Of Fading Dreams

Roxi Haines has always wanted to be a journalist and live her own life. Now, with three months until she turns eighteen, she is informed that her parents are kicking her out as soon as she is of age. With no saved money, no job, and swiftly plummeting grades, Roxi’s dreams for the future are quickly drifting away.

Chapter 1

“Roxanne,” the deep voice of Gregory Haines resonated up the staircase to Roxi’s room. “Can you come down here for a moment?”

Stormy gray eyes lifted from a page of trigonometry homework at the sound of the voice from the floor below. With a soft sigh of frustration Roxi slid off her bed, dropping her lime green mechanical pencil on her math book. “Coming dad!” came her obedient reply as she sluggishly made her way out of the room and down the hallway to the stairs. “What do ya want?” Roxi asked, leaning over the banister at the top of the stairs, peering down at her parents, standing in the foyer below.

“Can you come down here?” Pam Haines queried, sounding like her only daughter was wasting her oh-so-precious time.

“Sure,” Roxi obliged, starting down the winding stairs at a lumbering pace, slowly rolling her eyes. “What do you want?” Roxi asked again, her tone making it evident that she had better things to do.

“Your father and I have agreed,” Pam Haines said, waving her hand in Gregory’s direction, “That it would be best for you to move out as soon as you turn eighteen,” her tone was so blunt and calloused that it sounded as if she was telling an employee, that she didn’t even know, that they were being fired.

Roxi stood dumb struck, her mouth hanging open slightly as she stared up at her parents. “Wha?” Roxi’s arms hung limply at her sides when moments ago they had been folded across her chest. She was positive she had heard her mother wrong.

“You will be moving out, as soon as you are of age,” Gregory Haines said, kinder then his wife had. “Your mother and I think it would help you build character and help you get on your way with your life.”

Roxi couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The only thought running through her head at that moment was my-parents-are-kicking-me-out.

Roxi shook her head to clear it, her loose purple and brown hair flying around her face. “But that’s three months from now,” Roxi stated, watching her parents seriously, her mouth now set firmly closed.

“That should give you plenty of time to find an apartment,” Pam Haines spoke in her flat business voice.

Roxi stared at her mother, in disbelief, for another moment before speaking again. “What ever.” With that she turned and made her way up the stares and back to her room, at a slightly faster pace. “Stupid parents,” Roxi mumbled to herself, over and over again, as she threw her math book and her homework into a messenger bag.

Roxi turned and started out of her room, still mumbling darkly as she made her way down the stairs and across the now empty foyer. Her parents hadn’t wasted any more time, to feel sorry for their daughter, before they returned to the separate home offices to work on more business papers.

Roxi opened one of the large French maple doors and stepped out onto the large wrap around porch. She stopped there for a second and took in a calming breath of the fresh cool air of mid-November. Roxi relinquished the breath from her lungs, a cloud forming in front of her, before closing the door and starting across the large front lawn to the street.

Reaching the sidewalk, Roxi strode with purpose down the street, every once in a while glancing back and forth and behind her to make sure she wasn’t being watched or followed. She was halfway to her destination when a sudden vibrating, in her bock pocket, sent her jumping. Roxi let out a little scream before realizing it was her cell phone. She promptly ripped the small, black, vibrating devise from her pocket and flipped it open before bringing it to her ear.

“Y-ello,” Roxi greeted in a more chipper tone then she felt.

“Hey Rox, what’s up?” a high soprano voice responded.

“Nothing really, Mand,” Roxi said. The line was silent, for several minutes, as Roxi turned a corner and walked under a streetlight. “But, remind me tomorrow that I have something big to tell you, kay?” Roxi spit out abruptly, unable to keep anything from her best friend for long.

“Really?” Mandy said, sounding more interested in the conversation then she had before. “What is it? Is your mom having another kid? Did you get in to a college? Did you meet a boy? Come on give me a clue!” Mandy cried into the phone dramatically. Roxi was sure that if there had been people on the street, then they would have heard her friend.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with any of those things,” Roxi sighed, “It’s kind of something I want to explain in person.

“Well then, I can meet you some where,” Mandy suggested, “It not too late, and I don’t have to go to my first period tomorrow.”

“Na, Mand, I’ll tell ya tomorrow at lunch, M’kay?” Roxi promised. “I kind of want to be alone right now.”

“All right hun,” Mandy said, giving in, “I’ll see ya tomorrow then. Bye.”

“Tootles,” Roxi responded before hanging up and walking the few remaining blocks to the coffee shop in silent thought.

During that time, many thoughts passed through Roxi’s mind. “Where am I going to go?” She thought swiftly followed by many more questions revolving around how she was going to pay for everything. She didn’t have a job, and she hadn’t bothered to start a savings account, cause she could always get the money from her parents. But now they were kicking her out, and she was pretty sure that meant no more mooching off of them for movie money or shopping.

I hope you like this chapter. It's just an idea for a few charactors I've had. I have a pretty good idea where it is going, so I'd like to know what you think of it. If you have any ideas or tips for me, then please let me know. :) I plan to make it a little different then my other stories, so just tell me what you think. I am hoping to have the next chapter up by late today. The rating might go up to T if I deside to add in a lot of language or something.

Tootles,

Roselyn Flores