Those Three Chapter 30

Ronnie was sitting and watching TV at Stephanie’s apartment. She was getting dressed and was getting ready for work. She walks into the living room and stares at Ronnie.

“Are you really going to sit there and watch TV all day?” Stephanie asks him.

“Yes, is that a problem?” Ronnie asked. Stephanie shrugs, she wasn’t really bothered but was wondering if he really was going to sit there watching TV all day. “Can you get me a beer before you go out?” Ronnie asks.

“Okay…” Stephanie goes to the kitchen and pulled a beer out of the fridge and came back into the living room with Ronnie. She hands him the beer and he takes it.

“Thanks, dear. You know, you really are pretty.” Ronnie smiles at Stephanie. She blushes.

“I-I am?” She asked nervously.

“Why do you bother doing so much work? You’re pretty enough to be a model.” Ronnie tells her. She blushed more and sat down by him.

“C-Can I tell you something?”

“What?” Ronnie asks her.

“I really… kinda do… want to be one. But I am afraid.” Stephanie looked down.

“Afraid of what? Being rejected?” Ronnie asks. She shook her head.

“I don’t want people to think ew of me. I… Well… Before we were together I kind of wanted to be this but felt a little shy wanting to do it. I mean I feel like I can actually do it and make money, but I don’t want people to think ew of me.”

“Why the hell would you care what people think of you?” Ronnie asks and opens his can of beer.

“I don’t know… Honestly.” Stephanie laughed a little.

“Do what you want.”

“Well, I want to… be a model yes, but… I want to do other things too.” Stephanie starts playing with Ronnie’s hair. “You know… like posing sexy, taking sexy pictures, making sexy videos.” She whispers into Ronnie’s ear. He blushes a little.

“You trying to turn me on?” Ronnie asks her. Stephanie got up off the sofa.

“You’re so cute! But I got to go to work. See you!” Stephanie leaves out the door. Ronnie smiles sitting on the sofa staring at the door. Thinking about how cute Stephanie was.

When Stephanie got to work which was very close to where she lived at, she sighs. Her face was still slightly blushing and beating a bit fast. She couldn’t believe what she told Ronnie.

“He probably thinks I am such a gross female. Or sick. Or a slut.” Stephanie says and starts opening her shop. The little antique store that Stephanie worked at was a place she loved. She loved old vintage things. The shop sold antique rocking chairs, lamps, furniture, even teddy bears and other items. It was a shop that Stephanie was fond of and loved to work for. Despite what she told Ronnie about another job she considered wanting to do.

Lacy was home, she thought about going to Robert’s apartment but decided against it since he was staying over his dad’s house. Which would be weird for her to go over Robert’s apartment if he wasn’t even going to be there for the night.

Madison, Katie, and Alana had left and gone and Lacy was there alone. She was grateful that Peg was nowhere in sight because she couldn’t deal with her right now. Lacy was sitting on her bed. Her body ached and she was supposed to take pills for it, but she didn’t feel like it.

Abbilynn comes into Lacy’s bedroom and tried to offer her a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Like crap.” Lacy answered truthfully and Abbilynn chuckles a little.

“That’s because you haven’t been taking your medicine. Are you sure you don’t want to talk to the police and get Peg and her friends in trouble for this?” Abbilynn asks and sits down on Lacy’s bed.

“What for? She will tell them I as punching her for no reason before this. I brought this on myself.” Lacy responded but Abbilynn frowns.

“I know you think that, but she started you up by showing you fake texts and started with you first.” Abbilynn pointed out but lacy shook her head.

“Regardless of how it went down, I started to punch her first. So later she gets her friends to help gang up on me. We’re even.” Lacy didn’t really care honestly to talk about Peg or wanting to get her in trouble despite disliking her. 

The hours Stephanie worked seem to go by quickly. At closing time she locked up the shop and was making her way to walk home. It was dark out but she didn’t have to walk far to get home to her apartment.

“I really should consider getting a car… I do have my licenses…” Stephanie mumbles to herself. Just then, someone touched her shoulder and startled her and she turned around to punch but her fist was caught by Ronnie.

“Hey. Calm down.” He tells her, looking down at her. Stehpanie’s heart was beating fast.

“God! You scared me?! What are you doing out here?” Stephanie asks.

“Walking you home. Why do you walk home at night anyways?”

“I don’t have a car yet and besides, I just live down the road from work.” Stephanie adds as she walks and Ronnie followed her.

“Still could be dangerous.” Ronnie mumbles but Stephanie heard him.

“Like I would really let someone kidnap me and hurt me.” Stephanie scoffs.

“Yeah, none of those people wanted that willingly.” Ronnie says and they make it back to the apartment building and go inside. Stephanie unlocks the door when they get to her floor and they both get into the apartment and she shuts it and locks it behind them.

The next day had came and Lacy was sitting in her bed. She had texted Robert a good morning which he had responded but told her he was going to work today. Lacy sat there thinking about that nightmare she had of her mom’s ex-boyfriend Steven. Sometimes over the year, she would have nightmare repeatedly of him. It goes with the trauma of what he had done to her. Lacy hated Steven. Hated the nightmares she would sometimes have. It was a hard experience to go through but she was glad he was in prison. He couldn’t hurt her no more.

Lacy’s body ached as she tries to slowly get out of bed relying on her arm that wasn’t broken. “Ugh. I hate this… I really do.” Lacy mumbles to herself and got out of her bed. Lacy didn’t want to bother changing her clothes and having a fight with herself due to her injured arm and just walked right out of the bedroom and made her way to the kitchen.

Abbilynn was making breakfast and was surprised to see Lacy awake. “Are you sure you want to be up this early? You don’t have to go to school you know?”

“Yeah, I might nap later. I’m hungry.” Lacy says and sat down at the table. James was already sitting there waiting for his breakfast and drinking some orange juice. Lacy didn’t see her father, Rick, which meant he was obviously at work.

“Lacy, you look dreadful, you should go lie down and rest.” James tells his older sister, but Lacy just yawned and ignored him.

“Mom, I am gonna need some help getting dressed for school.”

“Wait? You’re going to school? But you just told me you might nap later?” Abbilynn asked confused while she put a plate of bacon, eggs, and sausages in front of James then did the same giving Lacy a plate. Lacy starts eating.

“Well… I was going to stay home, but… I don’t know. It’s not like I can visit or see Robert right now. He’s working. I need something to do.” Lacy replies. Abbilynn sighs.

“Lacy, you are in terrible condition. Are you sure you want to go school?” Abbilynn asks and was making herself a plate.

“I am sure.” Lacy responds.

Robert told Lacy that he was going to work but that’s not even where he went. He was with his dad, Brice.

“Dad, are you going to marry Amy?” Robert asked casually. Brice had brought him to work with him as Brice was working on fixing up a bathroom of someone’s house. Robert was helping him and Brice was also using this opportunity to help him learn how to do his kind of job.

“I thought about it, but I won’t.” Brice responds.

“Is it because of your marriage with Peg?” Robert asks but Brice cursed and hit his thumb on a hammer. He sits the hammer down and looks at Robert.

“No. It’s not. I just don’t want to marry Amy. I thought about it but I don’t want to marry her.”

“Oh… Are you staying with her or going to breakup with her? She’s been living with you for like 2 years now. Hasn’t she?” Robert takes the hammer and decided to hammer the nail instead.

“Robert, none of my relationship to Amy is any of your business.”

“Damn, don’t have to be rude.” Robert said and finished getting the nail in. Brice sighs.

“Look, my dad is retiring from his company and instead of handing it over to Mason or selling it he’s giving it to me. Don’t you want to learn how to do this shit and get your contractor’s licenses?” Brice asked Robert.

“Well… Yeah but… Look dad. I keep having a hard time trying to talk to you to tell you this but… It’s Lacy.”

“What about her?” Brice went ahead and got another nail and took the hammer from Robert to put it in.

“I was thinking about… what if I want to marry her? I really like her…” Robert blushes a bit and Brice stops.

“Do what you want to do, kid.” Brice responds and goes back to work.

Abbilynn finished helping Lacy get dressed and was helping her brush her hair.

“You’re hair has been growing over the few years, are you going to keep it or wanting a trim?” Abbilynn asked Lacy.

“Keeping it. I really don’t like short hair… That stupid asshole ruined my hair before…” Lacy seemed to get upset and Abbilynn knew Lacy was talking about Steven. One time he got so mad at Lacy and ended up cutting her hair short. Lacy was upset about it before and cried so much over it.

“Lacy, I know this might be too much to ask but… When that incident happened you were supposed to go and stick with therapy. To help you. Why didn’t you want to?” Abbilynn asked. She casually put Lacy’s hair in two pigtail braids. Lacy looks down when her mom finished up her hair.

“Look. I don’t really want to talk about it or care to. What happened before happened. I just want to go to school. Okay?”

Abbilynn takes a deep breath and gets Lacy’s shoes and was helping her get them on.

“Wouldn’t it be hard carrying your books in school?” Abbilynn asks but Lacy shook her head.

“I can get someone to help me.” Lacy responds and Abbilynn decided on black crocs to put on Lacy.

“You better.” Abbilynn says.