by Holly Hood
“I mean it, your voice is beautiful,” he told me again. “Ashwilder, right?”
I nodded, scooting a little closer to him as we listened to the next song. “My dad says I’ll love it, but I’m not so sure,” I admitted.
“You should be okay. Just focus on what you love,” he told me, and it was the most genuine thing he had said yet. “Ashwilder is a bit overpriced and stuffy, but it won’t matter if you love music. Just don’t let them dictate what you want for yourself.”
I pushed my hair behind my ear, turning to look at him, our hands nearly touching on the roof. “You sound like you know about Ashwilder personally.”
He shrugged. “I went there for a year, but was kicked out.”
I simply shook my head, not trying to pry. If he wanted to say anymore I would let him. But he didn’t. Instead we continued to listen to the band, the moonlight dropping a soft glow on everything around us. There was an eerie silence amongst all the music that really put everything going on in my life into perspective.
Quite an ending
Slade helped me down off of the tour bus. I wiped at the back of my shorts as we started our way through the crowd. This was the only part that ever made me nervous. There was never any telling what would happen with the crowd.
“I wish there was some sort of shortcut!” I yelled as he cut easily through. I dug my heels in the sand, pushing and fighting to squeeze past the chests of giant men, my nose grazing an open beer in one guy’s hand.
Slade stopped moving, waiting on me. “This is a piece of cake.”
I laughed dryly as I was nearly elbowed in the temple. He pushed back through, making it to me. “Maybe its cake for regular sized people,” he amended. He looked me over, and then crouched down.
“What are you doing?” I asked him. He patted his shoulder, looking back for me to catch on. I hesitated. I didn’t want to climb on him. But as a burly kid shoved another burly guy at me, I finally took off, jumping onto Slade’s shoulders. I felt like a little kid towering above the massive crowd. Slade rested his hands on my thighs, his fingers smooth against my skin, making it easily and quickly to the gate.
“Tell me if I’m crushing you,” I shouted down to him. He squeezed my leg, saying nothing.
The noise of the crowd died down, leaving the crashing of the waves against the shore as our evening symphony. Slade stopped, taking my hands in his. Very carefully, he kneeled again, letting me off.
“Thanks, I don’t know how you get used to that,” I told him, straightening out my shorts.
“I’ve been around crowds my whole life. You get used to it,” he told me as we passed the giant boulders.
I stared curiously at the boulders, slowing my pace. “Why are these even here? I can’t see them always being in this location.” I ran my hand across them. Slade backtracked, coming to stand next to me.
“That’s because the town voted to barricade the park from the neighborhood. It used to run all the way up, until a bunch of kids tore it down to be able to make it to the park for the concerts.” He sat down against the boulder.
I nodded, realizing he was willing to talk and I was willing to listen. I took a seat, pulling my feet up.
“Years ago Henry park was the heart and soul of Cherry. It was something special back in the day. Some people even compared it to Woodstock,” Slade explained. “And it wasn’t just one type of music. Everyone gathered around to enjoy music all kinds.”
I imagined it was rather amazing, and it made me wonder why something so amazing would just end.
“I get the feeling a lot of people aren’t fans of the park anymore.” I remembered back to the day I arrived. The way Jesse’s mood shifted from nice and friendly to dark and angry at the mention of what was beyond the boulders. I was sure there was a reason and now it seemed Slade was proving my theory right.
“Music changed over the years, bands broke up. People like to tell tales of Henry being evil. That bad things happen here all the time. It’s a lot of nonsense.” Slade shrugged.
“The crowd is rather abrasive, I could understand that,” I reasoned. “I’m sure you know firsthand.”
“I know a lot of things firsthand,” he remarked, standing back up.
“Well, thanks,” I said, standing. I started away from him and his mood.
“What are you doing?” Slade asked, catching up with me.
“Aren’t you like some big shot around here? Don’t you have another song to sing? You don’t need to walk me back,” I said, watching my feet sift through the sand as I hurried to get home. I was sure it was past midnight.
“I asked you to come out tonight. It would be disrespectful to make you walk home alone and fend for yourself. And I’m sure that dad of yours is passed out. It’s not like he’d hear you if you needed any help.” He moved in closer, almost protectively.
“Don’t talk about him like he is horrible, he’s not.” I shot him an angry glare, my emotions reeling. I wasn’t this helpless girl with a pathetic alcoholic father.
Slade threw up his hands in desperation to avoid an argument with me. “I’m sorry, that came out wrong. I just mean you’re new here and vulnerable,” he stammered.
I let out a puff of air. “I am not vulnerable. I’m just really having a hard time swallowing all that life has thrown at me lately. My dad has a hard time coping with the loss of my mother and I am also having a hard time juggling your hot and cold personality. I really am a happy girl who has her head on her shoulders most days.” I put my hand over my mouth to stop the barrage of words flooding out. It was pent up stress and it was really doing a number on me tonight.
I came to a stop at my fence. “I really thought you sounded amazing, and I mean it. And I’m sorry if I irritate you or make you mad. Goodnight, Slade.” I turned, fumbling with the gate.
Slade moved my hand away from the gate, shaking the fence open. “You were good company. I apologize if I was grouchy. Maybe I should nap more often.”
I smiled, feeling a little more at ease. “Naps are all the rage.”
He nodded his head, giving a wave as I headed up the porch steps.
“Maybe I could talk you into another singing session sometime,” he called out, heading down the beach.
I smiled at him, shaking my head. Anything was possible. “It’s not like I have anything better to do. I’m the new girl with no friends,” I said dryly.
Slade kept walking, but did so backwards now, a grin on his face. “You’ll have friends in no time.”
I shut the door, walking through the darkness to my room. The house was silent. The only sound was the running of the jittery refrigerator and a wall clock.
I found my bedroom door quickly, slipping quietly into my room. Crawford stirred, rattling his dog tags. Once he knew it was me, he fell silent. I slipped my flip-flops off of my feet, pulling my hair back in a ponytail, and then hopped into bed. I let out a sigh of dread. It wouldn’t be that much longer before school started and I was pulled into something that I had no idea about. I wished for the best.
Pulling the covers up to my face, I snuggled into my pillow. It still smelled like our old house, all the great memories that would soon enough fade away. I squeezed my eyes tighter and started crying silently into the dark.
I tried not to be angry with my parents for causing such a change in my life, but it was really hard to do. I wanted to be happy, but it was hard when they took everything away.
My mind told me to forget about it and get some sleep. I forced the dreadful anxiety away for the night, thinking about Slade’s voice, how flawlessly beautiful it was and how it made me feel. And before I knew it, I was asleep.
Darkness
It was morning. I was two days away from starting Ashwilder. My stomach crawled with nerves, ones that were so strong I barely could stomach my toast. Dad came from his room dressed in a green shirt, a tie in his hand. He did his best to straighten out his pants that were a bit wrinkled.
“Good morning munchkin,�
�� he said, snagging a banana off the countertop.
I looked him over. There was no way I was letting him leave the house looking so messy. “Dad give me your pants, I’ll go iron them.”
He chuckled. “That’s not your job, Hope.”
I took my plate to the sink. It didn’t matter if it was my job or not, he was my dad. I wouldn’t let him leave the house and make a fool of himself.
“Just give me your pants,” I told him again.
He sighed, undoing his belt. He chucked the pants at me, a grin on his face. “Hurry up with those. I got thirty minutes before I have to be to work.” He cleared dishes from the table, leaving me to iron his pants.
Elliot and Easton nearly mowed me over in the hallway.
“We are going to the arcades and then surfing. Don’t bother looking for us,” they told me. I nodded. It wasn’t like I was going to anyway. They were old enough to fend for themselves.
I plugged in the iron, tapping it lightly with my hand, waiting for the heat to kick on. I wasn’t sure what I would do today. I figured a walk with Crawford would suffice before I fell into boredom.
“Is there anything you would like to talk about before I am off to work?” Dad asked in my doorway. His legs looked a bit chicken-like in his boxer shorts.
I started ironing his pants. What was there to say?
“No. Anything you want to say?” I shot back. The steam hissed and crackled.
“I’m sorry if this is really taking a toll on you.”
I had a feeling Dad overheard me crying last night in my room. “It will work out, it always does. Right, Dad?”
Dad braced himself in my doorway, determined to break through my wall, one that I didn’t want to let down. I just wanted a little space, some time to adjust. I worried if he didn’t let me have that I would end up blowing up. And I didn’t want to do that to him.
“I went to a concert last night with that boy from the other night.” I worked really carefully on his pants now, not lifting my head to catch his expression. It probably was a shocked one.
Dad cleared his throat, an eerie silence sprang up between us before he said, “I want you to say stay away from him. But if you’re getting out there, then I’m just going to keep my mouth shut. I did kind of take your whole life away from you.”
I set the iron down on my desk. “No, you didn’t. Mom did.” I handed over his pants. “And I don’t want to talk about it. Have a good day at work, Dad.”
Dad gave me a knowing glance. He blew me a kiss, leaving my room. I looked at Crawford, he let out a sigh. “Come on, Crawford. We are going to go for a walk.”
Seagulls soared overhead, occasionally diving toward the shore. I wondered what they were eating. It was a really windy day and I had to use every muscle in my body to keep from toppling over or being dragged through the sand by Crawford and the wind. Several surfers dotted the sands, kids built sand castles and girls in tiny bikinis laid out trying to catch a good tan. And there I was, walking my dog.
I held tight to Crawford’s leash as we headed toward a couple girls on beach towels. Crawford whined, pulling me faster. The first girl was busy drenching her arms in white globs of sunscreen. Her hair was red and her skin milky white. I got the idea that she probably burned easily, as fair as she was. Her friend—a blonde—lay sprawled across the beach towel, her body bronzed like a goddess. Several of her ribs showed through her skin. She had a cherry bellybutton ring and a tiny star tattooed on her hip. Her hot pink, barely-there bikini screamed look at me.
I did my best to guide Crawford away from them, but it was no use. He got a whiff of sunscreen in his nose and was all about it now. I yelled at him, but it was too late. He started licking the sunscreen off of the red head. “Crawford, no,” I yelled.
The red head let out a laugh, rather than being pissed off, she rubbed Crawford’s head. “My dog does the same thing.” She stood up, pushing Crawford away from her.
I shoved my hair away from my face. “I’m really sorry.”
She shook her head. “No, don’t worry about it. I promise it’s not a problem.”
I smiled, feeling a bit better now that I knew she wasn’t going to go apeshit. The blonde lifted herself from her position. She pulled her sunglasses down revealing artificial aquamarine contacts and a sleek nose. “Let’s hope he doesn’t have rabies.”
I raised an eyebrow, a little offended, but let it go. I didn’t know her so who was I to start off on the wrong foot so quickly. Maybe she just didn’t like dogs, I thought.
“Nope, he has all his shots. He just really likes sunscreen, or anything for that matter.”
The red head smiled, really taking an interest in what I had to say. “I’m Campbell, and this is Lydia. You’re new here, right?”
I gave a nod, giving them both a wave. Lydia, rather bluntly, rolled her eyes, dropping her sunglasses back down. “You’re Jesse’s girlfriend, right,” I said, trying to make conversation with her.
Lydia nodded her head, and then she slowly pulled down the straps of her bikini. I looked away, afraid she was about to show her breasts. I was beginning to think this girl was awful.
“Yes, this is Jesse’s girlfriend.” Campbell laughed. She clearly sensed my shock. “So, where you from?”
I wound Crawford’s leash tightly around my hand. I was worried he was going to try and eat Lydia and all her perfume and oil. “Georgia,” I replied.
“Ooh, a Georgia peach,” Campbell chirped. She was a pleasant girl. I could tell she was nice all the time. Her voice was sultry and she had spunk. She stood up, she was taller than me.
“Georgia peach turned California girl,” I said back with a smile.
“You wish,” Lydia mumbled loud enough for me to hear. I was starting to wonder what Jesse saw in her. I guess he had a thing for fake plastic Barbies.
“Don’t mind her, she is menstrual or something. Are you here for Ashwilder?” Campbell asked.
I stared off, a bit perplexed. What was I supposed to say?
“We moved to be closer to family,” I finally said, letting out a sigh of relief.
This brought Lydia back into a full on sitting position. Her chest hardly covered by her bathing suit anymore. “She’s the granddaughter of that crazy crow that Jesse works for, the one married to the rich Italian guy. I can’t believe he porks her.” She squeezed more oil on her chest, rubbing it in slowly. “I would let him touch me any day.”
I scrunched my face in disgust. Claude was pushing fifty, and, sure, he might be a handsome guy for his age, but he was still fifty.
Campbell put a hand on my shoulder steering me away from Lydia. “She wasn’t hugged enough as a child.”
I laughed. “Clearly.”
“You will love Ashwilder. It’s a home away from home. Anything you need, feel free to ask,” Campbell said with a smile. She pulled out her cell.
“Well, thanks. You’re the first girl I’ve met and you’re super nice.” I held tighter to Crawford as a group of guys started to pass.
Crawford lurched forward howling like he’d seen a ghost. The group shot me a dirty look. They were all dressed in black and one of them was sporting an Evil Kings of Ink t-shirt. Campbell helped me secure Crawford so he wouldn’t take off and attack.
“Jeez, I don’t think your dog digs Ink.” She laughed.
I stared at the group. As the big burly guy shifted out of the way Slade appeared in the center of the pack. My heart let out a little pitter patter. He nodded his head at me, a simple gesture to say hello.
“That’s because Ink is trash and a bunch of psychos,” Lydia informed us. “At least your dog knows trash when he sees it.”
Campbell shook her head, amused with Lydia for the fifth time since I had been standing there. The girl had no filter from her brain to her mouth.
“What does she mean?” I asked, feeling a bit worried. Slade was part of the Evil Kings of Ink.
“Once you live here long enough you will know all you need to know about
them. Just remember to stay away from them. They are savages. Rumor has it they lure girls into their concerts to kill them and steal their souls.” Campbell grinned, her eyes large as she told the ghastly story that seemed like an old campfire tale.
“Yeah, but Hope’s already been wandering around with The Ink,” Jesse said, coming up to join us. He took a seat next to his Barbie doll.
Campbell gave me an inquisitive stare down now. “Do tell.”
I swallowed, trying to think of something to say. “It was nothing. I was just looking for something to do one night. I went and listened to their music.”
Jesse chucked. “With Slade.”
“Yeah, so,” I shot back, crossing my arms.
“Jesse doesn’t mean anything by it. Slade used to be part of Ashwilder, but he was kicked out. Don’t let him ruin your fun. Hey, give me your number that way we can hang out sometime.” She waited patiently with her phone open. I studied Jesse’s beaming grin as I recited my phone number to Campbell. He got on my nerves more and more.
I said goodbye, taking off back to my house with Crawford. I wasn’t sure what to make of these kids. Campbell was nice and I could see a great friendship taking place between the two of us, but Lydia, I really just wanted to steer clear of her and her stuck-up attitude.
And what had they meant about the Evil Kings and savages? All the talk made my head hurt. Some people were just ridiculous when it came to spreading rumors.
Open House
I opened my closet for the millionth time, looking at my wardrobe. Tonight was open house at Ashwilder and this was the first time I would meet the teachers and, most importantly, the students. I was over analyzing everything.
I shut my closet, looking in the mirror at myself. I fingered the fray on my jean shorts. I was trying for casual. It seemed people here in Cherry were two kinds: Surfer chic or Emo. I decided I would rather fit in with the surfer chic.
I tugged apart the braid I had put in earlier, shaking my hair loose and allowing it to fall past my shoulders in soft waves.
