2 – Ciara
“ T his is nice,” Addi walks through my small room, nodding at every little thing like it’s a luxury mansion. “I wouldn’t mind being stuck here for two days a week. A bed, coffee machine, and television, girl you are set.”
“It’s a shared shower.” I scrunch my nose. “I feel like I’m just graduating school and coming here as a young person. I don’t share.”
“Well,” Spike mutters, glancing around, his arms crossed, “you can give this shit up and come home. Where you have a shower.”
Addison glares at him. “Stop being such a baby, Spike. She’s staying. This is good for her. You and your dick will survive two days.”
“Fuck off, Addison.”
She blows him a kiss.
I grin.
“I’ll be fine, I mean, it’s only two nights. At least my room locks and I don’t have to share with anyone.”
I was originally going to stay in a unit with a few other students for a night, but a room came up to share with another girl who comes and goes, and I was offered it for less. I decided to accept, considering it is right outside the campus and I can go to my classes easily from here. It’s only a couple of nights, and at least I can have time to myself here.
“Any fucker even so much as attempts to come in here, I’ll break their fuckin’...”
“Oh calm down,” Addi interrupts Spike’s rant. “She’s not going away to army camp; she’s doing a bit of study to become a nurse. You need to chill.”
His scowl makes me giggle.
“Just think,” I say, smiling at him, “you have Addi now to keep you company while I’m not there.”
He shoots me a warning look.
“I’m offended by that look,” Addison scoffs. “Now, I’m going to be even more annoying.”
“Fuck’s sake, I’m waitin’ outside.”
Turning, Spike shoves the door open and walks out. A girl walking past stops, her eyes widening, and she stares at him leaving. He can’t just come in and out, security and all that, but there are times I can let him in with my pass. It feels very ... teenager. Once he’s gone, Addison turns to me and starts laughing. “My gosh, he is not okay with this.”
I grin. “Nope, but he doesn’t get a choice. He will always support me, even if it kills him. I know he’s not happy though.”
“He’ll get used to it. I won’t lie, I’m kind of jealous. I wish I could get away for two days a week to lay in this bed at night in silence, with a book, and chocolate ...”
Exhaling, she flops onto the bed.
“You can come squish in with me anytime,” I say, staring at the single bed. “I can’t promise it’ll be comfortable, but it will be quiet.”
She stretches her arms out. “I might just do that, you know.”
“Door is always open, except between certain hours, then you have to sign in.”
Rolling her eyes, she sits up and stares out the window. “I think I could climb in here, no problem at all.”
I point to the screw that only allows it to go out so far. “Unless you’re the size of a newborn, I think you might get stuck.”
She huffs. “Well bloody hell.”
“Don’t worry,” I say, grinning. “We’ll get you in.”
“Oh, I can’t wait. I’m even more excited for the parties. Is it bad that I want to party even though I’m a mother now?”
I shake my head. “We’re allowed to live, too.”
“You’re right, we are. Come on, we better go see your moping man before I take him home.”
Nerves rattle in my tummy, but I keep my smile.
I’m not sure I’m ready to be here, yet at the same time, I know it’s what I need. I’m sure once the first night passes, things will get easier. Besides, Paulie, who I met on my introduction day, told me he is going to take me to all my classes tomorrow and show me around. I have one class with Pervy Pete, a teacher I have been informed is very handsy, which I’m not looking forward to, but I’m certain he’ll only try to grab my bottom once.
Following Addi out of the dorm, we meet Spike out front. He’s standing by the truck, arms crossed, glaring at everyone that walks past. Addison snorts, muttering, “Why does he have to look like that? We’re trying to make friends here.”
I chuckle. “That’s the only way he knows how to look.”
Reaching him, I stretch out my fingers and run them down his cheek. He flinches, and his eyes meet mine. He’s doing his best to support me, and I know he’ll get used to it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hard to leave him. “It’s only two days,” I murmur.
“Know that,” he mumbles, his voice low and croaky.
“It’ll be okay, I promise.”
“Know that, too.”
Addi excuses herself, letting me say goodbye to Spike. He releases his arms from their firm crossed stance and pulls me into him. I exhale, pressing my face to his chest and breathing him in. I’m going to miss him, but I know this will be the best thing for me. I’ve lost who I am, and I need to find it again. The only way I can do that is to branch out a little and get myself the career I always wanted.
“Anyone looks at you the wrong way, speaks to you the wrong way or fuckin’ breathes on you the wrong way, you tell me, yeah?”
I pull back. “I’ll tell you.”
I won’t, but it makes him feel better.
“Love you,” he murmurs, taking my chin in his hand and bringing my lips up to his.
I kiss him, soft but deep, and then pull back, my eyes burning with unshed tears.
“Don’t go cryin’ on me, Tom Cat, can’t handle that.”
“I’ll wait until you leave.”
He growls, kissing me again, then he releases me and turns without looking back. I’m glad he does that, because if he were to look back, I think I’d break, and I can’t break. This is what I want, and I have to honor it.
Even if it hurts watching him drive away.
Everything will be okay—I have to believe that.
“IF YOU GET LOST, YOU call me. It’s only a small campus but I know how scary it can be on your first day,” Paulie tells me as we stop at my first class the next day.
It happens to be straight up with Pervy Pete.
“I will,” I say, finishing punching his number in my phone. “Should I be scared about going in here?”
Paulie laughs. “Not even. If that old perve looks at you, just give him a stink eye so bad that he will be too scared to come near you. He preys on the weak, so don’t be weak. The rest of your teachers are amazing, you’ll love them.”
I exhale, clutching my laptop to my chest. “Wish me luck.”
“You’ll smash it out of the park, and later, we’ll go get some drinks to celebrate. Go, show the world who you are.”
I like Paulie, he’s a great person to have on your side.
Offering him one more smile, I walk into the class. Pete is standing at the large blackboard, watching the students roll in. His eyes move to me, and I don’t miss how they run over my body. Oh, yuck. I take in a deep breath and walk over, stopping in front of him. He’s not as old as I thought, maybe late forties, but he has a slimy look about him. His glasses sit at the end of his nose as he looks down at me. His eyes are a murky green and his brown hair is slicked back. His suit sucks, and I don’t like him already.
“You must be Ciara, welcome.”
He’s staring at my boobs.
How does a man like this actually get a job?
“I am. Where do I sit?”
“Anywhere you like.”
I shoot him a stern look when he finally looks back up at me. I’m hopeful it’s enough to let him know I don’t appreciate his gawking. Then, I turn on my heel and find myself a seat that isn’t in the front row. A few girls stare over at me from their group at the back, and I can see them snickering. Fucking fantastic, I forgot what it’s like to be back at school. These girls probably just graduated.
Ignoring them, I open my laptop and wait for the lesson to begin.
It goes without a hitch, and even though Pete stares at me multiple times, I can see he’s weary as every single time he asks me a question I answer with a snappy tone, to ensure he knows that I’m not here to be messed with. He quickly focuses his attention on the girls at the back, giving them a smile that makes my skin crawl.
How has nobody reported this douchebag?
When the lesson is done, I get the hell out of there and quickly find my next class which is with a nice young teacher named Rose who smiles a lot and answers questions without hesitation. For my last class of the day, I have another young teacher, Gerard, who is maybe seven or eight years older than me. He has an easy smile and boyish charm. He’s friendly and easy to talk to. His dark hair falls messily over his face and he’s always pushing it aside, offering a grin each time he does. I can tell he’s a favorite among the girls, judging by the amount of giggling they offer every single time he cracks a joke.
“How are you finding your first day?” he asks me just before I head out the door after the lesson.
Pausing, I smile at him. “Exhausting. I’ve written so many notes, but I have to wonder if I’ve got it in me to complete this.”
He grins. “You’ll be fine. I can tell already. It’s overwhelming but, eventually, it will make sense. Nursing is a career that will take you far.”
“I hope so.”
“Do you live locally?” he asks, leaning against his desk.
He’s well built, I can see it underneath his dark tee. If I was a single young girl, I’d probably swoon over him, too. His light blue eyes are playful, and his smile is laced with something a little devilish.
“No, I live about two hours away. I just come in for two nights a week.”
“Do you stay at the units or dorm?”
“I was going to stay at the units,” I tell him, “but I managed to get a spot in the dorm rotating with another girl so that worked out well. It’s closer.”
“Less parties, too.” He chuckles.
I smile. “Well, I wouldn’t mind a party or two while I’m here.”
He laughs, pushing off the desk. “I’m certain you’ll find one, then. It was good meeting you, Ciara. I look forward to having you in my class.”
“You, too,” I offer, before leaving the class.
I run into Paulie just outside.
“Well, how did you go?”
I grin, pretty impressed with my first day. “Well, Pervy Pete didn’t touch me, and the other teachers were great.”
“You have Gerard, he’s a great teacher. The girls love him.”
Paulie rolls his eyes, and I laugh. “I got that impression. He seems like a nice guy, though.”
“He’s a crowd favorite. You have mostly good teachers, you’re lucky.”
I nod, turning and walking next to him as we leave the building.
“So, what now?” I ask, seeing that I still have a few hours of the afternoon left.
“We can do whatever we want. That’s the best part. Any ideas?”
“Tell me there’s a good bar around here.”
Paulie grins. “I knew I liked you. Let’s go, I know just the place.”
“Let me put my things away, freshen up, then I’ll meet you back here?”
“It’s a plan.”
Turning, I walk off with a huge smile on my face. I can do this, and I think I’m going to enjoy it more than I first thought.
After calling home, getting changed, and meeting Paulie again, we head to a local bar where all the students who are of age go after classes. Thankfully, that means all those young ones aren’t here. Gosh, I’m making myself sound old. Getting ourselves a few drinks, we go and sit out front under a large umbrella and watch the cars zoom by.
Paulie tells me about his life, his parents, and the guy he’s crushing on. We laugh, and I find him incredibly easy to talk to. I tell him about the club and watch as he listens with wide eyes and his mouth slightly agape. He’s fascinated with club life and has a million questions. I answer them with a laugh until two girls come up to the table, stopping and smiling fondly at Paulie.
They’re older than both of us, but still both so beautiful.
“Hey, girls.” He waves, his energy addictive. “This is my friend Ciara. Ciara, this is Josie and Melly – they did their studies at this campus years and years ago, they’re both qualified now.”
I wave to the two girls.
“Oh, man, you look so much like your sister,” Josie, a beautiful blond says, her eyes widening.
Wait.
These girls knew Cheyenne? I mean, I knew she tried out a few schools in this area before dropping out and being with Spike, but I guess I figured it was long enough ago that nobody would know her. I guess he made an impression.
“You knew Chey?” I ask.
Josie nods. “Yeah, she came in when we were on our last year. She made an impression. She preferred the partying over the work, so I don’t think she lasted long. She just up and left one day. I never heard from her again, but she had a memorable face and you look just like her.”
“I haven’t seen anyone who knew her yet. It’s nice to know people still remember her.”
Josie nods. “It was so sad to hear about her passing. I’m sorry for your family. She was a wild child. I loved her spirit.”
I smile, because deep down, I have a love/hate relationship with my sister and everything we went through. Even though I’d do anything to bring her back, I still didn’t always love the person she was. She could cause her fair share of trouble, and it wouldn’t surprise me to know she has a reputation around here.
“I’m glad to hear it,” I say, because I’m not going to talk badly about someone who isn’t here to defend herself. “She was wild. It’s a shame she didn’t stick around and finish what she wanted.”
“It sure was weird. One minute she was here, then she was gone. People talked about it a lot, plenty of stories about her getting involved with someone and it going bad, but who actually knows. Maybe she just wanted to go home.”
My parents live about an hour from here, so it doesn’t surprise me that Cheyenne would have just packed up and left when things got too hard. They always catered to her and justified every action and choice she made, and it didn’t matter whether it was right or wrong, they went along with it. Nobody ever pushed her to stay in school or do her best.
If Cheyenne didn’t like it, she could leave.
It was that simple.
“Maybe,” I say, taking a sip of my drink.
“Well, we better get going. It was great to meet you, Ciara.”
We wave them goodbye, and I exhale, glancing back at Paulie who gives me a wide-eyed expression. “Let’s get another round of drinks so you can tell me all about your sister. Judging by the look on your face, it’s a good one.”
I laugh.
Yeah, Paulie is fast becoming a friend I won’t want to part from.