Zoe
I set up three alarms on my phone, all within fifteen minutes of each other. The casserole was still bubbling away in the oven. I tried to block out the low-level bickering between Bella and Harry and carried on making sandwiches for sack lunches for tomorrow. I needed to be organized. I needed to be at work on time. My job and my kids' futures depended on it.
"It's my turn for the TV, Harry," Bella whined.
"My cartoon is not finished yet," Harry argued.
"Yes, it did. You put a different one on."
"I didn't like the first one."
"Harry, give Bella the TV remote," I called throwing their clothes for tomorrow into the washing machine.
"No fair," Hary protested. "She got to watch her show."
"Give me," Bella screeched, that ear-piercing, migraine-inducing screech that set my teeth on edge. "Give me. Give me. Give me."
The walls vibrated as Mrs Carlton from next door hammered on them.
"
Zoe's POV "I'm hungry," Bella moaned as I slipped my key into the front door lock. "Me too, I'm starving," Harry joined in. Isaac said nothing. He hadn't uttered a word the whole way home. I left all three kids on the sofa in front of the TV, leaving Isaac in charge of the TV remote and made my way to the kitchen. Smoke still lingered in the air. The blackened casserole sat on top of the stove. I grabbed a knife from the sink and poked at the charred remains. It was black the whole way through, even if the kids wouldn't accuse me of trying to poison them if I served it, it was utterly inedible. Ash the whole way through. I sighed throwing the knife back into the sink and headed to the fridge. Four lonely eggs sat on the middle shelf next to a carton of expired yoghurt and half a gallon of milk. An inch of hardened cheddar cheese nestled on the shelf in the door. My stomach rumbled as I tossed the eggs and some grated cheese and milk into a pan, already guessing Bella's reaction.
Greyson's POVI leaned back in my chair, tapping my fingers rhythmically against my desk, my eyes fixed on my computer monitor. I'd read the same line of code seven times. Zoe's cruel words rang through my head on a loop crushing my concentration.That Greyson. I scoffed to myself. I am that Greyson. Zoe is the one who had changed. Not me. Zoe was nothing like the woman I had in my head who I'd planned my life with and she was nothing like the smart, feisty, fiery girl who I remembered from school.And how would she even know what I was like in school? She barely spoke to me. A smile and eye contact was the most I could look forward to. I could count on one hand the number of times she spoke to me.I still remembered the very first words she uttered to me. We were eight years old. She was playing tag with a girl called Samantha, a chubby girl with a face full of freckles and large brown eyes. She ducked backwards out of Samantha's reach and tumbled right into me knocking my glasses o
ZoeSunlight warmed my face, washing the inside of my eyelids with a soft pink glow. Sleeplessness befuddled my mind. Pins and needles prickled my arms. Isaac groaned, rolling off my numb limb. I shifted him off me, twisting towards the clock.Fuck. The stupid clock blasted its time at my face in full force green LCD. I bolted upright, grabbing Isaac."Isaac, we're late. Wake-up."Isaac groaned, turning to his side, throwing his arms over his head, muffling my desperate pleas. Soft snores drifted from his mouth."Harry, Bella" I pounced from the bed, crashing into the nightstand. A half-empty glass of stale water smashed to the floor, hitting a crusty plate and exploding into millions of shards over the dusty carpet. "Harry, Bella, UP. NOW. We're late." I turned my attention back to Isaac, prising the worn, discoloured sheets from his tiny fingers."Isaac, if you're late again we go back on an improvement plan,
ZoeMug of steaming coffee in hand, I wound my way back to Isaac’s laptop. With an empty purse and a repair bill for a Jaguar I-Pace winging its way to me, I can’t afford coffee, but I can’t afford to not job hunt, nor will my finances stretch to reinstating my home internet service. On the slim chance I avoid jail time, I owe Isaac a class trip, Bella a school dress and I need new shoes. I googled Greyson’s fancy car. The eyewatering starting price stands at eighty thousand dollars. My house isn’t worth eighty thousand dollars. I can only imagine the horrific repair bill. The custom made watch he sported wasn’t much cheaper.The cracked screen blinked to life, I sipped my coffee, waiting an age for the job site to load and typed unskilled, no experience into the search bar. I almost spat my coffee at the screen at the first offering.PA to a busy CEO, attractive starting salary, flexible working hours, extensive
Greyson“Oh, yes, Sir, I’m flexible. I take yoga classes. It really helps with my flexibility.” She ran an unnervingly long red talon up her smooth, orange leg, thrusting her cosmetically enhanced tits out and continued waffling about yoga. It’s not what I had in mind when I asked if she was flexible after explaining the position involved occasional travel. Ever since I agreed to that damn interview for a vacuous gossip rag, money grabbing harlots like the one toying with her scrawny legs in my office plagued my life. I should have guessed they'd infiltrate my professional life when Mabel announced her intention to retire. And I should've known better than to mention my deep craving for a relationship and willingness to settle down and start a family to a rag called Sexy Bachelors of LA. It didn't help that the photographer dressed me in tight pants and an unbuttoned shirt and arranged my poses in a way which made it supe
ZoeHoly shit is the man different to the boy. The Greyson Elliot I remember was scrawny and shy. He didn't speak, he muttered. We all thought he was dumb, he never spoke, never answered questions in class and despite his nickname, he was always clean. The clothes he wore were second hand and a bit tattered, but they were always clean. The man? Well, the man is an asshole. A fuckable asshole but an asshole none the less.I stepped out on the sidewalk and ran my hands down my front as if checking I was really stood outside Total Software Solutions head office after the most bizarre interview of my life.Be resourceful, Zoe, we need this job, I told myself. I scanned the street, desperately searching for an answer. A gaggle of teenage girls gathered outside a small, boujee beauty store. A smile crept over my face as I spotted my chance.I rushed across the road and stooped as I enveloped myself between the girls. Predictably,
ZoeHe was a bastard in the last interview. How would pre-Kobe Zoe handle it? She'd give the best damn interview of his life and then tell him to stick his job up his asshole.The latter part doesn't work for present-day Zoe. Present day Zoe has three kids to feed and clothe, a Jag to pay for, a smashed up car to tow and a new car to buy. I could manage the first part though. Iwouldmanage the first part.I took a deep breath, force my chin up and rolled my shoulders back before storming through the sliding glass doors and stomping past the receptionist without making eye contact all while praying security didn't grab me and escort me kicking and screaming from the building. I'd faced more than enough humiliation with the last 24 hours to last me a life time.I made to the elevator just as the mirrored slid open. The same bellboy from this morning greeted me with a smile."Mabel said to ex
Zoe I hopped from foot to foot, rocking on my heels. My cheeks ached from the massive grin on my face as imagined telling the kids about my new job, picturing their tiny faces lighting up with pride and joy. Isaac would understand the most what it meant for us. The little ones would just be happy I didn't have to work evenings and weekends. Other mothers side-eyed me, whispering between themselves as they stole furtive glances at me. Fuck 'em, it's not like I'm friends with them anyway. All they see when they look at me is the criminal's girlfriend. The double doors swung open. Children filtered out in all directions running to their parents with grins on their faces. Isaac led the charge, storming towards me with his face scrunched, reddened by rage. "I hate school," he snarled forcing a letter into my hand. I stuffed it into my purse, refusing to look at it. Nothing was going to spoil my mood, not to