Chapter 16 Fretting
I look down at my battered body. There is no way in hell I can wear a bra today! I'm not exactly huge, but I still like to keep my girls up. It feels indecent to be without a bra, but I can barely move my arms up.
I make my way to my room and look for the baggiest sweatshirt I've got and carefully pull it over my head. I grab a clean pair of panties and pull them up my damp legs. Then I grab my leggings and slip them on.
I shiver as my wet hair drips down my back. I grab a hair band and put it up in a messy bun to keep it from my face, then think twice and do a quick French braid... It's not much better. I'm tempted to just leave it in my face to cover up the bruises, but I'm out of time.
I don't feel like dealing with my tennis shoes, so I slip on some crocks... Yeah, crocks and cold weather are not ideal, but I'll deal with it. I'm not exactly going for fashionista here!
I grab my purse and wish I had some money on me so I could stop off at the bakery for something warm and tasty. Instead, I grab a granola bar from the box and tear into it on the way out the door. At least I won't starve. Maybe at lunch time I can go down to the little cafe and grab a sandwich and coffee... Or hot chocolate. I really could use something sweet.
The cold morning are hits me like a sledgehammer. My muscles instinctively lock up as a shiver slinks down my body from head to toe. I don't stop, I have to keep moving. I need to get as far away from Beth and her family as I can.
It takes me about 20 minutes, but I finally make it back to Wild Blooms and push through the door. I sigh in relief as the warmth embraces me like a long lost friend. I lean against the wall just long enough to catch my breath.
"Morning, Hailey," I sigh. It's only 7 and I'm already done with the whole damn day.
But instead of Hailey's normal greeting, she shrieks. "Oh, dear Lord! What has that woman done to you?!" as she rushes up to check me over.
She ghosts over my bruises and cuts while fretting about my state. "Oh, sweetheart, this is not good at all! How are you even standing? And you had to walk all they way here! You should be resting, Josie! That evil woman! May the gates of hell open up and swallow her whole!" she continued to ramble.
Damn! I forgot to put on my cover up! It's not like I didn't see my face, I just normally don't use make-up anymore. And when I do use it, it's normally to conceal my face, but I've never had a day this bad... Well, not in a couple years, at least. One time I ended up in the hospital, and Aunt Beth said I fell down the stairs. Yeah, right.
I'm not even going to bother to lie to her. She's known me for too long. Hailey is the closest thing I have to a grandmother, and while I keep a lot of things away from her, there are some things that are just inevitable.
"Ava and Liv thought it would be hilarious if they told Beth I stole 'her' money. You can see what a riot it was!" I growl out. "Then I yelled back at Beth. I told her I have evidence against her, and she kinda freaked out. And somehow she made it all my fault too."