by Allie Faye
Once inside, I splurge on an orange juice to go with my chicken biscuit. They don’t really have much of a selection to choose from, but they have fantastic biscuits. It’s really warm in here. I dread going back into the cold and walking the rest of the way to school. I grab a seat in one of the booths designated for those who are dining in. I pull my notes out from History class and give them a once over. Mr. Lowe is notorious for Friday pop quizzes.
I can feel eyes on me, and I look up from my notes to see a little blonde-haired toddler sitting across from me, grinning.
“Hi,” I say to her, as I look for an adult to come claim her.
She just grins even wider showing me her teeth. Then she barks at me like a little puppy.
“Are you a good puppy or a bad puppy?” I ask.
“Khloe not bad. Khloe good puppy,” she tells me.
“Khloe, what did I tell you about running off.” I look away from Khloe to see none other than Kai peering at the girl with a worried expression on his face.
He sees me and says, “Sorry, my sister, she takes off on me a lot.” I never knew he had a younger sister. I know he has an older brother, but he graduated when I was in eighth grade. I think his name is Kirk.
I scrunch my nose. Their parents must be the kind that name all their kids with names that begin with the same letter or something.
“Well see ya,” he says, shuffling awkwardly on his feet, as he scratches the back of his neck.
“Yeah, see ya,” I reply, watching curiously as his sister takes his hand. She continues to bark as they go out the door.
Wrapping up what I didn’t eat of my biscuit, I stuff the remainder in my bag and chug the last of my juice. I grab my notes and head to school.
Mr. Lowe totally slammed us with a quiz as soon as we were seated this morning. Second period we were assigned our next book to read. I was given the Great Gatsby. This assignment will be cake. I have read that book numerous times. By the time lunch rolls around, I have a message from Becks apologizing, saying that he won’t get here until after lunch. I have another from Penny asking if I want to go to McDonalds with her and Darla. I tell her no thanks, and she immediately replies that she doesn’t have to go, but I tell her it’s fine, to go. We always eat lunch together, but I know I am not her only friend. However, I am now on my own.
I scan the crowded room, looking for a friendly face. I spot Raven sitting with another girl from our P.E. class and hope they won’t mind if I join them. “Mind if I sit with you guys?”
“It’s a free country,” Raven says with a broad grin, reminding me of Khloe, Kai’s little sister.
Speaking of the devil, he slams his tray down across from mine, sitting beside Raven. They bump shoulders and exchange a look as though they have some inside joke or secret. There is an awkward silence as we eat our lunches.
I decide to make the first civil move. “Your little sister is really cute, Kai.”
“Thanks,” he says blankly.
But Raven’s face lights up at the mention of Khloe. “You met Khloe?”
“Yeah, she sorta barked at me,” I tell her, and she goes into telling me all about Khloe. It is kind of strange how obsessed she is with Kai’s baby sister, but I guess since they have some weird off and on again relationship, it makes sense that she would be attached.
Kai loosens up some by the end of lunch, and I find that I really liked sitting with them today. I didn’t miss Becks or Penny at all, which is unusual.
In P.E., I partner up with Raven again for stretches and she picks me for her partner for birdie. She invites me to go with her and some friends to watch Kai and his band play about an hour away this weekend. I didn’t know he was in a band. Seems there is a lot I don’t know about him. I have to tell her no though. I am babysitting for the Miller family, and I can’t afford not to do it. She says that I must go next time and she isn’t taking no for an answer.
Why would she invite me to go with her to watch Kai if she thinks he has a thing for me? I cannot stop thinking about it, and I find myself watching his every move in art class. His brow is crinkled as he concentrates intently on his portrait. He really is trying to do a good job. I took him for the type to just sling paint at the canvas and call it a day.
He pushes his hair back from his eyes, and I notice he smears black paint across his forehead. A giggle much louder than I intended slips from my lips and the whole class turns to stare at me, including Kai. I motion to his forehead. He touches the wet paint, looks at his fingers then looks back to me with a chuckle and a nod.
After class, Kai stops me in the hall and thanks me for telling him about the paint. I tease him, telling him not to worry, that I won’t tell any of his stoner pals that he actually puts forth an effort in class. He looks wounded by my comment, but I don’t have time to apologize as my attention is averted to Penny and Aaron fighting at her locker.
Her face is red and puffy. It looks like she has been crying. I want to check on her, but Becks pops up, tugs on my hand, and shakes his head, pulling me toward my chemistry class. “Don’t get involved Katie. I overheard him and his friends in my math class. I came in late after my dental appointment. You know that party he is throwing this weekend?” I nod, so he continues to elaborate. “Well, he was bragging about how he was going to get Penny to give him a blowjob. I might have told her what he was saying. I hope she breaks up with him.”
I don’t say anything, and I go to class. Becks shouldn’t have done that. Aaron will pound him for that and Penny will stay with him even though she knows it is wrong. What a mess!
After school, Penny says the fight with Aaron was just a misunderstanding…of course it was.
Chapter 5
My Friday nights used to consist of going to choir and watching old westerns with Deloris. I called her Mrs. Jennings earlier when I told her I wasn’t able to watch movies with her and she got mad, telling me to hush with my fancy talk. We always pig out on pizza for dinner, and I stay with her until the movie is over. She always gets a little weepy when Paul Newman gets shot. Now, he was a handsome man who could act. So, I have a crush on a dead guy who is three times my age. Paul Newman was sexy.
I stopped going to choir when Aaron started harassing me again. He was always trying to offer me a ride home even though I only live a few blocks away from the church. I will never touch that boy ever again. Once was enough. Once was one time too many.
Father Wright came to see me a few weeks ago, asking why I dropped from choir, and I told him it was for my babysitting job, which was mostly true. I just left out the details about Aaron, the golden boy being a colossal dick.
My mom just dropped me off at the Miller’s home so I can babysit Chase. I am actually the only one here right now. Mrs. Miller’s mom is dropping Chase off after his karate class. Penny keeps sending me iMessages with different photos of outfits for Aaron’s party tomorrow. I don’t want any part of her big bright idea to finally do the deed with him at the party. I think she is making a mistake, but it’s her life. I do my best friend duty, scroll through her choices, and tell her to go with the red sweater and black leggings. She always looks great in red.
She offers to come over and hang with me while I watch Chase, but I don’t know how they would feel about my having a friend over. I tell her no, pop my ear buds in, and read until Chase gets here.
When he gets in, he is hungry so I let him decide the toppings for our pizza. There is a twenty stuck on the refrigerator for us to have one delivered. The kid has such weird taste for a four-year-old. We end up getting mushrooms, double cheese and Canadian bacon, with pineapple on his half. I hope he doesn’t get sick, but he orders weird combinations all the time.
I send him up to his room to change clothes while I get Chutes & Ladders ready for us to play. It is his favorite, and I don’t mind it much because he is so sweet. He never gives me any trouble. He comes running down the stairs, flips over the back of the couch, and screams, “highya” in my ear.
“I�
��ll get you, you little monkey,” I call out, chasing him around the coffee table.
“Never, I am the super, duperest, fastest boy in the world.” He laughs and starts running faster. If he keeps this pace up, he will be out before the pizza gets here.
After he gets winded, he flops down on the couch in his Superman pajamas.
“You all right there, speedy?”
“Fine,” he puffs out, breathing hard.
I go into the kitchen to fix him a cup of juice and the doorbell rings. Must be the pizza.
When I get to the door, Chase has already beat me to answering it. “Chase, buddy you can’t go opening the door without me saying so, okay? Never know who is on the other side.”
“Sorry, Katie,” he says with a frown.
“It’s okay, this one time. Okay.” I scruff up the top of his hair and go to pay the pizza guy—Kai.
I didn’t know he was delivering pizza. I shrug and reach him the twenty.
“Hey, Chase,” Kai greets him, giving him a high five with his free hand.
“Thought your band was playing this weekend?” I ask out of curiosity.
“Tomorrow.” He hands me the pizza and Chase tries to pull him into the house.
“Dude, you should totally play Chutes and Ladders with us.”
“Maybe some other time, I’ll tell Khloe-bug that you said hi.” Kai fist bumps with him.
I wave bye at Kai and take the pizza into the kitchen to fix Chase and me a plate.
“How do you know Kai?” I begin my inquisition.
“He is so cool. He’s Khloe’s rock star brother. She goes to my school and he came in one time and sang to us. It was wicked,” Chase exclaims with pizza flying out of his mouth.
“Okay, wild man.” I reach him a napkin to wipe his sauce-covered mouth.
We finish eating and play three games of Chutes & Ladders before his parents come home. I use their home phone to call my mom and get no answer. I hate it when she does this to me. She could have let me drive myself, but she refuses to be without her car. I call one person I know I can count on, Becks.
Mr. Miller pays me, and I have to pry Chase from my legs so I can get out the door. He only lets go because I am watching him again tomorrow night.
Becks is waiting for me by the curb in his grandpa’s Cadillac. The thing is like a boat on wheels, but I’m not going to complain about a free ride.
“Thank you so much for coming to my rescue. I’ll make your grandpa some cookies or something for lending you his car.”
“It’s no big deal Katie, my family loves you. I told you anytime you need a ride just call me.”
When we get to my house, Becks is looking at me weird. “Are you okay?” The face he is making at me, I am afraid he is about to hurl.
He wipes the palm of his hand against the thigh of his corduroy pants. Licking his bottom lip, he suddenly comes across the bench seat of the car and tries to cram his tongue down my throat. I jerk back immediately. “What the hell was that, Becks?” He still appears as though he may puke. “Please, just don’t even say anything. You’re my best friend…I need you to stay that way, okay.” I don’t even give him a chance to say anything. That was awkward and unfortunate. I thought he had a thing for Penny? I scramble out of the car, as he looks shocked and devastated.
I run into the house and throw myself down on my bed feeling so confused.
Chapter 6
My Saturday morning is just peachy, my mother can’t find her long black wig and that is Mr. Saturday Night’s favorite look on her. And I am an ungrateful burden whom she has to drive to her babysitting job. I am going to make her late for her date she says, yelling at me. I know she has been drinking today and you would think her words would hurt me but they don’t. I have grown used to it over the years. With Nancy, you never know what kind of week she is having. If it is a good week, you get overbearing, loves you more than life Nancy, but if it is a bad week, you get raging lunatic Nancy who swears a lot.
We manage to get into the car and make it to the Miller’s house in complete silence. She doesn’t even ask if I need her to pick me up later and the Miller’s live too far out for me to walk back home. I could ask Penny and Aaron to pick me up. They have before, but I really don’t want to go to his party. Hell, he probably wouldn’t leave his party to give me a ride anyway.
Penny sent me a picture of the dress she is going to wear tonight, deciding against the outfit I picked for her, and said she thought tonight was definitely the night they would finally do it. I tried telling her it was a bad idea, but she got defensive.
I wanted to talk to her about Becks, but I don’t get the chance to.
I knock on the door and Mrs. Miller greets me with a sour look on her face. “Katie, I’m so sorry, I meant to call you. Chase has been vomiting nonstop for the past hour. I hate that you came all this way for nothing. Let me get Jason to drive you home.”
I stand awkwardly in the foyer. I really wish they could have called before I made the trip. But I get it, the kid is sick. I really can’t afford the gas money my mom will ask for if I call her to turn around and come back for me since I’m not getting paid now. Yeah, my mom makes me give her gas money for driving me. I have my license, but she won’t let me drive her car ever, unless it benefits her.
Mr. Miller smiles at me. He is a dentist, so of course he has perfect white teeth. “Let me grab my coat then we can head out. Jenny, you need anything from the store while I’m out? Want me to get Chase some juice or crackers?” He shoves his arms through the sleeves of his tweed blazer.
“That’d be great. If I think of anything else, I’ll text you.” She kisses him on his chiseled jaw. The man looks more like he stepped out of a J Crew catalog than a dentist office. Actually, they are the picture-perfect family. Even their dog is good looking. I wrap my scarf tighter around my neck, preparing to be blasted by the cold once more.
Mr. Miller steps around me, opening the door and the chilly air hits the back of my throat as I breathe in. A few snowflakes have started to dance in the wind. His keyless entry clicks, unlocking the doors of the minivan his wife normally drives. He is a true gentleman opening the door for me. I slide into the seat and secure my seatbelt.
Jason opens his door and another blast of blustery cold whips across my cheeks. Blowing his warm breath over his large, masculine hands as he rubs them together, he looks over at me and winks. “Getting nasty out. Looks like we would have been staying in tonight either way.”
The snow has already begun to cover the windshield in a thick wintery blanket. I smile back at him, ready for him to get the van started so it can warm up and I can get home. There is a marathon of Valentine’s Day themed movies coming on the Hallmark channel I was looking forward to watching, even if that channel is fuzzy. Clipping his belt across his shoulder, he finally gets the keys in the ignition and turns the motor over. I guess winter wanted to give us one last show before spring arrives.
“Let’s give it a minute to warm up. Then I’ll get you home before you get stuck here for the weekend.”
“Sounds good.” I dig through my bag for a piece of gum. The windshield wipers are making a grating sound. The snow is covering the glass just as quickly as it is swiped away. We slowly back out of the driveway after what seems like an hour but in reality, it has probably been five minutes.
We make it across the train tracks and he pulls in at the Grab ‘N Go. “I just need to run in really quick and grab some Gatorade and crackers for Chase.”
“Sure.” I fiddle with the radio once he goes inside the store. I could walk from here. My house is just a few blocks away. But the way the snow is falling and the way the temperature continues to drop, I’ll wait it out. An important emergency weather alert starts making that god-awful beep blaring sound. The report says the snow is falling heavier and faster than anticipated. They are advising everyone to get inside and stay off the roads.
At least I am almost home. The lights inside the filling station flicke
r off and on. I really hope the power doesn’t go out. I hear a ping from inside my bag. It’s my mom sending me an iMessage. She says she will be staying put at the hotel with Mr. Saturday. I tell her I am fine and not to worry. Mr. Miller is driving me home.
This isn’t the first or last time my mom has left me on my own for a date. Jason places a few bags in the backseat and hurries to climb into his driver’s seat. “Really getting bad now,” he states and begins to creep slowly down the street.
We skid and slide across the road a few times. The red light we are stopped at by the church fades to a soft glow before flickering completely off. The engine starts to make a sputtering sound. “Shit,” he curses under his breath. “I forgot to get gas.” He turns to me. “I am going to coast us over to the church, I will walk you home, then I will head back to the Grab ‘N Go to get gas. Sorry,” he apologizes.
“No biggie.” I shrug my shoulders. “I can walk myself, it’s not that far.”
“Katie, I will get you home. I can’t just let you go wandering off alone in the middle of a blizzard.”
We coast into the empty parking lot of the church.
I figured there would be a shelter set up. Unless the backup generators are down. They are old, and I heard Aaron saying something about his father complaining about getting them replaced. Then I remember they started doing the storm stuff at the high school’s gymnasium. They only open the church up now if they need the extra space.
The car is completely dead now. The locks click. I wrap my scarf once more and prepare to brace the cold walk home. Only the door is locked. I look over at Jason, confused. “Mr. Miller, can you unlock my door please?”
