That October Night

Chapter 4

Thanks to everyone that encouraged me to continue writing this book‼️ Also thanks to Written_Voices34 for her amazing idea. Here goes chapter 4. Enjoy, vote, comment, and share.

                  MY KEYS LINGERED in the keyhole as my hand rested on the doorknob and I stood there and contemplated whether I should order pizza or takeout. My stomach roared, not giving my brains enough time to evaluate the serious situation at hand.

Being hungry sucked.

Pizza? Takeout?

Takeout? Pizza?

Maybe both?

Before I even got a chance to open the door someone else opened it, almost causing me to fall.

"Dad!" I squirmed my hand over my chest.

"Sorry, Pumpkin. I was just going over to thank our new neighbor. Coming?"

"Sure but after I get something to eat. I'm starving!"

"Of course you are," he mumbled, and even as I dashed inside straight to the refrigerator, I knew he rolled his eyes.

Because mom couldn't cook we often shopped for microwaveable foods which mom assumed we got because they were rarely home for a proper dinner. The medical side of her always got the best of her, and she would lecture us about how it was unhealthy and destroyed our bodies.

To this day, I'm still wondering how my mother couldn't cook because my late grandmother was a chef. She taught me a few things or two around the kitchen, so I'm sure she taught my mother something.

"Dad, when are we gonna tell mom the truth? I'm craving some decent home-cooked food," I questioned, taking a carton of strawberries and a sunny D.

"Someday, Pumpkin." He scratched his hair. "I just don't know when."

I took a long gulp from my Sunny D. "Why are you home so early?"

Dad glanced around, tapping his nose in concentration. "Ahhhh! Apparently, I forgot something," and with that being said he walked over to the coffee table to get his phone. He then walked to me taking a handful of strawberries, causing one to drop. I reached over for it, about to eat it but he stopped me.

"But I was gonna say God bless the germs and the devil eat the worms!"

Dad rolled his eyes, handing his hand out so that I could give him the strawberry. "Your mom won't allow it."

"But she'll never know if you don't tell her."

"The same thing applies for her cooking now let's go," Dad laughed, rinsing the strawberry and eating it. Shaking my head, I followed him across the street.

The only thing that captured my attention in the house was a wall filled with pictures, but there was one picture that stood out from the rest. It was a toothy boy sitting on a marine officer's lap.

"That's our father," a pair of twins informed me in unison, shocking the shit outta me. Looking at them was like looking at one's reflection in the mirror minus their choice of clothing.

"I'm Paris," the one with the basketball jersey told me, nodding at me. Paris slightly kicked the air with her sneakers that were barely holding together by a thread.

"I'm London, the oldest." London wore a turquoise summer dress with black wedges.

"Oh my gosh by ten minutes. What do you want for that? A cookie?" Paris yawned to which she received a wink from her sister.

"Did any of you twerps see my cleats. I've got practice tomorrow." The guy who said that had a toothbrush in one hand and toothpaste in the other, and then stopped when he noticed me. He was shirtless with a towel over his shoulders. "Hey, there stranger."

"The names Ray," I mumbled, jugging down my Sunny D.

He twisted his head to give me an odd look and then pushed the toothbrush in his mouth, blowing out a puff of air. "Weird. I'm Malachi." Without another word, he walked away.

And he had the audacity to call me weird?

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, placing my empty sunny D bottle back in my pocket.

Ray entered the house dripping in sweat and bareback. He greeted my father, apologized for interrupting, and excused himself. As he ran upstairs he flashed a smile and winked at me. I pretended to shove my finger in my throat and gagged at him. By the time I brought my attention to the twins, they were already staring at me with identical smirks.

"Ray huh?"

"Short for Rayya," I shrugged plopping another strawberry in my mouth. "Why are you guys staring at me like that?"

"Oh nothing at all," they said in unison which honestly kept freaking me out.

"Come by whenever you feel like. Consider this your second home--well if it's okay with your parents," their mother Romona told me while we were leaving.

"We're neighbors now! Of course," dad smiled, "Thanks again."

Thirty-five minutes later I was home alone and shoving pizza down my throat. The quietness got me thinking about what if and had me remembering a devastating moment in my life that I desperately wanted to forget. So I played some music loud enough to drown the voice in my head until I got a phone call. Good thing my phone was nearby.

"When are you coming?" I questioned again for the fifth time, fiddling with my big toe.

"Soon Tweety," Chris sighed.

"How soon cause the first time you said that you arrived two months later."

"It was summertime, so it wasn't much of a big deal. So....what's our new playhouse like?" he asked. Chris started calling the houses we go to playhouse when he realized that we didn't stay anywhere for more than two years.

I picked myself off from the ground, opening the window to look at the beach. Nature seemed happy to see me as a soft, sea salt wind waved me hello.

"Miami in a beach house overlooking the waters. The neighbors seem pretty cool."

The mention of the beach had my brother squeaking with glee. I've never seen someone so addicted to the sea waters as him. "That's what I like."

"Says the boy who can't even swim. Remember that time you almost drown?"

"Tweets, I pulled a muscle, and besides, that was four years ago. I've come either first or second in my two years in that swim club thingy. Don't you remember?"

Oh, I remembered alright. More than I was supposed to. That's why I tried to overshadow that October night with happy memories.

Since that night everything has completely changed.

Today makes it three months.

Friends are the ones you should fear nowadays. The ones you love are the ones to hurt you the most. The ones you trust is the one who ends up betraying you.

Guess things aren't always what they seem after all.