Stay Forever

2 years later

Hannah's p.o.v

Leaving everything behind at the age of 17 was rough. I didn't have any money, but I had enough to get on a bus and leave. I had no way of contacting Holden, but I knew I couldn't stick around and risk that man or his wife finding me and hurting me again. He always made disgusting comments and I saw the way he would look at me, but the night I over heard him tell his wife that I could give them a baby, I knew was done. There was no way that was going to happen. I think that is the reason why his wife hated me and would beat me. Ugh, here I go thinking about those people again. How can I not though, they ruined my life, but at least I am here now. I look around and smile. I always make sure to stop by here a couple of times a week. It has been 2 years now. I just turned 19 and they can't make me go back. No-one can hurt me now, and I am in charge of my life. I found a job at a small bakery that was hiring. Baking and cooking has always been my thing. So far, I clean the bakery at night, once it closes, but I have slowly learned many of the recipes. Coming from a home with an alcoholic foster father and abusive foster parents, Holden and I were left fending for ourselves. I always had to make sure the house was clean and that there was food. They always expected fancy meals and something different every single day. We were never allowed to eat out, even on our birthdays. That's why, when she cooked my favorite meal that one night, I was shocked and knew something bad was up. "Hannah, what's wrong dear, you have that look on your face again."Mr. Danby asks me. I look up and snap out of my thinking and smile. "Everything is fine," I say. Mr and Mrs. Danby run this church and all of it's programs. This is where I ended up after I ran away. I slipped into this church and after explaining what happened to me and seeing the state I came in, they promised to help me. They took me in. They allowed me to stay here. I did lie about my age because I was afraid they would make me go back if they knew I was underage. Eventually, I told them the whole truth. I felt bad lying to the two people who helped me when I needed them the most. They didn't care and said they knew. They always tell me that I remind them so much of someone and she would want them to do the right thing and take me in, take care of me and protect me so they are only doing what is right. They are the sweetest and if I had grandparents, these two are exactly who I would want them to be. They often tell me stories about them not being able to have children and Mrs. Danby tells me about her twin sister who died of a broken heart when her daughter passed away. She couldn't take her only daughter being dead and eventually passed away too. She tells me how much I look like them. She tells me stories about her niece and the daughter she had and how much they all loved each other. She tells me all kinds of stories about her family and I find myself fantasizing that they are my family. That even though mom died, that I have an amazing aunt who is looking for me. Wouldn't that be something? She always compliments my hair and says her niece's hair and her daughters was the same color. Very unique kind of cinnamon brown color that I know people pay lots of money for. She loves to play in my hair and comb it for me and braid it. She always asks me not to cut it. She is so sweet.

I have been searching for Holden, but I haven't had any luck and I refuse to return back to where I came from. Not that it is very far. In fact, I once saw my foster mom go into the bakery I work at. Luckily, I was under the counter cleaning up a spilled drink when I heard her voice ordering. I made sure to stay down there and when she walked out, I rushed to the door and saw her get in her car and drive off. I worried that they had found me, but I haven't seen her since. Now that I work at the bakery I can afford a phone and I have been trying to get a social media following. I post cooking and baking videos and also do a bunch of girly things that I think young girls would enjoy watching. So far, I have a couple thousand followers. This also made me scared at first. I thought that surely they would find me, but I never knew them to be on social media, so hopefully not. The only thing that helps is that I am not underage anymore, so it's not like they can drag me back with them anyway. I'm safe now.

People seem to love my content. Working at a bakery and volunteering at the church keeps me busy. So many people need help and everyone loves sweets. I am also saving up. Eventually, I want to open up my own restaurant. That has always been my goal. I want to open a restaurant and help as many people as I can. Homeless people, underprivileged kids, hungry little ones and single moms who need the help. I remember nights I didn't have food. They would beat Holden and I and they would eat the food I cooked, but would let us starve. A lot of foster parents collect the money that comes with taking kids in, but they never bother to care for them. It's quite sad. Who knew that such basic things would mean so much? I guess it takes being poor and not having them to realize it. I mean my last foster parents, the ones I was old enough to remember, had money, but still had us living like we were poor.

I help clean up and say goobye to my favorite people and begin the walk home. We are preparing because there is a charity event coming up this weekend and I will be helping with the booth that Mr and Mrs. Danby will be setting up to raise money. Since tomorrow is Thursday, we can go set up our location and Friday, we can bring everything early so that by the afternoon when the event starts, we will be ready. Mrs. Danby is going to make those dream catchers she makes and I will be baking treats. I was going to make food, but I feel like treats are easier and I can make so many with fewer ingredients. My boss is amazing and is allowing me to use the bakery after the bakery closes to get everything done. All of the money raised goes to the different charities and programs that the church funds. I walk to my little apartment in the not-so good part of town. I have been here for 1 year, and so far, this is all I can afford and I refuse to let Mr and Mrs. Danby help like they have tried many times. They have helped me enough.. At first, I lived with them in the nice neighborhood, but I couldn't continue to take advantage of their kindness, so I moved out as soon as I had enough for a down payment to this place. I know it is a kind of crappy place, but it is all mine. I work and rent it with my hard-earned money. It is just me, so I don't want to waste too much money on anything else. This place comes with utilities included. Yeah, maybe the water is cold most of the time and the lights go out every other day. That is why I try to be gone most of the day. This also means that I can save more to hopefully make my dream happen faster.

Ledger Slade's p.o.v

Like clock work, every year the charity event that mom started after her sister was murdered by her husband and her best friend drowned comes around. It's a whole weekend event. First, on Friday and Saturday, there's a bunch of shops and little stands, pageant shows, carnival rides. Basically a f*cking fair. Then on Sunday night, it is a whole ball. I guess for the rich. People who can donate in the thousands and millions. I swear it gets bigger and bigger every year. It started as something small, but now it is basically a holiday around here. There are food vendors and all of the money raised goes to the woman's shelter that is so close to my mom's heart. I think helping these women makes her feel better about not being able to help her sister. I mean it isn't like it was my mother's fault that my aunt's husband was a jealous freak and k*lled her, and it wasn't her fault that her best friend drowned. She also never found her best friened's daughter. No-one knows what happened to her. We just read a report that a little girl was found floating in the ocean, but even mom, with all of her connections, hasn't been able to find her after all of these years, and trust me, she has searched for her everywhere. Mom gets so sad this time of the year. She carries a lot of guilt over it, so we support her. This time is really hard for her and we try to cheer her up, even though nothing works. "hey bro, lets go out for a drink," my brother Maddox comes into my office looking on his phone. "lets go," I say, grabbing my portfolio and following him. "The freakshow is this weekend, everyone is going nuts." he says laughing. He always jokes about it, but he knows what a big deal it is. "Yeah I know. Mom has me driving her to the location tomorrow to make sure everyone sets up correctly." I tell him and he whistles. "Glad it is you and not me. You will be stuck there all day" he says. We get in the car and head out to a strip club. Not where I want to be right now. I have a raging headache and I can't shut my mind off. So much going on at work. I should just go home, but I also don't want to be there. Staring at the same walls every day, feeling lonelier than ever. Something needs to change soon.

Maddox orders a bottle and we sit back and watch the women dance. He calls a couple of women over and gets us lapdances."Want a private room? I do everything for the right price" the stripper whispers in my ear. She is wearing so much perfume that my nose hurts and her face is overly done. I prefer a nice bare face. I am tired of seeing women throw themselves at me. I should be used to it, but I hate it. Women with too much makeup, perfume, high heels, blondes with big boobs, just completely not my type are the main ones that cling on to me too. My ex-girlfriend looks that way and lets just say that I do not know what I was thinking dating Darcy. Maybe it is because our families know each other and we work together. She is smart, I will say that, but she tries getting me to f*ck her any chance she gets. Once I ended that relationship, the s3x ended as well. Honestly, she wasn't very good at it, or maybe it was just how easy I got her to take her clothes off that eventually it got boring, and this stripper on my lap stinks and reminds me a little too much of Darcy. "No thanks, get off," I say and throw some cash at her "I'll meet you at the bar" I tell Maddox who meets me over there a couple of minutes later. I get another drink and take a look around. I hate places like this. Why did I let him drag me here? My brother is just like my father. They both like to sleep around. My mother has suffered so much because of him and I think that is why I have problems committing. I don't want to end up finding out that I am like him. It also doesn't help that since I was young I knew that my mother and her best friend wanted me and her daughter to marry. They made a pack. Mom always tells me stories about how in love I was with Hannah, her best friend's daughter since she was born. I was 10 when she was born and fell in love with her instantly. They saw how much I took care of her and they would joke about us getting married one day. Mom says they were both drunk one day and agreed to an arranged marriage. Dad thought it was ridiculous because mom's best friend was poor and they didn't know who her father was, so he said absolutely not,. but my grandfather always doted on mom, even took her side over dad and told mom if that is what she wanted, that it would happen. Their kids would end up together. Mom never spoke of it to dad or even in front of him ever again. Dad would not spend time with us, when we would all hang out. He always saw mom's best friend and her daughter as trash, they were beneath us according to him and would fight with mom for having a friend like that. Mom didn't care. She loved her best friend.

Eventually, her best friend died and they thought her daughter did too, but she was found, but mom wasn't her family, so they took her and who knows where she is now. I don't know if knowing this is the reason why I have never been able to commit to anyone else or what is wrong with me. I date here and there but no one holds my attention long enough. I hope that eventually someone does so I won't feel lonely. I don't want to let the woman I fall for and marry down. I doubt I will ever find Hannah and have to go through with this arranged marriage anyways. Maybe it is time I put myself out there again. It won't be hard to find women, they throw themselves at me. Maybe I will get lucky and once I find the love of my life, If I do, I plan on taking care of her and loving her and just her forever. At least I will try not to f*ck it up and not be like my father. My mother, and my future wife will always be taken care of. I will make sure of that. I sip my drink, my mind all over the place. Do I want to find someone or do I want to stay alone forever? I am so f*cked up, can I f*ck up someone else, forcing them to be tied to me? "Would you like a refill or a private room, Mr. Slade?" a woman asks me, taking me out of my day daze. I look at her, she is wearing a skimpy outfit. She isn't ugly, but for some reason I am not in the mood for company tonight. I am too in my head. Maybe it has to do with this upcoming event. It has us all going crazy. I shake my head. I notice that Maddox is not where he just was and I sigh. 10 minutes later he claps me on my back and has a stup!d grin on his face. "Ready to go" he asks and I take the rest of my drink down. "Wow, that was fast bro, you sure you satisfied your girl? but yes. Lets go." I say, and we finally walk out. My brother laughing at my little dig.