let her cry : : JULIE

[Deleted]

It was odd. A word hadn't been said about her quitting her job. She would have expected her dad to have a few words. Instead, the day had gone without so much as a word about it. Maybe he thought her contract was over? Quitting without notice was unacceptable. And she knew that. She also knew her dad didn't understand things like broken hearts. He would lecture her. Aleiah didn't feel up to a lecture. Not when she felt like she was dying. She had stayed out of sight so far. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Except, she was hungry. She couldn't exactly skip meals to avoid her parents. She was twenty-one, not thirteen. With a sigh, she made her way to the kitchen. As she entered it, her phone beeped, telling her she had a voicemail. Aleiah quickly punched in her pin and listened to hear it. But when it was Bryan's voice, a small growl surfaced from her throat.

"I don't want to talk! Stupid jackass!" she hissed, taking her battery out of her phone and throwing it. She didn't even realize her dad had walked in until the battery hit him. He stared at it before looking at her, his eyebrows raised.

"I think your battery has a grudge against me."

She sighed. "Sorry. I didn't know you were standing there." And it was the truth! But, it didn't exactly explain. She knew that. So what he said next, didn't surprise her.

"Even if I wasn't, you shouldn't be throwing phone batteries." She closed her eyes. She didn't want to talk about this with him. He must have gotten the hint, though, because he continued. "Your former boss called. Said you left so suddenly you forgot to sign some paperwork. You quit?"

She looked at him. "Can we not do this now?"

He shook his head. "Well, we're not. I have to go, I have a game. But, your mother is waiting for you in the living room." And with that, he was gone.

Aleiah swallowed. Why did her boss have to call the house? Why couldn't she have emailed her or called her cell? Maybe if she stayed in the kitchen, she could avoid this. But, she knew better than that. She couldn't keep her mom waiting. So, dragging her feet, she went in the living room, arms crossed. She didn't say anything though. She simply slunk down on the couch. All she wanted right now was to disappear. But she couldn't. So, instead, she waited for her mother to speak and fought back tears. Tears were a sign of weakness, after all.