seemed like forever since I’d enjoyed a relaxing infusion of coffee and its accompanying aroma. I could use an hour of gossiping, scouring the newspaper and watching people.
I slapped the phone shut, got out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. My chest hurt briefly. Any lingering aches and pains I’d carried from the accident weeks ago had mostly vanished, thankfully. But some mornings I woke stiffer than usual, reminded of the accident by phantom pain.
After a shower, I threw on some blush, mascara and tied my dark hair in a knot at the back of my head. I pulled on some jeans and a purple hoodie, tossed a look out my window at grey skies, and chose my fur-lined black boots.
Standing in front of the mirror, I surveyed myself. Did Weston like me in purple? I thought the color magnified the green in my eyes. Mom had told me that a million times. Mom. Abria. How quiet the house was. Usually, Abria’s running, giggling or screeching leaked underneath my bedroom door. Water streaming through pipes hummed in the background. Not this morning.
I opened the door and listened.
Nothing.
My pulse tapped through my veins. Where was everyone?
Abria’s bedroom was empty. Luke’s, empty. Mom and Dad’s, empty.
I skipped down the stairs, panic causing my knees to shake. Luke was at the kitchen table, spooning Cheerios cereal into his mouth.
“Hey,” I said, glancing around, half expecting Albert to be sitting on the countertop like a cookie jar.
“Hey.”
“Where is everybody?”
“Dad’s gone. Mom took Abria to the dentist or something.”
“Abria at the dentist? How are they going to manage that?”
Luke shrugged. “Laughing gas?” We both chuckled in unison. As if.
I crossed to the refrigerator and opened it. I hoped Mom and Dad had made up. I wouldn’t know until later, and a knot formed inside of me, lodging next to my heart. It would be there until I got home from school and saw for myself where my parents stood with each other. I shouldn’t worry about them like this. I should let them do whatever. But that thought fit like a sweater that was too small and more than that the idea was irresponsible. A few months ago I might not have gotten involved in my family’s issues. Now, I couldn’t ignore them.
Luke slurped the last of his milk down, rose and carried his empty bowl to the sink. “You gonna eat?” He let out a belch.
“Not hungry. Ready?”
He nodded. We grabbed our backpacks and headed out the front door to his car.
March didn’t warm the chilly air. A blinding sun rose up over the mountains behind our house, the white light beaming between towering evergreens and winter-naked aspens. The air was clean and bit through my lungs with each breath.
Neither Luke nor I spoke during the short drive to school. No matter how much I tried to distract myself with thoughts of budding spring, prom and the possibility of going with Weston, finals, graduation and anything else I could think about, my mind gravitated to the black forest. Me naked.
Running. From Albert.
“Heard from Krissy again?” I asked, half-joking but eager to get my mind on something other than the unpleasant dream.
“Yeah.”
“She asked me if you have a girlfriend.”
His cheeks flushed magenta.
“She wants someone to talk to, that’s all.” Luke’s tone was artificially calm, but I knew he was covering up. He pulled into the drag, the parking lot buzzing with student cars searching for empty slots.
He parked and we got out. His stride up the drag was uncharacteristically faster than mine and he kept a three-foot lead without as much as a backward glance in my direction.
I wouldn’t push the Krissy issue. The subject was delicate.
I was curious to see where Luke was going—to class, or to meet up with Krissy somewhere. There was no harm in his being her friend. I just didn’t want her to hurt him. And she definitely did not need an introduction to drugs.
Luke’s blonde mass of hair melded into the crowd
I slapped the phone shut, got out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. My chest hurt briefly. Any lingering aches and pains I’d carried from the accident weeks ago had mostly vanished, thankfully. But some mornings I woke stiffer than usual, reminded of the accident by phantom pain.
After a shower, I threw on some blush, mascara and tied my dark hair in a knot at the back of my head. I pulled on some jeans and a purple hoodie, tossed a look out my window at grey skies, and chose my fur-lined black boots.
Standing in front of the mirror, I surveyed myself. Did Weston like me in purple? I thought the color magnified the green in my eyes. Mom had told me that a million times. Mom. Abria. How quiet the house was. Usually, Abria’s running, giggling or screeching leaked underneath my bedroom door. Water streaming through pipes hummed in the background. Not this morning.
I opened the door and listened.
Nothing.
My pulse tapped through my veins. Where was everyone?
Abria’s bedroom was empty. Luke’s, empty. Mom and Dad’s, empty.
I skipped down the stairs, panic causing my knees to shake. Luke was at the kitchen table, spooning Cheerios cereal into his mouth.
“Hey,” I said, glancing around, half expecting Albert to be sitting on the countertop like a cookie jar.
“Hey.”
“Where is everybody?”
“Dad’s gone. Mom took Abria to the dentist or something.”
“Abria at the dentist? How are they going to manage that?”
Luke shrugged. “Laughing gas?” We both chuckled in unison. As if.
I crossed to the refrigerator and opened it. I hoped Mom and Dad had made up. I wouldn’t know until later, and a knot formed inside of me, lodging next to my heart. It would be there until I got home from school and saw for myself where my parents stood with each other. I shouldn’t worry about them like this. I should let them do whatever. But that thought fit like a sweater that was too small and more than that the idea was irresponsible. A few months ago I might not have gotten involved in my family’s issues. Now, I couldn’t ignore them.
Luke slurped the last of his milk down, rose and carried his empty bowl to the sink. “You gonna eat?” He let out a belch.
“Not hungry. Ready?”
He nodded. We grabbed our backpacks and headed out the front door to his car.
March didn’t warm the chilly air. A blinding sun rose up over the mountains behind our house, the white light beaming between towering evergreens and winter-naked aspens. The air was clean and bit through my lungs with each breath.
Neither Luke nor I spoke during the short drive to school. No matter how much I tried to distract myself with thoughts of budding spring, prom and the possibility of going with Weston, finals, graduation and anything else I could think about, my mind gravitated to the black forest. Me naked.
Running. From Albert.
“Heard from Krissy again?” I asked, half-joking but eager to get my mind on something other than the unpleasant dream.
“Yeah.”
“She asked me if you have a girlfriend.”
His cheeks flushed magenta.
“She wants someone to talk to, that’s all.” Luke’s tone was artificially calm, but I knew he was covering up. He pulled into the drag, the parking lot buzzing with student cars searching for empty slots.
He parked and we got out. His stride up the drag was uncharacteristically faster than mine and he kept a three-foot lead without as much as a backward glance in my direction.
I wouldn’t push the Krissy issue. The subject was delicate.
I was curious to see where Luke was going—to class, or to meet up with Krissy somewhere. There was no harm in his being her friend. I just didn’t want her to hurt him. And she definitely did not need an introduction to drugs.
Luke’s blonde mass of hair melded into the crowd
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