Died Trying

Chapter 5

Mercedes woke up early that morning, only a little past six, and ran on her father's treadmill. She pushed herself harder than usual until she was drenched in sweat. It was soothing, it was as if the sweat was her stress, and it was seeping out. Eventually, after half an hour, she stepped off the machine, and checked her phone.

She frowned when she realized there was nothing from Mandy. They didn't text much. They liked to think themselves above the other youth at their schools that were glued to their screens. Still, they would text when important things were happening. Mercedes shot her a message.

"Hey, if you're still game I'd like to try out your hot tub tonight. Girl's night."

She didn't expect an answer right away, but she couldn't help but checking her phone systematically. She showered, put on a light amount of makeup, dressed. Then she ate a smaller than usual breakfast, since she was, going to be eating "Burger Pete's" in several hours.

Her father was at work, and so was Harry. She decided to work on homework, not having anything else to do for the next several hours. After less than an hour, she gave up. This was her Senior year, and it was almost over. She'd been accepted to a good university, and grades didn't bother her anymore. The reason she still tried in her classes was out of a sense of respect for her teachers, or out of a genuine desire to learn. Of course, this wasn't the case for all of her classes, and some of her grades she only kept high enough to ensure she'd graduate.

She quickly gave up on homework, and tried to read. It wasn't something she did frequently, not because she didn't like to read, but because she only liked to read the type of books she liked to read. She'd already read everything available from Stephen King.

The book she had chosen didn't keep her interested for long. Not because it wasn't engaging, but because she was distracted. How could she focus? She'd found someone who knew more about her most protected secret than she did. She flopped on the living room couch, avoiding the hole at the back of the side cushion. It had always annoyed her.

She'd drifted off into anxious thought about what she might learn. She had no clue even where to direct her thoughts. She realized, ironically, that she was looking forward to meeting Aaron. Unfortunately him, she probably wasn't interested in meeting him for the same reasons he wanted to meet her.

Mercedes phone buzzed. She grabbed it quickly. There was a text from Mandy.

"Don't come over. There's going to be drama tonight. The parents are meeting Isiah..."

Mercedes responded with a simple,

"Good luck!"

Soon, it was 10:30. Mercedes headed out the door. Nature was kind. Though it wasn't quite summer yet, the sun shone brightly, and it was relatively warm. Mercedes began the walk to "Burger Pete's."

***

She arrived earlier than expected, nearly ten minutes before the agreed time. She realized she must have been walking unintentionally fast.

Entering the restaurant, she was confronted by a wave of grease and meat odor. The lunch rush hadn't hit yet, but some older folks sat around the restaurant, sipping coffee and desperately ordering breakfast before it ended at 10:30. She found a booth that was out of view from the cashier, but directly in front of a large window that looked out onto the busy street that she'd walked along to get here. The spot she had chosen was relatively cut off from the rest of the restaurant, but very visible to the many cars in the parking lot and driving along the road.