Just One Sip Read Free

shoulder. I wish my shoulders were that small. Whereas I had received her smaller height, I was a tad more round around the middle. Probably from my dad’s side…if my mom even knew who my dad was. Definitely a free loving woman down to her core . She hummed quietly and handed the paper back to me. “It’s a new club of Jet’s. I think he co-owns the place. I’ve catered there once before.” She waggled a finger at the notes section of the order. “Make sure you wear the correct attire. It’s totally upscale.”
    With that, she turned and left my office.
    “Mom! We are not done talking about this!”
    “Yes, we are. Sometimes you just need a little push.” Her hand reappeared outside my doorway. It made a shoving motion before disappearing again. “ Push .”
    “Mom!”
    “Quit arguing, hun. You know you want to see him. It’s written all over your face.”
    I glared at my doorway. “I’m not supposed to be doing the food stuff! It’s not in my contract.”
    She chuckled quietly, still unseen. But the clanging of pans could definitely be heard. “Rules are made to be stomped the fuck on. I’ve told you that many times.”
    I grumbled under my breath, “ Great advice from a mother. ”
    “I heard that!”

November 15, 2006 – Age 16
    Shouldering my way through Karim Academy, I grunted heavily when an old friend slammed her backpack into my gut as she passed. Tears welled in my eyes, a sharp edge of a book having nailed me in the ribs. But I kept moving, always moving forward. It had been almost a year since Jet had broken up with me. It had never been more apparent that I was a scholarship kid here at the over-privileged Academy for the rich snobs of Karim. That my mom was just the help their families hired when they wanted a fine meal for an extravagant party. My eyes were now wide open without Jet to protect me against the harshness of my reality.
    And it was shit.
    My life was shit.
    Every minute was shit without Jet in my life. My best friend. The boy I loved.
    My gaze caught on his as I stopped at my locker. I knew he felt the same way. He stood with his numerous friends not more than ten feet away. Always close to me. But never a word said. His ice blue eyes followed me wherever I went.
    Waiting.
    Waiting for me to relent. To explain my past behavior.
    But I couldn’t. It was too damned embarrassing.
    Jet didn’t necessarily prey on peoples’ weaknesses, but I did know that he kept a logbook.
    A log of peoples’ secrets—just in case, one day, he ever needed them.
    And my undisclosed explanation was pathetic.
    Slamming my locker shut, I stuffed my biology book into my backpack. I kept my eyes down as I passed Jet’s group, hearing their conversation quiet as I walked by. Today was no different from yesterday and the day before that and so on. But I kept moving forward.
    Always forward. It was the only way to stay sane.

    I stumbled out of biology class when a classmate let the door close on my fingers. Muttering a curse under my breath, I shook my fingers out, glaring at the red mark on my small digits. “Thanks, asshole.”
    The jerk didn’t even glance back. He merely kept walking as he chuckled at my obvious pain.
    I growled quietly, squatted down, and sat my backpack on the ground. My head was pounding from a killer headache. My biology teacher was notorious for his monotone voice and hour long boring ass speeches. Being prepared for his class was a must. Digging through my backpack for aspirin, I shifted to the side of the hallway so I wouldn’t get whacked any more than normal.
    I jolted when a familiar hand appeared out of nowhere. It grabbed onto the necklace that had slipped out from the neckline of my shirt. My insides ached as I peered up from my crouch. The breath I exhaled came out in a rushed wheeze as I stared into ice blue eyes.
    God, how I loved those eyes— missed those eyes.
    Jet’s lips pinched as he eyed the sapphire ring dangling on the cheap chain. I had started