Chapter 1

Headstrong

Mia has it all. She has a grand house, successful career oriented parents, brand new iPhone models, and most of all, she has my dream.

All I've ever wanted in my whole life is to receive a scholarship from Juilliard. I work as hard as I can and I try to earn as twice as I normally do, just to have the life that I have planned for myself, but what's happening right now? Mia is going to Juilliard since she got the scholarship. Like I said, she has everything.

We are standing in front of her Victorian-styled home as she is about to drive in her new cyan coloured Lamborghini (another gift from her father because she got the scholarship). I don't even understand why she needs the scholarship in the first place.

I stand right next to her uptight older brother, Christian as we watch her caress her poodle, Milkshake like there is no tomorrow. Mr. Grey, Mrs. Grey, Christian, and I came here for her but she cares about Milkshake the most.

After approximately seventeen minutes of embracing Milkshake to death, she finally gives us her attention. She hugs her parents and brother with shimmering eyes and an accomplished smile. They all whisper words of congratulations to her ears and she smiles proudly in response. She is standing in front of me right now and her shimmering eyes finally break down into tears while she embraces me.

"It's happening, Anastasia! It's happening! I am going to Juilliard."

I wish I could say the same.

To my surprise she brushes away one tear from my eye using her thumb. I don't even know that I am crying.

She proves to be my best friend when she encourages, "Don't you dare give up on applying. Try and try and try to get the scholarship no matter what, okay? I will be waiting for you there."

Mia then drags me to the corner far enough for us to know that her family can't hear us.

"Anastasia, I told my father that he could be the one to pay for your every need in Juilliard just in case you won't get the scholarship in your next try and he agreed."

I gasp, "Mia!"

"You are more than my best friend, Anastasia. You are my soul sister and you deserve to make all your dreams come true. I love you so much, okay? We will graduate in Juilliard together, I promise you that."

My tears flow continuously as Mia drives away with her Lamborghini to live her dreams. Mia has everything. She really does. And if I were to have a daughter one day, I'd give her the kind of life Mia has.

Five years later . . .

"What is your order, Ma'am?" I ask for the tenth time while tapping my pen against the notepad.

"Can you just wait, woman? Isn't that why you are called a waitress?" I can feel my nostrils flaring after what this old hag said. I fold my arms and just pretend that I didn't hear anything. If I were to defend myself then I would lose my job in an instant and if I lose my job, everyone in my family dies of starvation.

She continues to rant, "You seriously have the worst service in the entire food industry in New Jersey. What kind of waitress annoys her customer?!"

"I wasn't trying to annoy you—"

"Shut up, okay? I am the customer so that means I am always right."

Can this day get any worse?

My sweat is soaking my entire body as the heat of the summer radiates through the slightly cracked concrete walls of this diner. There are about seventy people inside waiting to have the piece of cheap burger they want to eat for lunch and the noises coming out of their mouths just add up to the warm temperature. The ceiling fans are not functioning well and the owner keeps on yelling at us because we are not working like that ponytailed brunette in Diner Dash. I look at some of the customers and their bodies are slicked with perspiration but they seem to ignore it just because they want to save money.

Dupree, the owner screams at me, "Anastasia! Work faster, for heaven's sake! You are fucking slow right now! Damn! Could you be more incompetent?!"

I yell back, "I am on it and—"

"SHUT UP AND WORK!"

Some customers laugh and not only my face is red but so are my eyes. I didn't ask for this job and I never envisioned myself in this position so I do not deserve any humiliation. My mind goes at it again with the mantra:

Keep it cool.

Keep it cool.

Keep it cool.

"Ma'am, you really need to choose since it's twelve noon and some customers can't even get a seat in the diner." I try to sound as kind as possible.

"Fine! I will just have water then. A glass of water please?"

Is she serious?

After a few seconds of glaring at her I head to the counter just to inform that the old hag only wants is a glass of water. The place is getting too loud and hot, just like Dupree's temper and mouth.

"WORK! WORK! WORK!" Each 'work' has a corresponding clap.

I'm about to entertain another customer when he calls for my attention, "Anastasia, come over here!"

"Yes Sir?"

Standing face to face with him, I can't help but notice that he is uglier close up. Look at all the acne on his neck and the wrinkles on his face. Not to mention that his hair reminds me of Tom Hanks' hairstyle from the film, Cast Away. He looks more like a caveman and I notice this just now in all the two weeks I've been working here.

"Where were you yesterday?"

"Uhm . . ."

"Where were you?!"

I flinch, "Sir, I—"

"All you have to do is answer the question, Anastasia!"

"I left an hour early because I needed to go to this audition and—"

He guffaws and my open hands turn into closed fists. My eyebrows arch and my stomach is tied into complicated patterned knots as I feel that all he needs is one step more to reach my limit.

"You auditioned for what? America's Got Talent? What did you do? Did you show them how awful you are as a waitress?"

I raise my head up high and inform him with the strongest voice I can possess for now, "I auditioned for a minor role in a television show and I did pretty well with that."

He is redder now and he is almost like the carbon copy of Hellboy. "Look at you right now! You are pretending to be very strong when deep inside you are feeling very offended and weak. You are a terrible liar, Anastasia. You didn't do well. I can see it in your eyes that when you think of it, you are reminded of how awful you were! No wonder why you didn't end up as an actress. You ended up as a waitress inside my diner and you can't do that well. You're bound to be a failure, Anastasia! Now go and serve! Work! Work! Work! Work!"

He takes that one step. My limit has been reached.

My closed fist meets his cheek in the most violent manner that I myself groan in pain. He lands down the floor and winces at the pain I inflicted on him. Sooner than later the blood drips down his cheek and everybody gasps. The loudest diner in the whole New Jersey transforms into a silent library as they watch as with wide eyes.

"Screw you, Dupree!" I scream just before throwing my apron, notepad, and pen directly to his shocked state.

"You are fired!" He acts as if it's meant to hurt me.

"The best thing you did as my employer!" I give him my most sarcastic smile. I feel everyone's eyes peering at me as I walk to the door, and I almost exit this hell of a diner if it weren't for the two things I've forgotten.

My Purse

This:

I grab the glass of water from one of the trays my co-worker is holding as I head to the table of the mean old hag I encountered just a few minutes ago.

"Ma'am?"

She can't speak now.

The room is filled with gasps as the water splashes all over her ugly face. She is too shocked and that brings me so much happiness.

"That was your glass of water, Ma'am and please do come again!"

I raise both of my middle fingers up before finally exiting the diner.

The sun is obviously on their side as all it does is bite my skin with its reckless rays. I march my way down the streets not caring that I am bumping into some people on purpose. I am too pissed off right now and the anger stirring up inside me is beyond words. When I am angry I start to cry and that's what I hate the most about myself. Well, I am not doing that now since I know that I have a lot to prove and crying is not one of those methods that can help me.

I take the train to our apartment building and I swear that this has become the worst day of my life. We live in this four storied apartment building colored in faded paint and broken elevator. Not only that I take the stairs all the way up to the fourth floor, but the power's out. I pull my moist brown hair up for a messy bun as I enter our apartment building completely saying hello to the heat I expected.

The place is a mess but so are the people living inside.

Dad: Why are you already here? Shouldn't you be at work?

Mom: Dear, do you have $100? I ran out of money.

Elliott: Sis, I am really sorry but I misplaced the $50 you gave me.

Elizabeth: Anastasia, I borrowed three of your shirts. They look good on me so it's mine.

Little Ben: Aunt Anastasia, have you already eaten?

I give my nephew a soft smile before slamming my bedroom door closed. I try to turn the fan on and I curse under my breath as I realize that the power is out. I scream on top of my lungs and they keep on knocking on my door asking me if I'm doing okay.

Opening the only window in my room, I smell the summer air circling the busy streets of New Jersey. I close my eyes and breathe in and out. That's the pattern. Breathe in. Breathe out. There are different sounds coming from different places: Cars honking, men whistling, girls fighting, people laughing, dogs barking, and every single sound proving how diverse the world can be.

My tears fall and I let them. I don't count it as defeat. I count it as a step before victory.

Life's throwing its middle finger at me now.

But I'm gonna raise mine higher.

Thank you for reading!