Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 30747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
Andy
Tears filled my eyes as I looked down at the stack of bills on the kitchen table before me. I had no idea what to do with them. Obviously I knew they needed to be paid, but I’d never done it before.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to; my brother Dalton always paid them because he said I couldn’t handle it and would just mess it up, and I guess he was right. I’d seen him write out checks before, so maybe I could figure it out, but I was afraid I’d get in trouble for forging his name, since I wasn’t on the bank account. I didn’t even know if there was money in the account.
I needed to get a job to make money, but I’d never done that before either. In the past, I’d expressed interest in working to Dalton, but he said it was a dumb idea; that I’d just embarrass him out in public, and that my place was at home. He said if I was going to act like a girl, I could do the work of a girl by cooking and cleaning while he was out being a man.
I didn’t think cooking and cleaning were girls’ work; I thought they were important life skills for everyone. I also enjoyed doing them, which is why I never minded staying home. But now I had no job, no money, and no brother to help me.
Dalton was in prison for arson. He burned down a toy store in town when he learned that I bought a Barbie doll there. My brother had sent me to the grocery store one day to buy some ingredients to make dinner. I had a little of his money left over and when I passed the toy store, I couldn't resist.
I tried to keep the doll hidden from Dalton because I knew he didn't approve. He hated the idea of me having any kind of toy, but dolls made him especially angry. He said that I was a man and should act like it, instead of behaving like a sissy baby.
I don’t know why I like dolls. I don’t know why holding them brings me comfort, or why playing with them brings me happiness. I don’t know why I can’t change it about myself, no matter how hard I try. Maybe if I could, Dalton wouldn’t be locked away. Maybe he’d want to be around me. Maybe he’d even be proud of me.
I pushed up my glasses to wipe away the tears that rolled down my cheeks. I was lonely and lost, unsure of how to pick up the pieces of my life. I wasn’t even sure where to turn for advice; I was only allowed to visit Dalton twice a month, and I still had a couple of days left before I could see him.
I doubted he wanted to see me anyway. Our last visit didn't go well; he told me how disappointing I was, and how prison wasn’t the worst thing, since it meant a break from me. I longed for a kind word or a smile; anything to help me through this difficult time, but I wouldn’t get that from Dalton.
Only one person had shown me kindness; a young man named Joey. I’d only been around him twice; once in an alleyway, when Dalton saw my doll in my pocket and confronted me about it, and again in the police station when my brother was arrested. Both times, Joey was concerned about my wellbeing. He even offered to be my friend and gave me his phone number.
I hadn’t called him yet; I was too nervous. Even though Joey said that he didn’t blame me for the fire, I couldn’t help feeling guilty and at least somewhat responsible. And besides that, I wasn’t sure how to be someone’s friend. I’d never had one before. I didn’t finish school, so I was never around many people my age.
But now more than ever before, I wanted - needed - a friend to lean on. I took a deep breath and summoned all the courage in my body as I pulled my cell from my pocket. If I were going to do this, I needed to do it now; I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d have phone service if the bill went unpaid.
I opened up my contacts and found the number that Joey had entered. I hovered my thumb over his name, wondering what could happen and if this was such a good idea, when my finger twitched and pressed the screen. The ringing sound made my heart leap into my throat, and tied my nerves into a knot.
Just before I gave up and hit the screen again, Joey’s voice answered, “Hello?”
“H-hello,” I stuttered back. “I don’t know if you remember me; my name is Andy, er, Andrew. We met at the police station. Well, we kind of met in an alley, but not really.” I rubbed my hand across my forehead and sighed. This is not going well.