Baby, It's You

Chapter 2

I enjoy the time I have on the highway alone. This weeklong car ride has taken a toll on me. I love my Papa don't get me wrong, but a road trip you see the things that bug the fuck out of you that the other person does. I look up and notice my dad flashing his lights, signaling that he is going to turn off the highway. I turn off with him and go down this tiny road into the town. We drive down into a residential area. My dad pulls in front of this white house. It's beautiful, but I prefer our old one, but I need to be where I am. I turn off my bike and pull off my helmet. I go up to my dad. He is now getting out of the truck; he is talking on the phone. To my sister Sonia, he is telling her we made it home. He hangs up and looks over at me.

"Papa, you want to unpack now?" I ask.

"No, Hijo, let's go eat, and after that, we can get your paperwork turned into the school."

"Okay, let's go eat. Can I ride my bike there? I want to check things out."

"Sure, I will ride mine too." He says, taking down his own motorcycle. "It's seven-thirty, and we have a meeting at the school at nine. You can explore after that."

We go down the road two blocks, but we could have walked, but what's the fun in that. The town is pretty cool; it's all vintage buildings and shops that I plan on looking at. We pull out in front of a small diner with a massive statue of Elvis. I know I will love it in here. When we enter the restaurant it's we went back in time. An old jukebox sits in the corner with really old records. My dad goes over and pushes in a few quarters and plays a song. I smile at his selection because He chooses the song Oh Donna by Richie Valens. My mama's name was Donna. He closes his eyes and just listens to the song, and I let him take in the lyrics. When the hostess lets us know our table is ready, I tap his shoulder, and he opens his eyes. His eyes look sad for a brief second, and then they go back to normal.

"What can I get you?" the hostess asks.

"Can I get a coke and steak and eggs, please," I say.

"Same here," Papa says. "But coffee instead of coke."

"Sure, I will get that going for you."

"Papa, I only need two classes do I have to go to school the whole day for two classes?" I ask.

"Let's see what they say."

"It's just awkward because I'm nineteen and a senior. They will wonder why and don't want to explain."

"Fuck them. Let them wonder. Tell them you were in jail." He laughs.

"Pa..."

"You don't owe anyone an explanation." He says, and I nod at him.

We eat our food in comfortable silence, and it's fantastic. We finish up, and my dad pays the bill and head to our bikes and drive to the school. It's Paso High. It is so fucking small about half the size of my old school. I can see the diner from the front door of the school. Damn, this town is small. It's gonna take time to get used to it. We go into the office, and everyone is looking at us. The thing I notice about them is that they are all wearing a uniform. We turn in all the paperwork to the nice lady at the front desk. She hands me a temporary schedule, only two classes and I am done by noon. I can do that.

"Ma'am, since I'm only here until noon, do I have to wear a uniform? Also, the English class in basic English?'

"Yes, you have to wear a uniform, Khaki pants, a polo shirt with the school logo. You can buy them in town. You can wear khaki shorts on Fridays, and the free dress is the last Friday of the month. Yes, it is basic English. Why?"

"I took AP English back home," I say.

"Do you have time to take a placement test today?" she asks.

"Sure, pa you can go home I will catch up with you later."

"Okay, good luck, not that you will need it."

She takes me to an office behind her, and she hands me the test. I sit and read passages and answer questions. I write an essay. By the time I am done, it's close to eleven. I turn it into her, and she says on Monday morning, and I will be in the basic English class the first day, but by Tuesday, depending on the results, I will be in the AP class. I walk outside it's warm out I decided to grab an ice cream and eat it in the little town square park. I pick a chocolate chip cookie dough cone, and I find a bench to sit on. I see a free seat next to a girl who is reading. I sit to eat my ice cream and look over at what she is reading. Wow, 'A Chronical Of A Death Foretold' I love that book.

"Nice book choice," I say, and she looks at me like she is shocked that I'm speaking to her. Damn, she is cute. She is a natural beauty. Her big brown eyes shine back at me. Her make up is minimal but still beautiful.

"Thank you," she says quietly. She is wearing a school uniform. "It always gets me, I know what is going to happen to the main character, but it gets me every time."

"Yeah, same here." I smile.

"Sorry, do you know what time it is?" she asks. I hear someone yell across the park,

"Hey, let's go! We have one minute before the warning bell!" the guy yells.

"Shit!" she jumps up and runs.

"Hey, what's your......" I say, but she doesn't hear me. "Damn."

I sit under the tree and open up my kindle on my phone and begin to read a book. I must be sitting there for about an hour or so when my phone rings with an unknown number.

"Hello?'

"Marco, hi, this is Ms. Moreno from Paso High. I have a voucher for a free uniform if you want to come back to the school to get it. I also have a locker for you."

"Okay, thank you. I will be there in a minute."

I go into the office, and she hands me a card for a free uniform. She gives me a paper that has a locker number on it along with the combination. She makes a call, and the kid that was yelling in the park comes into the office.

"Marco, this is my son Carlos."

"Chucky, my name is Chucky, mom."

"I named you Carlos."

"Hi Marco, I'm Chucky." He says. He seems hyper, and he makes me smile. "Mom, what do you want me to do."

"Show Marco where his locker is and get your ass back to class."

"Maaaaaa, can I just go home. School is almost over." He says. She gives him a mom stare. "Okaaaay, shit. Let's go, man."

We walk down the hallway, and he points out the cafeteria and the bathrooms. He is taking things really slow, and it makes me laugh. He is short, and he has large wild eyes. He is a character for sure. He points out the lockers, and I nod at him. He runs off down the hall, man that kid is weird, but I like him.

I find my locker and open it up and close it up, and I start to walk down the hall when the bell rings. The hall is quickly filled with students that are walking to their next class. Someone grabs my hand, and I look back to see who it is. It's the girl from the park.

"Hey, new boy," she says. "You're so cute!" she says, touching my forearm. "You have a tattoo! That's sexy." She runs off laughing with her friends. She looks back at me and waves.

I am so confused. What happened to the girl from the park? I'm not sure I like this version of her; maybe she is doing that to impress her friends. I turn and look back, and she is putting blood-red lipstick on her lips. She stops and blows me a kiss and winks. Her friends giggle, and they go into their classroom. Yeah, she is beautiful, so what. I hate fake people, and she is fake as fuck.

Well, fuck, that was disappointing.

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