Grunge

o n e

Writers block. He always has writers block. He makes beautiful music out of frustration and anger. Claims he's been loved, yet I've known not a soul who was willing to love him for his hateful words and rushed ways, except me...
-
"Elaine." I was snapped out of my fantasy to see Mrs.Roberts looking down at my page. I wrote down every thought I'd had on the piece of paper that was meant to be a math assignment. I took a clean sheet of paper from my small white binder and began the assignment all over.

After class I was handed a detention slip, which meant I was walking home, in the rain. So, after the tortuous thirty-five minutes of setting with kids who looked liked they belonged on the wanted section of every news website there was in this sad place we liked to call Fredrickson, named after the man who found this great town Kenny Wright Fredrickson, I walked.

I walked until I reached the convenient store, Lenny's, to grab a soda before I walked all the way home. I was glad I'd put on my thick green wind breaker over my egg shell sweater as I opened the freezer door to take hold of my favorite drink, Dr. Pepper. I turned and went to check out. I looked down at my brown boots as a girl with pink hair asked "That it for ya?" Whilst obnoxiously chewing mint gum. I nodded and took the pop with a small nod of thanks and stepped outside.

The cold chilled me to the bone, I'd never felt so cold. It was like taking a dip in the deepest, darkest park of the ocean, it was suffocating. I pulled the hood over my brown curls and walked in the direction of my house.

As I was walking I noticed a small white house, it had a broken window and it looked like no one lived there. Until four guys a little older then me, nineteen maybe even twenty, stepped out into the cold in dark clothes. I looked down hoping they wouldn't take notice to the awkward teen girl who was obviously an easy target to mess with.

They skulked past me like I wasn't even there, and I didn't have a problem with it. I kept going, only a few blocks from my house. Finally, I stepped up the steps to the old yellow house and unlocked the door.

"I'm home." I said quietly.

"Elaine." A weak voice called from the kitchen. My grandmother stood chopping onions, with her greying brown curls pulled into a high pony tail even then her curls reached the small of her back. She turned with a slight smile on her face showing the trace of laugh lines left from years of being happy, you didn't normally see them anymore "How was your day?" I took and apple from the green bowl that sat in the middle of the kitchen table and plopped onto the counter next to where she was standing.

"Pretty good. Detention sucked...and I need to figure out someone who might want to start sharing rides home." I said between bites, I sucked the juice that'd escaped from the sides of my mouth and licked my fingers as I threw the apple core away.

"You won't have to worry about that anymore." Gram said.

"What?" My eyebrows lifted softly in confusion.

"I found a cheap car, it's one of Henry's old cars, and since he has a soft spot for you he sold to me for four hundred bucks cash." She lifted a key "Go take a look, I parked it in the back."

Henry was the town mechanic, he'd once been married to gram, but only for a short period of time. They ended on good terms and Henry was a generally sweet person.
I kissed gram on the cheek and whispered "Thank you." excitedly.

I stepped outside and walked to the back, it was a blue 1979 Volkswagen Beetle. The car I had begged Henry for when I was younger. I squealed slightly and climbed inside. I started her up and pulled to the front, Henry had obviously fixed the car up for me because there was a iPod jack so I could listen to my music.

Gram stood out on the porch giggling, I leaned over an opened the door "Get in the car, woman! We're going to go see Henry." She stepped of the porch covering her smile with her hand as she closed the door I revved the engine "Come on! The more time you waste, the more she becomes impatient." Gram chuckled as I drove around, obviously trying to take the longest way possible to Henry's garage.

I pulled in and put a finger to my lips "Stay here. I'm going to surprise him." I whispered and opened the door.

I snuck quietly in through the back way, creeping into his office where he sat, probably doing paper work, I lurched forward with a small growl and touched his shoulders. He flung himself forward and turned with the death glare already set in his eyes.

"Elaine! I swear, girl, you wear me plum smooth out!" I just chuckled as he pulled me in for a tight hug "Is Hollie here?" Of course you wonder about Gram, I thought.

"Yep, sittin' in the new car she bought from a mighty fine gentlemen who decided to sell it for four hundred bucks cash!" I said smartly.

He smiled "Sounds like a keeper, that one."

I nodded "You betcha."

We stepped back outside where the rain had eased itself into a mist. Gram stood with her cellphone pressed to her face so close like she was having a conversation so important if anyone else heard it, the earth would shatter into a million pieces.

She sighed and slammed the phone shut "I need to get back home, Elaine."

"B-But, why?" I said like an ignorant child.

"Business meeting. I have to fly to New York, and stay there for two weeks." She said tiredly "Henry, since this is such short notice, do you mind checking in on her once or twice?"

"Yeah, no problem, Hollie." He said smoothly.

"You'll be alright? I have to fly out tonight so I need to get home and back quick so I can get to the airport by five-o-clock." She asked.

"Yeah, Gram, let's go." I gave Henry another hug and said 'thank you' in his ear and raced to my new car.

I took the fastest way back to the house and while I was driving Gram said "Play some music." I pressed the button for it to go to normal radio and the man on the radio practically sang:

"Hear 'Crazier With You' for the first time from a small band known as 'The Sutton'."

I looked at gram and shrugged slowly turning it up to listen. The song poured out the speakers with a soft melody at first, then the lead singer started to sing, it was haunting how he worked with his music, hitting every note perfectly place to make the song memorable in every way.

We pulled into the drive way, and I slowly climbed out not wanting to leave my knew car. Gram hurried inside tossing things around loudly and quickly packed living the door with a small 'good bye' and an even smaller 'I love you.'

She's been this way since my mother left, she's never shown much emotion and is very quiet. Sure she's here and she loves me, but I know every time she sees me she sees my mother as well. I mean who can blame her for not wanting to look at me? Even I know it has to be hard looking at a linky version of her runaway daughter.

I climbed into bed and closed my eyes, thinking about the song.