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Chapter 2 by Shandy Shandy

Flashback to the start of things? Or move on to the evening?

How it all began

It was a combination of things that started it all, Brenda remembered. A perfect storm of events, that had seemed confusing, even a disappointing at the time, but it had all worked out for the best.

The first thing was overhearing her parents fighting about money. It seemed that her dad had missed out on a large bonus he was expecting, and that the college fund that her parents had been contributing to had suffered losses due to downturns in the stock market. She was far from a financial expert, but she knew that was a serious blow to her college plans.

The second thing was discovering that the scholarship she had set her mind to winning, that would have funded her first year of college had been withdrawn because of some dispute between the donor and the school. Without that, and without the money from her parents, Brenda knew that she was in real trouble.

The third thing was the most unexpected. Unexpected, but it turned her world around. And in more ways than one.

She had started babysitting when she was thirteen, earning money for treats for herself. Now that she was eighteen she thought it was a little beneath her, but she still did it on occasion, enjoying the extra cash it provided. With her college plans seemingly in ruins, Brenda had wondered what she could do, and whether she was going to be stuck working crappy jobs for the rest of her life.

So it was with a gloom of depression that she had shown up at the Fraser's house that night, hired to babysit their unspeakable brats. She'd be sitting for them since they were babies, and now at five and six years old the two boys were obnoxious little terrors. Mrs. Fraser thought they were angels, and let them run amok as they pleased. Her husband was more realistic, but Brenda knew that it was Mrs. Fraser's influence that dominated the raising of the two boys.

She sighed as she rang the doorbell, anticipating an evening of irritation and stress until she got the brats to bed and could settle down to some television or homework.

"Brenda, great to see you!" Mr. Fraser said as he opened the door, smiling warmly at her as he welcomed her in. He was in his forties, starting to get a little plump around the waist, and his hair showing some grey. "My wife is still getting ready. The boys have had dinner, and they're watching TV now. Thanks so much for coming on short notice."

"No problem Mr. Fraser," Brenda smiled back as she stifled her feelings about the Fraser kids.

"You know where everything is. Help yourself to anything in the fridge and feel free to watch TV. Just like always," he smiled at her. "We'll be back about midnight. And you have our cell numbers if there are any problems."

"Don't worry Mr. Fraser, everything will be fine," she answered hanging her jacket over a chair and putting her backpack beside it. "Once the boys are in bed I can catch up on my homework. You and Mrs. Fraser don't need to worry. Just go have a good time."

He gave a sigh and shook his head with a grimace. "Probably not. It's a party with the charity my wife supports. If the last time was any indication, it's going to be very dull. With any luck we can get out of there early. But don't tell my wife I said that," he added hurriedly, glancing at the stairs as though worried he'd be overheard.

"My lips are sealed," Brenda smiled, mimicking zipping her lips shut and throwing away the key.

"You're a gem!" He said with a nod, turning towards the stairs as his wife descended.

It took the Fraser's twenty more minutes to get out of the house. Mrs. Fraser went through every instruction she had gone through every time Brenda sat for them, talking to her as if she was particularly dense. Mr. Fraser shook his head and rolled his eyes, but didn't interfere in his wife's overprotective lecture. When they finally left he gave Brenda an apologetic smile as he closed the door.

Surprisingly, the Fraser boys were relatively well behaved that night and Brenda managed to get them to bed more or less on time before settling down to her homework. Shortly after midnight she heard a car pull into the drive and a few moments later the Fraser's game in, Mrs. Fraser's face tight and irritated.

"Are the boys in bed?" she snapped.

"Yes, they went to bed on time, and they've been quiet ever since. They were no trouble at all."

"Mmmph. Well, that's a relief. My husband will pay you. I'm going to see the boys." She turned on her heel and marched up the stairs as her husband sighed and shrugged, pulling some bills out of his wallet and handing them to Brenda.

"It's starting to sprinkle," he said, nodding towards the door. "I'll give you a ride home."

What happened on the drive home?

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