4 - Promising Girl
1192 Words
The night is chilly. The wind making it more worse. Two people can be seen walking in a rush manner as they trudge on a dirty and deserted alleyway.
"Are you cold?" Rose asked, clutching the other's hand tightly, passing warmth.
"Yes. But aren't you as well?" Lisa's voice is slightly quivering. This makes Rose even more worried.
"I am, but I'm more worried about you."
Lisa smiled at this. "I'll be fine as long as you'll stay with me."
Rose smiled and nodded. After giving Carl the stuff she bought, she asked for an early leave which left him and the other workers curious. It's the first time Rose asks for an early leave. She used to stay pass her shift for extra money. The change is surprising yet never not welcome.
"Bye blondie, take care out there." Kris winked.
"Bye to you and Jan as well. I'll take care." She waved at them and immediately went to Lisa who was sitting on the bench on the other side of the road, visibly shaking from the wind that just passed them.
"Let's go to my house, it's near. God, you're shaking." Rose held both of Lisa's hands and helped her to stand up.
"Okay."
They walked together, hand in hand, walking in rhythm. Their breathes exhales white fogs that further signifies the temperature of the night.
Five minutes later, Rose and Lisa found themselves facing a wooden and used door. Rose unlocks it with her key and ushered Lisa to come inside.
"Let me help you with that." Rose went behind Lisa and remove her damp jacket. She then dropped it in the hamper.
"Thank you, Roseann."
Rose was slightly taken aback. "How did you know my name?"
"I heard it earlier."
"Oh." She nodded. "Just call me Rose. And I don't have clothes that fits you, do you mind if you wear my uncle's? But I'll let you wear my undergarments."
Rose was worried that Lisa would be dissatisfied with her offers. But what can she do? They're not rich like her.
However, Lisa reassured her with a smile and a tap on her head.
"It's fine. Anything will do, Rose. Thank you once again."
Lisa then showered, dressed up and sat on the old yet still usable couch. When she saw it, she was immediately curious. It's the first time she saw a particularly small couch.
"Hey, are you doing fine? Here." Rose handed Lisa a cup of hot chocolate, "To warm your stomach."
Lisa accepted it with a small smile. "Thank you, Rose. And yes, I'm fine."
Hot and flavorful liquid flowed down Lisa's throat. She closed her eyes as she feels the warmth of the chocolate spread throughout her body.
Rose was watching this, and she was in awe of how natural Lisa looked just now.
"Is this your bed?" Lisa suddenly asked, placing one hand on the not so soft white mattress she's sitting on.
"Uh yeah."
"Come, sit with me."
Rose sat down beside Lisa, facing the door of her room.
"You have a nice room. I assume you're in high school?"
"Yes. I'm in secondary level."
"Which school do you attend?"
"Crescent Heights Preparatory."
Rose watched as Lisa's face turn from surprise to delight.
"That's a nice school for an aspiring student like you."
Rose reddened. "Not really. It's very demanding and forces students into completing tasks spontaneously. But yeah, it's very prestigious and I guess it'll be worth it in the end."
Lisa didn't like what she heard at all. So she drank her hot chocolate milk and spoke.
"Well, I believe that diamonds are made under pressure. But that doesn't mean it should happen always, diamonds can break."
Rose looked at her teasingly. "You sound like my Math teacher."
Lisa grinned at that. "Probably because I am."
"Impossible. He's big and bald, completely opposite from you."
Lisa sipped her drink and didn't spoke.
"I'll cook dinner before uncle gets here. If you need anything, I'm in the kitchen." Rose stood up and went to the door, "Oh and you can freely do whatever you want here. You can go over all my stuff except from the last drawer of that cabinet."
Lisa looked to where Rose was pertaining. "Okay. Thank you, Rose."
Then Lisa was left alone in Rose's small room. And as her heart's request, she allowed herself to explore through Rose's stuff. It came to her knowledge that Rose is a tenth grade student in Crescent Heights Preparatory. And she's an achiever, her test marks proved her that. She also likes to read, similar with other girls her age. However, Rose reads not fiction novels, but geopolitical books, different volumes of law enforcement guides, as well as crime-related solving books for aspiring police law enforcers.
'Huh, so she wants to be a police officer.'
Very good. Lisa smiled at the thought. What a wonderful kid indeed. She can see potential in her, however, she needs to see just how much promising she is. And if she's satisfied enough, then she can be under her wings.
A few minutes later, Rose emerged in her own room with Lisa sitting on her desk, reading one of her homework.
"Lisa?" she looked up, "My uncle's here. Can you come with me?"
"Oh sure." Smiling, Lisa stood up and went with a nervous Rose.
Who wouldn't be nervous when you're just about to introduce an important person who you randomly saved to your uncle.
"Rose, where's the vinega— oh Lord." The man took a step back, eyes wide open and mouth agape. She turned to her niece. "Roseann, what the hell!?"
Rose bit her lower lip, glanced at Lisa first before coming over to her uncle who was on the other end of the table.
"Uncle, I know it's bizarre, but what you're thinking is right. That's Lisa Sullivan. And I'll tell you how she ended up here if you come with me."
When Rose and her uncle went back to the kitchen, they saw Lisa still standing on her feet where they left her. But before Rose could approach Lisa, her uncle already did.
Clearing his throat, the man spoke. "Miss Sullivan, I apologize for what I reacted earlier. It's really inappropriate."
Lisa looked at the man and slightly smiled. "That was understandable, Mister?"
"Thomas, Thomas Crier. Call me whatever you like, Miss Sullivan." They shook hands.
"Alright. Thank you for letting me into your home, Thomas." They let go.
"Rose has already told me what happened. And you can stay here for as long as you want, Miss Sullivan."
Lisa only smiled and looked towards Rose. Rose got the message and went beside the two.
"Come on, let's eat dinner."
They all ate, Lisa having the most foods on her plate. Rose kept putting them and Lisa can't complain, for she's really hungry. So she ate it all, the last thing in her mind is how foreign those foods are to her.
An hour into Lisa's stay in Rose and her uncle's home, Lisa is curiously going over Rose's past essays when they heard loud knockings on the apartment's door.
- Writer
