A Light in the Dark

A Few Songs in the Pizza Place

18: Mason

Kaitlyn’s anger was visible in the way she stood. I braced myself for the worst, but nothing came out of her mouth. I turned to look at her and finally registered the tears in her eyes.

            “Ron… what?” Her voice sounded weak, but even I could hear the disappointment in her voice. I knew that the reason her dad was in a coma was because of drugged teens. And here was her brother and his girlfriend along with two other guys and another girl all sitting at her kitchen table smoking pot. Ronald’s head flicked up towards her.

“Oh crap,” his eyes showed the fear of a younger brother.

“Ronald James Fend!” And there came the anger. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she yelled at her brother. “God what is wrong with you?!? It could be you in that hospital bed! Everyone out! Get out of this house! NOW! And don’t you dare think of taking any cars. Leave your bikes here, Ronald will bring them to you.”        

“Calm down sweetheart,” one of the kids slung his arm over her shoulder. My stomach clenched.

“Get off of me Stan. Go shove drugs down your throat somewhere else. Give me that!” She pulled the marijuana out of Ronnie’s hand and collected the rest from everyone else. The drug had already started to take effect on them, so they couldn’t react fast enough. Kate stormed out the door and I followed her to where she went outside with a phone in her hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling the cops. If those idiots don’t get out of my house soon they’re going to be arrested.”

“And so will your brother.”

“He didn’t have any. Yet.” What? He seemed high to me. At my confused face, she elaborated. “He’s worried about them. I shouldn’t have yelled at him. It wasn’t until I pulled it out of his hand until I realized what it was.” She held out a piece of paper to me. It was empty.

“Sure, he smokes, and I whish he’d stop that, but he’d never do this. Not after dad… he was just making sure his friends didn’t do anything stupid like the kids who hit my dad.”

I let her have her space as she paced the yard in front of her house and talked to the police on the phone.

“Yes, I’d like you to do a search of my house. I don’t want any of it in my home. Yes. Thank you.” By now the druggies had filed out of the house and walked slowly down the street. I rolled my eyes. Idiots. I looked over at Kaitlyn and opened my arms to her. She finally broke down and cried onto my shoulder. I stroked her hair and rubbed her back.

“Why can’t my life just be easy? For once?”

“Shh… oh Kate I’m so sorry.” I knew that there was nothing I could do to make this better. She had so much on her and adding this to her troubles… there in front of me stood a broken girl. We stood like that until the police came. They questioned us and then Ronald, and they sent out an officer to get the rest of the teens. When they mentioned Marina I could see the pain in Ronnald’s eyes, and watched Kaitlyn hug him. He didn’t return her embrace. The police found three packs of cigarettes, but no marijuana other than the drugs that Kaitlyn had taken from the group. They had wanted to leave the cigarettes there because unlike pot, they were legal, but Kate insisted that they take it.

“Look, I’m sorry about Marina, but you made a bad choice on this one. What were you thinking?” The three of us were sitting at the Fend’s kitchen table.

“I was thinking you’d stay with dad longer. You were really quick. I was planning to get them out before you got home. At least I didn’t smoke.” Her head was in her hands for the millionth time today.