Pretences (Watty Awards 2012)

Pretences - Chapter One

    The final bell rang, indicating the end of the school day. Dallas Wright, along with every other student in his classroom, shot up from his seat and made his way out into the hallway. It was Friday, Dallas' favorite day of the week. Not because the weekend followed, but because later that night he would be doing what he did best. It had been a long week, and he was itching to let out some steam on the football field. Dallas had just reached his locker when he was attacked. Or at least that is what it felt like to him.

    "Dallas!" His name was dragged out far too long for it to be anyone but Kimberly Jackson calling out to him. Dallas plastered a smile on his face and turned to look at the stereotypically overly-perky, blonde cheerleader.

    "Hey, Kimberly. What's up?"

    "Are you pumped for the game tonight? I know I am. You're going to play so awesome tonight, I can just feel it. Of course, you always play awesome..." Dallas just smiled and nodded as he listened to Kimberly's endless chatter. He had been hoping to avoid this, but found it was nearly impossible. Every Friday after school Kimberly came to talk to Dallas about the game that he would be playing that night. She was a nice girl, but talked way too much for his liking. Raised to be polite, though, Dallas just let her talk away until she finally came to end of her monologue.

    "Well thanks, Kimberly. I hope I play as good as you think I will. I'm going to head home now. I'll see you tonight." He was rewarded with her bright smile and wave goodbye. He shoved his books in his bag, shut his locker, and headed to the exit. Crossing the parking lot he located his old pick up truck and started it up. Heading home, Dallas was suddenly glad it was the weekend. Weekends were always peaceful and quiet for him. It had been just him and his mom for as long as he could remember. They were close and enjoyed each other's company. He was looking forward to spending time with her.

    As he pulled into his driveway he spotted a moving van parked at the house next door. Getting out of his truck and heading up the steps to his front door he looked over to get a better look. Parked behind the moving van was an expensive looking SUV and a small white car. He saw movement by the car and didn't want to appear too nosey, so he went on into the house. He made his way to the kitchen where he knew his mother would be. Sure enough, she standing at the sink looking out the window at the house next door.

    "So we have new neighbors?" Dallas asked. Eleanor Wright turned to her son with a welcoming smile.

    "It looks that way doesn't it?"

    Dallas laid his bag on the island in the center of the kitchen and walked over to the fridge. "I wonder who they are." He mused out loud as he pilfered around, looking for something to drink. His mother had already turned back towards the window and was gazing at the house next door once again.

    "Bag off the island please." Eleanor began to run water into the sink to begin washing some dishes. "There are two kids about your age. A boy and a girl. It'll be nice to have some younger faces around this neighborhood. Not that I don't love our neighbors. But some faces without wrinkles will make for a nice a change." Dallas could hear the smile in her voice. He also knew she was probably already imagining him to become best friends with the boy and possibly dating the girl. He shook his head with a grin on his face and grabbed his bag. He decided to head up to his room and so left the kitchen and walked through the living room. Dallas took the stairs two at a time and reached his bedroom in a matter of seconds. Dropping his bag on the floor by the door, he plopped down onto his bed. It felt good to lay there and relax. Reaching over to the night stand beside his bed Dallas felt around until he found his mp3 player and pulled it in his direction. Placing the small headphones into his ears, he turned on the player and skimmed through the song list until he found what he was looking for. Closing his eyes he let the heavy strumming of the electric guitars lull him into a trance. He was getting into game mode and ready for the night. Thoughts of anything else all but faded away.

    The game that night was one of the best Dallas had played. They had won, of course, and Dallas couldn't have been in a better mood. As was custom, all the fans and cheerleaders were down on the field congratulating the players. The opposing team had been a rival of theirs and gave them a good game. It had been a close one, but Dallas and his team pulled off the win. Dallas looked around and caught eyes with his fellow teammate and best friend, Slate Rawling. They grinned hugely at each other. These were the moments they lived for. Dallas didn't try to make his way over to his friend; he knew he would be seeing him later that night. Instead, Dallas made his way through the crowd and into the locker to change and shower. After cleaning up, he headed out to the parking lot and managed to get to his truck with a minimal amount of people stopping him to talk about the game.

    The drive home was an uneventful one. He looked over to the house next door and wondered again about his new neighbors. He entered his house and went to the kitchen to sit and wait on his mom. Two minutes later Eleanor entered the kitchen.

    "Great job tonight, honey." She said as she kissed the top of his head and ruffled his light brown hair.

    "Thanks mom." Dallas grinned as he attempted to straighten up the mess his mom made of his hair.

    A few seconds later they heard the doorbell ring followed by the sound of the door opening and closing. A moment later Slate appeared in the kitchen with his signature lazy smile on his face. Eleanor and Slate exchanged greetings and they all talked a moment about the game before Dallas and Slate decided to head out.

    "Be careful you guys. And be smart." This was his mom's standard line whenever him and Slate went out.

    "We will, mom." Dallas replied. And with that, they headed out to their vehicles. As they reached their trucks Dallas looked up to see a girl standing on the front porch of the house next door smoking a cigarette. She was small both in size and height. The porch light was bright enough that he could see she was fair complected and had dark, almond shaped eyes. What stood out to him the most, though, was her hair. Pin straight and hanging down her back reaching her waist, it was the deepest shade of red he had ever seen. He highly doubted any bottle could imitate that color. Dallas was not a fan of red hair, but he could not help but be mesmerized. Looking over at Slate he could tell his friend was in the same boat. Slate looked back at Dallas and they knew they were both thinking the same thing. The jumped in their trucks and headed down the street. They knew what the topic of their next conversation was going to be.

    Olivia Grey knew when the boys had spotted her. The voices in their heads were loud and clear. Taking a drag out of her cigarette Olivia looked out onto the street the boys had just drove down. She was used to reactions like theirs. Ignoring people had become an art she had perfected. She heard the door open and close behind her. A moment later her brother Rylan was standing beside her. They stood in silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts.

    "So what do you think?"

    Olivia looked up at her younger brother for a second before returning her gaze to the street. She thought for moment about his question.

    "It's alright, I guess. It's not home. But it will do." She paused. "Mom seems to like it."

    Rylan only nodded his head in agreement and they stood in silence once again. Olivia tried not to think about the events that had lead her mother to decide to move here. They weren't joyful memories. Olivia hadn't wanted to move, but she knew it was for the best. The Agency had also agreed that it was a smart idea. They claimed it was therapeutic to make a fresh start, but Olivia had a feeling they just needed someone in the area. It would only be a matter of time before her mother or herself were contacted. She took a final drag of her cigarette and flicked the stub out onto the front lawn. She and Rylan turned at the same time and headed back into their new home. It was going to be a long night for the both of them.

A/N: Hey guys, I'm entering this into the Watty Awards so if you like my story I'd really appreciate it if you would comment/vote :) Thanks so much. I love hearing feedback so let me know what you think!