by Tiffany King
“No problem dear. Your brother Kevin here, told me you would be coming,” he answered, winking at Kevin who was sitting in the front row.
“Front row?” I asked, arching my eyebrow at Kevin.
“I always sit up front,” he said.
“You do?” I asked, preferring the back myself.
“Yeah, no one bothers you up here since the driver can hear everything,” he answered knowingly.
My heart pinched at his words. I knew that at some of his old schools he had gotten picked on because of his size and such, but I never realized it went to this extent.
“Well, as long as I’m with you, you have nothing to worry about,” I said, swallowing hard.
“I know, but these seats are the coolest anyway,” he said, shooting me the grin I loved the most.
“Whatever you say, punk,” I said, nudging him with my elbow.
I looked up and saw the driver’s eyes on us through the mirror. Our eyes met and he just smiled, acknowledging that he had heard our whole spiel.
I scanned the occupants of the bus and it looked to be mostly fifth or sixth graders and younger, with the exception of Bethany and her brother who were sprawled out in the last two rows of the bus.
I sighed heavily, already dreading my daily commute, even though I had bigger problems to worry about. I had no idea how I was going to ask Lucinda for a dress. I knew our cash was gone, leaving only the seven dollar voucher from the thrift store. I was sure I could find something suitable there, but convincing Lucinda was a whole other story. I would have to phrase it just right and wait for the perfect moment to spring it on her.
The bus driver made two stops before finally stopping in front of Shady Lane. Kevin and I piled out before Bethany, Matt and several younger kids I had seen playing throughout the trailer park over the past couple of days.
A cold gust of air hit us in the face as we made our way down the dirt path toward our trailer.
“So what do think of Mun-crapville?’ Bethany asked, catching up to me.
“I like it,” I answered honestly.
She looked disappointed at my words. “I guess you would,” she muttered condescendingly, slowing her pace to trail behind me.
“What does that mean?” I asked, puzzled by her tone.
“I mean that Max has taken quite a liking to you. It won’t last, though. You need money coming out your ass to fit in with them,” she said, looking at me knowingly.
“What makes you say that, and besides, why would that matter anyway?” I asked, almost sarcastically.
“I just know from past experience. They all think they're better than trailer park trash like us,” she said sadly, all bite leaving her voice as she shuffled off to join her brother.
I pondered her words, climbing the steps to our trailer. Were my new friends really that superficial? Max already knew about the food stamps and the beat-up car, surely, living in a trailer park wouldn’t be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
The next day dawned with a not-so-pleasant surprise of several inches of frozen snow blanketing the ground, making for a miserable walk to the bus stop.
“This sucks,” Kevin grumbled, shivering as he slipped for the twentieth time.
"I know, right,” I said, reaching to steady him once again.
“Why is it so slippery? It wasn't like this in Colorado,” he complained.
“I don't know, but it's freakin cold. Bet you’re glad I forced those long johns on you now?” I said, slinging my arm around his shoulders to help his balance.
“Heck yeah, I’m still cold even with all these clothes on,” he said, indicating the bulk that encased his narrow frame.
“At least we know school will be toasty warm,” I reminded him.
“True dat, sista,” he said, using his gangsta voice.
“Needs work,” I said.
The bus rumbled to a stop and we all boarded, sighing with pleasure as the heat of the interior soaked through our cold limbs. By the time we got to school, we were all nicely thawed out and didn’t relish the short hike to get to the front door.
“You need a hat,” I told Kevin as we raced up the school steps with our heads down, hoping to ward off the chill.
“I know,” he said with bright red cheeks.
“Maybe when Jim finds a job, we can ask Mom, okay?” I reassured him.
He nodded before heading off toward his class after a boy his age called his name.
Class seemed to fly by that day. It was obvious from the moment I walked through the door that Max had told everyone about our upcoming date. I flushed uncomfortably as I met Rebecca’s eyes. She gave me a small smile, which was a relief. At least that was less one obstacle I needed to obsess over.
Max was as engaging as ever, and I couldn’t resist the magnetism between us. I pushed Bethany’s claims to the back of my mind. For once in my life, it seemed possible that everything could work out.
Mr. Hanson snagged me at the end of math class to give me the results of my assessment.
“Well, Katelyn, your basic math is dead on. You scored very high in all those categories. Fractions and algebra seem to be your kryptonite,” he said, smiling at me.
“No surprise there,” I answered, smiling at his Superman reference which would have pleased Kevin immensely. “I just never really remember really learning either one,” I admitted.
“Never?” he asked shocked.
“No, sir.”
“Hm… Well, now that we have a starting point, we can get you the help you need. Can you stay after school one day a week for extra lesson time?” he inquired.
“Um, I don’t think so. I ride the bus.”
“Would your mom be willing to pick you up that day?”
“I don’t think so,” I said trying for indifference, but really just too ashamed to tell him she was too busy applying her makeup and styling her hair to actually leave the trailer to come and get me. “Could I do it during the school day?”
He nodded his head. “How about during lunch twice a week? I have two tutors in mind, so you can take your pick. One is Maxwell Jones, or there's Courtney Weaver.”
I smiled. “Well, Max has been hounding me about how great he is at math, so I guess I'll take him up on his offer."
“That’s a good choice. Max has a way with numbers. He’s taken our school to state each year in the Math Quest competition and placed first in the whole state two years running.”
“Wow, seriously?” I said, feeling a bit intimidated.
“Don’t worry, he will be an excellent tutor,” he said, smiling at me.
“Okay,” I said, before heading out the door, only to bump into the object of my unease.
“Hey, I know I have animal appeal, but please control yourself. We are at school after all,” Max joked, steadying me with his hands.
“Very funny,” I said, regaining my balance, but trying not to think about how right his hands felt on my arms.
“So, you get your wish,” I said, taking a step back to put distance between us.
“Oh yeah, what wish is that?” he asked, smiling suggestively at me in a way that made my heart skip a beat.
“To tutor me, you perv,” I said, feeling flustered at the way I was reacting to him. I was no novice to dating, but I had never been sucked in so completely by someone I hardly knew.
“Sweet, so you’ve finally come to your senses.”
“Well, I guess if Hanson says I need a tutor you’ll have to do,” I teased as we entered the room late once again.
“Don’t mind me you two. It’s not as if I’m trying to teach or anything,” Mr. Graves joked as we took our seats.
“I tried to tell her that, Mr. Graves, but she moves like a snail,” Max said, shooting me a mischievous grin.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Hanson needed to speak to me,” I said, glaring unsuccessfully at Max.
“I know, John told me he would be speaking to you after class,” Mr. Graves said, reassuring me. “He didn't say anythin
g about you however, Mr. Jones.”
“I had to walk milady back to class,” Max said in a deadpan English accent that made the class roar with laughter.
I blushed as he shot a wink my way.
“Oh please,” Mr. Graves said, trying to look stern.
I kept my eyes down, trying to control the heat that had crept up my neck. If there was any question about Max’s intent before, he just answered it in front of the whole class.
When the day ended, it seemed only natural to wait for Max before I headed out of the classroom.
“Here, I’ll take those,” he said, plucking the stack of books from my hands.
“Thanks.”
“So, can I give you a ride home?”
“Isn’t it out of your way?” I asked, trying to find an excuse.
“Nope, I work tonight, so it’s exactly on my way.”
“Well, I promised Kevin I would ride the bus with him,” I said, grasping at straws.
“No problem, he can ride with us,” he said, squelching the last of my protests.
“Um, okay.”
“Hey, don't worry, I'm a good driver,” he said, hearing my reluctance.
“That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s nothing,” I answered, trying to dodge the question.
“Katelyn,” he said, pulling on my hand so I would look at him. “Why don’t you want me to take you home?”
“I don’t want you to see where I live,” I said, mortified that he had gotten the truth out of me.
“Katelyn, I already know where you live. Have you seen the size of this town? Everyone knows everything. Come on, let’s go get Kevin,” he said, pulling me down the hallway.
I followed behind, wondering when my life had become an open book. Keeping secrets was my trademark, and within three days of meeting Max, all my secrets were out in the open.
Kevin was over the moon when he found out we weren’t riding the bus and practically crowed in delight when he saw Max’s SUV.
“Holy moly, this is like something Batman would drive,” he said, climbing onto the plush leather seats in the back.
I stifled a groan. “Sorry, Kevin is obsessed with superheroes.”
“That’s why I picked this one,” Max said, looking at Kevin through the rearview mirror.
“Really?” Kevin asked, awestruck.
“Of course, is there anyone cooler than Bruce Wayne?” Max asked, talking Kevin’s kind of language.
“Exactly,” Kevin said before he launched into a full account of Batman’s attributes and why they set him apart from every other superhero.
Max had no problem keeping up with Kevin’s mania and made a point to add in his own two cents.
I sank back in my seat and listened to Kevin happily jabber away with the guy that was slowly beginning to weed his way into my heart. I knew none of this could end well. We were on borrowed time and yet I couldn’t help but let myself be pulled in.
Kevin piled out of the vehicle as soon as Max pulled up to our trailer.
“Thanks for being so great with him,” I said, lingering behind.
“It’s easy to do, he’s one cool dude.”
“Thanks, I think so too.”
“You guys seem really close.”
“We are. He’s all I got,” I said honestly.
If Max thought my comment was odd since I obviously had my mom, he let it slide by.
“You sure you can’t go out this weekend?” he asked before I could climb out of the SUV.
“What did you have in mind?” I asked, no longer wanting to fight his advances.
He grinned at me. “It’s Clint’s turn for movie night tomorrow. We were all going to head over there. You game?”
“Sure, I guess. What time?”
“How about sixish? Don’t eat before I pick you up, we’ll eat there.”
“Do I need to bring anything?” I asked nervously, pulling on my lower lip.
His eyes dropped down to my lip, distracting him. It was embarrassing, but the lip pulling was a nervous tick I had that I couldn't seem to shake no matter how hard I tried.
“Just yourself,” he finally answered.
“That sounds good,” I said, climbing out of the vehicle. “I guess I'll see you tomorrow,” I added as the trailer door behind me slammed open.
I closed his door hastily and turned to face Lucinda.
“Who’s that?” Lucinda asked, taking a long pull on her cigarette.
“Just a guy from school,” I said, walking around her to climb up the stairs. I sighed with relief when I heard Max’s vehicle pulling away.
“Pretty snazzy car,” Lucinda said, following me into the trailer. “Is he slumming?” she asked meanly.
This was nothing new. Lucinda was all for me dating since she hoped I would prove her right by being as promiscuous as she was. Her joke was to constantly tell me I was bound to wind up barefoot and pregnant. Her words scared me to the core and I had made it my mission to prove her wrong. I cautiously picked who I would date, and I set all the rules, including my own curfew. If the guy turned out to be a complete toad, my curfew was always unusually early. The same thing applied if he turned out to be an octopus and couldn’t control his groping. Lucinda said I was a tease since I had many first dates, but not a whole lot of second dates. What she didn’t know was that most guys bored me, they were either too immature, too self-centered or were too hands on.
“I guess,” I answered, heading toward my room with her on my heels which filled me with apprehension. Something was off. She seemed almost jittery. “Where’s Jim?” I asked.
“Off looking for a job,” she grumbled, lighting up a new cigarette.
“That’s good,” I said in relief. We definitely needed an influx of cash.
“Fine for you to say, you’re not cooped up in this stupid trailer all day.”
My heart dropped at her words. It was not good for her to be sick of our new place this soon.
“You could see if the grocery store is hiring,” I said, grasping at straws, forgetting that Max’s dad owned it.
She snorted unattractively, “Why would I do that? We’re getting this place free for the next two months, and after that the rent is only three twenty-five a month,” she said sarcastically.
“I just thought you might want to get out.”
“Well, you thought wrong,” she said angrily, completely contradicting her earlier complaint.
I was used to her mood swings, though, and had learned to adjust for them.
“You should try writing. You’re always talking about if you had time you would love to write,” I said, trying to appease her before the situation got out of hand. “I saw all kinds of used computers at The Salvation Army, maybe you can go get one when Jim gets his first pay check.”
All animosity left her face as she considered my words. “That’s not a bad idea. I can start making notes now,” she said, heading toward her room. “Get me a cup of coffee,” she added as an afterthought before I could head off to my room.
Relieved that the bomb had been diffused, I set my book bag on my bed and headed off to the kitchen to get her coffee.
Chapter 6
The next day was a flurry of activity. Between cleaning the trailer and shopping for more groceries, I had little time to dwell on my date that night. I was grateful for the activity since I knew I would have been a basket case by the time Max arrived. By four o’clock, the chores were done and anxiety began to creep in.
I started to doubt my decision to have our first date with his friends. I had seen and read enough movies and books to know how cruel people could be. What if it was all a joke and they had some hidden motive? I could just imagine a bucket of pig's blood being dumped over my head or something else twisted.
My vivid imagination had me near panic by the time I got out of the shower. Using the side of my wrist to wipe the steam off the bathroom mirror, I studied myself critically. “You should cancel,” I
muttered to my pale reflection.
As much as my reluctance was trying to win, I shook off my anxiety and finished getting ready. I pulled my hair back in my customary neat ponytail. Wearing it down was out of the question since I was forced to leave my heat iron and blow dryer behind when we moved. I didn’t have much of a chance to miss them when we were living in the car or the shelter over the past month, but now that we were somewhat established, I felt their absence acutely.
I dressed in one of my new-to-me hoodies that I hadn’t worn to school yet and completed the outfit with the nicest jeans I owned.
“You look nice,” Kevin said, coming into my room.
“Thanks, punk. What are your plans for tonight?” I said, feeling a twinge of guilt for leaving him.
“I’m going to draw.”
“Do you have paper?” I asked, reaching for my book bag.
“Yeah, Ms. Davis gave me some drawing paper when she found out I liked to draw,” he said happily.
“Well, that was nice of her.”
“She gave me markers and colored pencils too,” he added, grinning at me over his windfall.
“Wow, that’s great, Kevin,” I said, ruffling his hair and making a mental note to thank his teacher the next time I saw her. Getting new stuff was a foreign thing for Kevin and me and any new gift was highly regarded. “Why didn’t you tell me last night?”
“You were busy with mom,” he said, not needing to say more. Even at nine, he knew to lay low when it looked like things might boil over.
“Well, I expect the best picture ever by the time I get home,” I said, giving him a one-armed hug as we left my room.
“How ‘bout I make you some dinner,” I said, glancing at the clock and then at the door that was closed down at the end of the hall.
“Okay,” he said, plopping down on the couch with his art supplies and his favorite program on the TV.
“You want mac & cheese?” I asked, looking in the cabinets for something quick to prepare.
“Yum, that sounds good.”
I prepared his dinner while I kept one eye out the window. I wanted to catch Max before he could knock on the door. Keeping him away from Lucinda and Jim as long as I could was the best plan of action I could think of.