One week later
| Whitney |
"So how do you feel about being stuck on different shifts now?" Kendra took a large bite out of her honey crisp apple as she watched Whitney arrange her wild curly hair into two side buns atop her head critically. Giving a satisfied nod at the mirror, she plopped on the couch to slip into some hot pink vans with an indifferent shrug at her curious roommate.
"It's worth it. Sneaking around would've made Hollis feel paranoid, and at least now those weird chicks I was telling you about are leaving us alone." After Hollis had asked Whitney to be her girlfriend, they'd gone in the very next day an hour before their shift to talk to Evan about their relationship. The overworked assistant manager lectured them briefly about conflicting interests, but asked Whitney if she'd be alright working the lunch shift at Ringo's moving forward.
"I know we originally hired you on to help cover dinner shifts...but Hollis
| Whitney |"I'm sorry...." Whitney whimpered into Hollis's ear, using the palm of a shaking hand to wipe her tears away. Every time she wore makeup lately, she wound up crying. What the hell, Universe? "Don't apologize Whit, you have nothing to be sorry for." As always, Hollis was patient and didn't press for any additional information. Hugging her felt like the safest thing Whitney knew, and she never wanted to part from her girlfriend's warm embrace."I wish I drove to Auburn a long time ago..." Whitney sighed wistfully, tightening her arms around Hollis' neck as she rested her head against the other girl's shoulder. "It's amazing how they continuously manage to make me hate California more than when I lived there. I can't escape everyone's expectations, not even from across the United States." She felt Hollis' long fingers massage her scalp gently, and turned slightly to moan into her neck. "You're good with your hands...""I though
| Hollis |St. Mary’s Hospital felt like a million miles away. Every second that passed struck Hollis’ heart with fear as she sped down the freeway, dodging anyone who got in the way. Her hand shook against the steering wheel uncontrollably, and she was afraid if she spoke she’d start screaming. Whitney stayed silent, which was probably for the best. There wasn’t anything she could say that’d make her feel even the slightest bit better right now.We just got back to normal Hollis thought in disbelief, thinking back to their heart to heart conversation only two nights ago. She'd gotten pretty good at sneaking around Dalton, but he was the older brother after all. So he’d rescheduled his routine date night with Nina and bombarded his younger sister the second she walked in from work just after two in the morning. Without giving Hollis a chance to say anything, Dalton enveloped her in a bear hug and apologized for putting her i
| Hollis |At the tender age of six, Hollis learned what being grateful was all about for the first time in her young life. She’d been playing on the monkey bars in the schoolyard alone after all her classmates had gone home for the day. It was her normal routine, but just until she saw her brother. Dalton being in the third grade wouldn’t get out for another ten minutes, leaving the little girl to her own devices. It’d been storming in Auburn that morning, rendering all the playground equipment slippery and practically unusable, but that didn’t stop Hollis as she struggled to swing herself to the next bar. She’d almost reached the end when Dalton’s shocked little voice calling her name startled the child, and she came crashing down on one of the cold, hard bars; Effectively busting her chin wide open. She’d cried more from shock and fear than of the actual pain, thinking of how mad everyone was going to be at her. Dalton even then wa
| Hollis |She'd never really been a big cryer, but it felt good to get everything out in the grand scheme of things. Everyone needed an occasional outlet, after all. Hollis had no idea what time it was when the gut wrenching sobs finally subsided, but her face was almost as swollen as her knuckles and she could barely keep her eyes open. At some point, Kendra had helped her upstairs and into Whitney's room. All the furniture had been replaced, but didn't look like anything her girlfriend would've brought along from California. The chestnut drawer matched the color of Whitney's bed frame, and a small little black night stand stood out in an attractive way. Not surprisingly, a baby pink comforter was draped over the queen sized bed neatly. Having never been in Whitney's room before, Hollis started to feel a little more at ease. She could smell her lover's favorite perfume, and spotted it on the nightstand. "Happy" by Clinique. Thin white lace drapes softly blew against the win
| Whitney |As she walked into Ringo’s for her shift the following day, Whitney could feel everyone’s eyes on her. The air was stale with uncomfortable silence, making her glance around uneasily. Auburn was a small town, they all had to see the news. There wasn’t any other explanation. By now, everyone knew she was dating Hollis Bogard— therefore, felt like they had the right to gawk and whisper among themselves. She almost laughed at Evan’s comment of everyone being like family around here.Like family my ass. Hollis sounded like she was the backbone of this establishment, but nobody had a kind word to pass along? Whitney wondered if her girlfriend knew the types of people she really worked with but remained tight lipped as she knocked on the office door. Too new to expect anyone but Evan, she was taken by surprise to be greeted with an older woman in her mid fifties wearing a pinstriped pantsuit. She had
| Whitney |Three O’clock couldn’t come fast enough. Whitney was wiped out from handling a room full of customers and worrying endlessly about Hollis. Every chance she got she’d check her phone for updates from Kendra, but got nothing. Things eased up a little once Annie showed up, and the magic number that signified the end of Whitney’s shift eventually arrived.“You’re doing really awesome, by the way.” Annie said encouragingly as both she and Whitney headed into the kitchen for an order they were running together. She was around her age with a pleasant girl-next-door look. Sandy brown hair, crystal blue eyes and a shy smile made Annie easy to look at, and her sweet demeanor was just the cherry on top.“I’m trying.” Whitney soaked up the praise, glancing at the clock after they’d taken care of her last table. “I appreciate your help- will you be alright if I take off?” Normally she&r
| Hollis |With nowhere else to go, Hollis eventually found herself parked in her driveway at almost one in the morning. The rain hadn't let up, and she was starting to wish she'd grabbed her jacket from Whitney's room before taking off. Shivering with cold, Hollis rubbed her goose bump covered arms for a second and cranked the heater on. As the small space slowly began warming up, guilt started eating away at the blonde and she propped an elbow against the window to rub her forehead in mental exhaustion.Fuck, you don't even know me! Hollis winced, thinking about how hard she'd made Whitney cry. It may have only been about two months since they met, but that girl knew Hollis better than almost anyone. She managed to get past each barrier effortlessly and wrapped herself around every soft spot Hollis had. Whitney knew her real, true feelings. What troubled her. Her fears and insecurities.
| Hollis |It’d been nearly five days and she still felt like shit. Shakes, fever, the whole package was waiting for her like a brightly wrapped Christmas package the second Hollis started coming down. To avoid feeling sick, she’d cheat the system by popping a few pills to slowly go back to her version of normal after a relapse, but she didn’t have any thanks to whoever got rid of her stash. Submitting to heroin felt a lot like taking out a loan. Borrowing good feelings, only to pay off the debt with a wicked flu straight from hell.So she was forced to detox cold turkey, and it was murder.The only saving Grace Hollis had was in Nina, Kendra, and Whitney- who’d take shifts watching over her while she puked her guts out and cried from the unrelenting stomach pains. While the blonde dry heaved in her guest bathroom at around four in the evening, she faintly heard Nina charge upstairs.“Dalto