from my mouth. "Yeah...what a coincidence to see you here..." Please, God...make him go away.

Owen laughed again - he laughed a lot. "You need some help there?" he asked, gesturing to the bottle of ketchup I was reaching for.

Biting my lip, I nod and watch as he easily grabs it off the shelf, handing it to me. "Uhh, thanks."

"No problem," Owen beams. "You really are short, aren't you?"

"Yeah..." I laugh awkwardly. "Well, umm, I really should get going..."

Owen frowns as soon as the words leave me mouth. "Oh...well, that's a bummer," he says, looking conflicted.

I give him an apologetic smile and wave, about to walk away when he calls me back. Confused, I asked, "What?"

He flushed and rubbed at his neck sheepishly. "Oh, I was just wondering...would you uh - like to...ya know, maybe grab some ice cream sometime?" At the look on my face, his eyes immediately widen and he shakes his head frantically, chuckling nervously. "Er, you don't have to," he assures, "it's no big deal, I--"

"No!" I blurt. "I mean...yeah, I'll go." I shrug a shoulder, not knowing what came over me. Maybe it was because I was finally tired of being controlled by Puck, and because I was really craving a friend right now...even though that might not be what Owen had in mind.