AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Walking further down the street, I spot a group of kids playing with a soccer ball near an alleyway. I perk up and watch them for a moment.
Kids are usually pretty easygoing. It can’t hurt to ask them if there’s anyone who can help me, right?
Approaching them, the kids catch sight of me and as a group, turn their backs on me. I gape. How could word have spread so fast in this town? I only talked to the Blades last night!
“Guys, please. I know that the Blades told you not to talk to me, but I need help. Do any of you know where I can get my car fixed? Because the guy at that shop down the road won’t do it.”
One of the kids, a girl with curly pigtails, turns to face me. She looks sympathetic and glances at her friends, who are all holding themselves stiffly. “We’re not supposed to talk to the lady with the red hair,” she says, voice quiet. “We could get in trouble. But my dad has a car shop.”
“Really?” I ask. “Can you take me there? I’ll give you money for your trouble!”
She nods and I pull out my wallet, intending to give her the twenty I have stored for emergencies, but she grins before snatching my wallet, running away with it.
I close my eyes, frustration and hurt building inside me. Stealing my wallet feels like a cruel punctuation to the events of the day. I can't shake the feeling of isolation, as though the entire town has turned its back on me overnight.
I fumble with my phone, contemplating whether to call Owen. Maybe this mess is beyond repair, and it's time to admit defeat.
I dial his number, my hand trembling as I hold the phone to my ear. The ringing feels like an eternity until Owen's groggy voice answers. “Hullo?”
"Sorry if I woke you up," I murmur, my voice betraying the turmoil within. "This is Sienna. Things … aren’t going well. I can’t seem to get the community members to talk to me at all.”
Owen's voice crackles through the phone, each word laced with frustration and disappointment. "Are you kidding? You alienated the community we’re supposed to be helping? You screwed this up, didn’t you? Now Rich can’t get the info he needs, Sienna!”
My throat tightens, a lump forming as I try to find words. "I didn’t screw it up. We can fix it, right? Rich won’t be upset with me if I fix it?"
A bitter laugh escapes him, his irritation palpable. "I’m supposed to be recovering from being sick, and now I have to worry I’m going to lose my job over this. And my TA position. Great job, Bennett. Maybe you aren’t cut out for academia if you can’t handle a simple task like qualitative interviews."
Tears well up in my eyes as I see my dreams crumbling around me. “I can do this. I'll fix it,” I stammer, my voice small.
"Don’t bother. I’ll have to do damage control myself. If you’ve alienated the community somehow, they won’t be willing to work with the both of us, would they?” Owen's tone is cold.
I don’t have an answer for him so he sighs. “I’ll call you back tomorrow after I’ve figured out a way to fix this.”
Owen hangs up and I stare down at my phone. The dream I've worked so hard for seems to be slipping away, replaced by the stark reality of my inadequacies.
Just as doubt begins to settle in, my eyes catch a glimmer of hope across the street. A small sign, almost hidden away, reads “Morgan's Auto Repair—Quality Service You Can Trust.”
A determined spark ignites within me. I might have hit rock bottom, but there's a chance, a slim one, that this shop could be the key to turning things around. With a newfound resolve, I head towards the shop.
5
DOMINIC
Iwatch the little redhead for a moment, her lip quivering as she ends her phone call. She looks down at it, but then something catches her eye. Instead of breaking down, she smiles. It's a fragile, fleeting thing, but it tells me we haven’t gotten to her yet.
Reaching for my phone, I hit the button to call my brother, listening to it ring twice before he picks up.
“Caleb,” I say, voice low. “We have a problem.”
As I brief Caleb over the phone, I watch the girl, trying to figure her out. Hands shaking at her sides, she seems on edge. What's going on in her mind? Is she unraveling, or is this the calm before the storm?
Caleb and I agree to meet up and discuss the situation further, and I hang up, getting back onto my bike.
Caleb is already waiting for me when I arrive at the diner.
“What’s going on?” he asks, flipping up his sunglasses.
“I was watching the newbie, keeping an eye to make sure everyone was following our orders when I heard her on the phone with some guy.”
