by R. J. Garcia
Finn had on a grey hoodie, which he kept pulled up. We halfway hugged. Finn also shared the same half hug with Edgar.
This year Kelly was my locker neighbor. Hailee waited on her as she gave her mirror a long glance, fluffing her hair and pouting her lips before turning to Finn. “You look good, Finn.” She hugged him.
“It’s great to have you back, Finn,” Hailee added giving Finn a one-armed hug. After Hailee and I shared a smile. She had let the weirdness from last year go.
The girls walked off. I didn’t care if I was late to class. Being with Finn was worth a Saturday.
“I’m glad you’re back. You didn’t tell me,” I said.
“I wanted it to be a surprise.” Finn almost gloated, “I ain’t sure why but they’re even giving me some special accommodations like they do for heroes in the army.”
“Accommodations are part of Special Education,” Edgar said. His tone was both serious and apologetic.
“Oh, man!” Finn complained.
I had to grin. “It’s cool, Finn. It’s just to help you catch up.”
Edgar said something about a Spanish test and scurried off.
That was when Finn told me; he let Annie know that Simon was dealing drugs. The late bell rang, and we ignored it. He continued, “Annie said she and Simon don’t talk anymore. I was thinking, what about you and Annie? You should ask her out.”
I was relieved she wasn’t talking to Simon, but also caught off guard by Finn’s suggestion. “What? No.” My face burned. I had this feeling in my chest when I thought of her. It wasn’t that crappy, heavy feeling I knew from my past, but something different.
Finn scratched his head. “What about Hailee Palmer? She gave you the eye.”
I had just lost Holden. Thinking about this kind of thing seemed wrong. “Why are we having this conversation?”
“I’m nervous being back. I run my mouth a lot when I’m nervous.”
It must have been a good weird to finally be out of the hospital. It must have also been a good weird to have his stepdad gone. It was a lot of freedom for Finn to take in all at once. “You’re going to do great,” I told him. It was Isabella and me I wasn’t sure about. “It’s my last night at Reese’s.”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Finn asked. I was.
I got under the blankets, still dressed, going through the motions of bedtime. I took in the scent of my pillow. It was the combination of a hint of bleach and shampoo. The coconut shampoo Reese always bought. I liked that smell. I got up and went toward the window.
It started out a star-filled October night with above-average temperatures. Now I was a little thrown by how suddenly the wind picked up. I was more thrown by the darkened sky and the pinhead-sized hail mixed with rain that assaulted us. I yanked my hood up and shoved my bare hands into my pockets. Finn and I trudged through the woods. The soggy leaves sticking to our sneakers, when it hit me all at once. I wanted to see Annie.
I wanted to tell her that I cared, kiss her, or something. You know, make out with a girl like teens meeting late at night are supposed to do. And I thought, wow, I want to kiss Annie. Sweet, innocent Annie, who I took so long to see, although she was right there. She was really there. She was at my uncle’s funeral. She was there on all my mediocre days, letting me nap on her shoulder on the bus rides. I hadn’t even realized how badly I wanted to kiss her, until tonight.
I smiled a little in anticipation, the chance of seeing Annie and even kissing her?
But, the air felt heavy with something. These were the same woods where Finn encountered the maniac that attacked him and the same woods where a lady had been murdered and buried. That story seemed closer to me by the minute. You can forget things for a little while before they float back to the surface, and almost take you back down with them.
Halfway to our meeting spot, Finn got the text.
“The girls canceled. Annie’s mom was up, and they didn’t want to get caught.” He shrugged. “It’s probably better they did. It’s really shitty out,” Finn said.
“Yeah,” I agreed, choking back the utter disappointment.
We turned around. My mood did a complete turnaround, too. This time each step, each minute brought me closer to disaster. My sister and I were moving in with our sinister grandparents tomorrow. Who knows when I would get to see Annie? Although Reese said it was only for three weeks, I just wasn’t sure. The realization, made me groan, “I’m doomed.”
I guess Finn wanted to put the drama behind us. “C’mon, we can all get together soon.” He looked at me, struggling to find the right words to say. “And Reese, Reese is coming back at least, she better.” She was like his second mom. He went too far asking, “Will it really be that bad with your grandparents?”
“Yeah! It will be scary as hell!” I exclaimed. Now the rain blew in slants, half water, and half hail.
“No one’s perfect. Give them a chance. They’re old people, so how scary can they be?”
The temperature dropped, and we walked faster to compensate. My mind played back what my Uncle Holden told me: “Your mom and I would hear her through the vents.” And then he called her “The haunted lady.” I could almost see the scene unfold, as I played his words in my head.
I hadn’t even told Finn, yet.
“The girls already know, but Holden told me something the night before he died.” I concentrated to keep the fear from my voice. “My grandparents had a lady chained in their basement. Holden was just a kid when he saw her. I ransacked my brain for everything my mom had told me. She used to talk about her house being haunted, hearing cries at night. And what about my mom’s sister, everyone says was just a babysitter. Would you want to stay with those people?”
Finn took a second to speak and just blinked at me. “That’s messed up. Is it possible Holden actually dreamt it, and only thought it was true?”
“No way. He was sure.” I replied. “And remember, I found the dead lady’s purse in my grandparents’ house.” It added more weirdness to the ever-growing pile of unexplained crap.
“You need to talk to Reese. She might stay,” Finn said.
“I already tried. She won’t believe me. Anyway, she’s set on going. She wants to be with her real family.” I sounded bitter. I was bitter. Yet part of me didn’t blame Reese. Losing Holden was hardest for her, and all her family was in Kentucky.
It was raining harder now. Gullies of water ran down his pale face and dripped off the end of his nose. The tree branches rattled and shook. A muffled sound ripped through a whistling wind. I caught a glimpse of something through my peripheral vision—a flash. Then the crisp sound of a twig breaking. We shared a look. My legs were tired, my brain exhausted. Nonetheless, we halfway walked and halfway ran through the wet, dark forest. The uneasiness, along with the rain, fueled our pace.
Finally, we arrived home. I noticed Finn looked exhausted and let him climb in the window first. I went in next—tossing my wet hoodie to the tile floor and grabbed a Chicago Bears jersey from the couch and slipped it on. Finn traded his hoodie for the afghan. I snapped on the standing lamp and nestled into the sofa. I didn’t exactly feel cozy, thanks to my rain-soaked jeans. Uncomfortable or not, I felt too exhausted at that moment to even move.
Finn settled on the arm of the couch. He said, “I’m here for you, Tommy.” It was supposed to make me feel better, but I just felt blank. “You know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know.”
Finn went over to his backpack rummaging around for a while before pulling out a phone. “It’s my mom’s old pay-as-you-go phone. She put sixty minutes on it and wanted you to have it. You know, for you spending your summer at the hospital with me. This way, if your grandparents take your phone, you’ll have this one.”
“Thanks.” We fist-bumped. He really did have my back.
Chapter 46
The Unexpected
Tommy
The first few seconds of that morning were perfect. I awoke to the sound of Finn’s snores
. He’d crashed out on the mattress that we’d dragged out of my room. I stayed stretched out on the sofa, eyes closed. No thoughts or memories intruded on my sleepy moment of serenity.. before reality clicked in. This was Sunday morning, the day I would be carted off to our grandparents. Panic bubbled up inside me.
My anxiety was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps, as I opened my eyes to see Isabella already dressed in jeans and her Little Kitty T-shirt. “Come on, you guys. Reese made breakfast.” She scampered over closer to me, almost stepping on Finn, and grabbed my hand with a small death grip. “Come on, we can’t waste any time. It’s already 11:00!”
“Okay, Izzy. Just let me go and take a pee first.” I pulled my hand away.
“Make it quick. And wake him up.” She gestured to the heap of blankets that was Finn.
I saluted my five-year-old sister. “Aye, aye, sergeant,” I mumbled, sitting up.
She let out a triumphant, little giggle.
I tossed my pillow at Finn. It hit him in the chest and he moaned and rubbed his eyes.
“Get up! Reese made breakfast,” I called out, catching Izzy’s sense of urgency.
We all got quiet at breakfast. The truth was I wanted to be angry at Reese, at least dislike her. But there was an air of decency and general friendliness about her that made it almost impossible. Reese kept looking at each of us attempting a smile. With her hair pulled back in a barrette, and University of Kentucky jersey on, she almost looked like a college girl.
Her eyes stopped on Finn. It seemed that she finally thought of something to say. “I didn’t realize you spent the night. How’s your beautiful red hair growing back?” she asked, reaching over to touch his black ski cap.
“Let’s just say it’s taking its sweet time,” he replied. Finn sort of lived in that hat.
We heard a knock on the door. What if my grandparents came here? We weren’t supposed to go to their house for hours. It seemed like something annoying they’d do. My stomach turned at the thought of it.
Reese jumped up and went toward the front door.
Izzy and I looked at one another, but Reese returned in a minute with Silence and Annie, insisting they join us for breakfast.
“Hey, guys.” I was dressed in my T-shirt and sweats with a case of bed head.
Silence wore her hoodie. She was tall and cute, like a girl from America’s Next Top Model, before makeup and hair. Yet, everyone’s eyes stayed on Annie this time, whose hair blazed in a bright purple.
“Thanks, but no, we couldn’t just barge in,” Annie said.
Silence had already sat down and snatched a strip of bacon from Finn’s plate. “Hey, get your own,” he complained.
Annie and I stared dumbly over at each other. Aside from the attention-grabbing hair thing, she was a little more fixed up than usual. She had on a pinkish sweater, with a skull threaded in black lace in the center of it, revealing her slender midriff. She wore low-ride khakis held up only by the suggestion of hips, and tall brown boots with big straps. It was hard to keep my eyes off her. Who was this cool, girl?
“Please sit down,” Reese said to Annie, and told me, “Get our guests plates, Tommy.”
I jumped up and grabbed a couple of plates from the cupboard.
Reese rattled off the list, “We got eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, then her eyes landed on Annie. “You dyed your hair purple?”
Serving bowls full of the breakfast selections were lined up in the middle of the table. I handed each girl a plate and fork.
Annie looked proud and touched her hair. “Yeah, I gotta keep my grades up and do extra chores, but it’s worth it.” She looked like a girl too hot and edgy to talk to but luckily sounded like the same mellow Annie.
The word, “Oh,” tumbled out of Reese’s mouth. She didn’t seem to quite get purple hair, but kept quiet, putting on a warm smile. “Eat up, kids!”
Finn pointed his fork at Annie. “Are you trying to be a hipster?”
Silence smirked and covered her mouth as if to hold back a laugh.
“No, not really,” Annie answered, a little confused by the question. She gave Silence an irritated look.
“What’s a hipster?” Reese asked.
“They’re into subculture,” I explained.
Finn broke in, “They’re like hippies without the peace. A hipster will jack you up if you mess with them.”
Reese considered it. “Well that’s not good,” she decided.
Silence had already filled her plate, leaving little for Annie.
Annie thanked Reese and plopped some scrambled eggs on her dish. I offered her some of my food, but she shook her head. Her face flushed with excitement, explaining, “This is good. I can’t eat pork, anyway. I’m getting a pet pig for my birthday.”
Silence added, “Your mom said we’ll see.”
“It would be cool.” I joked, “I just hope your pig’s not too cute. I don’t want to jeopardize bacon.”
“You could call him Mr. Porkers,” Finn suggested, the area above his lip shiny with bacon grease.
Annie gushed, “That’s cute. I like that.” Silence commented that it was cliché. Isabella came to life, asking if she could play with Mr. Porkers.
“You can play with him whenever you want,” Annie said.
Silence, the realist, reasoned, “Remember, you don’t even know if you’re getting a pig.”
We were all in this big, sunny eat-in-kitchen, crowding around a not-so-huge table. It provided a glimpse of the life I might have had. That was if things went differently.
Of course, I would have added Holden to the picture. It almost seemed wrong for all of us to be here without him. Yet I knew he wouldn’t mind. And I liked this life. I had no idea what it would be like with our grandparents. I knew it wasn’t going to be good. It was as if we were on a plane and bracing for the emergency landing.
Soon Finn and I walked the girls out, lingering by Reese’s’ white Chevy Malibu. The tree partly shaded us from the sun. Dead leaves littered the windshield. Not so innocently, my eyes caught sight of the lines of Annie’s hip bones casting shadows, as they disappeared into her waist.
Our eyes met, and we blushed. There was always this warm and wonderful feeling I got when I was with her. Yet suddenly, I hoped the makeup, hair, and sexy outfit weren’t for my benefit. I just liked Annie the person. At the same time, I felt a mix of affection and excitement, seeing her like this.
“I hope we can see one another when you’re at your grandparents’,” she said.
“We will,” I promised, but wasn’t sure of anything. Silence and Finn were joking and laughing. We were just standing there.
“My mom’s running to the grocery store and won’t be long,” Annie said, frowning at me. “She’ll be picking us up soon.”
Now I felt like I had wasted the time. Not wanting to blow my chance at a girlfriend again, I leaned in and touched her hair. A nervous feeling buzzed in my stomach. “Thanks for coming.”
It was daytime, Finn and Silence were there. It would have seemed weird to tell her I liked her, or to ask her out. I stayed awkwardly friendly, pasting a smile on my face.
She smiled back and rocked on the balls of her feet. “Well, I wanted to see you. I always want to see you,” she happily admitted. Was she flirting?
Silence was suddenly next to me with her arm slung around my shoulder. “What’s up with you freaks?” Her smile deepened the dimples on her cheeks.
Annie’s lips briefly parted, but I guess she couldn’t think of what to say.
I made my tone extra polite. “We’re good, and yourself, Ms. Harper?”
All Finn’s small blond brothers and sisters invaded the yard, kicking up the dried leaves with their small, fast feet, as they ran in a circular track around the lawn. Finn picked up his little brother Aaron, who excitedly pointed at Annie, saying, “That girl got purple hair!”
Annie said, “I haven’t seen Aaron since last summer. He got big!” and gushed about how cute they all were, and they r
eally were. There were a lot of things I’d miss about living here. I didn’t have time to reflect on the good times or bad times. I could hardly believe my eyes. It was Simon Hall’s blue Land Rover.
Chapter 47
Unprepared
Tommy
Tiny rocks pinged off the metal rims of the Land Rover’s wheels, kicking up some dust. And then it parked. Annie and I exchanged a look in recognition of that car. A few awkward seconds crept by. I had no idea what Annie was thinking. Simon got out of the SUV with one of those apologetic smiles worn by people who aren’t sure of their reception. He walked toward me and Annie.
Even with the cool temperatures, Simon only wore jeans and a T-shirt, revealing his built-up biceps, wrapped with those cool, tribal tattoos. He was probably too tough to get cold. He won most of his battles and had the face of a fighter, a face that could have been chiseled out of stone. He looked different to me now that I wasn’t the same dumb kid who looked up to him. I stepped toward him, to greet him and maybe somehow intersect an Annie encounter.
Silence and Finn stood by me like protective members of the same wolf pack, while Annie shyly stayed back. Simon extended his arm out and we shook hands.
“Hey, Simon,” I said, confused about why he was here more than anything.
“Hey, Tommy. I missed you, man.” He had never really been a bad friend to me, but his involvement in running drugs wasn’t something I wanted in my life. I leaned in, and we halfway hugged.
“Me, too,” I admitted.
“I got someone here who wants to see you.” I tried to see the person in his car, but the windows were tinted, and I only saw a silhouette. Simon walked around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. There she was, in the flesh—my mother.
It had been eight long months and two weeks since I’d seen my mom, not that I was counting. You don’t have to count when it’s your mom. It had been more than eight months, in a way. It had been a lifetime because so much had happened. I wasn’t sure if I should smile, cry, or just pass out at the sight of her.