Freda's Freedom

pte

r

air. It was strange, but I enjoyed seeing the cloudy swir

okay?" Tessy asked me, her

r, brushing stray hairs from her shoulder. I look

d Trench's voice calling. "Are

To show her how she looked, I held up a mirror for her. With her signatu

someone I always enjoyed chatting with. "Is there something

hear?" she asked

, w

rned to town." She gri

t her. "Wh

l look. "You don't kno

My eyes met with the crowd waiting on the cou

ger at Tessy.

ng beside me as I strode

me a chunk of thick black hair to

you, Ms

ening?" she asked Tessy, who

ng of an em

goes with

act

e woman in our chair asked unexpe

lly

me a red gow

me what's going on? Who's this Ken Forest

ted me. "He was in our cl

ho

oad of trouble with Mrs. Hoover for hacking into

eyes widening. "Oh my God, y

do. Your boyfriend spent 12 y

't tortu

a lunch money vendin

en the abrasive kind. I shared a dark look with

t

back in town – s

at me. "He came back

ell open.

now! How have you not heard about thi

tly more meaning to them than pop-culture magazin

We're almost

ine open. "What do

head. "Not ins

essed navy shirt grinned back at me from the front cover. I blinked.

y who was nodding with a gr

I whis

"He has somehow turned into a

uncy castles," I murmured, unabl

wider than his tiny head

evable,

a giant party for basically th

inal brushes on her customer's hair. "She was a real bitch – no won

all dressing up? For

lti-billionaire holds a massive party a

atly. Her defiant nonchalance almost m

remember an email from Mrs. Fore

lly come!" Tessy said, exci

customer sat down. "They're celebrating him – he shouldn't hav

ing her lips. "The

y feeling my throat dry up. "Drake

k God. "Okay, enough chit chat.

her a grateful smile. "I

d, giving me a hug.

of Ken Forester except the times I had seen him with Drake, but those m

y we were going

E are going to thi

itched to grab the lamp next to me so I could hurl it at his advancing figure. I waited too long – he strode forward and grabbed my

ow long I have

I said through

w l

nom leaking into my voi

who's always being a

ot being

oared. "And, you're b

courage, I yanked my arm out of his reach. "He hates you," I said softl

room. "I'll find a way to get one. No matter how rich

annot start a

cking idiot! I'm just gonna talk to

nched my fist so hard, my nails threatened to break my skin.

uld no longer recognize it as my own. I gently touched the quilt on my bed – my nan

e. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I strode over to my closet, opening t

anding there for?" he

cating in

or clothes

late for the party. Got a

ould be dumb enough to

ng to insist on taking me out to a very public party, then I was going to

too

omplete mule, after all; he could sense that something was weighi

like tha

do now?" he

house into the

, honey,

s.' There is always something, cause you're out there, giv

omething would g

abbed the wheel with great force, trying not

I glanced at Drake trying to imagine the boy he was when I'd met him. It seemed like h

y arm stuck

h time. Had he broken something? Trench kept telling me that a broken bone of any kind would lead to unbearable pain, and I would know it. But the anxiety, the p

walked up to my car and knocked

r Foreste

ded him the keys and saw ten other men in the same uniform w

valet

g some sarcasm into his voice. It was strangely reminiscent of the ti

y more tha

glare at me

d come back to bite me in the ass one day. Drake reached for my wrist, and his furious e

re

hair bouncing in the street light. She looked extremely tall in her fitted emerald dress. Drake's arm was frozen midway between u

!" I told her, reaching out

a hug, "Look at you

in stray hairs and scissors lik

om behind me. "Oh, this is

aid, smiling almost like his

hat I've never met befor

act in time to save my hide. Why

ed for me. "We've been to

t's intense." S

ake. Already, I could see him fuming about me not calling him my boyfriend right away. Perhaps defianc

efore I confronted Drake. I stared at the throng inside the

brave. It was ti