Filed to story: Breathe Story (Sadie White & Jax Stone)
“I saw it on the television once when I was younger. It has stuck with me ever since. Besides it works.”
“It’s disgusting is what it is,” Jessica mumbled from her spot on the couch.
She couldn’t boil water if she wanted to, but I decided to bite my tongue and finish with dinner.
“It’s ready, Mom,” I said as I scooped a pile of spaghetti onto a plate, knowing she would ask me to bring her one.
“Bring me a plate, will ya, honey.”
I smirked. I was a step ahead of her. She rarely got up these days unless she absolutely had to. I slipped a fork and spoon onto the plate and took it to her. She didn’t even sit up. Instead, she placed it on the shelf of a belly she’d developed and ate. I placed a glass of sweet iced tea down beside her and went back to fix my own. I’d worked up an appetite today. I needed food.
I didn’t have to be searched, and I was even given a card to show at the gate when I arrived from here on out. Things went much smoother. Fran even smiled at me once. After lunch, Ms. Mary sent me to the third floor, which housed most of the bedrooms. It was easy to forget whose house I cleaned. I had no friends to tell about the job. Not thinking about the fact I stood in the rooms where the hottest teen star in the world would be sleeping all summer wasn’t really so big of a deal. I stepped into his bedroom and spun around. This wasn’t a typical teenage boy’s room. It seemed so comfortable it struck me as odd.
One wall displayed bats and balls signed with different signatures while some just looked well used. Jerseys he must have worn during childhood hung on the walls proudly. I could easily picture the little boy I’d seen in the pictures yesterday wearing these and playing city ball just like an ordinary kid. I went for a closer inspection and found pictures under each one of the teams he’d played on. In the earliest ones, I struggled to figure out which little boy was the now famous rock star. After he appeared to be ten or eleven, I identified him easily. The jerseys and pictures were in year order from about kindergarten until age thirteen, and then they stopped. It would have been about a year or so before I remembered hearing his name the first time on the radio. He seemed to lead a normal life up until the time a record label discovered him.
The wall space above his bed set the room apart from an ordinary teenage boy’s room. Guitars of every shape, size, and color hung on the walls. Many were autographed; some sparkled with newness. One appeared to have real gold on it, which wouldn’t be surprising at all if it did. I got on my toes and examined it more closely. It said Fender on it. I continued examining the signatures on the more expensive guitars. I ran my finger over the name Jon Bon Jovi and smiled. Apparently, even rock stars have idols. In the center of them all hung a small, worn guitar. The fact it hung in the center of this collection made it obvious this must have been the first and most loved.
I peeked back at the door to make sure no one stood outside, and then went to stand under the small guitar I imagined had started it all. I wasn’t a crazy fan but seeing something responsible for spurring a dream seemed almost holy in a way.
My cleaning cart sat untouched in the doorway, and I knew I needed to get busy. I didn’t want to learn new, personal things about him. I wanted him to stay shallow and untouchable in my eyes. Knowing he once was a cute, little boy with dark brown curls and a smile that would one day cause a frenzy made him seem more real and not so godlike. I needed to keep my interest in him to a minimum. I quickly went about the room dusting and sweeping, and then I mopped the expensive hardwoods. I decided I’d better get through with this room quickly before I came across anything else that’d have me picturing him as the little boy in the photos. I focused my thoughts on my future and blocked out all thoughts of Jax Stone.
“Sadie, are you finished yet? The family has arrived, and we need to exit to the servant’s quarters,” Fran said from the doorway.
I placed my cleaning supplies back on the cart and headed toward the door where a very nervous Fran stood. “Sure, just finished up.”
Fran nodded and headed toward the back elevator in which house staff traveled from floor to floor without being seen by the family. Fran hurried inside as it opened, and I started to follow when a bottle of glass cleaner fell off the cart. I reached for a small rag and picked the bottle up from the floor. I wiped up the spill the best I could.
“Hurry, please,” Fran called in an anxious tone from inside the elevator. The family must be headed upstairs.
I stood up, and a tingling sensation raced through the hairs on my neck. Startled, I turned and saw him standing there watching me. It wasn’t the cute little curly-headed boy but instead the famous rock star. I froze unsure of what to do since my presence being acknowledged this soon wasn’t something Ms. Mary wanted. A smile broke across his ridiculously sexy face, heat burned through my cheeks, and I glanced away and pushed the cart into the elevator.
He didn’t appear to be angry that a teenage girl worked in his home. His smile seemed more amused. Fran frowned when I glanced at her, but she said nothing. I put my cart away and went to report to the kitchen since I no longer worked upstairs. Ms. Mary stood with her hands on her hips, waiting on our arrival. A silent conversation seemed to take place between Fran and Ms. Mary. After Ms. Mary nodded, she reached for something on the table and handed me folded black clothing.
“Everyone wears uniforms while the family is in residence. Also, you won’t be cleaning the house anymore, but you will help me in the kitchen and help Mr. Greg in the gardens. However, tonight I need you to serve supper. Mrs. Stone has requested all servers seen by family and guests are attractive in appearance. William, the young man I hired to assist Marcus in serving the family, called in sick about ten minutes ago, and you are all I got. You’ve proved to be a hard worker, and you seem to be serious about this job. Your age concerns me since the master of the house is around your age and is an idol in most girls’ eyes. My gut tells me that means little to you. I hope you continue to show such maturity.”
I didn’t really know what to say after that mouthful from her, so I only nodded.
“Good. Now, you’re to wear this every day. I’ll have two more made in your size, and they are to be left here each night to be washed and pressed. Make sure you continue to enter at the same location and immediately change in the laundry room. Now, I need you to help me begin preparing for the evenin’ meal before you put these on. You gotta be tidy and clean when you serve.”
For the next two hours, I chopped, sliced, stirred, and stuffed all types of meats and vegetables. By the time Ms. Mary told me to get changed and tidy up my hair, exhaustion already filled my body. I changed into the black skirt, which hit right above my knees, and the white button up shirt with a round collar. I put on a black apron over my shirt and skirt. Pulling my hair loose, I piled the curls up high on my head. I washed my face and hands and sighed at the face mirrored back at me. My mother’s face landed me a job as server tonight, but my reserved personality gained me Ms. Mary’s trust. Where my mother’s eyes sparkled with mischief, mine stayed serious and guarded.
Jax Stone’s smile in person dazzled me as much as it did on the millions of pictures I’d seen in magazines and on posters. However, it didn’t mean I would be silly enough to be attracted to him like the rest of the world. With a deep breath, I opened the door and went back to the kitchen where Ms. Mary stood waiting.
“Okay, now, remember, you set this in front of Master Jax at the exact moment Marcus here,” she waved to a tall young guy I’d not met yet, “places Mrs. Stone’s in front of her. They will be the only two at the table tonight. Mr. Stone and Jason will be arriving tomorrow. So tonight, you two will be the only two serving.
“Make sure you stand back quietly behind Master Jax while he eats and follow Marcus’s lead. He’ll help you with anythin’ you aren’t sure about.”
I turned my full gaze on Marcus who seemed to be only a few years older than I was, probably college age. His sandy blond hair and smiling green eyes immediately relaxed me.
He held out his tanned hand and grinned. “Marcus Hardy.”