Chapter 3 Just Five Minutes

Kenzie

I let out a long sigh before adjusting the strap of my bag and continuing toward the bus stop.

There were more important things to worry about than Jace Ryder.

By the time I reached Blake’s school, he was already waiting outside with a group of friends, laughing and talking. At least one of us had a good first day.

Immediately he noticed me, he waved another boy goodbye before jogging toward me.

“Where have you been?” he said. “I’ve been here for at least two minutes.”

He gasped dramatically.

“You waited two whole minutes? I’m honored.”

He rolled his eyes before turning to walk beside me.

“So, how was the first day?”

“Pretty good.”

“Just good?”

“We had a lot of substitutes, and a crazy amount of unnecessary homework.”

I laughed.

“And my science teacher likes comics. I saw him reading one before the class started.”

“Isn’t he a little too old for that?”

“That’s not the point.”

I laughed again.

For the next few minutes, he talked almost nonstop, jumping from one story to another without taking a breath. Apparently someone had smuggled a hamster into school, two boys had nearly started a food fight in the cafeteria, and he’d already found someone willing to trade him a rare comic next week.

Listening to him always made the walk to the diner feel shorter.

“So…” Blake glanced at me. “How was your first day?”

“It was fine.”

“Fine?”

“Yeah.”

“Nothing happened?”

“High school isn’t as fun as middle school.”

He looked at me for a second before shrugging.

A few minutes later, we reached the house. He waved me goodbye before jogging off with his and my backpack in hand.

The walk to the diner wasn’t too far, but I always dreaded walking alone.

The little bell above the diner’s entrance chimed the moment I stepped inside.

Every booth was occupied, waitresses hurried between tables balancing trays over their shoulders, and the kitchen staff shouted orders back and forth over the constant clatter of dishes.

Just another weekday.

“You’re two minutes early,” my manager, Frank, called from behind the counter.

“Am I?” I glanced at the clock.

“How was your first day?”

I shrugged. “Same old.”

I tied the apron around my waist before picking up my order pad.

Frank had owned the diner longer than I’d been alive. He rarely smiled, always looked like he hadn’t slept enough, but was always kind enough to give each of us an extra break without us ever asking. Underneath all the grumbling, he had a good heart.

“You’ve got booths four through eight today,” he said, pointing his pen toward the dining area.

“Got it.”

The lunch rush had barely started, yet every table seemed full. I didn’t have time to greet anyone else.

I had barely finished taking my first order when I heard it.

“That’s her.”

I pretended not to notice.

“I heard her mum got drunk outside the grocery store again.”

“What a shame.”

“Poor girl.”

My heart sunk, but I kept writing.

“What can I get for you today?” I asked the elderly couple in front of me, forcing the same smile I’d practiced for years.

They ordered sandwiches and coffee.

I thanked them politely before walking away as though the whispers hadn’t gotten to me. Because they always did.

Some days people whispered out of pity, other days it was curiosity. Sometimes they didn’t hide it and asked me directly. I always wondered what the big deal was. There were multiple drunks and drug addicts on the streets but my mother was always the center of attention.

Everyone seemed to know my mother’s name before they knew mine.

By the time I delivered the drinks to another table, the conversation had already shifted to something else.

The gossip moved on but the embarrassment stayed.

I inhaled slowly, squared my shoulders, and reminded myself why I was here.

All the bills Bridget couldn’t pay, and importantly, Blake. Those were the only things that mattered. Everything else could wait.

The bell above the entrance chimed every few seconds as more customers wandered in, and before long every booth under my section had filled up.

“Afternoon,” I greeted a family of four as I placed menus on their table. “My name’s Kenzie, and I’ll be serving you today.”

The rest of the afternoon blurred into one order after another.

It was the kind of rush that barely gave me time to think, and honestly, I preferred it that way. The fewer opportunities my mind had to wander, the faster my shift seemed to pass.

“Excuse me.”

I turned toward booth six.

A middle-aged man frowned down at his plate before pushing it toward the edge of the table.

“This isn’t what I ordered.”

I glanced at the receipt in my hand.

“You ordered the bacon cheeseburger with onion rings, sir.”

“I asked for fries.”

“I’m sorry about that. I’ll have the kitchen change it right away.”

He sighed loudly enough for half the diner to hear.

“Can anyone in this place actually listen?”

My cheeks burned.

“I’m really sorry.”

“I’ve been waiting twenty minutes already.”

“It’ll only take a few more minutes.”

“It shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

I lowered my head slightly.

“I understand.”

Without another word, I picked up the plate and hurried toward the kitchen.

Frank looked up the moment I stepped through the doors.

“What happened?”

“He wanted fries instead of onion rings.”

Frank glanced at the order ticket before snorting.

“He ordered onion rings.”

“I know.” I shook my head.

“Leave it. I’ll deal with him.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it isn’t.”

He took the plate from my hands.

“You spend too much time apologizing for things that aren’t your fault.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

By the time the man’s meal was replaced, he’d already found something else to complain about.

The fries weren’t hot enough, the drink had too much ice, the ketchup bottle was almost empty.

When he finally stood to leave, he tossed a few bills onto the table. No tip.

I quietly cleared the plates before wiping the table clean, pretending it didn’t bother me nearly as much as it did.

A couple of hours later, Frank locked the cash register and glanced toward me.

“Go home.”

I looked at the clock.

My shift had ended fifteen minutes ago.

“You’ve got school tomorrow.”

“…Thanks.”

I took off my apron and grabbed my phone from the table before heading out. By the time I reached home, every light in the house was on.

For one hopeful second, I thought maybe Bridget had cooked something. Maybe she’d had a good day. Maybe…

The moment I opened the front door, the smell of alcohol crushed every hopeful thought I’d had.

The television blared from the living room. An empty bottle lay on its side beneath the coffee table. Bridget was asleep across the couch, one arm hanging over the edge while a blanket she’d clearly tried to pull over herself rested on the floor.

Near the front door sat two grocery bags still untouched.

Blake walked in behind me before quietly closing the door.

“I’ll put the groceries away.”

I looked over at him.

“You don’t have to.”

He picked up the bags anyway.

I wanted to ask where he had been but I remembered his habit of wandering off whenever he saw her like that.

Together, we unpacked the groceries in silence.

After that, I started dinner while Blake sat at the kitchen counter working through his homework, occasionally asking me how to solve a math problem.

By the time we’d finished eating, Bridget still hadn’t moved.

I draped a blanket over her before switching off the television.

She mumbled something I couldn’t hear, then rolled onto her side without waking up.

I stood there for a moment.

She looked so peaceful.

“You coming?” Blake called from the hallway.

“Yeah.”

I followed him upstairs.

After making sure he’d brushed his teeth and packed his school bag for the morning, I ruffled his messy hair.

“Goodnight.”

“Night, Kenz.”

Once his bedroom door clicked shut, I finally allowed myself to breathe.

I showered, finished the last of my homework, set my alarm, and collapsed onto my bed.

Sleep came almost instantly.

—————————————————————

The next morning started exactly the same as every other. Bridget had already disappeared. I had to sort breakfast, pack lunch, all while trying to get Blake out of bed.

Somehow making it to school with two minutes to spare.

I had just opened my locker when a familiar voice spoke from behind me.

“You planning on doing your half?”

I sighed before turning around.

Jace stood a few feet away, one hand tucked into the pocket of his uniform trousers while the other held Miss Ana’s worksheet.

For a second, I simply stared at it.

Then it hit me.

I’d completely forgotten about the assignment.

“I…”

“You forgot.”

I sighed.

“…Maybe.”

“I figured.”

The warning bell echoed through the hallway.

Jace glanced toward the nearest classroom before looking back at me.

“We’ve got five minutes.”

“For what?”

“The assignment.”

He nodded toward an empty classroom across the hall.

“Come on.”

Before I could come up with an excuse, he’d already started walking away.

I let my head fall lightly against my locker.

“God…”

I closed the locker with a sigh.

“…Why me?”