New Beginnings

Chapter 4 : Home Sweet Home

Chapter 4

                 Yale parked just behind the black truck and watched Keaton and two other boys climb out. They looked obviously older and both were just a little taller than Keaton. One had straight brown hair and a lean build. He looked grown up with his dark stubble. Yale could see the resemblance between him and Keaton. So that must be his brother, Wes, then, Yale thought. That would make the other guy Wes’s friend. He looked to be the same height as Wes. He had brown hair with blond highlights and he was much bulkier than the other two boys. Not fat, but more muscly. Yale has never really liked bulky boys – she found them intimidating.

                 Wes sauntered over to the front porch so he could unlock the door while Yale got out of her car. Keaton walked over to her while Drew just hung back with a tentative smile. He didn’t want to scare her away by being too eager. I’ll give her some time to get used to me, he thought with an arrogant smirk on his face. Yale noticed and she decided that he was her least favourite of the trio already.

                “Come on. Let’s chill inside for a bit,” Keaton urged with a smile. Yale smiled up at him and followed him through the door. Their house felt welcoming. Yale hadn’t noticed how homesick she’s been. She hasn’t been inside a real home in almost a month. She missed coming home from school and sitting on her kitchen counter while her mom made her a snack. She missed their heart-to-hearts. She smiled to herself.

                    Keaton’s house wasn’t as big as her house – her old house; she had to remind herself that she didn’t live there anymore – but she couldn’t see how that could be helped. The front door led to a bright hallway, which led to an open living room. There was a big sofa that could fit all four of them if they squeezed together, a comfy-looking loveseat, and a recliner. Wes was nowhere to be seen but Drew walked in right behind them. There was a plasma TV hung up on one wall and a bunch of game consoles set up underneath it.

                  Drew threw himself down on the recliner and Keaton sat on the sofa. He patted the space next to him so Yale went and sat there. There was an awkward silence.

                 “Um, hi,” Yale ventured. She couldn’t stand the silence; it reminded her too much of home.

                 “Hi,” Keaton and Drew said at the same time. They snickered. Wes chose that moment to walk in with a bunch of food in his arms.

                   “Okay so, I didn’t know what you liked. I probably should’ve asked you before I ran off to the kitchen but… Anyways, this is all the food we have right now,” he threw all the food down on the coffee table set in the middle of the room and grinned at Yale warmly. There were bags of Cheetos, Doritos, Lays and Fun Yuns. He also set down a couple cans of Pepsi and a jar of Nutella. “I’m Wes, by the way,” he said with a wave.

                       “Hi, I’m Yale,” she said with a little wave of her own.

                     “And I’m Drew,” the bulky friend spoke for the first time. He had a confident smile. Yale smiled back.

                   “And I’m hungry,” Keaton piped in. They all chuckled. He reached for the Nutella and looked at Wes questioningly. “How exactly do you expect me to eat this?”

                           “Oh, we ran out of bread, bro,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

                        “I don’t need bread. I need a spoon,” he clarified. When Wes made no move to go back to the kitchen, Keaton sighed and got up. “Be right back,” he muttered and threw a reassuring smile to Yale over his shoulder. Wes sat on the love seat and opened a can of pop. It was the only sound in the room.