Chasing Ellie: A Chasing Fireflies Spin Off

by Paige P. Horne

  “Look for a small trailer. Dan is the guy you wanna talk to.”

  I nod and shut the door, turning to have a look around me.

  Heavy pieces of equipment make beeping sounds as they back up and carry heavy loads of gravel and whatever else. Men walk around in orange vests and hard hats. I thought there were some rough fuckers in south side, but damn, some of these men make those look like Jonathan Goldsmith. I run a hand over my face.

  “This is going to suck,” I say as I look for the little trailer on the construction site. I tap on the door and hear a man’s voice tell me to come in. The smells of coffee, cigarettes, and wood chips hit me as I step inside the small office. I take in a wooden desk and a lot of papers strewed on top of it. A few construction hats are stacked in the corner and a coffeepot sits half-empty on a leaning shelf.

  “You Tommy?” he asks.

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. Follow me.” He stands and I walk behind him.

  “Name’s Dan,” he says, making his way down the small steps and eyeballing the smoke in my mouth.

  “The boys will try to give you a hard time, but you gotta let that shit roll off your back. I’m gonna need you to pick up these beams and columns,” he points to the big ass pile of broken concrete and bent metal, “and move them into separate piles. Got me?” he asks, handing me a pair of too big, too worn-out gloves. I look down at the gloves.

  “What? These not good enough for you?” I lift my brow, like what do you think?

  He ignores it. “Lunch is at twelve. No smoke breaks.” He peers over to my cigarette, and I shift it to the other side of my mouth.

  “You old enough to be smoking those, anyway?” he asks. I shrug, like what’s it to you? Dan shakes his head as he walks away. “I don’t want no shit. Just do your job and we’ll get along fine.” My new boss gives me a sideways glance, already disapproving before he can even see me work. He disappears back into the trailer, and I eyeball the site and sigh. I hear a whistle and look over at one of the men.

  “Hey, pretty boy. You new around here?” The asshole looks back at the rest of the men who are laughing like this bitch is Jim Carrey. I narrow my eyes, pulling my smoke from my lips and placing it behind my ear.

  Gloves that are too big fall off when I lean down to grab a slab of broken concrete, so I decide to work without them. I toss ’em to the side, trying to ignore the smart-ass comments over to my left. I can’t lose this job. It’s not like back home where jobs were everywhere.

  At fourteen, I stocked shelves at a grocery store. It was small-time, but I helped Hudson keep the water on. When I got busted for stealing candy bars and smokes, I decided to try my skills somewhere else––cleaning rentals out after the tenants left, but I got into a fight with one of the landlords because he didn’t pay me what he said he would. That ended with a busted lip that wasn’t mine. Nah, I got the black eye and still didn’t get paid.

  I swept parking lots and emptied trashcans after that. I could always find any little something to make some pocket change, but this town is small, and I’m pretty sure jobs are few and far between. So, I shut the assholes out, but I’m telling you if this were back home, I’d break that punk’s fucking face with the cinder block I have in my hands.

  *

  The day is as long as it is hot, and at lunch I walk until I find a spot to sit and enjoy a smoke. I slide my phone out of my pocket and see that I have a few missed texts. Hudson tells me he got the power back on. He got Billy at Billy’s Barbeque to front him his next few paychecks. I’m glad for the power, but I hate my brother won’t get a paycheck for a few weeks. I also have one from Ellie telling me she hopes I have a good day and can we hang out later.

  I don’t respond to any. I re-pocket my phone and hit my smoke. Slowly exhaling, I cast my eyes down to my boots and reach down to rub a chunk of dried-up dirt off the toe.

  “Lunch break is over!” I hear Dan call out.

  *

  “I appreciate the ride, Uncle Joe. When I get paid, I’ll throw you some gas money.”

  “Nah, you need a break. Save your money and get yourself a car.”

  “’Preciate it.”

  The truck comes to a stop at the front of our house.

  “Elizabeth said for you and Hudson to come over for dinner, so if you wanna wash up, I’ll wait and you can ride with me,” he tells me as I grab the door handle.

  “No need to wait. We’ll take his car,” I say, glad to have a home-cooked meal.

  “Okay. See you boys in a few.”

  I walk in the door and see Hudson on top of his girl on the couch. His jeans are down past his boxers, and her legs are wrapped around him.

  “Yo, you got a room for that.”

  He looks back at me and sits up on his knees while whatever her name is pulls down her shirt.

  “Man, you look like shit,” lover boy says, standing up and pulling his jeans back to his hips. He leans over and grabs his smokes from the table.

  “Yeah, that’s what hard work will do to ya, punk. Uncle Joe says we can have supper at his house tonight. I’m jumping in the shower. You’re driving.”

  *

  With dirty faces and skinned knees, our little cousins, Paul and Tanner, sit on the other side of us kicking each other under the table and playing with their food. Annoying little things. I take a big bite and then take a gulp of my drink.

  “Thanks for cooking this, Aunt Elizabeth. It’s really good,” I say after I chew.

  “You boys are welcome here anytime. Your dad should be ashamed of himself letting you boys go without.” She slaps Tanner’s hand as he goes to thump a spoonful of English peas in his brother’s face.

  “He does the best he can,” my older brother says sarcastically and gives me a wink. He’s happier lately, and I think it’s got a lot to do with the baby blue bra wearing girl he had on the couch.

  The TV plays Gunsmoke, and all of us turn to look when a loud bang comes from the front door. Uncle Joe gets up to grab it.

  Ronnie steps in and looks at us at the table.

  “Well, you couldn’t invite your own brother to dinner?”

  Rolling my eyes, I look over at Hudson who’s picked up a toothpick. Uninvited, Ronnie walks in with red eyes and a lazy smile on his lips.

  “Ronnie Kingsley, you should be ashamed letting these boys go without power!” Aunt Elizabeth scowls. Paul and Tanner laugh at their uncle. They have no idea how not funny he is.

  “Ahh, they’re Kingsleys, Beth. Calm your nerves,” drunk, stoned, or high on smack says as he flops down in a chair at the table. “Well, give me a plate, would ya?” He’s hungry so it must be one of the first two…or both.

  “Where have you been all day?” I ask, reaching over for the toothpicks I now see.

  “I’ve been visiting some friends.” He spoons a handful of peas onto his plate.

  “What friends? You don’t have any friends,” Hudson says seriously.

  “I do so have friends. Besides, don’t you worry about where I’ve been, son,” he says to me.

  “You’re high.”

  “Shh.” He puts his finger over his lips like it’s a secret and everyone at the table doesn’t already know it, even Paul and Tanner who are only ten.

  I shake my head and ask a question I already know the answer to, “You collect any money while you’ve been gone?”

  “Son, things take time.”

  “Don’t come home tonight,” I warn him. “Hudson had to borrow money from his boss to get the lights back on. You don’t deserve to share in it.”

  Sliding my chair out, I get up from the table and move my toothpick to the left side of my mouth. Ronnie can ruin anything, and right now he’s ruined my mood. Pushing my chair back, I pick my plate up and put it in the sink.

  “I gotta go.”

  “But you haven’t had any cookies,” Aunt Elizabeth chimes in.

  “I’ll get one next time. Thanks for dinner.”

  I step out into the night air and lo
ok up at the moon. Tossing my toothpick, I trade it out for some nicotine. Gray smoke drifts upward when I strike my lighter as I make my way back home on two feet.

  Chapter Five

  Tommy

  The smell of cigarette smoke and fresh chopped grass wakes me from my sleep. Warm golden light shines in front of my closed lids and reminds me I need to get some darker curtains. Sniffing, I roll over and run my hands under the cool side of my pillow. A shadow moving causes me to blink my eyes open, and I jump when I see it’s Ellie.

  “Jesus,” I mutter, noticing my groggy voice.

  “You’re awake.” She beams like she’s been waiting on me to wake up forever. Rolling onto my back, I sit up and cough, clearing my lungs and rubbing my eyes.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I ask her as she puts one of my Camels out and uses two hands to close my window. No wonder the sun was shining through.

  “You haven’t spoken to me all week.”

  I look her over. She has on shorts and a loose shirt hanging off one of her shoulders. Leather bracelets cover her right wrist and her hair is pulled though her baseball hat, hanging long and wavy in the back. Why do I notice this stuff?

  “It’s been a rough week, Ellie. I’ve been working and dealing with Ronnie’s shit,” I say, throwing the covers off and my legs over the side. Grabbing my smokes from the table beside me, I slip one out and put it between my lips, searching around the room for my jeans. I stand up in nothing but boxers, running a hand through hair I know is all over my head.

  My eyes land on sky blues. She looks away with slightly pink cheeks and I smirk. I don’t care if Ellie is here. She shouldn’t be sneaking into boys’ rooms, but I’m glad it’s mine.

  “I see you got the lights back on.”

  “Hudson did,” I correct her, spotting my black jeans.

  “Oh, yeah? Well, I would know if you’d called me.”

  “Sorry.” I grab them from the floor and bring them to my face. They smell clean enough so I slide them on.

  “Gross, Tommy. Your room is a mess.” She scrunches her pretty nose and looks around.

  “So?” I put the smoke behind my ear and make my way out of the room.

  “So you need to clean it,” she yells after me.

  “You want it clean, you clean it.”

  Yellow light flickers on when I flip the switch and blankets the bathroom. I notice water stains and grime that I didn’t pay attention to before my girl said my room needs to be cleaned. Looking at my reflection, I see tired brown eyes and thick hair that needs cut. I sigh and grab my toothbrush. I’m worn out from hard labor, but Ellie being here sends my heart into overdrive, giving me needed energy and making me forget just how tired I am.

  Walking back in to where she is, I see my bed is made and clothes are no longer covering the floor. The hamper is full, and she tosses my now cased pillow onto the blanket.

  “I got paid yesterday. Wanna go do something?”

  “I’ve already got plans,” she says, heading for the door.

  “What plans? I just woke up.”

  “I know. I was here.” She frowns and continues to walk out. Pulling my cigarette from behind my ear, I follow my clean up girl.

  “Where you going?” I ask, slipping it between my lips.

  “I told you. I’ve got plans,” she says as her ponytail sways and I can’t help but see her hips do the same.

  “Plans to do what and with who?” I ask, folding my arms over my naked chest.

  “You’d already know if you bothered to pick up the phone,” she throws in and glares over her bare shoulder at me.

  “I already told you I was sorry. Cut me some slack here, L. What are the plans?” I ask with a smirk.

  She makes it to the bottom and faces me.

  “You can wipe that smug look off your face, Tommy Kingsley. Like you don’t believe I could have plans with someone besides you. I have other friends. Don’t have such a big head.”

  “Oh, I’ve got a big head, all right.” I wink and take my smoke from my lips. She rolls her eyes.

  “I wouldn’t care to know, but maybe Karen would. Oh, wait,” this beautiful girl says as she points her finger into the air. “She already does.” She spins and heads for the door. I quickly follow, putting my smoke back behind my ear. I’m still only in jeans that I didn’t bother buttoning. She opens the door and I place my hand flat against it causing it to click back.

  The smell of her lavender-vanilla shampoo fills my senses and I bring my nose closer. She twists around and peers up at me. I tower over her tiny frame, close enough to lean down and kiss her. Sky blue eyes consider mine as she bites her bottom lip, appearing to be nervous at our proximity.

  “You sound jealous,” I say lowly. “You know you don’t have to be, right?” I gaze down at her throat as she swallows. Reaching her hand up, she lightly wraps her small fingers around my arm that still rests above her head.

  “Why would I be jealous, Tommy? You can do whoever.”

  “Really?” I smirk.

  She pulls my arm down.

  “I’ve got to go.” Facing the door, the girl I’d pick above anyone else turns the knob, causing me to step back when she opens it.

  “What the hell you doing?” I twist around at the sound of Hudson. At the bottom of the stairs, he’s got his arm around the girl who gets most of his attention these days.

  I clear my throat. “Ellie just left.” I move away from the closed door, seeing Hudson’s eyes look down.

  “You should button those.”

  “Yeah,” I agree, walking to the kitchen and doing just that. Opening the door, I grab a beer, twisting the top off and tossing it into the trash. I take a big gulp because I need it after that little show at the front door. Man, that girl has me hooked, and I don’t know what to think about it. Putting my drink onto the counter, I rub the back of my neck and look when they walk in.

  “Beer for breakfast?” Hudson asks.

  I shrug. “It’s after twelve.”

  “That makes it better?”

  “Makes it less bad.” I smirk.

  Hudson’s girl pulls out one of the mismatched chairs from under the table, eyeing me.

  “Why’s your girl staring?” I ask Hudson. He looks over at her as she lifts her aqua hair.

  “Just was wondering something,” she says.

  “What?”

  “You like her?”

  “Like who?”

  “Ellie Williams.” She smiles like she’s figured out the answer to all the hunger problems in the world.

  “What’s your name, anyway?” I ask.

  She gapes at me like I should know. She’s right. “Rose.”

  “Well, mind your business, Rose.” I grab my beer again and take another sip.

  “Be nice, Tommy,” my brother warns.

  Leaning over, I pick up a lighter beside the coffeepot.

  “What you getting into tonight?” I pull my smoke out from behind my ear and flick the Bic, putting the flame at the end of the Camel.

  “Ellie’s getting fireworks. There’s a party in that field near the lake she jumped into.”

  I lift my brow. “A party?”

  “Yeah, everyone’s going,” Rose chimes in as I hit my smoke. I mean, I know L has more friends than just Hudson and me, but damn, a party and I wasn’t invited. Or maybe I was—like she said, I didn’t pick up the phone.

  “You coming?” Hudson questions.

  “Wasn’t invited.”

  Rose snickers, and I give her a hard look. “Well, you can’t not speak to a girl all week and expect her to invite you to her get-together.” She shrugs and pulls at a strand of blue-green hair.

  “I was busy,” I reply, but why am I explaining myself? Ellie talks to this girl? Ellie talks to this girl about me?

  “How do you know, anyway?”

  “I heard her saying it to Ms. Maci at the library. Had to go get a book for the summer reading shit for school and Ellie was working. She probably didn�
��t know I was there or she didn’t care if I overheard.” She looks down at nails that match her hair.

  “Nosy much?” I ask.

  “Tommy,” Hudson says, annoyed at me smarting off to his girl.

  I sigh. “Whatever. I’ve got to clean my room.”

  *

  Washed sheets are now on my bed and the clothes Ellie put in the hamper are cleaned and put up. My room smells like some lemon shit, and I’ve done all this just because some girl told me it was dirty. To top it off, I’ve cleaned the bathroom too.

  Sitting out on the porch in cleaner jeans than I had on earlier and a gray T-shirt that isn’t wrinkled, I bring my smoke to my lips and inhale. The setting sun colors the sky in a warm yellow, and I pick up my phone from the insubstantial wooden table in front of me to see if she’s called. Nothing.

  “Fucking hell.”

  *

  Fuzzy dice that hang from around my brother’s rearview window sway as I pull into Ellie’s driveway. I kill the engine and open the car door. Squeaky hinges come from the porch, and I hear Bear bark as the screen door slams shut behind him. Running toward me at full blast, he jumps up when he is close enough.

  “What’s up, boy?” I rub his head and look up to see Ellie standing on the front porch. She’s changed into a dress, which causes me to narrow my eyes. She never wears a dress, and she knew I wasn’t coming tonight. Who’s she trying to impress? I rub my face and walk over to her.

  “Hey,” I say cautiously as I step up onto the porch. She’s got her arms crossed and no shoes on.

  “Hey.”

  “So, you getting ready to go to your party?”

  “Shh,” she says, looking behind her. “The chief thinks I’m going to dinner with a friend from school.” I glance down at her black skater dress and see she’s traded out leather bracelets for glittery ones.

  “So this…” I lower my voice, “party requires a dress?”

  She looks down and shrugs. “Just felt like changing it up.”