All Chapters of A One-Way Ticket to Happiness: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Dad shoved a train ticket into my hand, then fished a crumpled hundred-dollar bill out of his pocket. "I really can't afford to raise you anymore. Your aunt's working down south. Go to her."I squeezed the ticket so hard my knuckles went white and said in a small voice, "Dad, I can sleep on the floor. I won't take up any space."He didn't look at me. He just lit a cigarette, grunted, and turned around. He didn't even walk me to the platform.I couldn't even remember what my aunt, Ava Shore, looked like. All I knew was that she'd left home at 18 years old and hadn't spoken to Dad in years.The train ride took a full day and night.An older woman sitting across from me saw that I was just a kid on my own and gave me half of her bun. She asked where I was headed.I told her I was going south to look for my aunt.She sighed. "You're still so young. How can your folks…"I didn't respond. I just leaned against the window and watched the view outside go from dull, dusty gray to endles

Chapter 2

Aunt Ava lived in a fancy high-rise downtown. The elevator took us straight up to the 22nd floor. When the door swung open, I froze in the doorway.Her living room was easily several times bigger than Dad's whole two-bedroom apartment. I could imagine seeing the entire city lit up at night through the floor-to-ceiling windows. There was a white leather couch, a crystal chandelier, and a coffee table with a plate of sliced fruit.I glanced down at my busted sneakers with their peeling soles. I didn't even dare move my toes.Aunt Ava reached into the shoe cabinet, pulled out a pair of pink fuzzy indoor slippers, and handed them to me. "Put these on. Your shoes are going in the trash tomorrow. I'll take you out to get new ones.""It's okay… These still work…" I mumbled."If I say change, you change. Quit fussing."My cousin, Isaac Grant, had already tossed my duffel onto the couch. He was sprawled beside it and glued to his game. He didn't even look up as he asked, "Mom, when's Dad

Chapter 3

Over the next few days, I lived a life I'd never even dared to dream about.Aunt Ava took me to get my hair done—wash, cut, blow-dry, the whole works. The stylist said my hair was way too dry, so Aunt Ava just upgraded me to some deep-repair package without even batting an eye.When we walked out of the salon, Isaac glanced over at me. For once, he didn't run his mouth. "There we go. At least you look like a human being now."Aunt Ava glared at him, and he immediately backpedaled. "I mean—you look great. You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen."After that, Aunt Ava took me to the mall and basically bought an entire new wardrobe, underwear and all.I stood in front of the fitting room mirror, almost not recognizing myself. That little girl in the floral dress with the smooth, shiny hair… Was that really me?Isaac was slouched in the lounge area playing games on his phone, complaining about how boring it was to wait. But every time I stepped out in a new outfit, he'd look up. Now

Chapter 4

On Saturday afternoon, Aunt Ava took Isaac to his martial arts class, and Uncle Michael had to go to the office to deal with something urgent.Right before she left, Aunt Ava ruffled my hair. "You can stay home and watch some TV. There's yogurt and pastries in the fridge—grab something if you're hungry. We'll be back before 6:00 pm. Your Uncle Michael said he's taking us out for dinner tonight."I curled up on the couch and watched cartoons, feeling ridiculously content. Aunt Ava had already sliced some fruit and set it out on the coffee table. The heater was running, making the air warm and cozy. I almost fell asleep right there in my little nest.Around 5:00 pm, the doorbell rang.I thought Aunt Ava had forgotten her keys, so I hopped off the couch and ran to open the door. The second it swung open, every drop of blood in my body turned to ice.Dad was standing there. Next to him was Jamie, heavily pregnant. She wore that fake smile that I knew way too well.Dad rubbed his hand

Chapter 5

Dad shoved me into the backseat of a cab. Jamie slid into the passenger seat and told the driver, "Take us to the train station."I pressed myself to the rear window and stared back at Aunt Ava's apartment. The building shrank and shrank until it was just a dot, swallowed by the glow of the southern evening sky.I curled up in a corner, my voice shaking as I said, "You said you didn't want me anymore. Why did you come for me again?"Dad didn't look at me. He kept his gaze fixed outside the window and stayed silent. Jamie turned around, though. She smiled and spoke to me like I was a baby. "Crystal, I'm sure you can tell your aunt's loaded. Look at that huge place she lives in. You've stayed with her for so long now, yet she hasn't given us a single cent for child support. "You're your dad's daughter. Why should some outsider be the one raising you? Just be good when we get back, okay? I'll make sure you have a good life."I bit my lip and said nothing. So, they hadn't come to "

Chapter 6

Meanwhile, Aunt Ava had just brought Isaac back after his martial arts class. When she saw the front door wide open and that I was missing, her mind went blank.Isaac was the first to snap back to his senses. He ran straight to the building management office to pull the security footage. On the screen, Dad and Jamie forced me into the elevator, one shoving and one yanking.When Isaac finished watching, he slammed his fist on the table. "Damn it! Is he really her father?"Aunt Ava stood frozen in the middle of the living room. She stared at the half-eaten fruit plate on the coffee table and the little dip in the couch where I'd been curled up. She shook all over.Uncle Michael worked late that night. The moment he walked in and saw Aunt Ava sitting on the couch with red-rimmed eyes and Isaac pacing furiously, he knew something was wrong.After he heard what happened, he didn't say a word. He just grabbed his phone and went into the study. Ten minutes later, he came back out. His to

Chapter 7

The next evening, the screech of brakes tore through the quiet outside. I pressed up against the window and looked down, almost bursting into tears.Aunt Ava's black MPV was parked downstairs.The car door opened, and she stepped out in heels. She was followed by Uncle Michael and Isaac… as well as a police officer.Dad's face turned ashen, and Jamie shrank back toward the bedroom. "Why did she bring the police? I thought you said your sister was just some office employee!"Dad's lips trembled. "I-I didn't know she was… She's now…"A sharp pounding rattled the door, each thud echoing through the apartment. Aunt Ava's voice came through from the hallway. She wasn't loud, but every word was like a knife."Open up."Jamie took a deep breath, smoothed her hair, and forced a smile onto her face. Then, she went to get the door.The second it swung open, Aunt Ava didn't even look at her. Her gaze swept straight past the living room and landed on me, curled up in the corner.She cross

Chapter 8

On the way back, I sat in the backseat of the MPV.Isaac had his arm around me and didn't say a word. He was usually such a chatterbox, but right then he was so quiet it didn't feel like him at all. Now and then, he reached over to wipe my tears, mumbling, "You got snot all over my new shirt."But his arm only tightened around me.Aunt Ava sat in the front passenger seat. One hand reached back to hold mine, and she never let go from the moment we got into the car until we got home.Uncle Michael was driving. Every so often he glanced at me in the rearview mirror, his voice gentle. "Crystal, are you hungry? Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll take you."I shook my head, then nodded.He chuckled. "Alright, then. Once we get home, get your aunt to make you some spaghetti with extra meatballs."When we got back and opened the door, everything was exactly the same as when I'd left. This home had been waiting for me to come back.Aunt Ava settled me on the couch and went into the

Chapter 9

The day my guardianship was transferred, Uncle Michael came home with an official-looking envelope. He spread the papers out on the dining table and pointed to one of the sheets."Look, Crystal. It says right here that your legal guardians are Michael Grant and Ava Shore. From now on, as far as the law's concerned, you're our kid."I stared at that paper for a long time, watching the words jump off the page one by one and sear themselves into my heart.Aunt Ava stood beside us, her eyes red but her lips curved upward in a wide smile. "From now on, if anyone wants to mess with you, they'll have to get through me first."Isaac burst out of his room and threw an arm around my shoulders. "So, that means I have an actual sister now?"Uncle Michael smacked him lightly on the back of his head. "Quit running your mouth."That night, Aunt Ava cooked a feast for dinner. She made all my favorites. BBQ pork ribs, fried chicken, garlic butter shrimp, and even a buttercream cake.On top of th

Chapter 10

The days just slipped by.In the spring, Aunt Ava took me down to the apartment complex's garden to plant flowers. Isaac refused to help, whining that it was dirty. In the end, Aunt Ava grabbed him by the ear and dragged him over to the flowerbed to fill in the soil.In the summer, Uncle Michael drove us to the beach. A wave knocked Isaac flat, and he came up with seaweed all over his head. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.In the fall, my grades kept me right at the top of my class. Aunt Ava filled an entire display cabinet with my trophies.In the winter, the four of us curled up on the couch and watched movies. Aunt Ava leaned on Uncle Michael's shoulder while Isaac and I fought over the popcorn.One day after school, I stopped at the entrance to our apartment complex. The setting sun washed our building in a warm glow. The windows on the 22nd floor were lit, and the smell of dinner drifted out from the kitchen.Isaac leaned out over the balcony and yelled down at me, "What a

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