That was a topic Cole didn’t want to deal with. He’d watched over Cricket since she was nine when Kevin Lockwood tried to tease her because of her skin color and coily hair. Kids were older than their years would suggest at Marymount and much harder. They had to be, but the broken look on Cricket’s face made him beat the shit out of Kevin. On that day, even though they weren’t related by blood, they were family. Cole sighed while now staring out into the darkness too. His birthday was in two days, and graduation or D-day was the week after. He will have aged out of the system and have to leave the Marymount Group Home. “You’re going to be alert, not do stupid stuff like sneak out of the house late at night, and wait for me to come back to get you.”
“You’ll be out of state at college, Cole” Her voice dropped. “Two years is a long time.”
There was a steely determination within him. As if he were willing Cricket not to give up hope like a lot of the kids at Marymount. “I know, but it’ll fly past and the day you turn eighteen I’ll be here. I’ll come back for you.”
Her eyes were hopeful. She believed in Cole. He was her everything. “You won’t forget about me?”
A huge grin appeared on his face. “You’ve weaseled your irritating self so deeply into my life. How can I forget you?”
“Promise?”
He crossed his heart like a boy-scout. “Promise.”
That seemed to have been the reassurance Cricket needed because her face visibly relaxed. “If I’ve never said it before, I’m proud of you for getting all of those scholarships. You showed everybody that we’re worth something. That we’re smart too.”
Cole didn’t take compliments well. Especially when the truth was, he didn’t think he was that smart. Fear was a great motivator. He worked hard in school because he wanted a better life than what he and Cricket had been handed. He’d come to Marymount when he was nine too. Cricket showed up two years later. They both could remember what it was like to live on the streets or feel intense hunger pains that kept them awake at night. Even worse, being thrown in and out of foster care until they were placed here. No, he wanted better for them.
“I’d be lost without you.” Cricket was tough. She had to be, but the softness of her voice brought him back to the present. Cole stood and moved in front of Cricket before gently swiping her nose with his finger. “You’ll be fine.” The truth was he would be lost without her too, but had to put on a strong front for her sake. “Two years will be here before either of us know it.”
Two days and a week later, Cole Thornton graduated high school and left Marymount House.
Chapter 2
Jade Lockwood used the back of her hand to wipe away a bead of sweat above her eyebrow, before it had a chance to slide down the side of her heart-shaped face. She rolled her neck and shoulders. The movement had zero effect loosening up the soreness that had built up over the last several hours from standing on her feet and running from table to table. Despite her aches and pains, Jade loaded her tray with a customer’s order in an attempt to get it to them quickly.
It was Friday night, and Mario’s Steak and Seafood was packed. It always was. The entire wait-staff had been moving quickly to and fro trying to handle the crowd at the high-end restaurant. It had been so busy that they’d been bumping into each other, not only on the main floor, but also in the kitchen. Mario Pratt, the owner and head chef, managed to keep things organized while churning out mouth-watering dishes at an incredible pace. The dinner time rush was usually busy but even more so tonight. They were down a wait-staff member and couldn’t find a replacement. Susan had caught some sort of flu-like bug that had been going around. Since they were short-handed, it could really be a disaster if everybody didn’t pull together.
As Jade finished loading her tray and turned to go back to the main floor, the room began to spin. She swayed a little while her body heated up like an inferno from the inside out. Jade blinked several times and reached a hand out against a wall to steady herself. Very slowly, she inhaled and exhaled in an attempt to get her bearings. A dull pain had developed in her chest with every breath she took, and the pain seemed to be getting worse over the past couple of days.
Brenda, another waitress at Mario’s, was walking towards the kitchen and Jade. As she passed through the doors and got closer, Brenda noticed how ashen Jade’s skin looked against her all black uniform. She stopped. “Hey, are you alright?” Brenda put her empty tray on her hip as her eyebrows knitted together. “You look as if you’re going to pass out.”
Bleakly, Jade attempted a smile, but at best it came out as a smirk. “I’m good enough to get through these next couple of hours.” The heat she felt a moment ago was replaced suddenly by a cold chill. The fluctuations continued. One minute, Jade was hot and the next she was freezing. On top of it all, her head was pounding making it difficult to keep her soft hazel eyes open. Every noise, crash, and bang was like an icepick through her skull, even the subtle sound of plates being
