Drowning

Abandoning-Chapter 8

Abandoning

Chapter 8

Nate got his license right after the incident. Terry and Jon decided that he deserved his own car right when he got it, halfway through junior year. The agreement was that they would pay for insurance but he had to buy the car itself. That's why Nate has a piece of shit Honda with falling off bumper and barely even rubber tires. Nonetheless, he loves his car. Her name is Caroline. JP named her. I don't know.

The first day Weber got Caroline he picked me up at three in the afternoon on a Sunday at my house. It had been only 3 weeks since the incident and I hadn't really left my bedroom other than to go to school.

He showed up at my house and knocked on my door. I was the only one home at the time and thought it was strange to have someone knocking. No one ever knocked. When I looked out my second floor window there was a unusual red car sitting in my drive way. Panicking a bit I grabbed one of Char's “spiritual sticks” which was really just a long wooden stick with cool designs on it that she used as decoration. I made my way to the front door where the knocking persisted and put my hand on the knob.

Slowly I creaked the door open and gripped the stick harder, preparing to fight. When I finally recognized that the intruder was just Nate I tried to hide the stick behind my back. He was going to make fun of me. But he was quicker than I was and noticed.

“Hey! I was going to call first but then I wanted to surprise you so I....Tess...why are you holding one of Char's sticks...?” he lowered his eyebrows and smirked. I rolled my eyes.

“Because I was being spiritual?” I tried to sound snarky but it came out as a question.

“Spiritual huh?” he reached for the branch but I pulled it back just out of his reach, “more like you didn't know who I was and thought that a murderer would roam Westwood.” he flicked a piece of his hair back and then lurched for the stick. I gave up. He could have it.

“Why are you here anyways?”

“Hello to you too Missy. I really missed you last night too. I'm glad I could stop in to see how you were doing and you would properly appreciate it.” as sarcasm rang through my mudroom so did a clatter. He dropped the spiritual stick. We were both doomed now. Doomed to spiritual hell. He gasped. “See what you did Tess? Now all the good spirit energy from the spirit stick is turned to bad!” The way he said it so straight-faced and normal made me burst out laughing. Like a real laugh. And I hadn't laughed since that night that Mom first said the word jail.

*****

Next to me a little blonde boy screams. "Da toys mommy. I want da toys." crocodile tears run down his face as he and his flustered mother stand in the shoe department at target.

"Willy, stop honey." the woman coos, "Whining will get you no toys at all. Ever." her words seem kind of harsh but they have an affect on the little boy because he instantly stops crying and becomes interested in a pair of sparkly red heels in front of him. Nate pulls on my hand to keep walking but I can't stop thinking about the little boy. His tears ended so quickly with the simple thought that stopping would get him what he wanted.

Is it really that simple?

If I stop crying about my life, will it go back to normal?

"Tess what the hell are you doing?" Nate is confused by my fascination with the little stranger. He glances at the products around to see if they're anything I'm interested in and that's why we stopped but were surrounded by ten foot heels and glitter. He watches me skeptically.

"I mean...I bet you could pull this off..but really?" he holds up a like green wedge with a eight inch heel and shiny black polka dots and raises his eyebrows.