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Della
Life is made up of a series of lies.
Love? It’s a fairytale some person made up so they didn’t have to face the cold, hard fact that we are all alone. You come into this world alone and you leave it alone. Loneliness, it’s the one the thing we fear most. It means you’re forgotten, you’ve been rejected, or you’re overlooked.
Little girls are told fairy tales of how a prince will come along to sweep them up into their loving arms. From a young age, they are taught that their purpose is to belong. They have to have a family, a husband, children – without this, they are failures.
Little boys are told stories of firemen, policemen, the brave souls who will overcome any evil. They are taught that their purpose is to be the man of the house, to protect, to provide – if they’re not able to do this, they aren’t men.
They’re all lies that most people believe. We create such unnecessary pain for ourselves. You feel like a failure because no one loves you. You only exist if there’s someone who sees you. Your life only has worth if you’re living for someone else.
That restlessness you feel? It’s your soul crying out to be set free from all the deceit you’ve been forced to believe.
Once in a while, someone will break free from the norm society has created. I want to be one of those people. I want to be different. I want to break every damn rule society has ever made for us.
It will mean that I’m alive and not just another sheep wandering aimlessly through life.
Chapter 1
DELLA
“Don’t look now, but they just walked in,” the red head whispers excitedly as I start to clear the table.
Rameses, the bar slash diner where I’ve worked since my first year of college, is always crawling with students.
I place the empty plates on top of each other as her blonde friend looks over her shoulder.
“Fuck, he’s so hot. I’d give anything to be screwed by Rhett.”
At first, I used to get embarrassed when I heard people talk like that, but after being at college for almost three years, there’s very little that shocks me now.
There’s not much in the way of dating where I’m from. Hell, I had to go to Polk County High School because Saluda only has an elementary school. Besides the random adventurer traveling through and the summer wave of tourists, the meager population of around seven hundred didn’t cater much for dating material.
I glance in the direction of the door and watch as a group of guys walk in. I don’t know them that well. I’ve heard rumors about them, that they’re known as the Screw Crew. Every girl wants to be screwed by them and every guy wants to be one of them. It’s really stupid.
They take a seat in my section, and the one with black hair grins at the blonde sitting at the table I’m busy clearing. He bites his bottom lip and winks at her. Damn, even I have to admit that’s hot. I might not date but just like any warm-blooded girl, I appreciate a hot guy when I see one.
The blonde shrieks excitedly and jumps up. “By tomorrow, my name will be on Rhett’s screwed list.”
The red head throws some money on the table and follows her friend over to where the guys are. The blonde slides onto the guy’s lap, immediately kissing him as if there’s no tomorrow. The university should have making out as a sport. I swear half the students would qualify for the Olympics.
People don’t behave like that back home. Sue, the owner of the Mom ? Pop diner I used to work at, would be chasing them out the door. After Mom passed Sue took us in. It’s because of Sue that I’m able to study for my degree in Graphic Design. Without her generosity, Jamie and I would’ve been living on the streets. I had been working at her diner for about three months when Mom passed away after her long struggle with cancer. Sue let me borrow money so I could lay Mom to rest. She also took us in. She’s old and hard as nails, but she’s also the only one who cared about us.
I was ten when Dad died. It was an accident that took him from us. He was out hiking when he tripped over a root and plunged down Big Bradley Falls. After Dad passed, things got bad. Mom was pregnant with Jamie and had to take all kinds of odd jobs to keep the pot going. I was sixteen when Mom passed. Poor Jamie was only six and didn’t understand the finality of death. For months she asked where Mom was and when she would come back. Even though we lost our parents early in life, things weren’t all bad. Being poor didn’t matter as much. I’ve
never been scared of doing an honest day’s job. I just want more for Jamie. I want to give her the world and that won’t happen as long as we’re stuck in that town. Even though Saluda is only three and a half hours away, it feels like I might as well be from another planet. The people back at Saluda are set in their ways. That’s not me. I crave more from life than the monotonous existence that small town has to offer. I want to experience everything life has to offer. I want to be independent. I want to travel. I want to live.
I place the glasses on the tray before taking the dirty dishes back to the kitchen. I studied my backside off to earn this free ride at UNC. The tips I make just about cover the rent. It’s not like I need much, anyway. I’m here to study so I can get my degree.
Only six months left and I’ll be finished. Then I’ll be able to find a good job. I’ll go back to Saluda to get Jamie and we’ll leave that town for good. That’s my three step plan. I don’t have time for anything else, let alone fooling around. Not that I’m Miss America with a line of guys going around the block, waiting to date her. Hell no, the opposite sex hardly notices me, which is perfectly fine by me. Besides, guys are all horny idiots. I’ve heard one of my roommates, Willow, once say, “Dicks rule, brains drool.”
I share an apartment with three hot girls, like sizzling off the charts hot. Leigh, Willow, and Evie just have to pout and the guys are all puddles of drool at their feet. They make it easy for me to go by unnoticed, which is a blessing. I might share an apartment with the girls, but we hardly know each other. I’m too busy to hang out with any of them. Come to think of it, sometimes an entire will week will pass by without me seeing Willow or Leigh. Evie is the only one I see every other day.
I walk back out and head over to the table the guys are seated at, noticing that more people have joined them. As I get to the table, I spot Evie. She’s glaring at the blonde that’s busy devouring one of the guy’s faces.
“Are you ready to order?” I ask in general.
Evie tears her eyes away from the couple. When she spots me, a pretty smile pulls at her lips. I wish I had her hair. Because of the natural curl in her ginger hair, she can just wash and go, leaving to air dry. I, on the other hand, have to blow dry my thick brown hair, or it will look like something made a nest in it.
