Taking Chances

Chapter 6

I walk upstairs to find Keegan fully dressed and ready to go standing in front of the front door.

"Hey, you ready?" I ask walking over to stand next to him.

"Jeez, you took long enough!" Keegan exclaims.

"Sorry." I apologize.

"Come on let's just go." He says grimly. What crawled up his ass and died?

I follow him outside to his mom's red car. She's had this car for as long as i can remember. Once when Keegan and i were ten we had went to an amusement park together for the day. Keegan had eaten a corn dog that he said 'tasted funny'. His dad told him he'd be fine. Well, his dad was wrong. On the ride home, in this red car, Keegan threw up all over the backseat. Of course i was stuck sitting in the back for the ride home with a sick Keegan and his puke. He ended up getting food poisoning from that corn dog. So that week at school i was alone without my best friend. But, that's how i met Nina because she was new and didn't have any friends either. We just happened to both be alone that day so we talked to each other. I guess meeting Nina made up for having to smell the sickening odor of Keegan's vomit the ride home from that amusement park. Although, his parents still weren't happy about him spewing that corn dog all over the backseat of their red car at the time.

"Why are you so quiet?" Keegan asks rudely.

"Why are you in such a horrible mood today?" I retort.

"My mom pissed me off that's why." He says.

''Why? What did she say?" I ask curiously.

"A few things. One of them was about how my dad isn't coming back this month." He says with no emotion what so ever.

"How come?" I ask confused.

"They need him for another three months. I guess to many men were going home at the same time.'' He explains not taking his eyes off the road.

"Are you ever scared he might not come back?'' I ask quietly.

"Yeah." He whispers.

I'm surprised he answered my question.He doesn't like to talk about his dad because, before his dad left to serve in the war they had gotten into a really heated argument. Keegan didn't say much about it just that it was about how he didn't want to be like his dad and join the army.

"What about your dad?" He asks breaking the silence. His question catches me off guard.

"What?"

"I mean you never talk about him. All that i know is that he isn't around. We've been friends since we were ten and i've never heard a single thing about him."

"You know i don't like to talk about it." I say defensively.

"I know but, where is your dad?"

"Uh, he's..." I try to think of a convincing lie "He's dead." I finally say. That's a lie though my father is very much alive.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." He apologizes.

"It's fine. Can we just talk about something else?" I ask looking over at him.

The rest of the car ride we just reminisced about eleventh grade. We're going to be seniors then, we'll finally be done with school. Unless you plan on going to college. I'm still undecided. As for Keegan his dad wants him to join the army. I was there once when his mom was talking about it with him. I have never seen Keegan so angry before. He was acting strange while he was talking to his mom about it. In my opinion i think he's frightened by the thought of having to fight and kill people. Although he could have been acting strange for an entirely different reason.

"So, what store do you want to go to?" Keegan asks as we walk through the overly crowded mall.

"I don't know. Do you know any good stores?'' I ask looking at the displays in the windows of the stores lining the walls.

"Alice, I'm a guy i just grab a shirt and a pair of jeans that fit me and I'm ready to go." Keegan says.

"Whatever, your no help." I say. Something catches my eye as we walk. I stop and get a better look at the display in the window. I think I'm in love with that dress. It's perfect.

"Alice?" I hear Keegan say. He snaps his fingers in my face.

"Yeah, yeah i heard you." I say. I grab a hold of his wrist and drag him into the store. I head straight for the racks to find that dress.

"Um, are you alright?" Keegan asks cautiously.

"Im fine. Help me look!" I say.

"For what?'' He asks.

"For Perry the Platypus." I say looking at him like he's stupid. Oh, wait he is. "The dress!" I exclaim.

"What dress?" He asks.

"The one in the window." I say. He looks over towards the window to see what I'm talking about.

"Which one? There's like seven of them."

"There's two genius. The gray one with the bow around the waist." I say.

"Oh." He says.

We look through the clothes for a few more minutes and we can't find one. I fold my arms and pout.

"You look like your a five year old who just dropped their ice cream cone on the ground." Keegan chuckles.

"Okay?" I say but, i laugh as well.

"I found it!" Keegan says. I go over to him and see the dress in his hands.

"I love you!" I say happily and engulf him in a bear hug. He hugs me back. The thing is when i tell him i love him i mean much more than he thinks.

"Go try it on." He says as i let him go.

"Alright." I say. I go over to the dressing rooms and quickly try the dress on. I walk out of the dressing room and look in the huge mirror.

"Wow." I hear someone say. I jump and turn around to see who scared me. It was Keegan of course.

"Jesus, Keegan. You scared the shit out of me." I say.

"You look amazing." He says ignoring what i just said.

"You think?" I ask looking back at the mirror.

"I don't think, i know." He says.

"Do i look ugly?" I ask. Curse my insecurity.

"No you never look ugly, Alice. Now go pay for that dress and let's go." Keegan says.I roll my eyes and change back into my clothes. Maybe Keegan just said that stuff because he wants to leave. I doubt he really means it. I walk out of the dressing room and pay for the dress.

Keegan and i walk out of the store and i say "Now time to get shoes!" Keegan groans in response and we set off on a journey for shoes. But, little did i know that tomorrow i was in for the one thing i never expected to hear. Especially from the school principal.

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Alice's dress on the side ------------------------>