I Can't Explain

If You Try Sometimes You Get What You Need

The next day is Saturday, and since I went to sleep quite early, I get up early to do my weekend homework, then I hear my dad leave for his golf game around 8. I slip down into the kitchen and start making some breakfast. Mom won't be up for another hour at least.

I pick up the phone and dial Keith's house. He picks up after the second ring.

"Jeez, I've been waiting for almost an hour!" Keith says, trying to sound dramatic.

"Oh, screw you, Moonie, where ya wanna meet?" I grin, rolling my eyes.

"How about...we go to the park! And bring your guitar."

I sigh. "I can't, Dad took it."

There was silence at the other end.

"Keith?"

Keith clears his throat. "I'm moving next week, the offer is still open."

I twist the phone cord around my finger. "I'm still thinking about it, Moonie, Ill let you know."

"Alrightie, come to the park at 9, and bring your lighter!" Keith gave me an excited giggle before hanging up. I smiled, then finished my breakfast.

I openned the window, only to be greeted by a cold, January breeze. I really can't wait for summer, not just because school's out, but I prefer the hot to the cold.

I throw on a coat over my shirt, sweater, and jeans, then grab my shoulder bag before I head for the park. I get there at 8:55, in front of the park, as I have done so many other Saturdays. I blow air into my hands and pace. 8:57. Where was Keith? He was always here before me. "Alright, Keith, its 8:59, where the hell are you?" I call outloud. A woman passing me gives me a dirty look. Keith still hasn't shown up. "Come on, Keith, I'm cold!" I say again, when no one is passing me. Suddenly, someone tackles me from behind, knocking me on the cold grass. I shuffle for he can of "mace" I have in my bag, and I turn around to face Keith, ready to spray. He is sitting on my stomach, grinng. His eyes grow wide at the can of mace.

"Its just me, Kenleigh..." Keith holds up his hands. I grin and spray him, but mace doesn't come out, whipped cream does. I laugh as Keith realized what I hit him with, and he rolls his eyes and gets off me. Of course he's eating the whipped cream before it freezes to his face. I laugh and hug my friend.

"So, why, may I ask, do we need this?" I produce a lighter from my pocket. Keith smiles and digs something out of his pocket. A blur smoke bomb.

I remember once, we went to a teacher's house and threw a lit smoke bomb into his kitchen. I think it was purple.

Keith drags me along and we randomly toss smoke bombs in random places. Up a tree, onto a couple making out, even made a little boat and sailed one down the stream. An efficient way to kill three hours. Keith buys us lunch, and we walk around some more, window shopping, talking, thinking up ingenious pranks. At five, Keith walks me home. We sit down the street from my house, Keith sharing a cigarette with me.

"Have ya made up your mind yet?" Keith asks.

"Not yet, Ill let you know when I do."

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

I think. Well, what would I be doing? "Nothing, unless you have something planned. Want me to bust you outta church?"

Keith gives me an evil grin. "No thanks, remember what happened last time?"

"Oh, yeah, right, that wasn't pretty."

We sit and watch as the sun starts to slowly disappear, and Keith helps me up. "So Ill see ya Monday?"

"Yep, Ill go to Dawson's after school." I pick up my bag and put it around my shoulder. Keith offers me a hug which I accept, but I get that weird feeling in my stomach, the same one I had the other day when Keith was asleep on the couch. I still couldn't place it, but it felt like butterflies were flying in my stomach, it was a strange.

I walk into the house, my mom was sitting on the couch watching Lawrence Welk. She turned to me and shook her head. Oh boy, dad wasn't happy. I hear the door to his study close and he comes in the living room, looking like he wanted to strangle something.

"Now, where have you been?" He says, calmly but very angry.

"I was just out with my friend, we had lunch and hung out." I say.

"Oh, really?" Dad's eyes divert from my face to my bag. "What's in there?"

"Just stuff--" My dad takes my bag and looks through it, finding my lighter and a leftover smoke bomb.

"What the hell is this?" He raises his voice. I hear Mom turn off the TV.

"Just--"

"You're a useless little brat, going out and whoring around with that idiot, you'll never be anything in life if you hang around him!"

I try to ignore his words but I cant. Keith is my best friend, I cant let Dad talk about him like that.

"Ill be more than you ever were!" I heard myself shout. "As for Keith, he's my best friend and he's done more for me than you ever have. Youre not my father; you never will be!"

"Get up to your room!" Dad shouts. I go, but I don't hear him, only the pounding of my heart.

I rush into my bedroom and find my guitar, the one I saved for for almost a year to buy, smashed in pieces on the floor. This has gone too far. I rush to my parents room and dial a number into their phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mrs. Moon, can I please talk to Keith?"

"Sure, honey, just a second."

I wait for a minute before Keith picks up.

"You just can't get enough of me, sn you?" Keith jokes.

"Of course not," I laugh. He really did cheer me up on any day. "Say, do you still want a roommate?"