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Authors: B.L. Teschner

Divine (3 page)

BOOK: Divine
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She released her grip
from her strong hug and held me back by my shoulders to look at me,
her face filled completely with pride. “Well, if you find that
you don't have anything in your closet that will work, then we'll go
on a little shopping spree, just you and me.” She gave me a
warm smile and pulled me in for another quick hug. “I'm so
proud of you, Summer.”


Thanks, Mom. And
I'll let you know if I need more clothes.”


Okay, sweetie.”

My mom was a really big
hugger, so I squeezed her one more time before letting go.

I threw the car keys on
the entry way table and headed upstairs to my bedroom, which was a
mess from unpacking all of my stuff; a lot of my clothes were still
in boxes. But I kept my nicer stuff in the closet, so I started there
first.

I rummaged through the
hangers and found a pair of black pants that I had worn to one of my
dad's company dinners back in Arizona; they looked professional
enough. I decided that the same shirt that I had worn with those
pants before, a red lacy blouse, would be the best choice.

Why did I forget
about this outfit when I was job hunting?

I silently cursed
myself, feeling like a fool for not looking as professional as I
could have when I met Fox. “Well,” I sighed out loud to
myself, “at least I still landed the job.”

* * *

Wednesday morning
finally came and I was a nervous wreck. I dragged myself out of my
comfortable bed and took off my tank top and underwear, throwing on
my pink fluffy robe and tightening its cuddly softness around me. My
bedroom door oddly creaked as it opened and I shuffled past it like a
zombie, slowly making my way to the bathroom at the end of the hall
for an awakening shower.

Once inside I closed
the door behind me and ran the bathtub first to get the hot water to
come out faster. As I was waiting for it to heat up I sat on the edge
of the tub and lowered my robe past my slender shoulders, looking
down at my body and admiring the womanly transition that my breasts
had finally made.

A faint knock tapped
against the door.


Summer?”
It was my dad.


Yeah Dad?”
I said in a frenzy, worried that I had left the door unlocked. I
turned my head and peered at the handle. “I'm getting in the
shower,” I said with a new calmness after noting that the lock
was in the correct position.


I know, I just
wanted to know if you would like me to make you some pancakes for
breakfast to celebrate the big day?”

The thought of pancakes
made me sick. I was too nervous to eat, but I didn't want to tell him
no.


Sure, Dad. That
sounds great.”


Okay, then. See
you in a few minutes.”

A heavy nervous sigh
bled past my lips as I stuck my fingers in the rush of water pouring
out from the faucet. “Ouch!” I shrieked as I flung my
hand away from the scorching stream. I turned on the cold to make a
comfortable temperature and pulled up on the lever, sending the water
raining out of the silver shower head above me.

My robe fell to the
floor as I stepped into the tub and indulged myself in the warm
water, the heavy stream running down the smoothness of my body,
feeling heavenly against my fair skin. After I washed my hair and
rinsed off the scented bubbles, I took a moment and leaned against
the shower wall to think about the day ahead of me.

Man, I'm so nervous.
I hope this job works out for me; I need something to occupy my mind
and keep it off of being away from all of my old friends. Brittany
seems cool, though; I'm excited about getting to know her better.
Maybe now I'll have a friend here in this gloomy city . . .

After a couple of
minutes of zoning out, I turned off the water and got back into my
cozy robe. I quickly did my hair and makeup and headed back to my
room to get dressed.

After putting on the
outfit that I had chosen a couple of days prior, I walked over to the
full length mirror that hung on my bedroom door. “Not too
shabby,” I muttered to my reflection. I may have been sixteen
years old, but I looked like I was about nineteen, maybe even twenty,
which made me feel pretty good. I had a nice figure like my mom, and
honey-blonde hair like my dad that I kept shoulder length and
layered. My makeup was subtle; I stuck to the basics of mascara,
blush, and lip gloss. Overall I was happy with my appearance.

I grabbed my purse and
headed downstairs toward the aroma of my dad's pancakes. When I saw
them I decided that they looked too good to pass up, so I sat down at
the kitchen table and ate two small ones with a little bit of pure
maple syrup, devouring them in seconds.

My dad stood at the
counter with a cup of coffee in his hand, happy at the sight of my
appreciation for his cooking skills. Cooking was his hobby; he
actually preferred to make dinner every night. My mom and dad decided
years ago to trade off on the traditional roles of husband and wife:
he cooks dinner, and she pays all of the bills. They like the
arrangement.


Thanks for the
pancakes, Dad, they were delicious,” I said honestly to him. I
was glad that I made myself eat them.


You're welcome,
Sugar Bean.”

Ugh, Sugar Bean. My dad
had been calling me that since birth. It was a little embarrassing
that he
still
called me by a nick name; I tried to keep him
from using it when we were around my friends.

I heard the downstairs
bathroom open and watched as my mom scurried around the corner into
the kitchen, wearing her pink fluffy robe that matched my own. “Don't
you leave without my hug,” she commanded, reaching her arms out
toward me.

I stood up from the
table and hugged her back. “Good morning, Mom.”


Good morning,
sweetheart. How are you feeling on your first day of work?”


I'm feeling
okay. I actually need to head out right now, though,” I sighed,
grabbing my purse off of the table and throwing the strap over my
shoulder. “I wouldn't want to be late on my first day.”

I gave them both a
smile and then moved along toward the front door. They walked closely
behind me, following my every step like two little lost puppy dogs,
and then halted next to me when I stopped.

My mom must have picked
up on my nervousness, because she put her hand on my shoulder and
gave it a tight squeeze. “You'll do great. Everyone is nervous
on their first day of work,” she said in a consoling tone.


I gassed up the
car for you last night,” my dad chimed in, “so you're
good to go.”


Thanks,
Dad
.
I should be getting off around two, so I'll be home before you guys
are.”

My dad took a sip from
his coffee and ran his free hand over his honey-blonde hair. “
Okay,
sounds good.”

My mom gave me a warm
smile as I turned and opened the door. “Love the outfit, by the
way,” she complimented.

I looked back and
smiled at them both as I made my way down the driveway to the car. It
was a beautiful day outside, the sun was actually shining and it was
supposed to be warm; it was a good way to start my first day of work.

I opened the car door
and tossed my purse over to the passenger seat. When I got in and
started it up, I was surprised to hear that the radio was still on
the same station that I had been listening to when I drove home the
other day, and the volume was even turned up louder than I had left
it.

Hmm, wasn't my dad
in here last? Apparently he's a lot cooler than I thought he was . .
.

By the time I got to
work my stomach was in a giant knot. I didn't know what bodily
function was ahead of me, but I was guessing that it would most
likely be vomit.

When I got to the front
door I pulled on the handle and found it locked, so I knocked lightly
on the streak-free glass. Brittany poked her head up from behind the
front counter and gave me a huge smile before darting over and
unlocking it for me.


I'm so excited
that you got the job!” she cheered while opening the heavy
glass entrance.

A wave of heat poured
out from the room and hit my face. “Thank you,” I said
quietly. “I'm really nervous.” I walked in and she closed
the door behind me, locking it back into place.


Oh, don't be
nervous. Today will be an easy day, I promise.” She smiled
vibrantly and walked back behind the counter. “Follow me, I'll
show you what we do in the morning to get ready for the day.”

I followed her lead as
she paced briskly toward a door that was about five feet away from
Mr. Fox's, I mean, Fox's office. She opened it up and stuck a white
rubber door stop underneath it to keep it open.


This is the
stock room,” she explained. “It's where we keep all of
the extra napkins and ketchup and stuff. Pretty much everything you
need is in here.” She put her hands on her hips and looked up
at the tall wall of shelves. “Even the bathroom stuff is in
here, which is kind of weird, if you ask me.”

I watched her profile
and smiled inside as she chomped away on a piece of bubble gum. Today
her shiny hair was pulled up into a neat ponytail, but it was missing
the security of a hair net.


No hair net
today?” I teased.


Ha, nope. We're
all out, which is great news for me because I hate wearing those
things; I don't look as cute with them on.” Her body bent
toward me before continuing in a whisper, “And you know what?
Fox can't do a thing about it, because if we're out, then we're out.”
She gave me a sly smile and brought her body back up to a normal
stance, crossing her arms gingerly in front of her.

I laughed at her sense
of humor; I knew that she was someone who I would be able to be good
friends with.

She crouched down and
pulled a few packs of napkins off of the bottom shelf. I followed
suit and stooped next to her, grabbing a couple of the brown
paper-wrapped packages for myself.

Before we stood up, she
gave me a sideways glance. “Fox is a Divine, you know,”
she offered the information with a whisper.

That was surprising.


Oh,
wow, really?” I asked with great interest. “What's his
ability?” Man, that guy seemed to have it all: good looks
and
super
abilities.


He can control
lights,” she said with a giggle. “It's so funny because
he's so cocky, and then at the end of the day he's like, 'Okay
everyone, I'm gonna get the lights now', and then he turns them off
without touching anything like he's this great and powerful man. It's
so stupid.” She put her hand over her mouth and stifled a laugh
of amusement.

I couldn't help but
laugh myself. After a few seconds of poking fun at him with our
chuckles, we settled down and stood back up with the packs of
napkins.

Brittany's manicured
finger pointed in the direction of the tables. “
Here,
let's go fill up the napkin dispensers.”


Okay.”

She closed the stock
room door behind us and we walked casually over to the dining area.
While I waited for her to grab some empty silver dispensers from the
tables, I sat down and took a moment to scan around the room. The
restaurant's walls were painted a light yellow color and displayed
hand-painted pictures of food that were hung neatly in thick black
frames. Every table housed a set of plastic menus, designed to match
the same yellow wall color, and were tucked behind wire condiment
baskets filled with salt shakers and bottles of ketchup. Surprisingly
enough, amongst the overwhelming hue of yellow around us, the floor
was only tiled in a plain off-whitish color.


So, when do you
turn seventeen?” Brittany asked when she joined me at the
table. She must have remembered my age from the conversation we had
with Fox a couple of days before.


Tomorrow,
actually,” I said as I grabbed a dispenser.


Wow! Happy
Birthday!”

I pulled a short stack
of white napkins from the paper package and stuffed them carefully
into the empty metal holder. “Thanks,” I said with a
smile; I was genuinely pleased at her elation.

BOOK: Divine
9.16Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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