Chapter 1

Get over it Beverly!! She thought, re-reading the same words all over again.

Beverly McCartney's lips pressed tightly, as her eyes glued to the message on her phone screen. She had been sitting on the kitchen island for hours, unable to move or look away from the phone. The message on the screen was short and simple. “Hello… Meet up?"

It had all started when Beverly had recently downloaded a dating app for a Condition; Her stepsister, Ravel would somewhat get off her love life. On another hand, Beverly had other plans.

Rather than effortlessly waste precious time on men, she focused morely on paying the bills,with aims of trying to raise money in order to acquire a successful heart surgery in which her mother suffered from— a heart disease.

However, it happened so fastly when she was suddenly confronted by a message from lovebite dating app by a strange man she knew nothing of. But days after days, no matter how hard she'd try to distract herself she seemed to always find herself in the same message box, starring deeply at the single word, startled with deepest surprise. Who would want to go out with a hideous woman like me?

“Here, Just sign here..” across the kitchen island stood Ravel, papers in her hand whilst stretching them out and towards Beverly. Her Brown eyes stared at her sister with concern, as her plumbed lips slightly parted Open to exhale out.

“Huh?” Beverly asked, snapping her out of her thought immediately. She stared briefly at the name, country and number caved on the man's info on her phone— Noah Waniworth, England,2213 before putting it away despite how hard it seemed.

“Sign..” she tossed the blue biro to Beverly's end and ran a hand through her black curls “You seemed lost in thought, second thoughts?” Beverly sighed. “What does it matter.. as long as mom's okay, I guess I'll be too”

Deep within, Beverly McCartney hadn't had a single choice even though she had craved for one. The thought of saving a woman who had her for 9 months, fend for her, without nothing, no source of income, no job, just house clean ups to earn, was everything Beverly could think of and it shattered her. She knew she could run from it no longer, it was reality, her life—now.

“I know, this is stupid but You’ve got to manage, while I take shifts at the diner, you nanny some rich ass old woman” she heaved out, shutting her eyes closed for a moment, then, snapped them back open. “It might just cover up for Mom's heart transplant”“Right” she rolled her eyes and picked the pen and signed gingerly on the required space. There was complete silence afterwards not untill Ravel spoke out.

“So..” she drawled with a smirk sheepishly “How's that app of yours going? Any admirer yet?” Ravel grinned, jungling her brows up and down.

“Well… I don't know, haven't checked in for a while now” she lied through her perfectly white teeth and got down from the island, standing on both feet. She immediately went for the perfectly baked muffin from the pan that was placed next to the micro wave and munched on a little bite.

“Oh.” she huffed and made her way to Beverly. “That aside, Vic's Brother is finally having his club reopening party tonight”

“Oh, That’s good to know, I guess” she offered a small nod, gulping down the chewed muffin down her throat.“Yeah” Ravel said. “But I was thinking, with all the stress and everything that's been going on for the past few weeks, why don't we go?” she completed bluntly.

“What? No!, How can you think such thing when mom clearly needs our helps and attention,And besides we weren't even invited—”

“Vic invited us, let's go, ple—”

“Well, I have alot to do, really. But You can go, I've got no problem” Beverly cut in.

“Like what?, The lots of things to do?” ravel threw her hands in the air, furrowed forming on her forehead.

“Um, Mom, I have to make sure she's comfort—”

“Chill out Bervi. Mom is okay, stop worrying so much about her, she's a strong woman and by the way, I called Mariam, a friend of mom to come while we're out” she smiled.

“For fuck sake ravel!, You should have told me for starters, why didn't you—”

“Because I knew this would happen someway or the other with you always devicing unnecessary excuses, just so you won't go.. I know” she frowned. “Everything is under control bervi. Come on!!” she nudge Beverly's shoulder playfully “It’s going to be stress free and fun.. please. It been so long we had a sisterly bond” there both stared at each other, not even the slightest word escaped from their lips.Maybe she was right, Beverly presumed. She had alot, —a burden pressed heavily over her shoulders that needed Saving, a father who had his whole life ruined by a simple mistake, and now?, It caused him years in jail, a mother who had just less than twelve months to live, a stepsister who had to be in school, instead of serving food at some local diner and me Berverly, a daughter who was financially handicapped no job, no recruitment, nothing. Indeed, she had to drink off all sorrows of hers, the pain she felt, someway or the other.

“One more word about a sisterly bond and I'm going to throw up right here” she scoffed drawing in air heavily and slowly releasing it out, after hesitating she finally spoke out “Fine.. I'll come” and with her last statement a loud shriek of joy eluded ravel's lips almost immediately she pulled Beverly for a hug that exact moment.

“That’s the Spirit!, Come-on let's get dressed!” she shrieked and scurried out of the kitchen without glancing back, wearing an expression of pure excitement.

“Alright..alright!” Beverly chuckled a little, as her almond shaped blue eyes roamed everywhere for a while, and Soon, Beverly followed afterwards.