Community Service. Two words I should be thankful for, but I’m not. I resent the hours it’s away from building my business. 

When they push the little girl into the room, her crazy curls barely held back by the barrette in her hair, and studious glasses on her face, I can tell she’s scared. Something inside of me breaks, and I want this girl to feel wanted again. 

What I’m unprepared for is meeting her mom. The second our hands touch, there are fireworks, bright lights, and a picture of the future I could one day have. The future I’ve never allowed myself to wish for. 

Community service becomes more than a chore. In the months that follow, I realize they’re just like me: they’ve been abandoned, left behind by the world, forgotten by those who should love them. 

Thanks to the one last hope in both our lives - we found the light in the darkness we’d been searching for.

Trick is created by Laramie Briscoe, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.

Trick

“Mom, are you sure it’s okay for us to break tradition?” Riley asks, her eyes wide as she gazes at the Christmas tree box sitting in my apartment.


“What’s normal tradition?” I ask, opening the box up with my knife.


Hadley smiles at her daughter. “Normally we wait until December 10th, we put on A Christmas Story,and we decorate while watching the movie play over and over again.” 


“It’s only a few days before the tenth,” I look at my phone. “Today’s the fifth, and if you want to watch the movie, I’m sure it’s on Netflix. Why don’t you go look, Sprite.”


Riley scampers off to find the remote so she can check on the movie situation. 


“Thank you for this,” Hadley leans in, circling her arms around my neck. Sitting down, it’s easier for her to give me a hug while she stands over me.


Chapter Fifty-Three: Some Serious Kissin' Going On