by C. S. Harte
“Kayla! Let’s go!” Tommy yelled from downstairs.
“30 seconds!” she responded from her bedroom. Kayla had been experimenting with winged eyeliner. The more she tried to make both lines look straight, the more crooked they appeared. I should’ve started this an hour earlier.
She made attempts to wear makeup. Makeup. A critical element in the creation of adult Kayla, kindly provided by Izzy and her infinite closet of beauty products.
Kayla stared in the mirror. She smiled at her reflection and looked away. A laugh escaped her lips. She shook her head and walked to her dresser.
In addition to being Kayla’s makeup fairy, Izzy had a surplus of fragrance samples. She stockpiled them from years of makeup store visits. Izzy gifted this collection to Kayla in a designer shoe box.
Kayla covered her eyes with one hand and reached into the shoe box with the other pulling out a random sample. “He better like this!” She said as she misted herself with the vial.
Charlie came over and whined.
“That bad, huh? Well, too late now.” Kayla grabbed a light jacket and ran out the house joining Tommy in his truck.
“Finally!” Tommy said in mock exasperation. “You’re worse than a girlfriend.”
Did he just call me his girlfriend?
“You would be so lucky to have a girlfriend like me.” Kayla sat in the passenger seat and looked at the sun visor mirror to check her makeup. “Sorry for taking long.”
Tommy shifted his truck into gear and headed out. “You know I’m just joking.” He sniffed the air. “Do you smell something?”
Kayla’s cheeks flushed. “That depends. Do you like it? If not, it’s probably Charlie. I haven’t washed him in a week.”
“It's not bad. Flowery and stuff.”
A big smile formed on Kayla’s face. Yes!
“Thanks for taking Charlie and me to the dog park to meet Izzy.”
“I got you, lil' sis.”
Kayla’s stomach formed a knot each time he would say that word. Sister. She looked out the window and focused on the landscape zooming towards her. They have been straddling the border of friendship and romance for some time now. Her left hand slid towards his but stopped as it neared. “Tommy?” she asked, her voice barely audible.
“Yeah?”
“Um…” Kayla stared forward with a blank expression on her face. A question hung off her tongue. She rolled and slid her tongue along the back of her teeth, trying to shake the question loose. How do you really feel about me?
Tommy raised his eyebrows. “What’s up, Kayla?”
A memory zapped into consciousness, lighting her face as it arrived. She was so preoccupied with her appearance, she almost forgot today was a big day for Tommy. “Are you going to be OK by yourself? I can cancel with Izzy. She'd understand. I’m here for you today is what I’m saying.”
“I know, but it’s tradition for me to spend my mom’s birthday at the cemetery. I catch her up on my life. I want to talk to her about you especially. You’re the best thing to happen to me this past year. Anyway, it’s just a thing between my mom and me is all.”
Kayla’s heart began to race. What would he say about me to his mother?
They sat in silence for the next few minutes.
Kayla drummed her finger on her chin choosing her next words carefully. “I glad you have that. It's weird to say because it’s kinda saying that I’m glad your mom is dead. But that’s not what I mean. I’m happy you can visit your mom and have your moments together. I can tell you it’s much worse to not know where your mom is buried.”
Tommy didn't respond immediately. “Your mom died in a car accident when you were nine. Mine died of cancer when I was 12. We both have dads who disappeared on us. We’ve both been through horrible foster parents. Life has decided to stick its middle finger at us. But you know what? Not that this balances everything out, I’m just glad life at least threw me a lifeline in the form of you.”
The reservoir of tears filled up too fast for Kayla. Little streams flowed from her eyes. She rubbed them away with the back of her hands — trying her best to do so without ruining her makeup.
Kayla punched Tommy in the arm. “Why are you such a girl?”
Tommy laughed. “You’re a bad influence on me.”
They neared a gas station. Tommy pulled in to refuel. He took out his credit card and after swiping it at the pump, handed it to Kayla. “Why don’t you grab some snacks inside?”
“Good idea. I didn’t have time for breakfast.”
“Get me something too. I’ll keep an eye on Charlie.”
Kayla entered the gas station store, moving towards the snack section.
Two other male teenagers, one wearing a faded gray t-shirt, another wearing a wife-beater followed her. Their shirts were both two sizes too small. They made their way to Kayla.
Wife Beater guy tapped Kayla on the shoulder. “Help settle a bet.”
She turned around and stared at them with her eyebrows arched.
“Which one of us do you think is cuter? Me or my buddy Rick? I’m Kevin by the way.”
Kayla crossed her arms. “Sorry, can’t help you,” she said and returned to her snack-finding mission.
Kevin raised his voice, “Hey! I asked you a question, bitch.”
Tommy finished his pumping, re-capped the gas tank and made his way inside.
“What did you just call me?” Kayla yelled back. One hand instinctively placed on her mother’s locket.
Tommy entered the store and saw that Kayla was talking to two guys. Her arms were crossed with a scowl on her face. He speed-walked towards her. “Kayla, we have to get going.”
“Kayla, huh? That’s a purdy name,” Kevin said. “How 'bout you come with us, and we could have some fun.”
Many actions happened over the course of the next few seconds.
Tommy grabbed Kayla’s arm.
Tommy and Kayla took a step towards the door.
Rick pinched Kayla’s butt.
Kayla slapped Rick.
Tommy punched Kevin hard in the face.
Kevin went down.
Rick seized Kayla by her hips as she tried to walk away.
Kayla’s nostrils flared. She turned around to face her violator. Her fingers coiled into fists, clenched and ready to strike. She held back, not ready to pull the trigger. Rick sneered at her like he had her.
In that moment he was every foster parent who abused her, every bully who tormented her, anyone who ever caused her pain. Her body vibrated with energy, her veins pumped courage to every inch of her frame. She was ready to explode.
With her rage ignited, Kayla fired both arms into Rick’s chest, pushing him backwards.
Rick immediately levitated. The smug look on his face replaced with fear. He lost control of his body as he barreled into the shelves. What followed was an unstoppable chain reaction of dominoes falling, crashing. Shelf after shelf fell over, spilling everything.
Bottles broke.
Cans crushed.
Windows shattered.
Rick stayed down, his body limp.
Kayla stood paralyzed, the carnage too shocking for her senses.
Tommy’s jaw dropped. His eyes surveyed every detail of the chaos before returning to Kayla. “We gotta go, NOW!” Tommy tugged Kayla’s arm. They ran to the truck.
6
Tommy and Kayla pulled up to the local dog park. He drove around to find a spot under a tree. His hands remained glued to the steering wheel. They sat in silence, looking anywhere but at each other.
Kayla replayed the gas station incident in her mind. She recalled the look of fear in Rick’s eyes as he slammed into the shelves. The unnatural thud his body made when it collided with metal. She buried herself in her hands. Her body shaking as she struggled for control. Kayla squeezed her eyes shut, fighting to exorcise the memories of violence gnawing at her conscience.
Tommy took Kayla’s hand. “I think we shouldn’t tell anybody what happened back there. A
t least not yet. I mean, we haven’t talked about it, and I’m not even sure what I saw.”
Kayla attempted to speak but abandoned the effort when no words formed.
“Just so you know, I’m gonna protect you. I don’t care what happened back there.” Tommy pulled Kayla in close.
Kayla didn’t resist. She desperately searched her memory for truths only to find mysteries. She tightened her embrace around Tommy. He was real. She pressed her cheeks into his. His warm breath on her skin raised the hairs on her neck. Each exhale pushed away her dark clouds, dissipating her fears.
Seconds became minutes before Tommy finally released her. “Izzy is waiting over there. You have to go.” His voice was smooth, assuring.
Kayla didn’t reply. Her eyes stayed fixated on him.
Tommy got out the of the truck and opened the door for her. “Izzy is your ride to the game tonight?”
Kayla forced a whisper, “Yes.”
“I’ll be in the stands. I’ll try to find you after.”
She stepped down from the truck with Charlie trailing behind her.
Tommy hooked Kayla around her neck, bringing her close to him. “Everything will be fine. They attacked us first.” He gave her one last hug before walking away. “Say hi to Izzy for me.”
Kayla made her way to Izzy, passing a group of teenage boys playing frisbee.
“You two took your time saying goodbye to each other,” Izzy said in a teasing but bubbly voice. “Something you want to tell me?”
Kayla’s face became crimson in color. “What? No! Well. Maybe. Err. I dunno.”
“Um, OK. Thanks for the full range of answers.” Izzy giggled.
Charlie sniffed Izzy’s hand, seemingly recognizing her. He sniffed her feet and rolled over exposing his soft underbelly.
“How’s my favorite boy?” Izzy generously massaged his belly before returning her attention to Kayla, “OK girl, spill it. What’s going on with you and Tommy? If you’re ashamed about the whole foster sibling thing, then don’t worry. You too just met this summer and you’re not blood. He’s super cute too. Great set of arms. I’ll be into that if you’re not.”
Kayla’s posture stiffened. “Izzy!”
“I’m just kidding,” She winked. “Mostly.”
“Walk with me to the doggie pen. I wanna give Charlie his play time.”
Izzy nodded.
“I just feel like a lot of weird things are going on.”
“If you’re talking about you and Tommy, I just said there’s nothing strange about —“
Kayla held her hand up. “Sure. Let’s get to Tommy first. I’ve meant to share this with you anyway, ever since we started talking about cute boys around school. I know it’d be OK if Tommy and I started dating. It’s just… he’s been so good as my brother. I’ve never had that before. I don’t know what I would do if I lost that. We are getting closer. I’m not even trying. It’s happening by itself.”
“Yeah, I can see that. You two were holding each other for a long time just now.” Izzy gave Kayla a playful nudge and a wink.
They reached the gate to the dog pen. Kayla tried to unlatch the lock. It seemed stuck. The gate was rusted and weathered. She had to strain every fiber of muscle to lift the latch.
Charlie sat on his hind legs, looking at Kayla as she struggled.
“Have fun and don’t get into fights.” Kayla pointed to the pack of dogs sniffing each other.
Charlie didn’t hesitate to join the party.
Kayla closed the gate and re-latched the lock. Closing it was significantly easier than opening. Izzy had already left to find a nearby bench. Kayla joined her, plopping down next to Izzy, a little out of breath. “A lot of weird stuff happened recently.”
“Oh? Like what?” Izzy’s ears perked as she slid closer to Kayla.
Kayla cleared her throat. “I don’t know what you’re implying, but it’s not what you’re thinking. It’s just… well, Tommy unexpectedly opened up to me in a way boys don’t normally. It was weird.”
Izzy laughed. “Like, emotionally?”
“Yeah. And he said words that implied certain emotions too.”
“I see.” Izzy rubbed her chin with her thumb and forefinger. “And how did that make you feel?”
“Hey, this is serious. I’m pouring my heart out!” Kayla gave her a soft punch on the arm.
“OK, OK. What exactly did Tommy say?”
“Well, stuff. He said I was very important and dear to him. That he’s happy I’m in his life.” Kayla’s face grimaced. “What does all that even mean?”
Izzy stood from the bench and let out an exasperated sigh. “It means you two are boyfriend and girlfriend but neither of you has said as much. God, why are people most oblivious to the things in front of them?”
Kayla drooped her shoulders. “Hey, I never got this close to a boy before.”
Izzy sat again and leaned into Kayla. “I’m glad for you.”
Kayla smiled and stared directly into Izzy’s eyes. “And I’m glad that you’re still my friend. I’ve never had one for this long.”
“Aww, I wub you too.” Izzy made a heart shape with her hands and fingers. “I get it though. You don’t want to lose the good thing you have as siblings — which would most likely happen if you start dating and it didn’t work out. But there’s plenty of examples of couples being friends after a breakup. There no general rule when it comes to relationships. The way I see it, both of you are already on the Love Train, and it’s too late to get off.” She animated pulling a chain, “Choo Choo! Choo Choo!”
Kayla shoved Izzy away. “You’re such a dork.”
Izzy laughed. “You probably could’ve gotten off before — you know — giving each other extended full-body hugs with snuggles and endearing caresses. It was moving really. I was touched right here.” Izzy pointed to her heart.
“Oh my God, shut up already.” The corners of Kayla’s mouth curled.
“Oh, what other weird things happened to you?”
“Huh?” Kayla stuttered the next few words before she composed herself. Can’t let her know about the gas station yet. She lowered her gaze, avoiding eye contact. “I guess it’s just weird to feel happy. That makes sense right? When sadness is the norm, then happiness feels weird. And lately, I’ve been feeling weird a lot. Can you be both happy and uncomfortable?”
Izzy softened her voice. “My dad used to say to me, ‘Life was messed up to you. Doesn’t mean you’re messed up.’ Well, he didn’t say it like that, but you get the idea. If I had to make a guess, I would say that you’re happy now and nervous about losing it. But that’s not a good reason to be sad forever.”
Kayla hugged Izzy. “You’re so smart and wise.”
Izzy laughed. “Thanks, but I’m not into girls.”
“Shut up!” Kayla shoved Izzy away. “You’re not my type anyway.”
Izzy’s phone vibrated to show a text message. “Oh hey, that’s my mom. She's here. You should get Charlie.”
Kayla nodded and made her way to the dog pen. On her way she spied on a young couple, probably in their 20s, having a picnic with another older couple, presumably their parents. It was hard not to notice them, their roars of laughter overpowering all other sounds in the park. The younger male would frequently give kisses, alone or in bursts, to his significant other. She would steal glances at him as he spoke and sometimes even when he wasn't speaking, but always when he was looking away. Her smile never wavered with each peek.
The younger male was animated in conversation as if his hands were directing a play. Kayla was privy to a scene of genuine happiness. The show before her seemed real. She stopped to watch, studying the chemistry between performers. Kayla saw herself in the role of a young female with a loving boyfriend. She clutched her mother’s locket, the illusion faded and she became a spectator again. Her life lacked the characters for this play. You would like Tommy. I wish you could’ve met him.
Kayla released the locket and rubbed her hands, still sore from
the first gate encounter. Flecks of rust embedded deep in the folds of her skin. It would be great if the gate would open automatically.
Charlie laid on the ground near the entrance as if waiting for her. He stood up on his hind legs, leaning on the fence as she neared.
“Hey watch out!” someone yelled.
Her head swiveled towards the voice to see a frisbee coming directly at her. She ducked narrowly evading it.
A teenage boy came to pick it up. “Sorry about that,” he said as he ran back to his group.
Kayla took a moment to compose herself after the near assault. Her hand felt wet. She turned around to see Charlie licking her, smiling with each stroke of the tongue. “Who let you out?”
Charlie licked her hand again in place of a response. His tail wagging profusely.
Her eyes darted to the gate. It was closed. She scanned the area around her. Unless that person had superhuman speed, there was nobody who could’ve opened and closed the gate in the few seconds she was distracted. Who would let out another person’s dog?
“KAYLA!” Izzy yelled.
“Coming!” Kayla rushed to join Izzy and her mother.
Charlie followed in pursuit.
7
A poker-faced Coach Mitchell stepped into the locker room. “Everyone gather around.” He waited for the soccer team to form a circle around him to begin his pregame speech. “We’re 6–0. Six wins against excellent teams. We only need one more win in the next four games to guarantee a spot in the state championship tournament. But why wait to get that spot later? Let’s win tonight!”
The team cheered and stomped their feet.
“Listen carefully. This is gonna be our toughest match up. The Cedar Ridge Ravens are undefeated, 6–0 like us. They have some terrific players. But you know what? We got better players!”
More cheering erupted.
He waited for the girls to settle down. “I know we have a couple of star strikers in Izzy and Kayla. But our team as a whole has been great. We’ve been playing phenomenal defense and ladies — it’s been a pleasure watching you pass the ball. Tonight may be big, but let’s not forget we have bigger goals. We want a state championship, right?”