Ophelia
As I followed my GPS toward the store, I notice just how small this town was. Most of the stores are located in the town square. It looks almost like something out of a fairytale. I laugh a little at myself for thinking that. I have always been an avid reader, and sometimes I think it is to my detriment. I try to stay in reality because my life is certainly not a fairytale. It is without a doubt as boring and unhopeful as you can get in some opinions.
I still have hope though. I hope that I will get into a good college and will escape my family. I don’t think my parents hate me. I think they're easily influenced by my sister. Even after all this time, I still don't know what changed in my family.
I get out of my car and start to walk around looking at all the different shops. There is a small house goods store, a book store, grocery, and even a clothing store. They all have the name Henson in the title. I am guessing that a rich family started this little town, and that is why the names are all the same.I notice that the book store has a help wanted sign in the window. I need a job to keep my parents from wondering where I am getting all the money from. I don’t trust them. As unreal as it may sound I have made enough money that I would never have to work again. The stock market can be a magical thing once you figure out how to use it. I have worked hard to keep that a secret from my parents because I've got the fear that they will take it. I do not want my future at risk because of their incompetence.
My family was never well off in the money department. Once they learned that I was working, they often asked to borrow money. The thing is when you borrow something, you return it. My parents never returned anything. They take and then pretend that it never happened.
People think that I'm crazy for being so concerned about my family stealing my money. My family knows that I have a soft spot for them, and they use that to manipulate me. I can't remember all of the times that I have fallen into their trap, only to learn later on that it was all a trick.
As I make my way into the bookstore, I see that it's a good size without being too much. The shelves look immaculate, and I find myself falling in the love with the store. A man around my father’s age walks up to me and smiles. I can tell this store is his life, and he loves every second of it.
“May I help you find anything, Miss?” His smile is gentle, and I can’t help but smile back.
“Well, yes and no. I saw that you were looking for help, and also where is your classics section?” The man began to chuckle no doubt at my bluntness about it all.
“The classics are along the back left wall, and I am Gregory Henson owner of this fine establishment. Are you looking for a job miss?” He holds his hand out, and I take it smiling. For some reason, this man has a very calming effect on me.
“Ophelia Harris. Yes, I am looking for a part-time job while I finish high school.” He smiles again. I see a bubbly-looking blonde come walking from the back and makes her way over to us.
“This is my niece Maggie who works at the weekends. I’m looking for someone to work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from four to eight. Do you have any experience?” Both people stand there and stare at me like I am the answer to their collective prayers.
“Yes, I worked in a small shop in my home town and also in the local library. Those hours would be perfect for me. Would there be a chance for an interview?”
“No need you’re hired. You can start training with Maggie and me on Tuesday.” He smiles at me again before heading off to help a customer.
“Thank god you’re here. He was dying to find some help that wasn’t just trying to either get in his or my brother’s pants.” Maggie laughs as she says this.
“What? You’ve got to be kidding me. I know it’s his shop but come on. Looks aren’t all that important.” I shake my head at the thoughts of people who only look for the superficial things in life.
"See most girls would argue that looks and money are all that is important." She says rolling her eyes.
"And that would be the reason why most of them are shallow."
“I like you, Ophelia. Maybe I will finally have a friend that will like me for me, and not who my family is. What are you doing now? Would you like to hang out?” She has a look of hope that I can’t seem to ignore.
“Well, if you want, you can come with me. I need to buy some things for my apartment and some food. I would love the company. I’m going, to be honest, I haven’t really had a friend in a long time, and it feels like I can trust you.”
Maggie gives me a smile that's like the sun and nods her head furiously letting me know she wants to come. Over the next couple of hours, we get dinner and shop. We talk about everything. Maggie is a few years older and goes to a nearby college. We share about our families and the issues that they have caused us. Maggie’s family is amazing, and they love her a lot. She has issues with people using her to get to them.
They are extremely wealthy, and many try to get that and her apparent greek god of a brother.We head to the shops and start getting the things that I will need to function. Kitchen supplies are a must since I will be feeding myself. Even with all the money I have saved, I still prefer to cook for myself. Eating out all the time is unhealthy, and it would raise questions.
"You know it seems like you are on your own. Do your parents not support you?" Maggie asks as we are shopping for food.
"That is the question of the day!" I chuckle at myself knowing that I have to give her an answer. "My family lives in the house and I live in the apartment above the garage. My sister hates me and so my parents tend to listen to her. I have no idea what I could have done to make her like that. So, when we moved here my mom gave me the apartment and said that they would help with utilities but that I am own my own."
"How can they do that?" Outrage is clear in her voice.
"I'm eighteen. They have no more legal obligation to me."
We continue to talk about the situation, and Maggie slowly starts to understand more. If you had asked me a week ago if I thought I would ever open up to someone, I would have said no. There is just something about Maggie that makes me feel like I can tell her anything. I feel like she would never judge me.
Even though our situations are the same, I still feel a bond with her. She has had problems having friends because of her brother. I have had problems because of my sister. We are like two halves that could make a whole.
Maggie takes tons of selfies with me and says she can’t wait to show her mom that she finally found her sister. I laugh, knowing that I feel the same way about her. After we unload everything into my apartment, she helps me get organized and says that she could help me find some furniture if I want to.
“Let me think about it. I don’t really want to plan on staying in this place long. I really would rather be somewhere I felt at home.” She nods, knowing that I would rather be away from my sister, where I could feel safe from her prying eyes.
“Well, I will let you get settled since you start school in the morning. Call me if you need me, and I’ll catch up with you tomorrow night to see how your first day went.” She hugs me and walks out the door. Maybe I was wrong about the new start. Maybe just maybe, I can finally start to live the life that I had always hoped to have.
With these thoughts, I get myself ready for bed. I lay there thinking about what tomorrow will be like. Will I like the school? Will there be the same kinds of problems that I had in the last one? I have no clue what tomorrow will bring. But I do know that I am one day closer to my dream.
OpheliaGetting ready the next morning my thoughts were jumbled up. At my last school, many of my teachers had to make special curriculums for me because I was more advanced than most of the kids in my school. The area I grew up in is not one known for producing many scholars. I try to not let on to my family how well I do because I don’t want it to come back and bite me in the butt later. I just hope that my principal did as he said he would and sent all the information that the school would need so that I will hopefully be able to still be on track for scholarships and to get into a school that I want.My dream is to teach college literature and I’m hoping that my track record so far will put me on that track. At a young age, I discovered my love for books. It was a chance for me to escape all the cares of this world and to find peace in a story. I often used to sit and imagine myself as the characters in the books in hopes of making myself happy.
Ophelia After the teacher gives us instructions, she tells us we can scatter throughout the school and find a place to sketch. Without saying a word, Mason takes my hand and leads me out the door and out into the courtyard of the school. He takes a seat leaning against a tree and motions for me to sit as well. “So you are the famous Ophelia?” I look at him like he has just dropped a bomb, and he chuckles at my look. “Maggie didn’t shut up about you when she came home. I was visiting Cole and heard her.” I shake my head in understanding. “Cole is her brother.” “Oh, so that is the one that everyone is trying to sink their claws into.” I laugh at this. Mason smiles at me like he completely agrees. “Maggie was amazing last night. That girl won herself a spot in my heart.” I smile at him. “So, mind if I start first?” “No, go right ahead. Mind if I talk while you do?” I shake my head no letting him know he is free to talk. “So you seem different from your s
Ophelia I have never been so thankful in all my life for someone to walk into a classroom. The teacher I have for English was embarrassing me with all his praise for my grades and writing. My old school had sent over some of my writing, and Mr. Nash thought it was great. He was encouraging me to think about a job in literature. I told him multiple times that I wanted to be a literature professor. There was nothing wrong with our conversation, it just bothers me a lot when people overly praise me since I’m not used to getting that much praise. My old teachers had figured that out and made sure to keep the praise to a minimum. I quickly sat down and felt eyes staring at the back of my head. I turned around and saw the most gorgeous creature God had ever put on the earth. His dark brown hair was slicked back, and he was covered in tattoos. He had piercing gray eyes that held something I couldn’t place, was it mischief, curiosity, or something else entirely. He suddenly
OpheliaAs I sit down to eat Dominic and Pearce follow behind and sit at the table with me. I notice all of the whispers, and I notice Katherine walking in with a squad of look-alikes. I knew that she would find a spot right in the middle of the popular kids. The girls walk over to the table where Cole and Mason are sitting with a couple of other guys. I watch as Katherine tries flirting with Cole.I feel my heart hurt, and my stomach drops. The scene in front of me makes me look away. I can’t sit here and watch, as once again, she takes something I want. Wait, did I just think that I want Cole? That’s impossible. I just met him, and he is an arrogant man-whore.“I see she wastes no time going after what she wants,” Pearce says with a snarl. “I had a feeling this would happen. Some of the guys at this school go for the quick, easy lay. Cole is one of those guys. He just sleeps with a girl and moves on. I have never seen him date som
Ophelia As the bell rings, I make my way out of the room and then the school. I don’t want to be in her path, so I beeline for my car. I decide to call Maggie and see if she wants to hang out. I don’t start work until tomorrow, so I need a distraction for tonight. “My darling Ophelia, I was hoping you would call and give me all the details of the first day!” She giggles, and I can tell she is very happy to have gotten my call. I laugh, and I feel like I finally found someone that I can trust. “Well, are you free for dinner?” I am praying that she doesn’t have any plans. “I’m free. Meet me in the town square.” As we hang up, I see Katherine come storming out of the school, and I know that she is looking for me. She wants to make me pay for what happened in that class, and I know that she will be looking for anything she can use against me. As I begin to pull off, I see Cole and Mason walk out of the school looking as if they are looking for someone. As
Cole Today did not play out the way I had hoped. It's going to take a lot of hard work if I'm gonna get her to trust me or hell even like me. She didn’t outright say she hates me, but I can tell that she is far from falling for me. The usual technics I use to get girls to do nothing to her. The smirks, the stares, and the bad boy routine did nothing. The only person that I can think of that can help me is Maggie. I don’t want the lecture that will come along with her advice. Dominic and Pearce were able to hold a pretty decent conversation with her at lunch, and I’m dying to know what they said to her. She seemed to be very responsive to Pearce, and I can tell he has a thing for her. To be honest just about every guy in school has a thing for her. She's completely different from any girl in that school, and I think that's what is attracting every male in the school. There comes a point in time when the easy lay doesn’t do it for you anymore. I think most of us are at
Ophelia The next morning I get to school around the same time as Katherine. I witness the thing that I was scared of seeing. She saunters over to Cole, and I can already see by the look on his face that he got what he wanted, and he's done. I shut my locker just as Pearce and Dominic walk up, and we all turn to watch what will be a show for the ages. "This isn't going to end well is it?" Dominic asks. "I don't think so, man," Pearce says. “Hey, baby. Did you miss me?” Katherine purrs and flutters her eyelashes at Cole. She is rubbing her hands up and down his arms, and I see the irritation flowing off him in waves. Katherine is oblivious to all this. “Who told you that you could call me that? Better yet, what the hell do you think you’re doing? I just slept with you once, that doesn’t mean that we are a couple or that I even care about you. You were just an easy lay. No one claimed you, so I just took what I thought might be a good time. Turns
Ophelia "What are you doing this evening, my beautiful Mae?" Mason asks as we work on our drawings. Today is the last day of our project, and I hate to see it end. Mason is fun to hang around. I have been able to let myself relax and have fun while working on this. He makes me laugh and seems to get it when I don't want to talk about something. I don't see him in any romantic way, but I will admit any girl of his would-be lucky. He seems to be a caring and fun guy. "I'm most likely going to be reading. Why?" I raise my brow in question. "I was hoping you would join me and the guys tonight. We thought about going to see a movie and thought you might enjoy coming." He has that hopeful yet puppy face going on. "I don't know. With everything that happened with Cole and my sister, it may not be a good idea." I do my best to not look at him. "You can't let their problems keep you from having fun. It's not like you are going out on a date wit