Page 15 of Reno’s Rebel
CHAPTEREIGHT
Valencia
It’s a slow night at Mamie’s. Iris and I are the only ones here. It’s nice for a change to have some time to just enjoy the silence and slow pace of things. Especially now that I’m also going to be a barmaid at the club, plus cooking a couple of nights a week.
I need to pull my weight, and I should’ve thought of it sooner. But now that Reno has explained it to me, I feel like I’ll be paying my way and maybe even viewed a bit differently from people at the club. I won’t just be the woman they’re keeping safe from a crazy cult or my father. They don’t even have a clue about the latter, but they’re protecting me from him too.
I’m finally doing something to prove how thankful I am for all they’ve done. Especially Reno. Just thinking about him has my stomach fluttering with excitement . . . and last night, he blew my world apart.
“Valencia, do you ever think about your future?” Iris asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
I toss the rag I was wiping the counter with and shrug. “I had a vision once, but I’m not so sure now. What about you?”
A huge smile spreads across her beautiful face. I can see the excitement shining in her eyes, and I wish I had felt that about what lies ahead for me.
“I want to be a psychologist. I’m going to get my master’s in psychological science,” she says.
She’s so sure of herself. So certain of the future she wants.
I’m envious. I thought at one time I knew, but it was my father’s dream, not mine.
Iris is doing what she wants. There’s no one to answer to. No one told her what to do. She has a dream, and she’s chasing it.
I want that.
“What about you? You said you had a vision once. What was it?” she pushes.
I sigh as I stare at her. I was never allowed to chase my own dreams. My father told me I’d be a criminal defense lawyer, and that’s what I was doing.
The thing is, I do want to be a lawyer, but not for criminal defense. That was his dream, not mine.
“I think I want to be a lawyer, but I don’t know what I want my major to be,” I say.
Iris reaches over and squeezes my hand. Her eyes bounce between mine as she smiles. “That’s amazing, Valencia. You’ll make an outstanding lawyer, no matter what major you decide to follow.”
“Thanks, Iris,” I reply.
She pours us each a glass of soda and lifts an eyebrow as she takes a sip. “You need to do it. You should sign up for school and start toward your dreams. Don’t stand still and wait for things to happen. Chase your happiness, Valencia. Go to school and get your degree. You can do it. You’ve got a lot of people standing behind you, supporting you. Especially Reno,” she says, tossing me a wink. I know people can tell Reno has a thing for me, but for the most part, not many people talk about it. It’s just sort of there, and I think some people think I could just vanish and hurt him, but the last thing I want to do is hurt Reno. I like him as much as he likes me.
Going back to school would be amazing. I begin to feel an excitement that’s long been hidden. The thought of going back to school and becoming a lawyer excites me. The idea of doing something for me, something I want to do. It’s liberating.
Before I can reply, a flash of the blondest hair I know fills my vision. Ah, it’s Faith!
“Hey,” she says, grinning.
“Well, this is turning into a girls’ night,” Iris says, laughing.
She’s not wrong.
For the next few hours, the three of us hang out. I haven’t had a girls’ night in so long that I’m enjoying this for more than it’s worth. It’s nothing exciting, just the three of us sitting about, talking and laughing, but it’s so much fun.
As they talk, I begin to think more about going back to school. The idea has planted itself, and now I don’t want to ignore it.
If I go back to school, I could get my degree and finally have my financial freedom. I could major in what I want, and the more I think about things, the more I believe that I don’t mind fighting for what’s right. Being an immigration lawyer could be the perfect choice.
As the thrill of chasing my dream has me grinning, the idea of my father torches it to the ground.
I can’t go to school without providing my personal information, including my social. If my father has someone tracking me, that would easily alert him. The idea of him finding me makes me realize I will never be free. I will always be looking behind me.
