The Lightwalker in Maple Hills (Boyxboy)

Chapter 2

The high pitch Beep, Beep, Beep, of my alarm goes off, causing me to roll over, throwing my arm in the air, and letting gravity bring it down on the snooze button. I lie there, looking at the patterns in my popcorn ceiling, determining whether or not if I want to go to school or suddenly "catch a cold." If I go to school, I'll have to deal with Kobie Hartman, the wrestling champ at Maple Hills High School. He has been in wrestling since he was in 8th grade and has won three national championships, and is currently trying for his fourth this year. He is a giant, and his shoulders are nearly as wide as a doorway. But he isn't the only one. He has two little sheep who follow him, TJ Quintero, and Jimmy Grey, who are just as good as him at wrestling, and could easily kill me. Though, if I suddenly contract a cold, I will miss the text in History, which the teacher will not let me make up.

Just as I'm about to decide, my mother opens the door. "Josh, time to get ready," she says walking in and in front of my mirror where she adjusts her dangling earrings that match her blazer and slacks. Her eyes shift from her earrings to me, "Josh, get up you have a test today, and you and I both know you can't miss this test." She turns as she says this and walks up to the side of my bed and places her hand on my cheek. "Your eggs are getting cold, sweetie. Also, we need to hurry up, I have a meeting with my designers to see what we are going to do for the fall edition."

She turns around and walks out of the door with the taping of her high heels following her through the hallways and down the tiled stairs. I sigh, letting my head fall back down on my pillow before I throw my sheets off and sit up. I turn and get off the bed and instantly jump back on when my feet touch the cold tile.

"Shit," I say quietly before I take a deep breath and run to the rug next to my dresser, and pull out a pair of socks. I shake my head as I put them on, reminding myself that it is fall, and will only get colder as winter comes. I stand up, and pull out a pair of khaki pants, and a maroon jacket from my closet and put them on, before putting on my shoes and running out of my room and down stairs.

My mother stands at the island in the kitchen with a cup of coffee in one hand, and her phone in the other. I assume she is looking at pictures of the clothes that her designers made for her collection. She always loved fashion even when she was a little girl, or at least that is what she tells me. She always knew she was going to be a fashion designer and got an internship at Agadora, a large fashion industry. She went with it and years later became one of the top head designers there. My father, at the time, though it was sexy, and wanted every part of it. They met in middle school, and much like a lot of young hopeless romantics they dating, got married and had me in their early twenties. But everything changed when I was five.

My father was never really successful, nor was he the smartest. He was a quarterback in his school and my mother was the valedictorian. He was not smart and did not care for his studies, and the only reason he graduated was because he was the star quarterback that put their school back on the map. He was in and out of jobs, while my mother was rising in her position at Agadora and my father felt threatened. He did not like the thought of being a stay-at-home dad while a woman put money on the table and paid the bills, and thrashed out at my mother.

He was let go from his fourth job that year, and it started getting to him. He was drunk when my mother got home and they started fighting and yelling. He hit her, and that ended everything right there. They got divorced and my mother took me and we moved to Maple Hills.

I walk into the kitchen and towards the stove where a stainless steel pan holds two fried eggs and some hash browns. I grab a plate and scoop the food on, and walk to the island where I sit on a stool and start eating. My mother taps on the coffee cup, wearing a confused face as she scrolls through images on her phone.

Suddenly she turns to me. "Josh, which one is better? This white dress, or this rust colored dress?" She holds her phone up to me and I see two different dresses. A simple tight white dress with half sleeves, and a rust colored dress that is long and wavy with straps going across the midsection of the model. I look at them for a little bit.

"I think the rust colored dress would look better, especially since it's the fall collection right?"

She smirks and pulls back the phone, and taps on the screen before taking a long sip from her coffee cup. She turns to me. "You ready?"

-

The car ride is quiet as she drives me to school. I look out the window at the passing houses and trees. Yards that are half the size of our house. Ever since my mother has become a top designer she has become wealthy. Not the one percent, but not the middle class either.

I watch as brick houses pass, both one stories and two. The oak trees lining the roads with its orange leaves clinging on to every second before a gust of wind rips them off to litter the street. We come to a red light and I look at the house in front of me. It's a two story house with white window edges and bushes that line the border. A man stands outside, raking the dead leaves into a neat pile. A pile that will be temporary before his children run and jump in it, causing him to repeat his work. I watch as he rakes over and over and I start thinking about my father. I never really knew my father. All I know is he came from a decent family, much like my mother. But that is the only similarities between them. His father was a drunk, and his mother never cared about him. As for my mother, her parents were middle class and only wanted their daughter to succeed with anything she wanted to do. In fact my grandparents still want that from my mother, and are more than thrilled of where she has landed.

I start thinking about what my life would be like if my mother never left my father. If my father could keep a job for more than a few months at a time. If my father actually cared about his education and the family he will create. I start thinking about the family dinners, and the family vacations and all the fun things families do.

The light turns green and my mother continues down the road. "Oh, I just remembered, I am going to be late at the office, there is pasta in the fridge, is that okay?" My mother says suddenly, as she quickly looks at me then back to the road.

"Yeah, that's fine." I say. "Is it okay if my friends come over after school?"

She thinks for a second before she turns over to me, "Sure, just don't make a mess okay."

I smile and turn back out the window just as my mother pulls up to the large two story white buildings with walls of windows. Above the two sets of glass doors reads the grey sign: Maple Hills High School. Groups of students walk through the front doors as others are spread throughout the front.

My mother continues down the path and in the roundabout that circles a large fountain. A brush surrounds the edges of the fountain, with some flowers at the base. My mother drives behind a silver Cadillac and parks. She turns towards me smiling, and leans over and hugs me.
"Remember, pasta in the fridge, and don't make a mess with your friends."

I kiss her on the cheek, and walk out of the car. A cool breeze runs down my body as I grab my bag from the back of the car. I walk towards the doors as my mother honks, and drives away.