No Heaven Can Help Us

Jenna sighed as she pulled into the parking lot of her newly open shop called The Black Angel. She had just gotten into another argument with her boyfriend of three years Nick. It seemed like all they ever did was argue about things like money, marriage, and they had trust issues; or Nick did anyway. No matter what Avery did he’d always say she was cheating on him and it was starting to get old. She had everything going for her and the last thing she needed was to be unhappy but that seemed like all she felt lately; unhappy.

She grabbed her black purse that sat in the passenger seat next to her. She shoved the keys to her Pontiac Sunfire in the purse then got out of the car. Jenna has had this car since she was twenty one. Her grandfather bought it after she had graduated from college. Sadly, it was the last thing her papa ever bought her. He passed away over a year go. Jenna’s mom and her brother now live in her grandpa’s two story Spanish style home in West Chester. Jenna loved the house but unfortunately she had to live in an apartment with Nick.

Their relationship wasn’t always like this. They never fought, always hung out, and had sex all the time. Now, Jenna had to walk on egg shells around him. He would never let her go to his shows, he bitched about her having a shop, and didn’t want to sleep with her because he didn’t know where she’s been. Jenna tried to get away but he abused her both physically and emotionally. Eva’s the only one who really knew about him abusing her.

Jenna unlocked her shop and flipped the sign to the Open side. The Black Angel has only been open for a little over a month. Business was booming. Whitney made some of the outfits but a lot of the merchandise was shipped in. Today, they would have a truck bring in new items for the week. Jenna hated doing inventory but it got her away from Nick a little longer. Jenna clocked into the system then got the money from the safe and put it in the cash register. Kayla would be here at nine, Whit at noon, and Eva at three. Jenna worked every day which she didn't’t mind one bit.

At exactly nine o’clock Kayla walked into the store. She had two Starbucks coffees in tow. She handed one over to Jenna and then clocked in.

“Thank you ma’am!” said Jenna. “So, how was your night?”

“Horrible. I’m thinking about quitting Duffers and maybe working at your mom’s salon. Do you think she would hire me?”

“Well, you do have skills to work there. You know how to do nails. I think she said something about needing another girl to do nails. Why are you quitting Duffer’s anyway?”

“My fat fucking boss told me that he wanted to fuck me. He’s a pervert and smells like chicken grease.”

Jenna laughed. “I would turn his ass in.”

“I should but karma will come back and kick him in the balls. “

“You know if you want more hours I will give them to you.”

Kayla nodded. She had been friends with Jenna since college and even before she started dating Nick. Since then Jenna has changed dramatically. She’s always afraid around Nick. If she says something wrong he will snap and start yelling at her. Kayla has an inkling that he’s abused Jenna but Jenna has hid it well if she is being abused. Kayla really did like working with her friend but she needed two jobs to get by. Her mother taught her how to do manicures, pedicures, and put on acrylic or solar nails. She used to do girls nails in college for extra money. Kayla saw the sadness in Jenna’s eyes. Nick treated her like crap and she put up with it. She needed to find someone that treated her right. She deserved way better.
Not even twenty minutes after the store was open people started coming into the shop. They browsed around for a while then decided on their purchases. Jenna checked them out while Kayla went around the shop making sure everything was in place.

Whitney showed up at noon. She had an office in the back where she designed some of the clothes. She mainly worked with rhinestones which made beautiful shirts. She showed Jenna a cute dress with pink skulls on them that she was planning on making. Jenna thought they were really cute. Whitney nodded then sent them off to a warehouse to get over forty designed in different sizes.

Jenna was eating lunch in the back when the unloading truck came. She greeted the man who had tattoos all over his arms. He had her sign a piece of paper before opening the truck. He carried all of the boxes for The Black Angel into the back of the shop. There was a total of ten boxes. Jenna would mark some things off for clearance then put the new items up. She was opening up the boxes when Eva arrived.

“Hey babe, do you need any help?” she asked.

Jenna smiled. “Yeah, can you start putting these prices into the computer.”'

“Sure.”

Eva got the new merchandise out of the boxes and began putting the prices into the system. They spent the next several hours doing inventory, pricing the new items, and putting them into the store. Jenna smiled at a few costumers who were looking through the clearance rack. She asked if they needed anything and they said they were just looking. She nodded then headed into her office where she began to calculate everyone’s hours for the week and put them into the computer so she’d know how much they’d get on their check. A soft knock on the door caused her to look up.

“Jenna, Eva and I are going to The Note to get a few drinks. Would you like to join us?” asked Whitney.

“Not tonight Whit.”

Whitney bit her tongue. Ever since Jenna started dating Nick three years ago she hasn't’t been the same. She never wanted to have fun anymore.

“Okay, well if you change your mind you know where to find us.”

Jenna sighed as Whitney left the office. She really did want to go out with her friends but she knew if she did then Nick would be pissed. She clocked out and turned off all the lights, and then locked up the store. Instead of taking her usual route home she took the highway which was quicker. Jenna never really took the highway but she knew if she was a few minutes late Nick would pick another fight. Her mind was elsewhere as she got onto the highway. She stopped thinking about Nick just in time to see a blue Lamborghini dart across the highway in front of her.

Jenna slammed on her breaks to stop but that wasn't’t enough, her vehicle collided into the passenger side of the blue lambo. The noise was something that she would never forget. It sounded like a canon going off. She closed her eyes and raised her arms up as the airbag shot out of the steering wheel. She felt the bag hit her with strong force. She let out a cry of pain when she felt her arm snap. Due to the collision her car began to spin. She prayed that she didn't’t hit the stop sign and in a split second the vehicle stopped and everything was silent.

Jenna opened her eyes to see smoke in the car. She freaked out as she unhooked her seat-belt. The car was on fire. She had to get out of the vehicle. She tried to open the door but it wouldn’t budge.

“Help!” she yelled while banging on the window.

She pushed the door a few times and it finally opened. Her car had ended up on the shoulder of the road while the Lambo was located in the ditch. She felt tears slide down her face as she saw the Lambo. The whole passenger side was pushed in ward. She just hoped that there wasn't’t a passenger in the car because they wouldn’t be alive if there was. Now it was time to see her damage, she closed her eyes as she rounded the front of her car. She sighed then opened her eyes. The whole front was smashed inward and the frame of the car was moved to the left. At that moment, she knew her car was a total loss.