Authors: Chelsea Ballinger
She slowly grins at me. “Hey,
Edward.” The name I hate, but in this moment, I couldn’t ask for a better
greeting.
“Hey, ugly.”
She walks fast towards me and
wraps her arms around my neck. I embrace her back as she lays her head on my
shoulder. The last time we hugged like this was when we last saw each other.
“I’ve really missed you,
jackass.” I chuckle at her name calling at this sentimental moment.
“I’ve really missed you too, butt
face” I use to call her that when we were little.
“I never thought I’d look forward
to the day you call me that. She laughs. “Just this once, you get a pass.”
She lets go of me and examines me
as I do the same to her.
“You look different.” She says to
me.
“You do too.”
“Well it has been a year.” We
both turn around to see my mother. “A lot can change in a year.”
The closer I get to her the more
my heart beats faster. I wrap my arms around her and pull her into a hug.
I’ve missed her hugs. Her hugs
are…well they’re what a mother’s hug should be like, warm, gentle, and strong. It’s
the first true comfort I’ve had in a year.
“My baby boy,” She cries, rubbing
the back of my head. “God, I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, mom.”
Our hug lasts for about a minute.
She finally let’s go and cuffs my face in her hands gazing at me with her
beautiful green eyes. The same eyes as my brother.
She gives me a sweet smile. “You’ve
grown up.”
“I’m eighteen”
“I know” She softly brushes the
top of my hair back repeatedly, still gazing at me. “I know”.
“Where’s dad?”
“He’s in his office with Benny.
Why don’t you go say hi to him and then we’ll eat. Millie and I made your
favorites.” I look forward to eating. I’ve missed their cooking.
I leave mom and Ella in the
living room and walk across the foyer towards my father’s office. I knock twice
on the door.
“Come in” I hear my father say.
I walk in to see Benny sitting in
one of the chairs and my dad standing in the corner staring out the window. He
turns around and sees me. He looks nervous. Benny, in his leather jacket, gets
up and walks toward me. I missed him and his leather jacket.
“Hey kid.” Benny hugs me.
“Hey, Benny”
“It’s good to have you back” He
looks back at my father. “I’m going to leave you two alone.”
Benny leaves while my father
remains still staring at me. I can’t really tell what he’s thinking right now.
I don’t even know what to do. We’ve never been huggers or talkative with each
other. So yeah, I don’t know what to do.
Well it looks like I don’t have
to think too hard about it because my dad is walking up to me right now. He
cuffs my face into his hands and I think his eyes are watering up. I can’t
observe too long because now he’s pulling me into a hug. This is weird. I wrap
my arms around him in a very awkward way. I’m not trying to be an ass here, but
it’s just unfamiliar. This type of affection from my father is new.
“It’s good to have you home, son”
He says.
“Thanks, dad”
I don’t really know how to feel
right now. I don’t know what to think. I just know that it doesn’t really feel
like home here. Even though I have my family back, nothing is the same.
Claudia
“Julia?” I’m staring at my step
mother who just so happens to be enjoying her fifth full glass of vodka and
tonic.
Julia’s been drinking a lot. I
can tell being a housewife to a man like my father is closing in on her. All
she does is sit in here and drink. When she thinks I’m not looking, she adds
vodka in her orange juice during breakfast. I think some of this behavior is
due to my father and his late night activities. Yeah, sure my father is busy
trying to get the bad guys, but sometimes he disappears for no reason on the
weekends and late at night. Obviously Julia gets lonely and feels neglected. Her
excessive drinking has been going on since my father lost his case against
Pierce. Ever since then my father has been completely dedicated to his work. But
does that have to involve the weekends?
“Yes, Claudia?” She asks after
she takes a sip of her drink.
“Are you okay?” Well of course
she isn’t. She is in an unhappy marriage with your father.
“Yes, of course.” Liar.
I walk into her room and lean
against the dark, burgundy bed post, on their King sized bed.
“I just wanted to know because
you’ve been really quiet lately and….”
“Drinking a lot?” I pause at
Julia’s not so subtle question, but more of a response.
“Um, well, maybe you have been
drinking a little bit.”
“No.” She glances down at her
drink in her hand. “No, Claudia, I have been drinking a lot.” Okay, I guess we’re
not sugarcoating today. “Claudia, I know you’re not blind. You know your father
and I are having some difficulties.”
“Yeah, I guess you can say that.
I just want you to know dad loves you.” I don’t even know if I believe that.
Julia walks toward me and places
her hand on my cheek and smiles.
“Oh, sweetie, never change that
about you.”
“Change what?” I ask her with a
confused expression on my face.
“Your ability to hope.” What?
What does she mean by that?
Well I guess I know. I hope about
a lot of stuff, but everyday seeing the people around me causes me to lose that
ability. I’m scared that one day I’m going to end up feeling the same way my
father and Julia feel. I fear that I’m going to end up conforming to the lives
of all the people around me, which is a life of being lonely and unhappy. Then
again, I think I began conforming the day I started dating Eric. I settled.
Julia releases my chin and walks
to the window, staring at it blankly. Sensing that this conversation is going
nowhere, it’s time for me to leave.
“I’m going to bed.” I say to her.
“Okay, sweetie.” She says still
looking out the window like a depressed zombie.
I’m so tired of all this. I just
want to get away. I just want to get away from it all.
Donovan
I’m unpacking my duffel bag. I
got the same stuff I left with. Four pairs of jeans and a whole bunch of
shirts. My room is still the same. There are still unpacked boxes. Christian’s
room is down the hall. I wonder if they changed anything.
I walk towards my brother’s room.
The door is closed shut so I turn the door knob and slowly push it open. It’s
still the exact same. There are empty boxes in the corner next to his desk from
the unpacking and a few shirts on his bed. I remember him rummaging through
those shirts, trying to figure out what he was wearing to the party that night.
I eye a few pictures scattered on
his dresser. I walk and pick up the first one I see. It’s a picture of him, me,
and dad. Christian looks like he’s eight and I look seven or six. We look
happy. I’m on top of dad’s shoulders while he’s smiling with Christian in a
head lock. We would always wrestle with dad. I miss that. It’s when we still
had innocence. Before we knew what would come. I really miss Christian. I miss
him so much.
“Mom and dad couldn’t bring
themselves to change anything in here.” I turn to see Ella at the doorway. “You
ready for school tomorrow?”
“No. Not really.” Not at all. I’m
not ready to be stared at yet. To be known as the son of Roman Pierce, the son
that’s still alive.
“Yeah, you’re going to love it there.”
Ella says sarcastically.
“I’m guessing you’re not so
popular amongst the Eastbrook elite.”
“No, I am popular.” She says in
her conceited way with a smirk on her face. “I’m just mostly surrounded by
fakes.”
“The usual, huh?”
“Yep, but now that you’re here, it will
get better.” She pauses, staring at the picture in my hand. She starts
glancing at the others. “You know it was real hard when you left.”
“I
know. I’m sorry about that.”
“No, it’s okay. I understood why you
left.” She looks at me. “I just kind of wish I could’ve gone too.”
Of course Ella feels that way.
She lost her brother too. It was sad and awkward around here after that night
and she didn’t have anyone to go to. In a letter she wrote me, she expressed
how the first two months consisted of my mother crying constantly and my father
drinking heavily. I’m still shocked they survived through it all. Ella told me
how all they did was fight. She said it carried on until one day in the
beginning of the year it just stopped. She came home and our parents were all
over each other. I’m happy that my parents got through it. Regardless I’m Ella’s
big brother. I should have been here for her.
“Well, I’m going to bed. I’ll see
you in the morning.” She says, walking away.
“Ella” She turns around towards
me. “I really did miss you.”
She smiles. “Me too.”
Tomorrow is the start of a whole
new life again. New people judging me without knowing me, and wait….. the girl.
She goes to Eastbrook! She told me that. What if she’s still there? What if I
get a second chance tomorrow?
Claudia
Great.
Another semester at this school,
but it’s my last one so that is definitely something to look forward to.
I already see Jade with everyone
else we hang out with on the school steps. I grab my bag and get out of my Range
Rover. I start walking over to them when I see a face I do not want to see
right now.
Shit. Eric just walked over
there with Dean. Okay, maybe if I walk past them fast enough, he won’t notice
me. Please don’t notice me. Please don’t notice me.
“Claudia!” Great, he noticed me.
I turn around to see my brown
hair and hazel eyed ex staring at me with his sad puppy dog face. I hate that
face. He always uses it when he is being a dick. His eyes are still dreamy
though. Jade is behind him, giving him the green eyed monster stare. I love
her. She always has my back.
He walks toward me in his North
face winter coat, khaki pants, and brown boots. I think I got him those boots
for his birthday?
“Can we talk?” He asks.
“Eric, I really have to get to my
first period class.”
“It’s the first day of the new
semester.” He says as he moves closer towards me. “Besides, I really think we
should talk, Claud.”
“Look, I have some things to do
so maybe later.” I hurry off, before he continues to bother me.
That was close. I swear I can
feel his eyes on me as I’m walking away.
“Hey.” I stop once I hear Jade.
She runs up beside me. “So, what did he say?”
“Nothing,
he wants to talk.”
“Really? Basically he wants to waste
your time trying to make excuses for himself.”
“Yeah,
I’m just gonna head to first period now”
“Wait.” She grabs my arm so I can
stop speed walking. “Don’t you want to see him?”
“See who?”
“Roman Pierce’s other son?” I almost
forgot another Pierce was coming to make my life a living hell.
“No way.” I snap. “I’ll see you
after class”
No way. I don’t have time to waste on
the Pierce family. All I want to do is go to first period. My teacher is Mr.
Dugan. He’s a drunk. A smart drunk. I already know he’s going to come in with
his coffee mug that has more than coffee in it, and give us a pop quiz. No
matter what, he always has a pop quiz on Mondays. Therefore, I’m going to get a
seat in the back of the room and lay my head down so I can mentally prepare
myself.
Donovan
Already they’re staring at me. I
haven’t even gotten out the car yet.
My morning has been fine so far.
My mother surprised me with the keys to Christian’s car. She said dad and the
guys fixed it up while I was gone. It was kind of therapy for my father. I was
hesitant to accept at first, but then my mom said Christian would have wanted
me to have it. So, I figure I might as well look after his prize possession.
Once I entered the mustang all the memories came back. I was hesitant to turn
on the ignition until Ella placed her hand on mine turning it for me. It’s
funny. I use to be so annoyed by Ella, thinking she was my stupid and
superficial little sister. Hey, maybe she was, but ever since Christian died,
she’s changed … we all changed.
Now it sucks because of all these
people. Well, Donovan, you might as well get out the car now. I step out and
throw on my black winter coat. I grab my book bag, and begin looking around.