by Thomas, Anne
"Oh hey. Yeah, I'm just about to cross the border now. Of Nevada, of course. Don't' you remember Harrison's lovely phone call that was on the other end when we two were talking?" Molly cringed. "I didn't realize I hung up on you. I'm sorry! I guess having to pick up Harrison and Joe got me rattled enough to make me forget. I'll be at the house in about twenty minutes, if the traffic lets up. Uh...yeah, I'll tell them. Bye."
Harrison and Josiah stared at her expectantly, until Molly let out a low groan. "She said the two of you are complete idiots and you owe her fifty bucks for the bet." She finally said. But before either could say a word, she turned on the radio and let it blast.
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Molly tried to keep her calm. She should be used to this by now, but that only made her angrier. She loved Harrison, she did. He was her oldest, dearest and all around best friend. But he had a lot of growing to do, and she wished he'd do it sooner than later. She wished he would shape up and become the man she knew he could be, instead of landing his arse in jail once a month.
Harrison really was a great guy though, despite his immaturity. Just like she was there for them when they ended up behind bars, he was there for her for everything. Anything. He was the only one who knew every one of her deepest secrets. He was the only one she could ever trust with them. And he never told a soul about even one. For really, as childish as he could be some times, he could be trusted. Trusted to stay by her side, on her side. To be the holder of all her secrets. And to support her in everything. He was a great guy, with a steady job and is a hard worker. But he wasn't challenged enough. Which was why he turned in to a daredevil when he met Josiah Jeffers. Because he had an adventurous soul and feet that only wished to be on the move. He had bonds when his heart whined to him to be set free. She knew from their rare past midnight talks when he let it slip, that it hurt him to stay here. To hold such a job that he found, to say the least, boring. To live in an apartment that he wasn't fond of and felt like it's walls were closing in on him, bound to crush him sometime. And she, because it had happened to her already, had to pity him there.
She took a quick glance over at him. He sat there, solemn and quiet, staring at the base of the window as he kept running the tip of his finger over the blue fluff interior. It was obvious in his posture and in his little actions that he was upset and disappointed in himself. If she could see his eyes, she'd read sincerity in them. She also knew that he wasn't upset in himself because of what he had done, but because he had known that he had upset her.
Taking a deep breath and exhaling, she lowered the volume of the radio until it could be just barely heard. "I thought perhaps we could all have dinner at my place tonight. I'm cooking and Marty is already there. She has a stack of videos from the rental store and is bringing over the movie essentials the coziest blankets, fluffiest pillows and the best energy drinks to keep awake. If the two of you want to come over, you're welcome to."
Harrison looked over at her in confusion. "But...you're supposed to be angry and furious. Where did this come from?"
She shrugged. "I know you. And I know the reason for your actions. And I know that no matter how long I stay angry at you, you'll just do it again so it's basically pointless to waste my anger on you."
He shook his head. "No, I won't do it anymore, Molls. This was it. Last time."
"Don't tell me that, Harry., I might just foolishly believe you and then get my hopes up again. You'll do it again. Don't tell me you won't because you will. That restless spirit of yours rules you and as long as you sit idly by and don't do anything to calm it, you're going to get in to plenty of trouble."
His eyebrow quirked in curiosity of her words as he looked at her, at a loss for words on how to follow that bit up.
Instead, he returned his gaze to out the window and remained silent for the rest of the trip home.
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The next day, Harrison, Molly and Marty all shuffled in to the high school with dark circles under their eyes and barely awake.
As it was apparent, the energy drinks they had consumed at midnight had worked better than they had expected, and it was only about two hours ago when they finally passed out. Unfortunately, it was an hour ago when they had to wake.
"So what would it be saying for my teaching if instead of Abram Jones falling asleep in half of my classes and me scolding him...that I just join him today?" Marty asked.
Harrison smirked. "You realize you're talking to your boss, right?"
"Actually, I was talking to Molly you just happen to be standing here."
"...you realize you're still talking to your boss, Miss Disrespect?" He teased.
She stuck her tongue out at him, then peered in to her bag, praying she had remembered all her books that she'd need today. They were there, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Molly was pulling back curls back in to a low pony tail, not having time to do it before. "No one come to my room for lunch today I'm going to be skipping food and sleeping in."
Marty grinned, her weary eyes brightening a little. "Yes...lunch period. I think I'll do the same."
But it was Harrison's eyes that glowed the most when his mischievous grin appeared upon his pale lips. Flashing this look over to Molly, he started to run to his office.
"I hate that man." Molly said with a grimace. "He can go back there and fall asleep in his sofa and overstuffed leather chairs and not get in trouble for it, thanks to him being a light sleeper and every one liking him. But us? No, we can't. We actually have to do our jobs."
"Look at it this way," Marty said as they turned the corner, nearing their class rooms. "Christmas break is only sixty or seventy something days away."
Molly frowned. "Was that supposed to be comforting? Because it sucked."
This earned a laugh from Marty until she fell against the wall and closed her eyes for a moment.
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Sleep. Oh, the joys of blissful sleep! Molly was enjoying her world of dark and her mind of fog that she had just entered, when there was a sharp knock on the door.
Gasping, she sat straight up, her chair almost unsettling as she wiped the side of her mouth with her shirt sleeve. Blinking a few times against the harsh light of reality, she saw the last person she would want to see at a moment like this Candice Greybill. Taking a breath, Molly decided dealing with it quickly would let her get back to sleep sooner, so she plunged ahead. "Yes Candice?"
"I...I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes. But if you're...uh...busy? Then I'll just let it go."
Molly shook her head. "No, no by all means, come on in."
Candice did so, walking up to her desk and planting her hands flat upon it., her face just a foot measurement or so away.
"Well, you know, of course, that Harrison Redford and I are finally going out. Well, I don't know if he really ever talks to you, so I thought I'd stop by and ask if it's okay with you."
Molly's temper soared inside her. Her calmness came from the wisdom of knowing that Candice was only trying to get her goat, and hell if she'd get it.
Though it did anger her to no end to let Candice say that she and Harrison were hardly close.
She shrugged it off. "Harrison and I are only friends. Why would I mind?"
Candice pressed on. "Why, everyone knows that you have been in love with him for years. It's very obvious. It always has been. So logic had me thinking that this might hurt you, seeing that Harrison can be very blind to your feelings when it comes to attractive women."
Molly wished that Marty was here. She had a way of calming the storm of fury in her, even when her resistance was failing. But she had told Marty to not come today, and she could hardly excuse herself from Candice to go scream her frustrations out to Marty. She could do it on her own anyway.
Swallowing the Scottish temper, she plastered the fake
st smile upon her lips. "When it comes to me, he's never blind." She lied.
"Oh...so he just ignores your intentions then?"
"On the contrary I ignore his. Didn't you hear the other day? The rumors spread around?"
"Yes, I did. But then he dated me he claimed that the kids just took a simple joke the wrong way."
"He'll claim that he's Zeus's son Hercules if that'll get him a girl. We didn't want the rumors to keep going around it's bad for our reputations." As soon as the words fled from her mouth, she inwardly grimaced. There she went again painting colorful lies to save face. A sneaky, evil voice in the back of her head told her that it was all Harrison's fault for dating the snobbiest, bratty woman he could find within the state. After all, how can he possibly ask her to behave when his own girlfriend was doing this to her? He should know her better than to expect more. Just as she knew better to expect him to stop doing idiotic acts that landed him and Josiah in jail. But looking Candice over again, she realized how attractive this woman was, and worried that Harrison would think of that before thinking of what she had done.
"I agree with you. I suppose dating you here would be bad for his reputation." She said, her words laced with poison of a snake's. With a flash of a bright smile, she spun on her heel and walked out of the classroom, sure to give Harrison an ear full.
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"Why Molls, why?" Harrison said in complaint as he slid in to the blue Jetta.
She bit her lip, looking over her shoulder at Marty, who was suddenly wide awake and looking very interested.
"Why Molls why what?" She asked eagerly.
"I'm assuming you're talking about Candy Grey?" Molly asked.
"Hell yeah I am. Why do you always get my girlfriends upset so they rattle off in my ear for hours? Hours, Radcliffe!"
She shrugged. "Maybe you should offer them more security. I can't help it if their jealous of me for being you best friend and then they want to attack me. You know how it works someone attacks me, I attack them verbally, of course. You can't blame me for what you got today you blame her."
Harrison looked at her, tilting his head in patience. "She thinks I'm chasing you romantically, and the only reason why I'm dating her is because you won't say yes it's as bad as the kids!"
Molly smiled sweetly, patting his cheek. "It's okay Harry, you don't have to pretend anymore. Admit it. Admit that what she said is right and that you're wild about me, but you can't have me and that so deeply upsets you. To the point where you have to go around dating all these other woman to replace the feelings you have for me but none measure up to the greatness that is me. Admit it, Harrison, because I can't help it." She teased, then kissed his cheek and batted her eyelashes.
He groaned, throwing his head back to stare at the ceiling. "Just drive."
"You know, you could have just driven home with her why are you in my car and not your girlfriend's car?"
"She might be on to something here..." Marty said, keeping up the joke. "Maybe you should admit it, Harry."
Harrison whipped around, sticking his index finger just inches from her nose. "Only, and I mean only, can Molly call me that. No one else. And yes, that includes you, Marty."
They couldn't resist. In unison, they said, "Can Candy Grey call you Harry?"
He didn't bother to tell them no. Just groaned again and reached for the door handle. "Walking the ten miles is better than this." He said, tugging on the metal.
She grabbed his shoulder and sat him back down. "Alright, no more teasing. Just handle that woman and don't let her come after me. I won't put up with that and you know it."
He nodded. "I know, and you shouldn't have to. We'll solve it. I'll solve it."
Both of them, satisfied with that conclusion, stopped the conversation and started a new one, this time with music added and the road moving beneath them.
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Molly stared in frustration at her stack of bills and her checkbook that was growing less and less. Groaning, she ran her hand through her curly hair. The nagging voice that was always in the back of her head at times like these had returned. Churning her mind and making her think of 'what could have been'. What she could be doing right now if she had taken the path she had wanted.
Ten years ago, at the ripe age of eighteen, she had been accepted to Yale. It had been her dream come true. She could hardly breath for days after that acceptance letter had reached her hands, which was where it stayed for over a week. She wouldn't put it down it went everywhere with her. She even clenched it in her hand when she finally passed out from exhaustion, due to the excitement of planning throughout that day.
Yale. It was hard to get better than that. And it had been all that she had ever worked for. That letter was proof that she could make even her most wildest dreams to come true.
But then, just as she was packing her bags in to her economy car, her world tilted on its axis. Her father had suffered through a devastating heart attack that took away so much even his own voice. As quickly as those bags had been put in her car, they were taken out. She had made some quick, tearful phone calls that sent her rejection to her dream life, then moved back in to her parents' home to help take care of her father. Meanwhile, she went to a community college that granted her a teaching license after she had put her four years in. Four years that were supposed to be the beginning of her training as a lawyer.
But she told herself she was happy. Because she had to be. Because she'd never leave her father at his time of need. And with help from her, he did get better and he did regain his voice.
And thanks to Harrison, she didn't have to go to a bad city school the only ones that she had been getting accepted to. He had gotten her in to a good high school in her desired position. After all, he could sympathize he had a little brother who had gotten sick and prevented things from happening too. Only Harrison had no big dreams. But he did have brains. He had been accepted in to Harvard one up on her. All through school they had placed bets and went against each other to see who could do better on everything tests, pop quizzes, homework. It had been great, but Harrison had won. He applied for Harvard and Yale just like she did but not because he wanted it, but just to put a finale on for their years of competition. He had gotten in to Harvard, and he had left it for the military. Which made Molly frustrated and scared at the time for turning down something that she hadn't achieved and for him possibly dying before coming home. But she had gotten over both and soon beamed in pride for him. He had come back a man not an aimless boy that he had once been. It had made all the difference and she loved him for it. But then his brother had grown ill and everything that been taught to him from the military was dead. He regressed to the reckless, irresponsible boy she knew and threw his golden opportunity away. As someone who had been forced to from personal happenings, she had been angered once again by his actions. Supposedly, she still was angry after seeing the man he was and the man he could have been. Not angry at him, but at cruel life's circumstances. His father had always wanted him to take over the business of running the school Harrison's great great grandfather had run the whole school on his own once had been the principal and the main teacher of three. He had bought the school later on and passed it down and it landed in Harrison's unwanting hands. It was a job that insulted his brains that could have done much more he had said it often and Molly had always agreed. But he stopped thinking that way and ended up right there, where he had spent his whole life running away from.
But it wasn't all bad. At least he had given her a good job. It had also made her leave home for the first time. The school teetered on the edge of Nevada and California, where as they had been living up in Vermont.
It was a home of beautiful memories. Memories of when things were happy and simple and the biggest concern of theirs was where they would meet each other after school.
She had loved his mother. The dearest wo
man that had ever lived, she was sure. Because her own was a workaholic like Molly's father. And since she had two parents hardly ever there, Harrison's mother had taken over. Molly even had her own room in the Redford home. And she loved the Redford mother as much as her own parents.
But that was Vermont. Harrison's father, separated from their mother, lived in Nevada and worked as the owner and the principal of their school. Molly had followed Harrison there as soon as her father was back in to health and they were pushing her out with force.
Harrison had been wonderful. Besides the job, he had gotten her an apartment that was directly below him. Had a woman he knew from school that taught history to make friends with her and show her around the new city when he couldn't. He had set up her entire life all she needed was to follow it. Originally, their pact was that it would be only temporarily. She'd retake a test or two, fill out a few applications, and she'd send them all to Yale and Harvard and get in to pick up her life again. But she had gotten comfortable in her laid back ways. She had taken a test and gotten a low grade. She had applied only once for Harvard and Yale. And she had gotten negative replies for both. Her spirit, hardly in it anymore, gave up easily. At the time, she had been comfortable with the life Harrison had set up, and ended up making it permanent.
But now, here she was. Staring down at stacks of bills with heavy sighs and too little money in her bank account.
And her life was going nowhere way too quickly. She was twenty eight, at the top of her job. She wasn't going up anymore. Yet she didn't have enough money to get a better place a real home instead of a little apartment. Had no money for a better car that was starting to drag on the road. And she was still hung up on the same guy that she loved since her fifth birthday party, when he gave her a kiss over the candle blown cake.
Harrison Redford. The blindest man to ever walk the earth. He had faults, well, many faults. But his pros vastly outweighed any cons. She loved him and wished to high heaven that she didn't. Putting down her silver pen that she had been using to write out all the checks, she sat up a little straighter. It was time. Time to start changing her life for the better. She didn't know how she'd do it, or even where to start, but she knew she had to make it somehow. Or live with the heavy regret, knowing that she never did make any of her dreams that once made her proud. Shutting of the little desk lamp that she was using, she pushed away her chair and crossed the room, entering her bedroom. Flopping on her bed, she slowly drifted off to sleep, thinking about these new plans.