Love Contract

Worse Than I Thought

A few hours ago…

Alex’s POV:

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, my heart pounding with anticipation. The sound of my favorite song, 'I Gotta Feeling,' played through the headphones securely nestled in my ears. This was my moment, my private escape before the crucial interview that awaited me.

With a deep breath, I closed my eyes, allowing the music to wash over me. The lyrics flowed effortlessly as I swayed to the rhythm, the tiles beneath my feet vibrating with each beat. The song’s energy fueled my confidence a little bit, replacing my lingering nerves with a surge of positivity.

“…that tonight’s gonna be a good night. That tonight’s gonna be a goodnight. That tonight’s gonna be a good good…”

And just then, my mini concert was interrupted by a tap on my shoulder and the sound of my younger sister calling my name. Startled, I opened my eyes, my voice trailing off mid-song.

I removed my headset and bent down to reach her, placing my hands on her cheeks. "Hey Tori, are you okay?" I asked, sounding a bit worried.

“Yes, Alex, I’m fine. I should be the one asking you that.’

I chuckled a bit. I stood back up and turned to the mirror. "What do you mean?" I asked as I laced my fingers through my hair.

“Well, one, you’ve been singing 'I Gotta Feeling' for like half an hour and…’ she paused.

I turned back to her. "I understand, Tori, but I’m fine. Really."

‘It’s just that it’s always been your dream to be an environmental lawyer, and I feel you’re giving up on that dream now because of me.’

"It's nothing like that, Tori," I said, placing my hands on her face again. "It's not forever, just for the meantime. So we can get your medications on time and clear some of the bills around here." I moved closer to her and gently placed my head on hers. "Everything's going to be alright, okay?"

She nodded gently with a smile on her face.

“Okay. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a concert to get back to,” I said, letting go of her face, and she giggled softly.

She turned back to leave.

“Tori,” I called out just before she got out of the door.

She turned back. ‘Yes?”

“Promise me you’ll never do it again.”

There was a brief moment of silence, but then she responded, ‘I promise.”

“Okay.”

I smiled at her, and then she left. As I stared at the door until she was out of sight, my mind couldn’t help but drift to that fateful day—the day our parents were torn from our lives, leaving us orphaned in this world. I remember it vividly, as if it were etched into my soul.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and our parents had decided to take us on a spontaneous trip to the beach—a journey I can never forget. The wind tousled my hair as we drove along the winding coastal road, laughter echoing through the car. It felt like pure bliss—a family united and full of life.

But destiny had a different path in mind for us that day because, without warning, a drunk driver veered into our lane, his recklessness shattering our worlds within seconds. The screeching of tires, the sickening crunch of metal, and the piercing wail of sirens—those sounds are etched in my memory, haunting me like a never-ending nightmare.

In that blink of an eye, our lives were forever changed. I emerged from the wreckage, dazed and disoriented, to find a scene of devastation. The car, twisted and broken, lay on its side. And there, amidst the wreckage, were the lifeless bodies of our beloved parents—a sight that would forever haunt my dreams.

The days that followed were a blur of tears, condolences, and the unbearable weight of grief. I was eleven at the time, and Tori was so little she couldn’t possibly remember a thing. Ever since then, I vowed to protect my baby sister.

Our grandma took us in and watched over us since then. Sadly, she passed away two years ago.

To make things worse, Tori has been diagnosed with some kind of autoimmune disease. I work multiple jobs to get the medications she needs, but just last week, I found out that she doesn’t take them properly just so it wouldn’t finish and I wouldn’t have to get another. It broke me, even though a part of me understood why she did it.

Her condition got worse, and now she would need to undergo some kind of surgery in a couple of weeks. Even though I worked two more jobs like the one I was doing, I still wouldn’t be able to pay for it. So, I found myself doing something I said I would never do since I was little—go into corporate law.

I finished law school last year, and I always wanted to be an environmental lawyer since I was little, and I always hated how corporate lawyers worked or got things done. But I didn’t have much of a choice right now.

So yeah, I was preparing for my interview to be an associate in one of the biggest corporate law firms in the state.

After my wonderful concert session, I took my bath and got ready to go. I stood by the mirror contemplating whether or not I should pack my hair.

My hair was one of my very distinctive features that I got from my mom. It was long, black, and silky, and almost everyone complimented it, which I loved and hated at the same time. I loved that it was beautiful and that it reminded me of my mom, but I also hated that it reminded me of my mom.

I held my hair as I thought about what I was going to do about it, and that was when my sister interrupted my deep thought.

‘Let it loose,” she said, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking about.

‘What?”

‘Let the hair loose, it’s prettier that way,”she repeated.

My face literally turned bright red, and I held on to my hair a little tighter.

‘Thanks, Tori,” I said as I patted her head.

I quickly combed my hair and grabbed my files before hopping into a taxi to make it to my interview on time.

I stood at the entrance of the towering building, my gaze fixed on its impressive façade. Deep down, I knew I didn’t want this job, and it was a deviation from my true passion, but I didn’t really have much of a choice.

Reluctantly, I took a deep breath and adjusted my suit. As I approached the entrance, the automatic door parted. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that I was compromising a part of myself, but I knew I needed to do this- for Tori.

As I walked through the hallways, I observed employees in sharp suits engaged in hushed conversations and swift movements. But amidst the professional front, I caught traces of jokes that felt uncomfortably inappropriate, making me wince inwardly. I sucked it all in and kept reminding myself why I was there in the first place.

I clutched my files tighter and pushed through the uneasy sensations. I finally got to the interview room. I took a deep breath, and then I went in.

I got out of the interview room feeling the exact opposite of how I felt before because I got the job on the spot. The interviewer said my grades were great and that she saw me becoming an important asset to the firm. It's not like I was now magically invested in corporate law, but I just couldn't help feeling a little good.

I got a little confused trying to find my way back. Two guys were passing by and I stopped to ask them if they knew the way out

“I’ll show you the way out if you allow me in’, the guy said, winking at me. Both he and the other immediately burst into laughter.

“Excuse me?”, I let out.

“What? All I’m saying….”

I cut in before he could even finish. “If you ever talk to me that way again, I promise you my palm on your face is the last thing you’ll remember before waking up in an ER”. I hissed then walked away.

After missing my way out a couple of times I finally got out of the building. I couldn't believe I got excited about working there for even a second. I felt really angry and irritated, and I wished I could go back in time and punch that guy's damn face.

I stopped a taxi and told the driver to take me home. I checked the time, and since Tori wouldn't be home soon, I decided to go to a bar to let off some steam.

At a nearby bar, I had a couple of drinks, trying to remind myself why I was doing this in the first place and that it would only be for a short while. I began feeling a little tipsy, and that was when I decided it was time for me to leave.

I grabbed my purse and the bottle with me and got up to leave. Just as I was trying to make my way to the door, some guy was trying to stand up, and I bumped into him.

"I'm so, so sorry. I didn't see you there," I said quickly.

"Oh, you didn't see me there? Well, that makes everything better. I mean, my suit's even beginning to get a bit dry," he said sarcastically.

I knew he was being sarcastic, but I really didn't have the patience for him.

"I'm sorry, mister. I'll go get a napkin," I said, turning around and grabbing some wipes from a nearby table. He was also wearing an expensive suit, like the guy from earlier. I just had a feeling he was some Wall Street douchebag.

"Why don't you try using your eyes next time, huh?" he continued, not letting up.

"You heard me. I said use your eyes next time, and also, your sorry doesn't make anything better because..." He started to say, but I cut him off.

"For your information, you were the one who wasn't looking before you got up in the first place," I retorted, pointing straight at his face. "And I only apologized to your sorry ass because I thought you deserved one, but apparently, you don't. So why don't you get your smug face and smug suit out of my way?" I said, then I stormed off.