章 7: A story from the past
"Come on April this is like a one time in your life adventure, you are always bugging me about when are we going on a crazy expenditure. I just gave you one" AJ, my infuriating bestfriend said.
I glared at my ex-convict of a best friend
"Why did I listen to your crazy ass in the first place. You said we are just driving to go see one of your clients, and now here we are stranded in a godforsaken place and you are telling me this is fun" I yelled.
A few hours ago I went to see AJ and hours later, here we are in the middle of nowhere with Mr. Smith's Maserati Alfieri, which has run out of gas. The closest landmark is an old abandoned gas station.
"You blackmailed me into this" I kick the car, hurting my foot. I furiously took off my heels going barefoot.
"With your, I'm so pissed at you face" I glared at him.
"Oh really I did, Don't pretend you didn't enjoy the ride" his eyes glistened
"Oh your rollercoaster of a ride, you could have killed us, you exceeded the speed limit you asshole. It was just a short ride, that was your words. I did not bargain for this."
Christ, why is this psycho my best friend?
When I saw AJ, I was struck with guilt. I wanted to make it up to him. When he suggested we go for a ride in the Maserati Alfieri, I didn't object to it. I was stupid not to realize AJ was up to no good.
Now my phone is dead, there is no way I can call James, the chauffeur. I made him board a cab back to the mansion, which he reluctantly obeyed. I should have made him come along, I'm sure we won't have been in this hot mess.
"You should have just followed the GPS" I raised my hands in frustration.
"I forgot to mention you look like a sex goddess tonight," he said
I furious shoved him, and he fell on his butt.
He burst into uncontrollable laughter. jerking up on his feet.
"This not funny AJ"
"Relax, this doesn't look bad I'm sure we are in an outskirt of a small town outside the city, besides no need to get scared of the boggey man out here, you got your superman"
I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Besides I'm sure, that chauffeur guy will be tracking the car at the moment we've been gone for too long"
That's what I'm afraid of. What if he told Mr. Smith about it and he is doing the tracking instead?
I think I should call James before the big black wolf finds out first. I recalled I wrote his number down into a notepad before storing it up on my phone. It is a safety precaution of mine in case my phone battery dies and I need someone's help like this scenario.
"Give me your phone AJ"
He touched his pockets and shrugged.
"Huh! You stepped out without a phone, how lame can you be" I yelled. I'm so pissed at him.
I went back inside the car and slammed the door shut.
Mr. Smith is going to kill me. I sighted.
AJ entered the car sitting beside me, My arms were folded with much rage.
"What the story here how did you land yourself with a Masterati Alfieri? and a personal Chauffeur. I heard you telling him to go back to the mansion, did you win a lottery or something ?"
I was still furious but had no choice to narrate everything to him.
Aj's eyes blinked, "Holy cow, you mean the freaky CEO of Lynx corporation is your Rommie. On a scale of one to ten, how hot is he"
I glared at him.
"Seriously, you couldn't ask anything from all what I just told you, but about that cocky bully of a housemate"
He grins
"You sounded like a girl fan of his, who sleeps with his poster every night."
I rolled my eyes.
He gazes at me.
"You look sexy tonight, are you on drugs?"
I frowned.
"Why will I be on drugs"
"Because the April I know won't dress up like this not even when given a million dollars. I can bet my life on it. You sure you are not on some drugs?"
I playfully punched him in his arms.
"Do I look like I'm on drugs, I dressed up like this to finally fulfill your weird fantasy of you seeing me in a slutty dress"
He frowns'" Hey that's a classy designer dress".
His face flashes with a devious smile.
"Aww you glam up just for me, I feel like the luckiest guy in the whole world, I made April Jackson get rid of her hideous jeans, and old grumpy-looking T-shirt." He shrieked, teasing me.
"You need to dress like this more often, see how gorgeous you are looking. Why are you always trying to hide that sexiness"
"Because of perverts like you," I said
He laughed
"I'm sure you did turn heads at the club, wait for it that the red lipstick I got for you, Wow that was bold, aww I'm so proud of you" he placed his hands on his chest with a puppy looking expression.
I rolled my eyes with my face flushed.
He narrowed his gaze.
"April Jackson, I know that look, there is something you have to tell me, spill it out before I go ninja monkey on you"
I laughed, covering my face with my palms.
"Okay fine"
"A guy ask me out"
"Oh my goodness, for real " He gasped.
"Thank God, At long last, my best friend isn't dying a virgin" He laughed.
I blushed in embarrassment
Yeah that's me a 24 years old virgin, with no dating history. Great.
"It's just a date, you moron"
" Yeah, your first date ever, but to come to think of it, why haven't guys tried to approach you. You are super cute with your beautiful wild hair" He grasped his jaw.
"Because I have a best friend who is a pimp, you scare all the guys away."
He stared at me with his face puzzled
"I do?
"Yes so far so good two hot guys mistook me for an escort"
He grins mischievously
"That good, at least they didn't mistake you for an old maid or plain old Jane., hmm, I think you should hang out with me often." I whack him with my heel.
He groans out in pain.
"Jeez April, sometimes I wonder if I got a psychopath as a friend"
He glares at me.
"Anyway we need to celebrate your first date with a pizza party, and I need to give to some first date tips before that night, I don't want to go embarrass yourself"
"No thank you, someone corrupt as you, giving first date tips, it going to be a recipe for disaster," I said
He laughed
"We surely need to celebrate, that is an achievement, bravo" he clapped, thank God we are not in public that could have been a pure humiliation.
"Stop making it a big deal, okay, and stop trying to distract me from the mess you've landed us into"
I frowned
He went silent.
I hate it when he does that, it is so weird. It is like he is in a trance, I know it has something to do with a traumatic experience he had. He is yet to share that with me.
"I miss you psycho," I said trying to break the silence.
he chuckled,
"I miss your crazy ass too," he said with a smile.
"That was a crazy story you just told me"
"Yeah, Was I stupid to follow a stranger to her house?"
"Yeah that was a dumb move" he replied
"jeez AJ that was mean" I pouted
"A good friend would have advised you to quickly get your ass out of there because, no one does anything for free in this shitty world of ours, without trying to gain something in return. It could be selling your kidney on the black market" he shrugs
"But as a bad influence of a best friend, I know you are itching with much curiousness, and you are tempted to switch on your Nancy Drew mode on this. I think there is more to this than you know, who knows what you will discover."
"So you are suggesting I stay?"He nods
My face ached into a frown. The AJ I know won't suggest I stay with this bunch of strangers, he will have acted like a big protective brother and asked me to come to stay with him
"Yes, besides you told me about that crazy old lady calling you Camila right, there is more to that also." he paused.
"Hey didn't your nana have an old bracelet with an initial C.J that was your Mom's right, it could be maybe your mother's middle name was Camilla even though she goes by the name, Pearl Jackson.
"oops" he gaped when he realized he has crossed the line
My face grimaced, with my heart clouding with an old pain I have buried deep down within.
"I'm sorry buttercup, I didn't mean to "
"It's okay, I'm fine" I brushed him off
He stared at me sadly.
" April, don't you think it's about time you stop bottling up all this pain I know it hurts, but it's been years now it's time you stop running away from the truth and deal with it"
I laughed bitterly
" What truth, that she abandons her six years old daughter with her sickly mother, and run off with a man, leaving her poor mother's heartbroken" I yelled out.
Hot tears rolled down my cheeks,
"She was dead to my nana, so is she dead to me also. I have no mother,"
AJ place his arms around me,
I sniff trying to hold back my tears.
"Let it out dear, you know you need to," he said patting my back"
I sobbed louder, feeling the burning sharp pains in my heart
"Oh AJ it hurts, why didn't mama love me? She never called, not even on my birthday. she didn't even come to Nana's funeral, does she despises us that much?"
When nana died. I got my mother's new address from a friend of hers. I sent her an email, informing her about nana's dead and the date of her funeral, she didn't reply or show up that day. I was just a sixteen years old kid who had to bury her grandma all by herself. A month later, I lost grandma's house to the bank, because I couldn't pay up the mortgage. And the money from the sales of nana's furniture, other stuff, and her priceless heirlooms I used that to pay off the funeral expenses and the rest of her hospital bills. Their money left wasn't enough to sustain me. I didn't want to get lost in the foster system, I heard horrible stories about the ill-treatment those kids go through at the hands of their foster parents, so I hid from the social workers. I had no choice but to go look for my mother, unfortunately, she had already moved away from that address, barely a month ago.
Then I knew, my mother doesn't want anything to do with me. I quite remember, how broken I felt. The pain of my mother's rejection cut deep leaving me shattered and left a scar that will never heal. I decided to bury any memories of her away just like my nana did.
I became homeless living on the street, eating leftovers from garbages I had to sleep on the cold floor of dark alleys, with the fear of danger lurking around every night. I had to clean myself and wash up my clothes in the washroom of grocery stores. With my high GPA, I graduated from high school a year earlier with a college scholarship. I got a part-time job, and share a shabby tiny apartment with two roommates.
But one of the things that kept me pushing, fighting to survive was painting. I had always love to paint and draw when I was a kid. But I took painting seriously when I started taking free painting lessons from poor homeless artists on the street. It became my light of hope in the darkness I lived in. Painting kind of saved my life.
Living on the street left a mark on me, you may stop living on the street, but you can never escape from its nightmares.
AJ wiped my tears with his shirt.
"feeling better ?"
I nodded
"Have I ever told you, when you cry your face looks so puffy like you been in a boxing ring"AJ said
I laughed out forgetting I was just crying a moment ago.
"She isn't worth your tears, she doesn't deserve an amazing daughter like you "
I smiled sadly at him
"Thanks, AJ". he winks
"Don't mention it, I always got your back pal"
Suddenly I noticed droplets of rain splash on the car window glass, dripping down.
"It's raining jeez we are doomed" I sighted glaring at him.
I had a feeling of deja vu.
I met AJ eight years ago. We both took shelter from the rain at an old closed grocery store. When the rain stopped. I realized he was still standing beside me. I was so anxious, praying he goes away. I had planned on sleeping there that night since my old sleeping spot was raided by a bunch of junkies. The annoying ginger red hair wasn't moving an inch. I ignored him, laying down my blanket to go to sleep, AJ also laid his beside mine. Then I knew he was also homeless like I was. That instant we became friends. I don't think I would have survived the street without AJ. He became my rock, my best friend, I remember days he could give up his food for me and go hungry. Took care of me when I got sick from eating all those garbage foods. In one incident he got beaten defending me from a gang of street boys trying to have their way with me. We have been through hell together. The street we lived in was a scary rough place for teenagers like us, but we fought hard together, and we made it through the ugly days, stormy days, and the horrors of the street. He was my guardian angel sent to watch over me.
The day I graduated from high school he disappeared. Four years later I saw him at my college graduation ceremony
Till now I don't know what happened to him during those four years he was gone.
"AJ why did you disappear?" I suddenly asked.
He was taken back, shocked at my question.
"Where were you all those years, what are you hiding from me?
I narrowed my gaze
"You won't understand, " he said.
I sadly patted his cheeks.
"AJ how horrible can that be, you know I got your back no matter what. Why can't you trust me with it? I've waited patiently for three years now, for you to confide in me."
There were tears in his eyes.
"Does it has something to do with your trance issue"
He looked away.
"You are going to hate me when you find out the truth"
"What ..."
A car horn interrupted us.
AJ saw it has an escape and leap out of the car.
I followed suit.
I gulped when my gaze met with the dark angry eyes of Mr. Smith.
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