Alicia's POV
I groaned, slowly blinking my way back to reality. However, I immediately closed my eyes again
when I felt a sharp pain on my forehead.
"Ahhh!" I echoed, rubbing my head gently, but stopped when my ears heard footsteps. I instantly
snapped my eyes open, and that was when I noticed that there was a man half naked in the
room.
He had only his pants on, and held his shirt in his hands, causing my eyes to widen as shock hit
me.
"Oh my goodness, oh my fucking—"
He interrupted me, holding his hands out. "Woah, woah, woah, can you not scream? Nothing
happened between us," he explained as if knowing my thoughts, but I still didn't want to take his
words for it, especially since my memory of yesterday was a bit hazy.
"I was the bartender that attended to you. You had a lot to drink, and you left for the bathroom. I
was lucky to be there on time. You wanted to take your own life."
I wasn't surprised. I knew what I could do coupled with the fact that I had experienced the
painful part of a relationship, being betrayed.
"Yeah, yeah I get it. Thank you…" I hummed, still rubbing my head that ached, but he sighed,
giving me a concerned look.
"Well, I have to get on with work now. I run the early and night shift here, so… I'm kinda busy,
and you can stay here if you want, but I won't promise you I'll be back till past midnight." He
paused, stuffing his hands into his pocket. "So here's 30 bucks. You can get a ride with it back
home."
I raised my head so I could hold his gaze, my eyes slowly slipping from his to the money he held
in his outstretched hands. But in order not to delay him further, I collected the money, mumbling
a small thank you only to get an acknowledging nod from him.
"I've gotta go, make sure to take the other hallway so you're not seen. You look a little, uh…" he
trailed. "Just don't take the main hallway."
I nodded. I was probably a mess, he didn't need to tell me, I could perceive the leftover scent
from what I drank last night.
Once I was sure he was gone, it was time to sprint into action. I stood up from the bed, and
rushed to the mini mirror hanging on his wall, and one look at myself I knew I was done for. My
skin was pale, and my eyes were swollen from crying.
"He has helped me enough, I can't stay here. What would he think of me?" I questioned myself,
thinking of the next step to take since I didn't have anywhere else to go.
I paused my lips, and went straight to thinking when suddenly, it hit me. There was someone
close by that I could actually meet up with.
Taking in a deep breath, I got ready to act. I walked out of the place, and followed the direction
of the other hallway that led to the back of the bar.
By the time I exited, a new beam of light hit me. The sun's rays hit me hard, and after walking
for only ten minutes, I felt my tummy rumble.
I swallowed knowing fully well the only cash I had on me was the 30 bucks I was given. I had to
decide, was I going to the restaurant, or was I going to ensure there was definitely something in
my stomach.
I sighed, teasing my lips, but at the end, a sharp pain in my tummy showed me the next step to
take.
My next step was dragging my foot to the nearest restaurant my eyes caught sight of.
I arrived at the restaurant, but the looks I got caused me to feel weird. I felt strange, but
something else drove me, the hunger in my stomach.
"Excuse me, I'd like to make an order…" I said, but got grumpy looks from the workers as well.
"What the hell? Do you think this is a dump or something, or are you trying to scare away our
customers?"
I felt ashamed, but didn't want to listen to them. I was so hungry that listening to them was the
last thing I wanted to do.
"Please leave here, you smell!" Linda, one of the girls said, and the others laughed. I knew her
name was Linda because she had written it on her name tag.
"And what the hell is going on here?" A familiar voice asked, making the girls keep shut. Linda,
the one who had insulted me earlier turned towards the boss, and began narrating the ordeal.
"This thing came here, and decided to make things hard for the customer. She smells."
It was then their boss passed me a look, and I finally got a look of her face.
"Alicia?!" She screamed with shock, and slowly trend towards the girls, making their smiles fade.
They probably thought they were going to be rewarded for their act, but the lady in question was
my cousin.
"Oh my Goodness! Alicia…" she said, and immediately hugged me, making them gasp.
"Ma'am, she smells!" The Linda girl exclaimed, and the rest of them nodded in agreement, but
she got angry. She frowned her face and shook her head.
"No, no she doesn't. The one you call smelly is my cousin! And why Would you call a customer
smelly? You were all rude, and you'll all face the music!" She warned, causing them to turn pale.
Their eyes gave pleading gazes, but Melody, my cousin, was already so angry.
She turned towards me, holding my hand, and pulling me away from there.
She took me through a short passage, and we arrived at a brown door. Upon opening it, she
gestured for me to go in, and I used my eyes to scan the place. It was a nice office with simple
decorations.
"Please sit, Alicia. What the hell happened to you? Why do you look this way?" She asked, her
face showing confusion.
However, I sighed. I was prepared to tell her everything, and I did.
Her heavy exhale showed how concerned she was for me.
"As it stands now, I have nowhere to go…" I explained, and she frowned.
"Then come home. You seem not to understand. We both know since you left home you haven't
come back to visit. I'm sure you can work things out with your parents. Just come back. Your
family will always be family…" she said, finally convincing me.