radiantly wrong

river's edge (chapter 2)

I pulled up at the house five minutes later. As I cut the engine, I sighed, feeling a shiver run up my spine at the site of Dad's truck. But I went inside anyway, and walked to the dimly lit kitchen. Everything looked the same, except that a chair was pulled out here or there would be a few dishes in the sink. When Mom still lived here, she kept everything nice and tidy. Everything had to look like a museum.

Nothing looked good in the fridge, so I decided to go and clean up all the mountains of dust in my room. But before I even got to the foyer, dad walked in through the door. "Alex? I thought you were coming home next week."

"Yeah, well, I thought I'd surprise Archie, come early," he nodded at that, but he was still weary. "Alex, I...."

"Dad don't, okay? It's fine. I'm over it," I said it with a scowl and crossed arms, and before he had the chance to reply, I turned, and headed up to my room. Once I was safe in the confines of my room, I sat on my bed with a shaky exhale, and twiddled with the string sticking out of the blanket.

As I finished cleaning another book shelf with a rag, my phone buzzed from across the room. I huffed, seeing I was on one foot, trying with all my might to reach behind a stack of boxes to clean the book shelf. But once I wiggled out of the mess I got myself in, I walked to my desk, and picked up my phone to find that Betty was calling. So I quickly turned down my music, answered it, and put it on speaker.

"Hey, Betty, what's up?" I put it back down on the bed, walked to the pile of books on the floor, and started sorting them.

"Hey, I was wondering if you were going to the dance tonight." I was right in the middle of sliding a C.S. Lewis book on the shelf when I realized that was tonight.

"Kern, you know what? I, uh...I kind of forgot that was tonight. I was planning on just staying in."

"Oh, okay, um...what will you be doing?"

"Just cleaning my room; the thing is a huge ball of dust bunnies and cob webs. Why are you asking?"

"Oh, I was just wondering. I thought maybe it would be fun to take a day off, and buy some dresses for tonight together. But given you're staying in, I guess not?" she asked, her fun, joyful voice fading by the minute, and I sighed. Then I got up, and put the phone back to normal, and sat on the bed.

"You know what? I think I will come with you."

"Really? I don't want to be intruding."

"Oh, no, you aren't. And besides, you're right. I do need to take a day off. When did you want to go dress shopping?"

"I can be ready in ten minutes if you are."

"Yeah, that'd be awesome. I'll meet you outside in ten," I said, with a cheerful tone, and I could tell she was smiling by the way she said, "Ok, bye, Alex."

"Bye," then I ended my end of the call, and changed into something more presentable. I had to wear something that would be easy to take on and off quickly, so I just wore a pair of shorts, and a black t-shirt with my camouflage jacket and sneakers. It's my favorite t-shirt. It says: 'I believe whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you stranger', with a picture of Heath Ledger's Joker behind it.

I walked outside dodging Dad in the kitchen, and then walked out to the sidewalk. Betty walked outside a moment later with a scowl on her face, but it disappeared the moment she saw me, and was replaced with a smile.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked, her ponytail bobbing. I nodded, and we were on our way. We had been at the dress shop for two and a half hours before I finally found something I liked.

"Are you sure? I mean, do you think it'll look hokey?" I had asked. She replied, and said, "No! Of course not, this dress was meant for you. Here, go try it on."