Wings From Ashes Trilogy

by Linda Nelson

  She checked her behind in the mirror to make sure her underwear was not showing before leaving her bedroom. She knew her mom would send her right back into her room to change if even just a little bit of waistband was showing.

  Satisfied, she hurried to the bathroom, checking at the same time to see the whereabouts of her mom.

  She thought it was strange that her mom had not called out to her to see if she was up yet. Puzzled by her mom's absence, she hurried back into her room collecting her backpack before leaving for school.

  She checked her time on her clock and saw that she needed to hurry, or she would be late for school. With her backpack swung over her shoulder, she made sure she shut her bedroom door behind her. Her bed was still unmade.

  Stopping in the kitchen, she saw there was still no sign of her mom. Karla thought this was very odd, maybe she was still sleeping.

  Karla took the opportunity to grab a box of orange juice from the fridge to drink on her way to school. A lonely muffin sat wrapped on the counter with a note tucked under it. She picked up the note and read:

  Karla,

  I had to go watch Amy this morning. Her mom is in the hospital having her baby. I left you a muffin on the counter in case you would like one. See you when you get home from school.

  Love,

  Mom

  “Cool, Mom's not here,” Karla said out loud. She snatched up the muffin and tossed its wrapper into the trash. She left for school, locking the door behind her. What an uneventful morning. Maybe things would work out after all.

  Karla could not believe how the morning was turning out. It was such a nice day today too. Not even a cloud in the sky. She began to think she could get used to the daily walk to school.

  Karla noticed the crowds of students gathered at the entrance of the school. They would sit on the school steps or stand next to cars in the parking lot. The biggest group was Carol's group of friends. Karla quickly gave the group a glance to see if Carol was amongst them. She was not. Maybe she was already inside.

  On the way to her locker, Karla still did not see Carol. She began to wonder if she was coming to school today. Maybe she was just running late.

  Carol skipped up behind Karla while she placed her stuff in her locker. “So. Are you gonna go to the party, or what?”

  Her sudden appearance startled Karla and the sound of her voice made her jump.

  “I don't know yet – I haven't asked my folks.”

  Karla took the books she need for the next two classes and slammed the locker shut.

  “Why do you need to ask them?

  Just tell them you're sleeping over my house.”

  Carol leaned with her back up against the lockers.

  “I'm really sure Gerry will go to the party with you.”

  “I'm working on it. I will get back with you tomorrow.”

  Karla pulled away from the lockers, leaving for her class, Carol following her down the hallway.

  “Hey, can you help me with my history report?”

  “I guess so.”

  Karla slipped into the classroom just as the bell ran, setting her books on her desk and taking her seat.

  “I thought you wanted me to come over this afternoon.”

  “Oh yeah – about that, we have to do that tomorrow.

  I have some stuff I need to take care of.

  Can you come over tomorrow instead?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  Karla was off the hook since she never did get around to asking her mom about going to Carol's today, after-school.

  Gerry swung around in his chair to address Carol.

  “Hey – You going to Ian's Friday,” He smiled that cute smile that made Karla’s heart melt.

  Karla felt her heart skip a beat.

  She was almost sure the smile was really for her. Her face felt hot, so she turned to look out the window, hoping he did not notice her blushing.

  Carol snickered.

  “Of course – I wouldn't miss it for a minute.”

  Karla could not wait for the day to be over.

  History class went well. Except for the part where Gerry sat in front of her, and she could not take her eyes off of him.

  Carol looked over at her a couple of times while she was gazing at him, and she let out a small snicker. Karla could feel her face immediately become red.

  At lunch, Carol was still being really nice to Karla. But the other girls kept up their whispering. It made Karla feel nervous. She wondered why they were pressuring her so much to go to this party on Friday.

  Gerry sat at the other end of the lunch table with the guys. He would look in Karla's direction occasionally and smile at her. Her heart would skip a beat every time she looked up to see him looking in her direction. Maybe there was nothing to this party and he really did want to go to it with her.

  Math and Digital Imaging were the only two classes where Karla didn't seem to struggle with the length of the day. All the other classes just dragged, making it seem that time appeared to stand still.

  In Math, there was a test, which took the whole class. While in Digital Imaging, it was just plain fun. Karla really loved that class.

  When the last bell rang, signifying the end of the school day, Karla hurried to her locker and tossed most of her books inside on the top shelf. With a quick kick of her foot the locker door was shut. The day was done, and now she just wanted to be home. But then there was her mom, the thought of her just ruined her mood, making Karla slow her jog down the school steps.

  From a distance, Karla could see Gerry standing next to his car in the parking lot. He was surrounded by a large group of his and Carol's friends. Carol was nowhere in sight. Karla wondered why Carol couldn't meet her after school today.

  Karla avoided the group.

  As she passed by, Maggie gave a look that made Karla feel uncomfortable, more like a glare. Gerry didn't seem to notice the look. He let his gaze follow Karla while she walked by, smiling at her. Karla gave a slight smile back and hurried on her way.

  Today she seemed to walk faster on her way home from school even though she wasn’t really in much of a hurry. Gerry's smile had energized her. Maybe he really did want to go to the party with her after all.

  Karla was surprised when her driveway suddenly appeared in front of her. She didn't even remember crossing the street. But that didn't really matter. What mattered was that the driveway was empty. This meant her mom was not home yet, and she was glad. After producing a key from a pocket of her backpack, Karla let herself into the house, taking refuge in her room.

  Later on that night, Karla was happy of how uneventful dinner turned out. Her dad made it home for supper, but they all ate pretty much in silence. Her mom spoke about Amy's mom. She did not have her baby yet, and the doctors were going to induce her labor tomorrow.

  After tending to the dishes with her dad, Karla took refuge again in her room. She almost asked about going to Carol's on Friday, but she was just not ready to ask.

  Maybe she would ask tomorrow. Hopefully her dad would be home again, and she would be able to ask and convince him. He was her best bet at letting her go out that night.

  Chapter ~ 19

  Thoughts of the party nagged Karla all night. She tossed and turned in her sleep. Her dreams were of her parents walking into the house where the party was being held, and screaming at her and all her friends. It was a nightmare of her mom chasing all the kids out the door, and her dad threatening them with calling the police.

  In her dream her mom was yelling at her, “So where are his parents? You told us a parent would be here. You are grounded, young lady.”

  The last thing she remembered about the dream was her dad yelling, “Go home now, before I carry you home.”

  Karla sat up in her bed, it was still dark out. She looked over at her alarm clock. She could see that there was another three hours to go until it was time to get up. She lay back down and tried to get back to sleep, but the sleep would just not come.

&nb
sp; So she gave up and snapped on her table lamp beside her bed, and began to ponder how she was going to get permission to go to Carol's on Friday night. She was beginning to fear that this party thing was not such a good idea. It was almost like a gut feeling or something.

  Knowing her mother was again leaving early to babysit Amy, Karla waited until she heard her Mom call out to her, saying she was leaving. Having already dressed, she slipped out of her room as soon as she saw her mom’s car pull out of the drive way and drive up the street.

  A piece of toast would be good enough for breakfast.

  While she was buttering her toast she schemed about how she could meet with Carol after school today. The more she thought about it the better it sounded to her. She would leave her mom a note. It was to let her know that she needed to meet Carol after school today, so she could help her with her History report.

  And while she was with Carol, she could help her come up with a plan to get her folks to let her stay at Carol's on Friday night.

  Karla smiled. Her plan seemed to be perfect and not too far-fetched. She quickly found the pad of paper and jotted down her after-school plans.

  Mom,

  I forgot to tell you. I have to stop at the library on my way home from school today. Carol asked me if I would help her with the History report. And I need a bit more research to finish up my report. I promise to be home by 5.

  Karla

  Satisfied with her note, Karla left it pinned to the fridge with a magnet. The fridge was bare of any other notes. Pictures no longer cluttered the door surface. Karla had ended this ritual of hanging her school papers on the fridge years ago.

  She wondered when the last time she had hung a picture on it. It must have been back when she was in fourth or fifth grade. That seemed so long ago.

  She made sure the note was at eye level on the door. She just hoped her mom would see it before school got out.

  Karla left for school. She felt a bit more upbeat. Maybe Amy's mom had her baby today. She hoped it was a boy. Amy really wanted a little brother.

  The day seemed to be certainly looking up for her. Maybe her mom would not even be home when she got out of school. Maybe she would have to stay the night at Amy's. But Karla knew she couldn't be that lucky.

  At school, Karla wove her way around the students standing outside the entrance. Seeing Gerry enter the building before her, she slowed up and followed him at a distance.

  He stopped at Carol's locker, slipping a note into the vent at the top. He gave a quick glance around, looking like he was checking to see if Carol was coming. Then he spotted Heath across the hall.

  Karla quickly looked away, hoping he did not notice her watching him. Just the sight of him made her heart race. She opened her locker to put her things away. Once again Carol slipped in behind her and snagged a notebook out of her locker.

  “What the hell,” Karla snapped, Carol's sudden action stunning her.

  “I just wanted to help,” Carol said. She held out the notebook for Karla to take back.

  “You made me jump, I hate it when people come up behind me like that,” Karla accepted the notebook.

  “Hey – did you or didn't you make up your mind yet about the party? Ian needs to know so he can plan on who is coming.”

  “Yeah…I want to go. But you need to help me with what I'm gonna tell my folks.”

  She gathered her books into her arms.

  “So how 'bout after school today, we meet at the library downtown, and we can go over it, and I will help you with your report?”

  Karla shut her locker.

  “Sounds good to me, I don't have practice today, so it'll work.”

  Carol leaned her back against the lockers, giving thumbs up to the group of guys standing across the hallway.

  Karla saw Ian wave back. Gerry grinned, looking in her direction. Obviously, a joke was being passed among the crowd. Karla looked away. She could not help notice the group of girls walking up the hallway, Carol’s friends.

  “Darcy, you going to the party,” Carol shouted out to one of the girls in the group.

  She looked back at Karla and said, “I'll see you later in class.”

  Karla watched Carol move off with the group of girls. Giggling, they made their way back down the hallway whence they came.

  Shaking her head, Karla headed on her way to her first class. She felt a bit disturbed by the way Carol blew her off for her other friends. But what was she supposed to expect, she was the newcomer wasn’t she?

  The morning seemed to go by fast. Before Karla knew it, it was lunchtime. Looking at her schedule, she saw her lunch was later today. She had a feeling she would not be eating lunch with Carol and her friends.

  Stopping at her locker to get her lunch, Karla saw Carol in the hallway, “…you going to lunch now?”

  “No…I already had lunch. I was looking for you,” Carol answered. “You still want to meet at the library after school?”

  “Yeah, of course,” Karla snapped the locker shut.

  “We might have to meet tomorrow…I might have practice after all…I will get back to you during last period. I should know by then,” Carol said as she began walking away, heading toward her next class down the hallway.

  “'Kay,” Karla called after her.

  The cafeteria was packed, as usual. Karla looked around the room to see if she saw any familiar faces from any of her classes. Spotting two girls from her Digital Imaging class, she made her way over to them.

  They were sitting by themselves. One girl had black long hair that was tied back against her head in a bun. A pencil was sticking through the center of it, holding it in place. She was dressed as a Goth.

  The other girl, who sat across from her, wore red framed glasses which matched her short wavy red hair. When she smiled her braces showed their silver tracks across her teeth. She looked like she could be some ones secretary, except for the black finger nail polish. A Goth wanna be Karla guessed.

  “Can I join you,” Karla asked the gothic dressed girl.

  “Do you really want to sit with us?” The other girl replied. She put a finger to her glasses and pushed them higher up her nose with her black finger nails, which looked odd on her fingers.

  “Sure, why not,” Karla set her lunch down on the table and took a seat next to the girl with the black hair.

  “We just thought you were one of Carol's friends,” the red haired girl replied.

  “Yeah, she's one of my friends.”

  Karla opened her lunch bag, taking out a bologna and cheese sandwich. This was the third time this week she had to have a bologna and cheese sandwich. Didn't her mom know she did not like bologna and cheese sandwiches?

  She took the sandwich out of its bag and bit into it anyway.

  “Don't let her see you hanging with us or she won't be your friend for long if she does.”

  “She doesn’t like us…I don't know why…She just never has.”

  “Well, I guess I will sit with you, then,” Karla said, “and she will have to live with it.” She took another bite of her sandwich.

  “Okay, we warned you. By the way, I did not catch your name in class the other day. I'm Jerra,” the gothic dressed girl pulled a notebook from her bag and opened it. The heading on the page was News.

  “I'm Karla. Do you work on the school newspaper,” she asked as she nodded toward the open notebook.

  “We both do. I'm Marla…You wouldn't be interested in joining the student newspaper group? We need more photographers.”

  “Hmm it really does sound interesting. When do you meet,” Karla asked.

  “Well, since most of the games take place Fridays after school,” Jerra said, “we like to meet on Saturdays and gather the info, so we can have the paper ready to publish first thing Monday morning.”

  “I think I would really like to join. Where do you meet?”

  Karla stuffed her empty sandwich bag into her disposable water bottle.

  “Great,” Marla said, “Meet us i
n the lower room at the town library 9:00 Saturday morning. And bring your camera. Try to make the game on Friday night, and take some pictures of the game and the crowd,” Jerra said as she got up to take her lunch tray away to dispose of her trash.

  “'Kay. See you Saturday morning, then.”

  The lunch bell rang. Karla gathered up her books and headed off to class. She dropped her trash into the bucket on her way out the cafeteria door.

  Karla could not help but think about being in on the student newspaper group. She could not wait to tell Sarah and Jody. Maybe Jody would teach her about football, or maybe she could ask her dad. He would definitely know what she needed to learn, she was sure of it. He watched all the games when he was home, well at least the pro football games. She wasn’t too sure about him watching any of the college games.

  Her last class of the day finally arrived. It felt like a long week. Or maybe it was because she just could not wait until Friday night, so much was going on now. First, she had to go to the game, then a party, and on Saturday, the newspaper meeting. How much better could it get?

  She sat daydreaming through Biology class, imagining what the weekend would be like, trying to scheme and make plans. There was the nagging in the back of her mind, reminding her that she still had to work on the plan of getting permission from her parents for Friday night. But she was sure Carol would have an answer to the problem.

  Karla still had not seen Carol since just before lunch. She did not know if they were still on for meeting at the library after school. Not knowing if she should head to the library and wait for Carol, she decided to stop at her locker to exchange the books she did not need for homework. Opening her locker, Karla saw the note fall out of the locker and onto the floor.

  Picking up the note, she opened it up to read:

  Karla,

  Hey… I got practice this afternoon … so let’s meet tomorrow at the library instead. K … see yah tomorrow in class.