What the hell happened in the space of a night? I finally thought I was happy that I had found someone I could be with, I had my friend, and my brother had thrown a party in my honor. Life was good. Then in the blink of an eye, I've lost everything and everyone.
I pack my bags, taking everything, I own that's of importance along with my clothes, laptop, and documents. It takes me less than forty minutes to have it all packed up. When I exit my room, I can hear Noah's snores coming from his room, and I know he’s fast asleep.
I pack everything into my car, the one that belonged to my mom. It's a 2001 Corvette, it's cute, and I love that it belonged to my mom.
"Scar?" I hear that deep voice, and unlike yesterday when it made my heart race, now it just fills me with pain. "Are you okay?" Axel asks.
I don't turn around as I open my car door. "What do you care? You made your decision, and it wasn't me. You're an asshole, Axel, and I never want to see you again."
I climb into the car and reach for my door to pull it closed. "Where are you going?" he asks, holding onto the door, not letting me close it. This time I look up at him. His eyes wide as he takes in the box on the passenger's seat. "Where are you going, Scar?"
"Away," I snap. "Let go of my door."
He shakes his head. "No, not until you tell me where you're going."
"That's none of your business."
"What about Noah?" he asks, and I can see the pain in his eyes.
Too damn late.
"What about him? I'm nothing more than a whore who's ruined his life."
His eyes widen, and he takes a step back, I pull my door closed and turn on the engine. It's time to get the hell out of here. I can't deal with this shit anymore. I've been hurt enough today, and looking into Axel's eyes any longer will make my anger slowly ebb away, and I can't allow that. He hurt me. I wouldn't have minded had he spoken to me and we talked about what to do next, but instead, he walked away without a care in the world.
Now it's my turn to do that.
Five weeks later
I walkthrough the animal shelter, my heart heavy and my mind muddled. The stupid test burning a hole in my purse. I’ve tried for the past week to ignore the signs, but after throwing up for the fifth morning in a row, I couldn’t push it aside any longer. I have no idea what to do. These past five weeks have been hard, probably the hardest that I've ever done. When my parents died, I had people around me that were there to support me. Now I have no one.
"You're back," the woman says with a bright smile.
I nod. "I am, I was looking at rehoming a cat." I'm lonely, and the housing I have allows a pet. I've spoken to the owner of theapartment, and he's assured me that it's okay. I need a pet. I've always wanted one, but Noah never let me get one.
I was lucky I was able to get scholarships to help me out. I was hoping to have a dorm room, but by the time I had found out there was no money and I had to scramble quickly to find scholarships, it was too late, all the rooms were taken. Thankfully, the woman at the Bursar’s office helped me find what I needed, and now I'm settling in and working my ass off at college along with a part time job in a coffee shop to help me along the way.
The woman's smile widens. "That's excellent, why don't you have a look at the cats we have here and see if there's any you’re drawn to. When you're done, come and find me."
I nod. "That would be great, thank you."
It doesn't take long for me to find the cat that I want. It's a small tabby kitten that is cute as a button and very friendly.
"Ah," the lady says when I find her a little later. "Tilly is going to be the perfect house guest."
I laugh. I love the name Tilly. "Hopefully," I say. "You've a big shelter here, do you get a lot of animals?"
She nods. "Unfortunately, yes, we do. If it weren't for the volunteers, this shelter wouldn't exist."
"Are you looking for more volunteers?" I ask, wondering if I could do one evening a week. I'd love to give back and being around animals is a wonderful feeling.
She beams at me. "I am, if you're interested, I'd love to have you onboard. I'm Evelyn."
"Hey Evelyn, I'm Scarlett," I say with a smile for the first time in five weeks. I actually smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Let's get you set up with Tilly, and I’ll explain about the volunteer work. We’d love to have you with us."
I have a feeling this is exactly where I'm supposed to be, and maybe, just maybe, this is what I need to move on with my life.