nowhere (2 page)

“I was already planning to go down to the school on Monday,” said Mom. “I want to register the girls and start setting up my classroom. I have so much to prepare. I can’t believe it’s almost August.” She shook her head.

“What I can’t believe is that you’re actually going to be teaching again after all this time,” Pop-Pop muttered. “Hell, after all the money I spent on your education, it’s about time I saw a return on some of the investment I made in you. You know it was a lot of money for us, Sarah. We worked hard to put you and your sister through college. How much have you ever really worked? What’s the ratio? Six years of college and only three years of work.”

“That’s not entirely correct,” Mom argued. “As you know, I’ve been substituting off and on for the past eleven years. I’m excited about having a classroom of my own again.”

“Well, ready or not, September’s right around the corner. I sure hope you’re up to it, that’s all.” Pop-Pop frowned at Tyler and Austin; they shifted uncomfortably. Tyler stopped the swing from rocking with his foot. “Kids today have no respect. They’re downright lazy, if you ask me.” Emma looked completely bored with this conversation. I doubted she was even listening; she was too busy admiring her latest coat of fingernail polish.

“My boys aren’t lazy,” Aunt Carol quickly responded, placing emphasis on the word
my
. “Why, they’ve had football practice all week. And everyone knows the first week’s always the hardest. They have two practices a day from now until school starts. What do you call the practices again, Tyler?”

“Two-a-days, Mom. They’re called two-a-days. Get it? Two practices in one day.” 

“That’s right, how could I forget?” Aunt Carol slapped herself on the forehead. “Well, anyway, my boys are working hard. The coach is trying to weed out all the players that aren’t tough enough. You must remember what it’s like. You played football, Dad. Tyler’s following in your footsteps. He’ll be the next great quarterback of the family.” And our Austin is the only sophomore to make the team.”

“We’ll see,” Pop-Pop said noncommittally.

“What about you girls?” Aunt Carol asked. “What sports do you play?” 

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m a dancer.” Emma untucked her long legs, stretched them out in front of her, and pointed her toes in an exaggerated arch.

“Hey, you should try out for the cheerleading squad,” Tyler said. “My girlfriend’s the captain. I can put in a good word for you, if you want.”

“Really?” Emma’s eyes brightened.

“Sure.”

“I was on the dance team at my old school.” Emma’s enthusiasm dwindled, as if she suddenly realized where we were. “But I’m guessing a school as small as Railroad Mills High doesn’t participate in competitions.”

Tyler nodded with a sympathetic frown. 

“Being on the cheerleading squad would be the next best thing, I guess,” Emma said. “I’d love to try out. I’ve been taking dance and gymnastics my whole life. If I make the squad, then I’d have instant girlfriends.” She beamed.

Tyler pulled out his cell phone. “Okay, I’ll call Liz now and find out when tryouts are.”  He bounded off the porch, the phone already up to his ear. 

Having one problem solved, my aunt turned her attention on me. “Well, Mike, what about you? Do you play any sports?”

“No, I’m not the athletic type,” I answered proudly. “I prefer charcoal pencils and sketchpads to back flips and pom-poms.”

“Oh, honey, that’s okay.” Carol patted my knee. “If sports aren’t your thing, maybe there’s a club you could join.” She tapped her lips with her index finger. “Let me think…what about yearbook? You’re artistic…maybe you could take pictures or help with the layouts and design?”

“I don’t think so.” The mere mention of yearbook was a painful reminder of the coveted position I was forced to give up. I wasn’t ready to throw myself into a project like that here. It would feel like a betrayal, like going out and getting a new dog the minute your old one died. “I don’t think I’ll have time to join the yearbook staff. Or any other club for that matter. I’m going to be way too busy sketching and painting landscapes, starting with the cornfield across the street.” 

Tyler climbed the porch steps. “Hey, that reminds me, I want to introduce you to some of my friends tonight.” He directed his comment toward both Emma and me. “We’re meeting up with a few of the guys from the football team. The cheerleaders will be there too. I’ve told everybody all about you two, and they all can’t wait to meet you.” He glanced at Emma. “You’ll be able to talk to my girlfriend, Liz, about tryouts. So, what do you say?”

“It’s going to be legit,” Austin agreed.

“I’ll go,” Emma quickly agreed. Her answer didn’t surprise me because she never turned down an opportunity to be the center of attention.

“Mike?” asked Tyler “You in?”

Ugh. The last thing I wanted to do was hang out with Tyler and his redneck buddies. I needed to call Paige, and tell her all about Nowhere. I made a quick excuse, “I don’t think so. I’m too tired from the car ride. I’m going to turn in early tonight.” To prove my point, I rolled my head from side to side, trying to alleviate the stiffness in my neck.

Emma laughed. “Nice try, Mike, but you can’t be that tired. You slept through the entire car ride today. It’s our first Saturday night here,” she pled. “You’re an even bigger loser than I thought if you don’t come out with us.”

The swing swayed beneath me. Tyler rumbled, as if he were holding back laughter.

I sent Emma a murderous look. “Believe me, I’m still tired. Riding in a car for three weeks and stopping at every national landmark from California to New York is exhausting. We saw everything from Old Faithful, Mt Rushmore, the Mall of America, to the Henry Ford Museum,” I grouched.

“Come on, Mike. Don’t be like that. You don’t want Emma to have all the fun while you stay here with your mom and Pop-Pop, do you?” Tyler shifted his gaze to where those two leisurely sat.

Finding an opening in the conversation to further her cause, my mom added, “It’ll give you a chance to meet some of the kids from school. You might like it here, if you made a friend or two.”

“Tyler and Austin have some real nice friends, from respectable families. Your mom’s right. You can’t just dip your toe in the water, you’ve got to jump in with both feet. Go and meet the boys’ friends. You won’t be disappointed, I think it’s nice of them to gather all of their friends together just so you can meet them.” My Aunt Carol smiled warmly at her sons.

I wasn’t looking to make friends here. My plan was just to get through this year and then move on. Also I was skeptical about how great Tyler’s friends really were despite what my aunt thought. I remembered seeing a few of them from a distance at Meema’s funeral, and I hadn’t been impressed. At the time they were wrestling and shouting in the parking lot of the funeral home, oblivious to where they were, until my dad gave them a verbal lashing. I quickly looked around at our small circle before deciding what to do. Curiously Pop-Pop was the only one who didn’t try to convince me to go out with my cousins. In the end, I was too tired to argue any further but I still had a hard time forming the next words out that make out of my mouth and hoped I wouldn’t later regret them. “I’ll go, as long as we’re not going to be out too late. I really am beat after three weeks in the car.”

“Excellent.” Tyler exchanged looks with Austin, making me further question what I had just agreed to. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, don’t wear anything too fancy.” He glanced at what Emma and I were wearing. “This isn’t California. What you both have on is perfect.”

I was wearing cut-off denim shorts and my favorite purple Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt that my dad bought for me on a trip to Hong Kong. I smiled. “Perfect. I wasn’t planning on changing.” I had no intention of trying to impress anyone anyway.

Emma, on the other hand, pouted. She loved to show off by wearing trendy and expensive clothes. She asked with disbelief, “Really, Tyler, this is what people wear when they hang out?” She pointed to her sweat shorts and T-shirt from the dance camp she’d attended last summer. We had been riding in the car all day, so she had on her most comfortable clothes.

Tyler nodded. “Yup, it’s perfect.”

Aunt Carol stood to leave. “Well, I sure am glad you made it here safely.”

“Thanks,” Mom replied.

“Why don’t you all come over for dinner tonight? We’re going to barbecue, and then the kids can take off after we eat.” 

“That’s nice of you, Carol, but are you sure? You and Matthew have done enough for us already. We don’t want to impose on your dinner plans too.”

“Are you kidding? Of course, I’m sure.” She pointed into the house. “What exactly do you think you’ll find in there? Except for the refrigerator, I don’t think the kitchen gets much use.” 

“Hey now, I pour myself cereal and open a can of sardines from time to time,” Pop-Pop confessed.

“It’s settled then. Come over at six o’clock. In the meantime, get unpacked and rest up a bit.”

“Okay, thanks.”  Mom and Aunt Carol give each other another hug.

Dooner

My stomach growled as I pulled into the driveway after lifting weights. I’d gone straight to the gym to work on my legs after football practice. I was in the best shape of my life right now. I couldn’t wait for our opening game against the Spartans. I’d been working toward my senior year of football since playing Pop Warner. This season meant everything to me because the scouts would be watching to see if I was good enough for college ball. I was going to prove to them that I was. My whole future was riding on this season. It was my ticket out of town.

As soon as I opened the back door, the scent of homemade cookies assailed me. My mom must have been in a good mood today, because she only baked when she was happy. Sure enough, a hot tray sat on the counter, while she stood up to her elbows in cookie dough. I didn’t ask her what’s up because I didn’t want to jinx it. Around my house, good moods tended to come and go quicker than you could say, “Touchdown!” 

I grabbed a cookie and stuffed it in my mouth. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, Jimmy, how was football practice? You’re home later than I expected.”

“Practice was good. Since we only had one practice today, I went to the gym to lift.” I grabbed the milk out of the refrigerator and drank straight from the carton.

“James,” Mom scolded before handing me a cup. “Use a glass.” 

I filled it to the top, draining the gallon. I smirked as I held up the empty milk container.  “Looks like I didn’t need a glass after all.” 

She smiled and shook her head, laughing. When she was in high spirits, I could see a glimpse of the girl she must’ve been before marrying my dad. She’d been crowned homecoming queen when she was a senior in high school. I got melancholy when I thought about how different her life could have been. 

She noticed me looking at her oddly and a worried look came over her. “I hope you aren’t overdoing it. Today was your first day all week with only one practice and you go to the gym afterwards? Haven’t you worked out enough for one week? Your body needs rest, too.”

“Leave the boy alone, Martha.” My dad entered the kitchen, wearing jeans and a dirty white T-shirt. He looked like he was still on a bender from last night. “He needs to work hard if he wants to play pro ball. Hell, he’s the best football player this town’s ever had.”  He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer, twisted off the top, and drained half the bottle in a single swig. “He’s even better than I was back in the day. And look at the size of him. He’s already four inches taller than me, and he’s not done growing yet.”

“He could still get hurt.”

“Bullshit! He’s the toughest tight end I’ve ever seen. Not only can he catch the ball and run like hell, he can throw a mean block too.” 

Even though I hated how my parents talked as if I wasn’t in the room, I didn’t attempt to join in. I had learned it was better to remain quiet. Suddenly my dad belched loudly, signaling the conversation was over. Grabbing another beer, he walked out.

That was my cue to leave too. I grabbed another cookie on my way. “Mom, these cookies taste great.” I took a large bite and swallowed. “I’m going to shower and then head out. I gotta get gas for my truck. Do you need anything?”

“No. Go have fun with your friends.”

“Okay.” My response lacked enthusiasm. She, of all people, knew I didn’t have any real friends. I’d never had any of the guys from the team over to watch football, or simply hang out and talk about girls. I was more of a loner. I knew all the kids at school looked up to me because I was co-captain of the football team, and an A student. I used to get invited to parties all the time, but I rarely made an appearance, so eventually they stopped asking me. As soon as anyone tried to get close, I shut down.  I never bothered to explain my standoffish behavior. Instead, I let everyone think what they wanted to.

Less than thirty minutes later, I pulled into the only gas station in town to fill up my truck, Old Faithful. She was a red 1990 Chevy Silverado 1500 series, with two doors and a large bed for hauling shit around. For being rear-wheel drive she handled great, even in winter. I threw snow tires on her and added weight in the back to keep her balanced. I’d nicknamed her Old Faithful because she was dependable and never gave me any trouble. If only I could be so lucky to find a girl with those same qualities. 

I was filling her up when I heard giggling from a loud group of girls. Looking over my shoulder, I groaned inwardly. It was Liz, the overly flirty bleached-blonde captain of the cheerleading squad, and several of her friends. I tried to ignore them, but Liz never could take a hint.

She bounced her way over to me, shaking her full and curvy hips more than necessary. “Hi, Dooner.” Dooner was short for Muldoon, which was my last name, and was what everyone at school called me. Only my family called me by my given name. “I haven’t seen you around all summer.” Liz ran her red-tipped fingernails down my arm. I held back a shiver. “Where’ve you been hiding out? I’ve missed you.”

“Been busy.” I shrugged my shoulders noncommittally. Regrettably I hooked up with Liz last year after a football game. We’d won in overtime that night, and I was feeling pumped. She was there and had been more than willing to help me celebrate, practically throwing herself at me. I wished I could have a do over for that night, because ever since then she’d been trying to get my attention. The truth was, she wasn’t my type and that was never going to change. She was too loud and aggressive.