Breath of Fresh Air #1 [Complete]

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight -

Before we parted ways at the coffee shop, the other day, Penny gave me more sound advice. According to her, the only way to get close to Brooke, to convince her that I was incredibly sorry about the past, was to convince Tameka. Tameka Mitchel had been Brooke's best friend since they met freshman year a couple months before the prank. Despite how eccentric Tameka could be sometimes, she was fiercely protective of Brooke. Penny used Justin as example. Apparently when Tameka found out, not from Brooke of course, but rumors around school, Justin had the case of blue balls for at least a week. Plus, she broke her thumb breaking his nose when they bumped into each other outside of school, when she happened to be with Brooke.

The only problem was the same as Brooke, Tameka held me responsible, same as Brooke, for the prank. Though, according to Penny, Tameka wasn't as stubborn as Brooke. Plus Tameka being an only child meant that I had to find a way to get to her between her parents. I sit at the kitchen table, flicking the ashes off as mom comes from the bathroom. Her feet are sliding over the tile floor and I wince, a bit disgusted, with her darkening feet.

When was the last time she took a bath?

"Are you sure you ain't up to something?" mom suddenly asks as she enters the kitchen instead of the living room. I watch as she moves toward the cabinets.

"What?" I ask her, trying to understand what she means. She's the one that asked not to know what I was in town for. Mom isn't stupid, I think she knows I'm running from something. She knew when I left that I was running from something here, that I needed to find myself.

"I've been getting calls. Hang ups actually. It's just unusual. Should I expect someone to show up at the house?" She lifts an eyebrow when I look at her. It takes everything in me now to gulp at the sight of her expression. The hang up calls are unusual for the area, certainly when they just started up as I got into town. It's been almost a week that I've been in town. I would suspect that at least the courts and bail bondsman know that I've skipped bail. My employers know I've skipped down ignoring their message on the wall.

"Not that I know of." If the cops start showing up at the house, I'll have to leave. If the cops can catch me, that means my employers can. The hang ups can only mean one thing, however. They're looking for me and when I don't answer the phone, they immediately hang up. I recognize that tactic with Julio, a middle man I happened to work with for a short time. Suddenly I stand to my feet as the phone rings, echoing through the house. Mom answers before I can make it, closer than I am to the phone. She's barely on there two seconds before handing over the phone.

"Don't say anything," The voice is feminine, I know it's not Clyde or Nate, but not Alisha either. "My mother is in the garden, who knows for how long, but my father is out of this. If you're serious about talking, come now." When I called Clyde two days ago, told him about my plans with Tameka, he still didn't give me her number. Instead, it has taken two days for her to decide to want to talk.

"I'm on my way." I hang up the phone and mom rolls her eyes.

"Guess you're going to be leaving again. Get some food while you're out." Mom suddenly reaches up for the top of the fridge pulling out the empty coffee can. I watch as she pulls out a wad of crinkled bills before turning to me. Picking up my hand, she slaps the money in my hand. "Try not to get lost on the way to the store." Her lips curve into a tiny smirk before she grabs her glass of water heading into the living room. I still can't believe she remembers that. I shake my head, grab my pack of smokes and lighter from the table, along with my keys before heading out.

I stare up at the house before I leave trying to commit everything to memory. I leave a few seconds later as pop music drifts in from the radio. Immediately, I change the station stopping when an old classic rock song, comes on. My lips lift up as I head out of the driveway toward the Mitchel house.