shuhaige
26
Chapter 26* (1069)
ALEXA’S POVExclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
Waking up first thing in the morning, I quickly made my way to the bathroom and prepared myself for my day-off. Washing my face and brushing my teeth, I dried my hair using the towel hanging on the rack then wrapped my hair in a bun and applied some light baby powder on my face to cover up any marks on my skin that will show me being a mess today. Putting on a dark shirt and black jeans, I slipped on my old chucks then my sling bag that held my thick wallet that had the stolen money and left my room as I made my way downstairs.
“Goodmorning, Mr. Brown!” I greeted him at the living room where he and Nolan sat infront of the large flatscreen tv.
“Where are you going?” Nolan scoffs, looking at me, judgingly.
“None of your business.”
“She’s taking a day-off, Nolan. I’ll be keeping an eye on you for the rest of the time she is gone,” Mr. Brown says, making Nolan’s smirk fade.
“Have a good day, Alexa!” I hear Mr. Brown call out as I bid my farewell to both of them.
Walking out the mansion, I waved to the gardeners and to the security men by the gate as I passed through.
It took alot of energy, but I made it to the bus stop a few blocks away from the mansion. After a quick stop at a convenience store, I bought my coffee and sat down on one of the benches that were outside the station.
Taking off my bag, I opened it and fished out my phone. The sun shining above brightened me up as I snapped a picture of the beautiful scenery in front of me while sipping my coffee.
It feels almost foreign, taking pictures. Most days it feels difficult and stressful trying to figure out how to keep myself calm during times I’m stressed. But I feel ecstatic about spending my dayoff despite being alone.
I felt content with the situation and the world was finally beginning to come back into focus. I knew that things would be tough and it wasn’t easy for me, but I know there will be an opportunity for me someday to habe a life I deserve.
Stepping into the bus that will take me to the city, I watched through the window to see the scenery. The cars drove by in a blur and every once in awhile I would get startled when someone got too close to their car. That was something that I’ve gotten used to.
After a couple of stops, I saw the huge white tower and I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my lips. I loved seeing the place. Even though I didn’t really have much to do, I liked to visit the city often. It has such different buildings and I could spend hours wandering the streets, checking out the sights and people who moved on by. Sometimes I wondered where everything was, what kind of cities it really was.
The bus came to a halt just as I reached the tower. Grabbing my things, I jumped off the bus and walked inside the huge glass dome that led into the main part of the tower. The air inside felt fresh and crisp and I took a deep breath enjoying its smell.
Once inside I saw that the place was empty aside from two or three security guards and two workers wearing headsets. They were working near the elevators so I walked over to the elevator that was waiting for the doors open and stepped inside. It was pretty crowded but there wasn’t really many people so it was easy for me to move around.
Spotting a nearby salon, I step inside and was greeted with a tall dark woman that had long braids.
“Hey! Welcome to Styled, I’m Clarissa, what can I help you with, girl?” She smiled, standing up from behind her desk to assist me.
“Do you do nails around here?”
“Of course! Will that be all?” She asks as she writes something on a piece of paper.
“I just want a trim and wash for my hair, if that’s fine?” I looked around, feeling flustered all of a sudden.
“Sure thing, sweetheart, go ahead and take a seat over there!”
(**)
Stepping outside of the salon, I smiled and waved goodbye to Clarissa after paying. It’s rare to find people with quality services, and I might have just found one of them.
Walking around a bit more, I stop infront of an antique shop that had a thrift store inside.
Walking in, I spot a few familiar books that caught my attention. My mind quickly goes back to a memory with Cody.
I remembered it like it was yesterday. There was a heatwave at the orphanage and we were allowed to spend time outside longer than we were supposed to.
“Avery! Catch!” I remembered yelling at a girl my age as I threw a small ball at her.
Cody came running up to her side and picked the ball up in his arms before giving it back to her.
We spent half the afternoon outside playing around, playing tag and other games like hide and seek, but eventually the weather cooled down and we started shivering, and we had to go back inside.
“You’re cold, aren’t you?” Cody had asked as he pulled me towards his bed where we’d warm up by watching cartoons and drinking his stash lf cocoa.
“Mmmhmmm. I don’t like summer,” I mumbled as I turned my body to lie on the couch with my head resting on his lap. He smiled down at me and ran his fingers through my hair before pulling the blanket over us and putting his arm around me. We continued to watch the movie we were watching together as well as the other kids in the orphanage. we listened to each other breathing as Iwe watched.
That was the first time we ever talked about feelings.
And although we were young, it felt like forever ago. I remember feeling happy that we talked about our feelings but also scared because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to handle his response. And since we hadn’t really been talking much about anything serious since we were kids, I was relieved that Cody chose to stay by my side.
“Miss?”