Why Are You Crying?

'I have to get out of here.' Nick thought to himself as he searched the crowded mall for the escalators. He made his way through the crowd managing not to get noticed. He approached the escalator and spotted a girl on a bench to the left of the escalator she had her head down and her hands covering her face. He stepped on the escalator still looking at her. Nick being curious about this girl, why she had her head down? If she was crying, what made her cry? He thought about these things as he reached the next floor. He stood there looking at her still debating if he should butt in her life and see if she was ok. He hardly had the urge to be nice to people like that but this time he wanted to know. Finally, giving in to his curious side he made his way back down to the bench she was sitting on.

He approached her and looked at her a second before he said anything, she had short auburn hair, a pair of baggy jeans on and a baby t-shirt. She looked like a teenager a teenage girl that wanted to be punk or something. Even though he hadn't seen her face or anything he could kind of tell she was younger by her appearance.

He bent down and almost in a whisper asked her why she was crying. She must have not heard him because she continued on with her crying, like she was in her own world.

"Why are you crying?" He asked a little louder.

She looked up at him startled. Her blue eyes were red a sign she had been crying a while and streaks of mascara were stained on her cheeks. "Leave me alone. I don't need any charity from you." She retorted harshly.

"Who said I was going to give you charity?" Nick asked returning the attitude. He was just trying to be nice.

"What do you want?" She asked almost begging for an answer so he would leave.

"I just saw you crying and I wanted to see if everything was ok." He simply stated as he looked down at her.

"And if everything wasn't were you going to make it all ok?" She asked as she stood up and started to walk off.

"I was just curious what could make a pretty girl like you cry."

She turned around and almost started laughing. "Was that a line? Cause it was bad. For one, what does it matter? I know who you are and frankly, I highly doubt you stopped out of the goodness of your heart. And for two, I'm not a girl I'm 24. Thank you very much." She replied then walked away.

"I was trying to be nice." Nick concluded in a louder voice so she might hear him.

Walking outside into the warm Florida sun, Nick couldn't stop himself from thinking of her. Even though he didn't know her name or anything about her. And it made him mad because when he was trying to be nice she got an attitude with him. But needless to say she still intrigued him.

He was about to get in his car when he saw her walking out of the mall. He watched her as she walked closer to him but stopped by a green Eclipse. He tossed the tiny bad containing a small velvet box in the seat and made his way toward her.

"What's your name? He asked startling her as she was getting in her car.

"Oh my god. What do you want now?" She asked making it obvious she was getting tired of him already.

"Your name."

"You know you are like a bad fever blister that won't go away. What kind of satisfaction are you going to get by knowing my name? Like you'll ever see me again. You know nothing about me so why my name?"

"You live in Florida." He said with a smile.

"What makes you so sure?"

"License plate."

"How do you know it's my car? Maybe I rented it or something."

Nick shrugged his shoulders she was surely keeping him on his toes and that intrigued him even more.

"Please, can I have your name?" He asked in a more serious tone.

"I'm sorry my mom told me not to talk to strangers."

"What? You've been talking to me since I came up to in the mall."

"So you're admitting you're stalking me?" She asked with a smile. The first real smile Nick saw from her.

"Ok make a deal. Either give me your name or the reason why you were crying."

"Why? Why do you care so much? I'm just a person who has the right to cry anywhere they please. And today I chose a public place."

"That's not a reason why you were crying."

"I don't have to tell you anything ya know." She said getting angry.

"I know but you're still here. So I kept on asking." He said and began to walk back to his car.

"My name is Jerrica." She said softly.

Nick smiled to himself and then turned around and walked back over to where she was standing. She looked almost ashamed.

"My name is Jerrica Warden."

"Jerrica that's unique."

"Not really. My real name is... was Jessica. I had it changed to Jerrica because I love Jem and the Holograms."

"Jem and the who?"

She smile slightly and then said, "Never mind. I have to go now."

He extended his hand and said, "It was nice meeting you Jerrica."

She grabbed his and shook it. Then she smiled and let go. He turned around and walked back to his car watching her leave from the corner of his eyes.

On Jerrica's way back she couldn't stop herself from crying again. It became her routine for three years now to go a place her and Matt always went to she silently sat there and prayed he would come back and say he was sorry and they could make up.

Matt was Jerrica's high school sweet heart from her sophomore year. They dated up until graduation and then they decided they would go to college together. In their third year of dating Jerrica was so madly in love with Matt she was sure that on September 15, their four year anniversary, he would propose. That day came she got all excited and ready for their evening, she sat at dinner anticipating the arrival of a ring. It never came. She was crushed, she knew Matt loved her but he wasn't on the same page as her and marriage. After that night they seemed distant Jerrica didn't know what she wanted to do. She wanted to be with Matt but she didn't want to be his girlfriend forever. About a month after that night Jerrica found out she was pregnant. She was excited about it, she thought it might open Matt's eyes and then he would realize they needed to get married. She never thought she'd be so wrong. Matt told her he was sorry and that he wasn't ready for a baby and then he left. He walked out of her life. Jerrica knew she couldn't take care of a baby on her own. But she was forced to after her parents pretty much disowning her and her friends having better things to do. She was forced to drop out of college in her last year and lose her full voice scholarship and everything she worked so hard for in high school. All because she had to get a full time job and support her family.

Two months after she dropped out she finally landed a great job at Mirror Images INC. a photography studio. Photography was one of her many passions and talents even though she enjoyed her job it wasn't what she wanted. She still longed to be on stage singing in front of thousands of people. But those dreams soon ended after Alexis was born.

Life had always been hard for Jerrica growing up and when she thought things were going to get easier they didn't, they only seemed to grow harder and more challenging for her. After a few months of being by herself with a newborn she started to adjust. Learning that her needs and wants were nothing compared to Alexis's needs and wants.

Jerrica pulled into the apartment complex where she lived and dragged her feet up the stairs to her apartment. For skipping work and crying all day she was beat. She walked into her apartment which at one point in time was clean but now all you could see were toys upon toys in every corner and every piece of furniture. At first Jerrica tried to clean it when she could then Alexis would mess everything up again so she realized there was no use to even trying anymore. She had grown used to the mess it was normal to her now.

It was almost six o'clock the time Jerrica usually gets home from work. Then at six thirty they wonderful baby-sitter, Jerrica found by accident, would bring Alexis home. As soon as Jerrcia started making dinner the phone rang. She really didn't want to talk to anyone but she then thought it may be the baby-sitter.

"Hello?"

"Jerrica?"

"Yeah."

"Where were you today?"

"I didn't feel good."

"And you forgot to call?"

"Sorry, Jeff I did."

"Well, Mr. Cleveland wanted me to call you and tell you that you need to bring your pass to get in the building. We have new clients coming tomorrow and security will be tight. If you don't have your pass you won't be able to get in."

"Who are they?"

"I don't know."

"Ok."

"See you tomorrow Jerrica."

"Bye."

Chapter Two
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