Read Online Beautiful Rose by Missy Johnson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Missy Johnson
Tags: Romance, Literature & Fiction, Coming of Age, Contemporary, Genre Fiction, New Adult & College, Teen & Young Adult
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thought I was least likely to be bothered. The police were the least of my worries. I was more concerned about having my window bashed in and being raped and murdered and having my naked body dumped in a trashcan.
And who said Law and Order wasn't informative? That would teach my parents though. How bad would you feel having to go down to the morgue to identify your only daughter hours after you kicked her out for being too mentally unstable?
As I chuckled at the thought, my stomach growled loudly, demanding to be fed. I spied a coffee shop across the road where a girl was carrying out tables and chairs. That had to mean they were open, right? My mind wandered back to the night when I was seventeen I got hungry after studying all night. I’d ducked down to the twenty four hour grocery store…Or at least I’d thought it had been twenty four hours. After about fifteen minutes of being stared at by staff, I was informed they were actually closed. I’d dropped the basket and run out, completely mortified.
I sifted through my purse for the few dollars it would cost me to buy a coffee. Or ten. I had the feeling today was going to be a long day. I got out of the car and stretched. Oh god that felt good. I zipped up my jacket, the cool wind hitting me in the face enough to jolt me fully awake. I crossed the road and approached the girl.
"Are you open?" I asked her.
She smiled at me and nodded. "Just."
"Can I get a coffee please?" I asked, handing her my money. I tried to ignore the glances she kept sneaking at me. Did I look that bad? I subtly wiped the edges of my mouth, wondering if I'd been drooling in my sleep again. Yeah, I did that sometimes. Okay, I did that often.
"Anything else?" I shook my head. My stomach rumbled loud enough that she just had to have heard. "No. Just coffee." I stood up and walked over to a table, taking a copy of the newspaper with me. I had no intentions of reading it; I just didn't want the awkwardness of having nowhere to look while I waited. I yawned, covering my mouth and trying to keep my eyelids from falling closed. I think I'd gotten three hours, which was better than nothing but nowhere near enough. I was nervous enough about my first shift tonight without having to add exhausted to the list of things I was feeling. Reaching up to my neck, I tried to rub some of the tension away.
"Here you go."
I jumped, not even aware that she'd walked over to me. She placed a coffee and a stack of pancakes in front of me. I looked up at her, ready to hand them back, even though my stomach was screaming for food.
"On the house." She smiled at me and just stood there, like she was trying to decide whether to say something. In the end, she slid into the seat opposite me. "What's your name?" she asked. Was she trying to hit on me?
"Rose," I said, shoveling a forkful of food into my mouth, pushing all my dignity aside. God, this tasted so good. I was so hungry that I was barely chewing it as it passed down my throat.
"Rose," she repeated. She bit her lip and eyed me hesitantly. The way she was looking at me made me nervous. No wonder this place was so empty, even if it was barely morning. Did she just stand there and stare at everyone? "I worked the late shift here last night...I saw you in your car. And then I arrive here to open and you're still there." Her voice was curt, almost as if she were accusing me of something. Okay, definitely not hitting on me.
I didn't answer. I just kept eating. Answering required energy, which I just didn't have a lot of right now. Besides, there was no point denying it, and I doubted she would believe I just fell asleep. Wait a minute, why did I even need to explain myself to her?
"It's a long story," I finally answered. I pushed the empty plate away from me and looked at her square in the eye. She couldn't have been any older than me. Her long straight black hair was dyed blue at the ends, and tattoos curled around her left arm, all the way up to her collarbone.
And who said Law and Order wasn't informative? That would teach my parents though. How bad would you feel having to go down to the morgue to identify your only daughter hours after you kicked her out for being too mentally unstable?
As I chuckled at the thought, my stomach growled loudly, demanding to be fed. I spied a coffee shop across the road where a girl was carrying out tables and chairs. That had to mean they were open, right? My mind wandered back to the night when I was seventeen I got hungry after studying all night. I’d ducked down to the twenty four hour grocery store…Or at least I’d thought it had been twenty four hours. After about fifteen minutes of being stared at by staff, I was informed they were actually closed. I’d dropped the basket and run out, completely mortified.
I sifted through my purse for the few dollars it would cost me to buy a coffee. Or ten. I had the feeling today was going to be a long day. I got out of the car and stretched. Oh god that felt good. I zipped up my jacket, the cool wind hitting me in the face enough to jolt me fully awake. I crossed the road and approached the girl.
"Are you open?" I asked her.
She smiled at me and nodded. "Just."
"Can I get a coffee please?" I asked, handing her my money. I tried to ignore the glances she kept sneaking at me. Did I look that bad? I subtly wiped the edges of my mouth, wondering if I'd been drooling in my sleep again. Yeah, I did that sometimes. Okay, I did that often.
"Anything else?" I shook my head. My stomach rumbled loud enough that she just had to have heard. "No. Just coffee." I stood up and walked over to a table, taking a copy of the newspaper with me. I had no intentions of reading it; I just didn't want the awkwardness of having nowhere to look while I waited. I yawned, covering my mouth and trying to keep my eyelids from falling closed. I think I'd gotten three hours, which was better than nothing but nowhere near enough. I was nervous enough about my first shift tonight without having to add exhausted to the list of things I was feeling. Reaching up to my neck, I tried to rub some of the tension away.
"Here you go."
I jumped, not even aware that she'd walked over to me. She placed a coffee and a stack of pancakes in front of me. I looked up at her, ready to hand them back, even though my stomach was screaming for food.
"On the house." She smiled at me and just stood there, like she was trying to decide whether to say something. In the end, she slid into the seat opposite me. "What's your name?" she asked. Was she trying to hit on me?
"Rose," I said, shoveling a forkful of food into my mouth, pushing all my dignity aside. God, this tasted so good. I was so hungry that I was barely chewing it as it passed down my throat.
"Rose," she repeated. She bit her lip and eyed me hesitantly. The way she was looking at me made me nervous. No wonder this place was so empty, even if it was barely morning. Did she just stand there and stare at everyone? "I worked the late shift here last night...I saw you in your car. And then I arrive here to open and you're still there." Her voice was curt, almost as if she were accusing me of something. Okay, definitely not hitting on me.
I didn't answer. I just kept eating. Answering required energy, which I just didn't have a lot of right now. Besides, there was no point denying it, and I doubted she would believe I just fell asleep. Wait a minute, why did I even need to explain myself to her?
"It's a long story," I finally answered. I pushed the empty plate away from me and looked at her square in the eye. She couldn't have been any older than me. Her long straight black hair was dyed blue at the ends, and tattoos curled around her left arm, all the way up to her collarbone.
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