And with that, her mother turned and got into the car.
Honestly, Sapphire was a little surprised she didn’t add any of her usual anecdotes, like how she had left home much younger than her and survived and had a baby to deal with as well. Jennifer loved adding in that little garnish of detail whenever she could. Always insinuating her life would have been oh so much easier if she hadn't gotten knocked up. But she didn’t say any of that, just a whisperedtake careand handed her an envelope.
Pursing her lips, Sapphire resisted the urge to double-check for the envelope in her inner coat pocket again. She had discreetly checked it five times since she had gotten it. A thousand dollars sat stuffed in an envelope with a torn piece of paper that nearly brought tears to her eyes. Ruthlessly, she blinked the stinging feeling away and ground her teeth at the tightening in her throat. How dare that irresponsible woman make her want to cry like this?! She had planned on mentally condemning the woman for the whole trip, but now…all she could think of was that damn note.
After a few minutes, the urge to see it again grew too strong. Carefully, she reached into her pocket and felt for the jagged edges of the note amongst the bills and pulled it out.
Protect yourself
Go to school
And be happy.
I love you.
The words on the torn paper blurred, and Sapphire quickly turned to face the window. Two fat tears rolled down her face as she scowled at nothing in particular. Her mother was probably one of the worst mothers out there. Sapphire had dozens of stories to attest to that fact. Hell, her current situation was proof enough. But somehow, reading these four lines took some of the edge off the anger she had been holding in for what felt like years now.
Eventually, her shoulders relaxed again in her seat, and Sapphire turned her thoughts away from her flighty mother. It was time to focus.
"Let's go over the plan," she whispered to herself, not giving a shit if the girl across the way from her was awake to see her muttering to herself or not.
Because, unlike the strawberry blond, she wasn't going to Oakes University—well, not just yet. Taking out her phone, Sapphire pulled up her list appropriately titledPlan of Action.
First step was to get to Holter, Texas. Next, enroll in school to finish out her last year of high school. And third was to find a job for the summer so she could then enroll in Oakes University in Stardust Cove for the fall.
And to do it all with one thousand five hundred dollars to her name.
Closing the app with a swipe, Sapphire shut her eyes. "Yeah, a piece of cake."
Chapter three
Apuffofdieselbelched into the air from the bus as it pulled away from the curb. Sapphire could feel the eyes of the remaining passengers watching her from the windows as it slowly drove away. She didn't give them the satisfaction of looking up. They were no doubt all going to Stardust Cove, a beautiful college town on the Texas coast and most certainly beyond her price range until her scholarships kicked in for the fall semester.
"You just got to survive until then," she told herself.
Though she hated herself for thinking it, she couldn’t help but think of her mother leaving foster care at only seventeen and going into the world on her own and somehow surviving. If that self-absorbed woman could do it, surely Sapphire could.
Turning around, Sapphire looked at the building behind her and read the sign on it.
"Welcome to Holter, TX. Where life just slows down."
Sapphire let out a dry laugh. They were certainly right about that. Looking at the post office that also served as the town's bus stop judging by the benches cemented into the ground and a sign housing a very faded bus schedule, she noticed theclosedsign on the door. Checking her watch, she noted it was only half-past four. Looking left down the long two-lane road, she could see a few buildings in the distance, buildings they had passed on the way.
From what she could see, the old brick buildings that lined the street looked to have been the city's main street or old downtown area. Looking the other way, she pushed back some of the loose strands of golden-brown hair that escaped her ponytail and stared down the other direction of the highway. That direction led out of the town and on to Stardust Cove, which was forty-five minutes away—and it also led to the town's only motel.
After her mother's phone call with heruncle, a man that only turned out to be someone her mother had known while she was in foster care, Sapphire had called around Stardust Cove for seemingly hours looking for somewhere to stay. She had hoped to be able to find a room for rent or maybe a cheap hotel or something so she could enroll in the local high school. Pictures online of Stardust Cove's massive high school were actually quite impressive, and for the first time, Sapphire had found herself feeling something other than disdain for the prospect of going to school.
She should've known.
Rent around Stardust was just not feasible, not with the measly five hundred she had made from selling her things. Even with her mother's surprise donation, it still wouldn't cover her all the way until August. That meant she was forced to broaden her search, which led her here to Holter, TX.
Known for its meatpacking facility at the edge of town, from what she could tell online, the micro-city consisted of rural farms and a smattering of trailer parks around the meat packing plant. Again, she looked around at the desolate town and held back the urge to sigh. This was not where she imagined herself being. She should be back in Houston, back in their shitty house finishing out high school with people she actually knew. She should not be abandoned in the middle of nowhere and forced to somehow survive for five months on a handful of cash.
Sapphire wanted to scream. She wanted to yank her phone out of her pocket and call her mother, who was no doubt in the middle of her flight to Mexico, and leave her a voicemail telling her exactly how shitty of a mother she had been her whole life. But as usual, Sapphire swallowed the burning pain of her anger and maintained a calm demeanor.
Grabbing the handle of her rolling suitcase, Sapphire positioned her duffel bag on the top and began to walk toward her new life.
~*~
