Waiting To Exhale

Seven

Gabriel comes stumbling through the door just in time. I suspect he's going to spend the rest of the week stuck on the couch. He's burned all his money and I don't get paid until next week. Well, I'm not sure if I'll be getting paid at all. Mason is pretty serious about me quitting my job. He's a young adult. He can't pay rent on my house and his. Can he?

I get to work cleaning up my house. I want it to look good and smell good just in case Mason stops by tonight as he promised. He's picking me up and taking me out for a ride in his car. Nothing fancy. He just wants to spend time with me.

By the time I've finished the house only smells slightly better. I know Gabriel is going to mess it up. He always does. Most kids would hate their parents right now but I can't seem to find it in me. He's the only family I have left. Gabriel has burned too many bridges with his family and my mom's side never really liked her. They were both outcasts. It is so nice of them to pass that on to me. I appropriate it.

"Olivia!"

"Sir?"

"I need you to...go down to the store and get me some...another bottle." His words are slurred. It's hard to tell what he's saying but I eventually pick it up.

I fumble with my skinny fingers for a while. When I do talk I begin to stutter over my words. "I-I can't. I'm u-underage. Drinking is bad for you anyway. You don't n-need that stuff." I've been telling this man that for years. I know he's not going to listen to me.

He drops the almost empty bottle in his hand to the floor carelessly and stares at me with a blank face, eyes hung low. I just provoked him. I always find a way to say all the wrong things to him. I lower my head and pull back to the wall. Gabriel slowly rises from the couch on shaky legs. He stumbles over to me.

"Gabriel I-"

Slap.

Slap.

He moves to slap me again but for some reason, I can't seem to comprehend, he stops, turns around, grabs his bottle, and walks off to his room without a peep. I hold my face in my hands as I watch the door swing shut. I don't know what that was all about. He usually slaps me around more. He's never punched me but the pushing and slapping are enough. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have provoked him. I should have just run out of the house and down to the store to steal a bottle, even though I hate stealing. It makes me feel dirty and untrustworthy. I don't want to be any of those things. I'm not a bad person. He just makes me do bad things.

I run to my room and lock the door. I don't want him barging in just in case he changes his mind.

My phone vibrates next to my pillow. The only person that can be texting me is Mason. He bought me this phone when we went shopping. He said he wants to be able to get in touch with me whenever he needs me. I'm still not sure how to work the thing.

The message is just Mason telling me he's on his way. I need Gabriel to stay in his room. He'll kill me if he finds out I'm seeing a boy.

I change out of my rags and into a Nike sweatshirt and matching sweat pants. I slip on my new red sandals to match. Mason didn't say he was going to take me anywhere special so I don't have to dress up like that woman at the store suggested. She knew what she was talking about. I like that. I wish I could match my clothes up as she suggested. I don't know the first thing about fashion. How could I? I never owned fashionable clothes before Mason took me shopping.

Mason shoots me another text telling me he's outside and parked somewhere Gabriel can't walk by and accidentally see him. He sends me another text expressing the hate He has for that man. I can understand why he would say that. What guy would want their girlfriend in harm's way?

Girlfriend.

It still seems so weird for me to use that word when thinking about myself. I never pictured myself as someone's girlfriend. I never thought a guy would take a real interest in me. This all seems so surreal. I don't think I'll ever get used to it. I don't ever want to. I love all the excitement. I never want to let it go. I never want to let Mason go. I worry if we're moving too fast. We haven't known each other for that long. Who am I to say that? I don't know how any of this works. We could be moving too slow for all I know.

"Hello, beautiful." Mason greets with a warm smile. I just want to melt when he grabs my hand.

"Hi. So I was thinking-" The rest of my words get cut off when Mason leans in and kisses me. Kiss me! I feel a spark of electricity travel throughout the length of my body. The kiss is warm and soft. I worry I'm doing something wrong since I've never kissed a guy before but he's not complaining so I must have everything under control. When he pulls back he starts up the car without saying anything. I turn forward in my seat. A smile forms on my face and I feel all warm inside.

"I like your outfit but you should have paired it with the jordans I bought you. That would have looked better." I don't even pay attention to anything he's saying. I'm still stuck on the kiss. I can finally say I've been kissed by an actual guy. An extremely sexy one at that.

"Where are we going?" I ask for the thousandth time. I'm really curious.

"To my house."