He swings the screen open in invitation. I don’t really want to go inside, but he seems almost as suspicious of me, as I am of him. I skirt around him and enter a surprisingly clean living room. The kitchen is visible just to the left. All the appliances are a dingy olive green, but they’re clean and it smells like he just got done with dinner. My stomach chooses that moment to grumble at the fact I haven’t been eating very much over the last few days.
Warmth invades my cheeks, but he pretends not to notice as he reaches for a phone sitting on the side table next to the sofa. Using his pointer finger he jabs at the screen a few times, unlocking it before offering it to me. I hadn’t thought this through. I have no idea who to call, or how to get the number without a phonebook. “You don’t happen to know any companies that would come out here, and not charge me an arm and a leg, do you?”
He heaves a long sigh. “I can call Eddie’s grandson. He works over at the service station. You sure you don’t wanna just wait on your mamma?” His eyes run down to my shoes, then back up, but he’s not leering. It’s like he’s checking to make sure I’m not going to fall apart in his house.
I shake my head looking over his shoulder. “No sir, I’d appreciate you making that call, she could be awhile.” He grunts. He probably thinks my mom is out at some bar, or this is our normal. I don’t correct him. It’s easier if he thinks that. I don’t need him calling CPS or something if he finds out she’s gone.
Taking the phone back from my hand, he squints at the display screen. The low hum of the TV draws my attention to the evening news while he makes the call.
“Charlie, hi. This is Mike over at Turtle Creek.” He goes quiet, listening to the phone. “Good, I’m good. How’s your grandad?” Mike nods his head. “Glad to hear it, I been meaning to stop in and see him… yeah I will. Listen, I have a camper here that’s locked out of her mobile home. You got anything to get her door open?” A few more words are exchanged, before he hangs up.
“He’s gotta run up to the shop to get a tool, but it shouldn’t be more’en twenty minutes.”
I rub my finger over my lips, “Thank you sir,” I mumble. “I’ll go wait by my RV. I really appreciate your help.”
“Damn it,” he curses under his breath. “Wait, you can stay here while ya wait.” He eyes the door leading outside, noting the fading light as evening slides closer.
I wince, not wanting to inconvenience him further. “That’s okay, I’ve interrupted your night enough.”
Mike rocks forward on his toes. “All right then,” he sighs.
I walk slowly back to my RV, stopping at the bathhouse before I clean up the items still on the stairs from my backpack. True to his word it’s not even twenty minutes, before an older blue Ford F-150 creeps up, stopping behind my RV. The door pops open, and a guy around my age hops out. He’s pretty tall, maybe around six feet. His hair is short on the sides, and a little longer in front. He flips his head to the side, pushing his floppy brown hair away from his face.
“Hey, you the one locked out?” He stops mid stride once he looks at me. “You’re the new girl.” He looks behind me, then his eyes quickly snap to the ground.
“Yeah,” I respond answering both of his questions.
“Sorry it took so long. I’m Charlie by the way,” he mutters, tapping a long thin wire against his leg.
I shrug, “I’m just happy you could help.” I clear my throat turning to the front of the mobile home. I make my way over to the driver’s door with him following behind.
“I was worried this wouldn’t work.” He holds the thin wire he was carrying up. “But, with these doors it should be the same as a car or truck, right? I hope, anyway,” he adds under his breath.
After taking one look at the door, he jogs back to his truck, before returning with a green plastic milk crate. He squares it up and stands on top of it. Charlie pulls a small orange blood pressure cuff out of his pocket, placing it on the roof. He slides the long slender tool into the top of the doorframe and wiggles it until it slips down in the door, then turns it so the top doorframe is wedged open. Holding it with his left hand he grabs the cuff with his right arm and shoves the orange balloon part into the gap. With that in place, he grabs the black rubber ball and starts squeezing, inflating the orange cuff so the gap widens enough so he’s able to use the long tool to hook over the pull up knob for the lock. It springs free and he woops in delight. “Can you open the door?” He angles his head down while keeping his hands on both of his tools. I step forward and lift the handle. He leans back enough so the door doesn’t hit him, then pulls his tools away before jumping down off the box.
For the briefest moment I think I might cry, I’m so relieved. Instead I close my eyes and blow out a deep breath. I want nothing more than to slide in the door and lock myself inside. I stop myself when a throat clears. “Bad day?” he questions after returning the tools to his truck.
“More like a bad year,” I admit hastily “Sorry, let me grab my cash. How much do I owe you?” Charlie stares at me with interest.
“Call it a welcome to town gift.” He grins and rubs the toe of his shoe over the cracked concrete.
I immediately shake my head in refusal. “No, I can’t accept that, please tell me how much I owe you?” Charlie pushes up his shirtsleeve and takes a few steps in my direction.
“Really, it’s no big deal, I wouldn’t feel right taking your money.” The moment the words fall from his lips I step back and drag in a breath. I take a second to look around the RV park and our dingy camper. Charlie’s eyes widen. “No. Not like that. That’s not what I meant.” His forehead winkles. “Honestly, if anyone from school called I’d offer the same.” His hands hang at his sides with his shoulders rounded forward. The words still sting, I have no way of knowing if he’s telling the truth or not. I jut my chin up and offer, “Let me give you a couple bucks for your time and the gas you used coming out here, you can grab a burger or something.”
Charlie drops his eyes to the ground but nods his head. “Yeah okay, if that’s what you want.” I think he’s trying to appease me. I rush over to the driver’s door and crawl in over the seat. I hustle back to my room and dig through my sock drawer to find the small roll of bills tucked away, unraveling a twenty-dollar bill.
He’s still waiting for me near his truck when I step out the side entrance. I bite the inside of my cheek and shuffle over to him with the money extended out. Charlie’s eyes go from me to the bill, then back up to my eyes. He hesitates for a brief second then takes the money from my hand, tucking it in his front pocket.
“It’s not much,” I hedge with a small shrug.
“It’s more than enough, everybody else would assume I’d do it for free.” He glances over his shoulder, then cracks his knuckles. “Maybe we could get that burger together?” He’s stiff but smiling.
My mouth falls open, and I feel a tight knot in my stomach, is he asking me out? When I don’t immediately answer Charlie looks away and brings his palm up to the back of his neck.
“Maybe?” I respond hesitantly, hoping he’s just asking to be polite. His eyes squint at the corners when he smiles at me.
With a quick hop he turns around, heading for his truck. Over his shoulder he calls, “See you at school tomorrow Laura.” I’m still standing there dumbfounded when his tail lights turn around the corner. I give into the brief second of panic that I’ll see him at school tomorrow. It doesn’t last though; I have way too many bigger issues to worry about.
In the RV I rummage through the fridge and cupboards for anything that doesn’t make me want to vomit on sight. I settle on a cup of ramen noodles. While I’m waiting for the water to heat in the microwave, I strip off my jeans and grab the first pair of sleep shorts I see crumpled on the end of my bed.
I manage to eat half the cup before I’m ready to fall asleep. I feel like I might be coming down with a cold. My body is achy and sore, and I’ve been fighting off a headache for days. Leaning back on the couch I close my eyes. I
mages of Dante, Ollie, and Milo come to me the moment I do. Dante standing right in front of me looking down, his lips slightly parted, his light eyes holding me captive. The heat of Milo and Ollie closed in around me.
I rub my shaking hand over my face, trying to dispel the images. I don’t have time to worry about my crush, and these boys’ crazy tricks. Now that I’m alone, away from their overwhelming presence, I can think more clearly. They’re playing games with me, trying to freak out the new girl. Half the school probably knows by now that I fell for it.
I need to focus my attention on my mom. I need to figure out where she is. I can’t make a police report; I’m a few months shy of eighteen. If they knew I was living here on my own, they’d probably try to put me into the system. I could have asked Mike, the camp host, if he’d seen her or anyone else but now it would seem suspicious.
I can’t wrap my head around her deciding to leave and not take me with her. She’s never done anything close to this before. I think over the last few days before she disappeared. Is there something I’m missing? Some clue she was leaving? The only thing out of the ordinary was how much she was sleeping, and the night I woke up hearing her voice. The same thoughts circle around in my mind over and over, until eventually I fall asleep on the couch curled under her blanket.
I trudge up the sidewalk to the school. I don’t bother looking around, already knowing what I’ll see. The same thing as every other school day.
The small bowl of fruity pebbles I ate this morning feels like lead in my stomach, but I still packed a sandwich and drink for lunch.
After counting the money I have left this morning, I’m contemplating stopping by the diner to see if Maggie could use me today or tomorrow. The lot rent is paid for the full month, so I don’t have to worry about that yet, but cost of food, and the potential expensive of anything going wrong with the trailer is heavy on my mind. I’ve already decided I’ll just grab a few things from the convenience store when I need them instead of wasting money on gas to drive to the grocery store.
The first couple hours of class drag, every time I look at the clock only minutes have passed. I’m sitting in third hour, doodling on my notes and expecting Ollie to show up any minute. I’m not sure how to act after yesterday. Will he completely ignore me, like he did most of the car ride home? But he never shows up. I make a point to look for him, Dante, and Milo in the halls as I’m changing classes. I spot Delaney and her crew of cronies a few times, but not the guys. I don’t see them all day at school.
As I approach the diner I see Dante’s car in the lot. I have a moment of indecision. Should I still go in, or just head home? I could ask Dante if he found my keys. I only have the spare set now, and if something should happen to them I’d really be in trouble.
The question is answered for me when he opens the door, and all three guys trail out, never looking in my direction. I slow my pace and wait for them to enter the car and pull from the lot before I head into the mostly empty restaurant. Maggie looks up with a slight frown. “You just missed the boys.” Her eyes dart behind me to the parking lot.
“Oh, I saw them, they were headed out when I walked up.” I drop my jerry-rigged backpack to the floor and take a seat at the bar away from the other customers.
Maggie’s brow furrows. “I think they were going to find you.”
I scratch the side of my nose, “Why?”
She gives an exaggerated eye roll. “Something about Ares interrupting you guys’ study date yesterday. Sometimes I think that boy really took that name his momma gave him to heart.”
“That’s Dante’s brother, right?” I realize I just stumbled onto a goldmine. Maggie probably has more information than the guys would ever divulge.
Maggie leans forward on the counter, dropping her elbows with a sigh. “Yes, you’d think those boys hated each other with how much they argue and fight.” She shakes her head slowly.
“Do they?” I question when she doesn’t say anything else.
“Course not.” She stands back looking affronted. “All four of them boys grew up together. Ares is the oldest, so he always took on all the responsibility for them. Only thing is, you can’t be the loving big brother and the father figure too. Sometimes they’re bound to bump heads. Now that the boys are older, and Ares is coming home, I’d assume things will get righted real quick.” She looks at me then with a strange gleam in her eye.
“You know I recognized you the moment you walked through the door.” Her grin is smug. I stiffen, recognized me from where? Maggie continues, not noticing my discomfort. “I know a hard worker when I see’em.” I blow out a deep breath before placing my hands on the counter.
“Speaking of working, do you need any help here today or tomorrow?” I swivel on the stool watching her as she grabs a towel to wipe down the bar.
She eyes me from the side. “You can’t work seven days a week and go to school, I won’t hear of it. Now, how’s about a piece of pie? Gus just made up an apple pie that I’ve been dying for any excuse to cut into.” Maggie drops the towel and heads to the back through the double doors without waiting for an answer.
The pie is delicious as promised. But I can’t let go of all the worries hanging over my head. So, I end up smearing most of it around my plate instead of eating it.
I wave goodbye to Maggie soon after. She was happy to let me sit at the counter and hangout, but I don’t need to be there taking up her time if she won’t let me help out.
I finger the key in my pocket, knowing I’ll need to see about getting another set. The keys I lost had the door key along with the ignition key. The door key should be easy enough to replace, I hope I don’t have any trouble getting the other key made, it’s older and doesn’t have any fancy chip in it or anything, so I think I should be okay.
I spot a car parked alongside of the road near the entrance of Turtle Creek. As I get closer I can see three silhouettes leaning on the hood. My footsteps falter, what are they doing here? I’ve been sitting at the diner for over an hour, have they been here the whole time? What if my mom saw them waiting for me? Ollie doesn’t know she’s not around. He’s the only one I told that she was sick, so I can’t really be mad at all of them. But I still feel like I want to yell at them for it. I know my frustration has more to do with yesterday than about them waiting for me, but I don’t care.
Milo turns first, the sound of my shoes on the gravel alerting him I’m nearing. “Hey,” he blurts, and the others turn too.
“What are you guys doing?” There’s a bite to my words I can’t keep out. Dante’s head turns, and he looks over at Ollie. Expecting him to talk for the group, again. I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him. “I told you my mom was sick.” He swallows quickly.
“I know, we weren’t planning on knocking on the door or anything, we were just waiting to see you. I thought we’d catch you coming from school.” Ollie stands then pushes the loose strands of hair, which escaped his hair tie, back.
I narrow my eyes still waiting for an answer to my question as to why they’re here. Milo steps forward, taking a quick peek over at Ollie, who blows out a breath and tilts his head. “We were wondering if maybe we could talk… about yesterday.” Milo seems unsure for the first time since I’ve met him. He’s always been a little aloof, but I’ve never known him to mince words. If anything, he’s always been the most direct of the three of them.
“About what? How you guys punked me and I fell for it? No thank you. I get it, haze the new girl. It’s not even all that original. You think you’re the first people to give me a hard time, with as much as I’ve moved? This isn’t even a blip on the radar.” I stare then up and down.
“We aren’t punking you Laura. I think you know that. How could we fake what you’re feeling? You asked me if I felt it too, remember?” Dante asks softly.
I purse my lips, sure I remember, but it doesn’t mean any of it was real. I roll my eyes upward and shake my head. “I really don’t have the energy to argue with you guys.
Why don’t you just tell me what you want so we can move this along?”
“I… we were hoping to talk.” Ollie looks around the deserted road. “Do you want to grab a bite to eat, or we could go back to Dante’s house. I know we can’t disturb your mom and standing on the side of the road is kinda strange, even for us. I promise it won’t go like yesterday.” He rushes out the last bit, looking between his two friends.
“Yeah, no interruptions. Just answers,” Dante adds.
Twelve
My mind is warring with indecision. Yes, I still want to know what these boys think they know about me. But, I’m consumed with worry for my mom. Should I let myself be distracted by them? I glance past the Turtle Creek sign, my camper is too far away to see, but I need to check and see if my mom is home before I go.
“Laura?” Ollie questions.
“I’m thinking, okay?” Ollie nods briskly, taking a step backward and dropping his rear on the car to sit. A picture of patience. I make my decision. “I’m going to check on my mom first. If everything is okay, I’ll come back out, and we can talk.” I tip my head and stare between the three of them. I need them to see how serious I am about the next part. “If I’m not back out in… say five minutes, that means I can’t go. That my mom needs me and that comes first.”
Milo steps forward. “What’s wrong with your mom?”
I shake my head in denial “I’m not talking about this right now. Are you guys going to wait, or you will just go now?”
“We’ll wait,” Milo mumbles and looks at the ground.
“Promise you won’t knock on the door if I don’t come back?”
Dante tightens his fists. “I don’t like this. Why won’t you let us near your house, are you afraid of someone, of something?”
Infinity Chronicles Book One: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Series Page 10
