CHAPTER 5

JUST A LITTLE MORE INTO THE STORY. NOT TOO MUCH. I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN WAITING. SO HERE YA GO...

Onika made it outside just before the bus arrived to take her to her job. She worked at the Barnes & Noble at the local mall. She mostly stocked & worked in the back near the children’s section so she rarely ran into anyone from her school, which was good for her. Time dragged but she didn’t mind. Once her shift was over at 9 o’clock, she went to the food court & bought herself a salad. She found herself a table on the far side of the court near an old Arby’s stand & ate while looking over her economics work. 30 min. later, she was done her meal, as well as her work for the next week. She headed to the trash to throw out her empty salad container, when she bumped into someone.

“Excuse me. I'm so sorry.” Said Onika

She looked up to see Aubrey walking with the same woman he was with that morning.

“Oh I'm sorry honey. Are you alright?” the woman asked.

“Yes, I'm fine.” Onika told her.

“We just keep bumping into each other, don’t we?” Aubrey said, smiling.

“Aubrey, you know her?”

“Yes.” He said.

“No.” Onika quickly retorted.

“I just met her today. Her name is Onika.” He said.

“Onika! Well that’s a beautiful name.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Onika extended her hand to the woman.

“I'm Sandi Graham. My son & I just moved here. Glad to see he's making friends so quickly.”

“I'm not his friend.” Onika said in a low tone.

“What?” Sandi said, puzzled.

Before she could get an answer, a woman approached from behind & forcefully spun Onika around.

“I cannot believe you. My son hasn’t been gone SIX MONTHS & yet here you are, gallivanting with someone new!”

“Excuse me!?” Onika squeaked.

“You would think that you would show a LITTLE respect for his memory since YOU are the reason he's dead!”

“Ma’am, I think you should calm down, you're causing a scene.” Sandi said, trying to calm the woman.

“I don’t care about a scene! You’ve been ducking & dodging me for too damn long!” she said, pointing in Onika’s face. “You're gonna give me some answers! Why? Why would you say what you said to my son over the phone?! Tell me!!!”

“Ms. Cole, I…”

“You KNEW he loved you! You KNEW when you told him you didn’t love him, he would want an explanation!”

“I never meant to hurt him.” Onika whispered.

“But you did.” Ms. Cole spat.

Her breathing was ragged, heavy. Anger dripping from her pores.

“Kay, let’s go.” The woman beside her tried persuading her to go. “You really shouldn’t be yelling at her like this. Think about the baby.”

“I don’t give a fuck about that BABY, I WANT MY SON!!!!!!!!!”

She couldn’t stop the tears that welled up in her eyes. Onika looked down as she rushed down the stairs & out into the winter night.