bChapter 51 /b

Aurora’s POV

Something had happened today…something that I wasn’t even aware of.

Because…why would he suddenly leave like his tail was on fire if there wasn’t something urgent on his mind? Maybe there was an emergencyi? /iihe /imay?n he had spotted someone outside that window who was his friend? Or maybe that person was a troublemaker he wanted to keep the wway from?

As soon as that thought entered my head, 1 shook it to clear my mind off of such rubbish thoughts. Caleb? Keeping me away from troublemakers? The thought was so incredulous that I wanted tough. Yeah, he might havee here to try and apologize and make amends, but that didn’t mean he was suddenly my knight in shining armor.

But then I remembered Mr. Hemmingway and paused in my thoughts. Caleb had helped me that day…but it was mostly because of Caroline, wasn’t it?

Most probably, he thought of me as a charity case to get into some kind of brownie points. Maybe he was doing all this because Caroline was being nice to me? Maybe he just wanted to get into her good books?.

But then that night came into my mind, the time when I had gone out to throw the trash and found them about to kiss in the park while swaying bon /bthe swings.

Right! What was I even thinking?

They were already dating and seemed to be going strong. However, I couldn’t believe that Caleb was being nice without any reason. Whatever it was.. f didn’t want any part of it.

If him asking the School Principal to provide me a full schrship, that too behind my back was any indication, then the only ‘feeling he had towards me was pity. And I didn’t need that. I had been fending for myself and my brother for the past few years, and I could continue to do so, on my own.

“Hey, kid!” Jeremy called out to me as soon as I entered the kitchen after clearing out the table as thest customer left, leaving the diner empty for now.

I paused to find two of the senior waiters huddled around Jeremy, concentrating on a piece of paper that Jeremy was holding up for their inspection. My heart mmed against my ribs in fear. Was it anotherint? Did bCaleb /bdo that because I didn’t take his offer?

“Hurry up, will you?” Jeremy called again as one of the waitersb, /bHayden, looked up at me in irritation.

cing the btray /bbI /bwas carrying on a side table, I headed to the three menb, /bfear gripping my heart in a vice grip.

Was I going to get fired this time? After all, twoints in a month were enough to get me fired. But since they were pretty much from the same people… Jeremy would understand right? That Caleb was a bully from school who just hated my guts?

But as I neared the table, I saw that Jeremy had a list of groceries ced out on top of the table and was noting stuff down from the piece of paper he held.

“W–what is it?” I managed to stutter out, my nervousness getting the better of me.

“We have a catering job next week. Uptown, 146 C Loudon Street.” Jeremy told me, handing over the grocery list. “It’s an eighteenth birthday party so they requested the youngest staff. You, Hayden and Roan are on the team. Go get me everything from the list and remember to keep Riley somewhere safe for the night. You might have to stay past midnight.”

“Past midnight?” I don’t know why but looking at the paper just brought some kind of stirring in in that something bad was about to happen.

pit of my stomach, like a sense of foreboding creeping

Riley and I have never been separated bever /bsince he was born. He had slept in the same bed with me until he turned two years old and even when I had transformed my father’s old study room into his room, he would oftene up to my room in the middle of the night, when bhe /bhad a bad dream. bBut /bbthat /bhad changed the day my father had barged into my room, looking for cash, and pped him when Riley had refused to get off of the mattress in fear.

From then on, I had to keep his door locked whenever our father came homeb, /bso that he identally didn’t stumble upon Riley. But even bthen/b, we bhad /bbbeen /b

in the same house.

Let him bstay /bsomewhere safe? A sleepover with one of his friends, perhapsb? /b

bChapter /bb51 /b

It was a tough decision to make on my part and I couldn’t even think about not having him home for the bnight/b. Gives that I dat trang b myself, but not having Riley around…

“Aurora” Jeremy’s voice snapped me out of my trance and I looked up at him to find him holding out the grocery liar. “Pond will go with, vào t? th? m?i Get those within the next two hours, before the evening rush hits,”

“Okay.”