Chapter 1

Camela's POV

"How could you lose your job? What did you do?" My stepfather, Sean, screamed as I walked into the house.

"I did nothing. Joe's been losing customers and can't afford to pay me anymore," I replied.

I placed my purse on the coffee table and sat on the couch.

I didn't want to listen to him screaming at me. I was already upset that Joe's Diner, the place I had been working at for about a year, was going bankrupt. A new diner opened around the corner a month ago called Blaire's Diner. Everyone started going there instead of Joe's because they have more up-to-date games. Joe's had the old arcade games like Pacman, while Blaire's had bowling, laser tag, games with tickets, and go-carts.   

"Well, I will not take care of you. You are not my responsibility. So you better find another job!" He snarled.

I looked over at the kitchen and saw my three-year-old brother Liam crying. He must have gotten scared of all the screaming.

"Shut him up," Sean screamed and went to his room.

I picked up my brother and helped him until he calmed down.

"It's okay, baby," I soothed.

Once he calmed down, I took him back into the kitchen and sat him on a chair. I took out ingredients to make spaghetti and started cooking. Once I was done, I made Liam and myself a plate. Sean came into the kitchen a moment later.

"I need to talk to you," 

I stood out of my seat and walked into the living room with him. We sat opposite each other and waited for him to speak.

"I'm going to get straight to the point. I am not happy here. I have been going through a lot since your mother died three weeks ago. This is not working out. I will move out by the end of tonight," He said.

I couldn't help but stare at him. How dare he bring up my mother's death? My mom was murdered while walking home from work around midnight. Sean was supposed to pick her up but decided he didn't feel like it. She was shot to death. 

I didn't care if Sean stayed or went. I only cared about my brother, Liam. Sean was his father, which was the only reason I let him stay here after my mother's death. She had left me at the house, and I would have gotten rid of Sean long ago if I weren't afraid he would take Liam from me.

"What about Liam? I want to be in his life," I said, and he started laughing.

"I never wanted Liam. I told your mother to get an abortion, but she was too stubborn to listen. You can keep him because I don't want him. Place him in foster care or whatever you want," He said.

It pissed me at his words. If Liam weren't in the kitchen eating, I would hit him up in the head with something. 

"Well, then you should go," I said and went back into the kitchen with Liam.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Sean went and answered it. When I looked over, I saw a woman in her early forties with long blond hair and brown eyes. He kissed her on the lips quickly.

I couldn't believe he had some woman come pick him up. My mother hadn't been gone for a month, and he had already moved on. I would have been shocked if he had been seeing her while my mom was still alive.

"I will be out in a minute, babe. Wait for me in the car," Sean said, and she went back to the car.

He picked up two bags and looked at me.

"I will not be coming back," He said and walked out the door

I took Liam to his room once. He wasn't eating his dinner. He played with his toys for a while, and then I got him ready for bed. I placed him in bed, and he went to sleep. 

I went into the living room and thought about everything that had happened today. It was a lot to process my losing my job and Sean moving away.  

My phone rang, and I answered it. It was my best friend, Tiara.

"Hey, T," I said. I knew I sounded worried.

"What's wrong, Cami? Are you okay?" she asked.

"I lost my job today, and Sean moved out," I said, and she let out a gasp

"Did he say you can see Liam?"

"He didn't take Liam. He said he never wanted him in the first place,"

"That's good! What are you going to do about a job?"

"I'm gonna start looking tomorrow," I said

"I almost forgot. This morning I went past Mitchell's Inc, and they are having open interviews for an assistant tomorrow morning. You should go," she said.

"Yeah, right T! I am not qualified to work for Mitchell's Inc," I replied

"Says who? I am about to look it up now," she said, and I heard her typing on her computer.

"Open Interviews, Admin Assistant, the duties are filling charts, scheduling appointments, taking notes at meetings, answering phones, etc. You must have a High School Diploma. I think you are qualified," she said 

"There will be people there that are way more qualified than I am. It would be a waste of time, and what about Liam?" I asked.

"I will come early in the morning to watch Liam tomorrow. That way, you can make it to your interview. I also think now that Sean is gone, I should move in, as we talked about before. I could help you with Liam. This job is from 9 AM to 5 PM, which would be great for you. I work nights at the club, so I could stay with him while you are at work."

Everything she said sounded great. I didn't think I would get the job, but it wouldn't help to try. Even if I didn't get this one, I was sure I would find a server job somewhere.

"That sounds good, Tiara, and I think it would be a good idea for you to move in," I said, and she squealed.

"Yes! I have wanted to move out of my parent's house for a long time," she said, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Then it's settled. See you in the morning," I said, and we hung up the phone.

I knew I shouldn't have felt hopeful, but I felt like my life was going to change for the better tomorrow.