1 My not so perfect life

I couldn't stop staring at the cute bartender who has been shooting glares at me.

I chuckled, ''This is the not-so-perfect life of April Jackson.''

He is not to be blamed for his hostility. I look like a homeless person, with my frizzy hair, faded black baggy T-shirt, and crazy jeans. It is a relief he hasn't called the security on me. Looking at the place, it was one of the finest bars in the city.

Well, so basically I'm homeless, that's why I'm here to find a solution. But the solution is not here yet. Where the hell is AJ?

Have been here for almost an hour, and no sign of AJ. The bartender hasn't been much of a help either, with the dirty glares he has been giving me.

''Excuse me.'' I called out to him.

He raised his eyebrows, staring down at me with a frown.

"I need to see AJ, You know him right?'' Of course he does, who doesn't know AJ.

"Why don't you give him a call, ring ring." He muttered a curse with a groan, shifting his attention back to preparing his cocktail.

"Yeah, I did do that, but couldn't get to him that's why I'm here."

''Sorry, no client tonight,'' he said.

I furrowed my eyebrows at him

"Client?'' I asked.

''Yep, if that's why you are here to see AJ, I don't think you will get what you are looking for."

My frown deepens."Excuse, what do you mean by client?"

He shakes his head. "Never mind."

What did he mean by that? Hmm….client.

I close my eyes, my critical thinking mode is activated. I drift off for some seconds.

Oh my God, wait, he didn't mean….

I covered my mouth trying to suppress the laughter threatening to escape from my mouth, but it came out as a giggle

He narrowed his eyes at me giving me a puzzled look like I have grown another head or something.

"Excuse me, are you alright?" he queries. A confused expression ached his face.

I grinned at him. "Yeah, I'm totally fine, I'm not one of AJ's girls he pimps." AJ, my best friend aka the best pimp in the city.

"I mean I'm sure you scrutinized me, come on, I don't look like the girls AJ works with. Not nearly half pretty or curvy as his girls, I'm just a wallflower. if not how deranged I look presently you won't have noticed me. But hey I don't look like this all the time. I'm in a life-threatening situation at the moment. On a normal day, I look pretty okay."

I'm ranting, I need to stop.

I giggled nervously, seeing his face flushed with embarrassment. God, I'm a babbling idiot!

"Sorry, I'm quite nervous".

He smiled warmly at me, "Well, you look pretty enough to be one of his girls." He laughed.

I blushed, no wonder he was giving me the dirty glares, he is warming up to me now.

And he called me pretty!

Oh, April, what the hell I'm blushing like a schoolgirl.

Snap out of it! I need to get back into reality.

"I have to see him, I must see him"

"Hmm, give me a minute." He tells me.

I nodded.

I watched him scurry away to talk to a waitress.

I'm dying for a drink, I can't even afford a glass of beer. I'm Penniless! How did I get here? Yesterday I had a job, a home, a life? And in just a blink of an eye. I got nothing, life is a bitch!

The cool music filling up the place made the atmosphere here really cozy, on a normal day, I could have jammed to it, but I couldn't get my mind off the throbbing pain in my heart and the dull ache in my tummy reminding me of how hopeless my situation is.

My fingers were tapping on the countertop. Seconds and minutes go by, and I'm still here, with no solution. Nothing, no AJ, my last hope.

I sit here whilst my things are being thrown out. I can picture the satisfaction look on the landlord's niece's face. She has gotten what she wanted.

Kudos to her, not only is she the reason behind my jobless status now but also has rendered me homeless as well.

"Sorry, looks like AJ won't be around for some time." He tells when he came back.

I paused

"Huh?" I could feel the ache running through my head, the thumping of my heart as my adrenaline skyrocketed.

"This can't be happening." Tears stung my eyes but I block them from springing free.

"He is in Jail presently," he added, sealing my fate, I'm screwed.

My heart hit hard against my chest. I felt my knees go weak, my legs were wobbling.

 I felt wavering inside, my chest felt heavy and I couldn't breathe. In a blink, I realized I was on the floor. 

The bartender quickly wrapped his arms around my shoulders getting me back to my feet.

"Are you okay, miss?" He stared at me with concern.

I peered around and noticed I was creating a scene. I just had a panic attack in front of all these people.

The look on their faces was fueling up my panic state. They think I am crazy, and I felt I am going crazy.

I need to get the hell out of here.

''I'm fine… Thanks," I said to the bartender, and scurried past him heading straight towards the exit.

*******

As I predicted my stuff was piled outside when I got to my apartment. It was a total mess, muddle up like a heap of garbage.

This is so unfair. I didn't even get a notice!

I caught a glimpse of the painting I did earlier, and I went pale.

No, No! that was my last ticket to escape from this dilemma.

It was a painting I had to deliver to my first big client ever, and now it was ruined!

I'm sure the snake Janice had something to do with this.

I could feel the rush of rage surge through my veins. Hasn't she done enough? To what extent will she take this ridiculous revenge of hers?

All because of a man I have no interest in.

Janice and I work in a real estate company, I was an assistant to the financial manager whilst she was a secretary to the CEO.

 I kind of got close to the CEO's nephew when I painted a portrait of his uncle as a birthday present. That got Janice jealous, because she was so interested in him, and felt I was a threat she had to eliminate.

I wasn't even interested in the guy, and neither was he interested in me.

I knew Janice was jealous of my friendship with him. I never thought she will take her pesty jealousy so far but I underestimated her.

She took her stupid revenge against me by getting me fired on false accusations and then getting my landlord to evict me from my apartment without notice and my rent wasn't even due.

It turns out the landlord was a relative of hers. So it was easy for her to render me homeless. 

Now she has decided to destroy my precious painting!

Where would I go from here? I got no money to even rent a motel. I'm totally bankrupt.

Huge money got missing from the company's account and I was falsely accused of being the culprit. Of course, it was Janice doing. So I had to pay for it, or I face jail time.

My world just ended tonight. AJ was my only hope for a place to lay my head for a while, and he is totally out of the picture.

I wish I can just go over to his apartment and spend the night there. But he shares the apartment with two other roommates. They are girls. Those two don't like me for some reasons I am yet to know. I can't demand to sleep over because AJ is living with them without paying rent. So they are not entitled to let me into their apartment.

I'm stranded.

I got no friends apart from AJ. No family nobody to turn to. 

I run my fingers through my hair, feeling so devastated, so lonely, and afraid.

I let my tears flow and, I didn't hold back.

My worst fear is here.

I can't go back to living in the street, not after escaping from that horror, all these years. I can't go back to the nightmare my life was.

I hugged myself tightly, sitting on the ground whilst my tears streaming down my face as the fear of going back to the street raked me.

I felt like a lost puppy in this shitty world.

I have worked so hard to leave the street and worked harder not to return.

I finished high school a year early. Got my degree. Landed a good job, and a big promotion was on the way. I was about to sell my first painting at a good price. I nearly had the American dream, the good life, in my grasp.

 My days living in the street felt like a lifetime ago, and I thought I will never go back to that hell. It took one insecure vengeful bitch, Janice to destroy the good life I have been building for myself. I have lost everything I have worked so hard for, just in a day.

And now the street is ready to welcome me into its cold arms again.

Fate is so cruel. Life isn't fair sometimes. I am tasting the bitterness of this hard nut life as the rolls of tears cascading down my cheeks find their way inside my mouth. 

The saltness of my tears made me cringe.

Suddenly a car horn got me startled, making me jerk up on my feet.

A beautiful middle age lady steps out of the car heading toward me with a smile.

"Are you April Jackson?"

"Yes."

''Sweetheart, I'm your guardian angel''