CHAPTER THREE – I’m leaving

Selene’s POV

“Fuck,” I whispered as I stooped down to pick up a shattered piece of plate off the floor.

That was the second thing I broke today. Mrs. Rose will murder me.

“What’s wrong with you, Selene?” my closest friend Alexandra questioned me. “You are so clumsy today.”

I ignored her query and proceeded to the storage closet to retrieve a broom and a dustpan.

“Selene?” Alexandra called my name.

I glanced up at her as I started sweeping.

“My mom isn’t feeling well today,” I whispered as I looked back at the mess I had caused.

“She is still refusing to take her pills?” Alexandra questioned worriedly.

I nodded, stooping down and swiping the broken pieces into a dustpan.

“Did she tell you why?” Alexandra questioned.

I rose back up and proceeded to the garbage can. I emptied the dustpan and stared at Alexandra.

“She said that the pills made her numb,” I said.

I grabbed the broom back up and put it back into the storage cupboard along with the dustpan.

“Isn’t being numb better than being in pain?” I heard Alexandra inquire as I walked back.

“Not,” I moaned, resting on the counter. “She said that she doesn’t know where she is after she takes the pills. She replied that she couldn’t feel her wolf.”

Alexandra bit her bottom lip and wrinkled her eyebrows. She looked me up and down and took a long breath.

“You need a night out,” she murmured, folding her arms over her chest.

I shook my head quickly.

“That’s the last thing I need, Alex,” I responded. “I can’t leave my mom. It’s awful enough that I have to leave her to go to work. I can’t leave her to go to a party.”

I worked at the diner and the library. I took as many shifts as I could. I needed money. We were in debt, and I had to find a method to pay it or we would lose our house.

“It’s not a party, Selene,” Alexandra remarked. “It’s just you and me hanging out. You need to relax a little.”

I groaned and grabbed up a dishtowel. I started cleaning the glasses.

“Besides, we need to hang out as much as we can before we turn 18,” Alexandra continued. “I’m sure that I won’t get to see you after you find your mate.”

I snorted and looked up at her.

“I don’t have time for a mate,” I remarked.

Alexandra gasped significantly. “You don’t want a mate?!”

I looked up at her and grimaced. Could she have been louder? Luckily, we were alone in the diner. It was approaching closing time.

“Be quiet,” I whispered. “I want a mate, but I’m not sure that I want to find him right after I turn 18. I have to take care of my mom. I have bills to pay. What if my mate didn’t grasp that?”

“A mate loves you unconditionally, Selene,” Alexandra remarked tenderly. “He would understand.”

My father didn’t love my mom wholeheartedly. He left her. He abandoned me.

“I can’t be sure of that, Alex,” I said as I started washing the countertops. “It’s better if I don’t find him immediately.”

I kept my eyes down, but I could feel Alexandra’s scorching glare on me.

“Have you ever even liked someone?” she questioned me. “I’ve known you my entire life, and I’ve never seen you interested in a boy.”

I felt heat rush to my cheeks.

The only boy I’ve ever liked was my rescuer.

Being a fatherless pup wasn’t a wonderful thing. I was bullied in school a lot. Kids would laugh at me, call me a bastard, yank my hair, and occasionally even punch me.

One day, I was leaving school when one of my classmates tripped me. He tugged my hair and proceeded to call me names. The other kids were laughing and pointing at me. I felt ashamed because I started weeping. I’ve always tried so hard not to weep. I didn’t want to give them the pleasure of watching me cry. But something about that day was simply so overpowering that I couldn’t stop my emotions. Alexandra was nowhere in sight, but someone else arrived to help me.

He pushed the bullies aside, kneeled next to me, and cleaned my face. He promised me that I was secure and that they wouldn’t hurt me again. He mentioned some other things as well, but I didn’t hear him. I couldn’t look away from his lovely blue eyes. I became lost in them. He had somewhat curled black hair, and he was extremely tall.

He went after he saved me, and I never saw him again. I didn’t even know his name.

But every time someone mentioned having a crush, he sprang to mind.

“Maybe when I was a kid,” I shrugged.

“Who?” Alexandra gasped.

I stopped scrubbing the countertops and glanced up at her.

“I don’t remember,” I answered. “He was just a boy.”

Well, it wasn’t the truth. He wasn’t simply a boy. He was my salvation.

“I can’t believe that you never told me about him,” Alexandra replied.

“It wasn’t that serious, Alex,” I muttered, laying the dishtowel down. “I was 12.”

“I don’t care,” Alexandra replied. “I’m your best friend. I should have known about it.”

I wanted to emphasize that it was just a dumb infatuation on a lad, but my phone started ringing. I slipped it out of my pocket and glanced at the caller ID. It was my mom.

“Is everything okay, mom?” I asked her as soon as I answered the call.

“Flower?” she called me by my nickname.

Her voice was soft and raspy. She sounded like she was short of breath. Did she try to get up on her own again?

“Yes, mom?” I murmured as I grasped the edge of the counter.

“I love you, my baby,” she replied gently. “Always remember that.”

My heart stopped beating. Why was she telling me that?

“I love you too, Mom,” I murmured, glancing at Alexandra. “What’s wrong, mom?”

“I’m leaving, Flower,” my mom murmured gently. “I love you.”

I froze. I was utterly frozen. I couldn’t move. I wanted to rush home, but I couldn’t move. I didn’t feel my legs. I didn’t feel my body.

No.

Please, Goddess, no.

Don’t take my mom away from me! Not yet!