The Countdown to Thirty Read Online Free

like physique to genetics if you let him tell it. But I
knew better than most that he loves his protein shakes and supplements.
    “So Kai Kai, are you seeing anyone?”
    I shot them both a surprised look. Kai Kai was my nickname
growing up and normally only used by the people who were closest to me. Being
called Kai Kai by anybody else felt like an invasion of my privacy. And when
Christian called me Little Kaia from time-to-time I felt like a child.
    “Yea, she got a little boyfriend or something. What’s his
name?” Christian said sarcastically.
    “You know his name,” I shot back. Then turning to Desiree I
replied, “Yes I’m seeing someone. His name is Malcolm.”
    “You should have brought him along. This could have been a
double date.” She said.
    “He just got back in town this morning. He’s really tired
but that’s a nice idea Desiree.”
    “She knows how I feel about oh boy. She did the right
thing.” Malcolm said reaching for a chicken wing.
    I wasn’t surprised. I knew Christian wasn’t a fan of
Malcom’s from the first day they met.
    I just sighed and ignored his comment, “So Desiree what kind
of work do you do?” I asked taking a sip of my Sprite.
    “I’m an associate at Victoria’s Secret. That’s where we
met.”
    I nearly choked.
    “Christian what were you doing at Victoria’s Secret?” I
asked purposely putting him on the spot. I knew the only reason he could be
there was to buy something for one of his other girlfriends but I wanted to see
him sweat. Not only for the Malcolm comment but also for telling Desiree it was okay to call me Kai Kai.
    When he kicked me underneath the table I had to use all my
strength to keep from laughing.
    “You know, your mom’s birthday. I bought her some lotion and
stuff, remember? Baby, Kaia’s a graphic designer and she’s real good with
Photoshop and that computer shit. She can hook your modeling pictures up.”
Christian turned to me smiling proudly as he smoothly changed the subject.
“She’s a part-time model.”
    Desiree’s eyes lit up and the next thing you knew she was
talking non-stop about her portfolio and a few nonexistent flaws she’d like
edited. I humbly listened to her and determined they’d last one month, maybe
two.

Three
    Sonya
     
    Last night before I curled in bed with a murder mystery
novel I’d been meaning to start for the last month, I promised myself to never
again shut myself in the house all day and sulk. I wasn’t that depressed and
naïve little girl anymore. So this morning when I woke up and the spontaneous
idea of working out popped in my head I made up my mind to go.
    I’d driven to Majestic Park right after sunrise and plugged
in my earphones while I listened to 90’s R&B on Pandora to get me in the mood.
I swear music just isn’t what it used to be; real R&B and real voices! (I
just wish they would cool it on all the commercials…damn). I walked and ran a
few laps before calling it quits and taking a seat in the bleachers of the
baseball field.
    Majestic Park was situated on a hill and had an awesome view
of the valley. I could see the whole city from the north to the south. The
mountains in Las Vegas were beautiful and seemed to surround the city like a
fortress. While taking in the breathtaking view I wondered how many people
there were out there like me. How many people were there who knew they were
capable of achieving more but haven’t made it to that next level yet? Ever
since I could remember I’d always envisioned myself as being a top CEO or this professional
businesswoman or something. I wanted to walk into the office with my expensive
and jaw dropping suits on and make important decisions and be in control of my
surroundings. One thing I was sure of was that life had a way of turning out
completely different from how I thought it would when I was young.
    I ran my hands through my short cut black hair that I had
styled completely identical to Megan Good’s new look then rested them in