Chapter 5
Thankfully, the fact that Cason sat beside me in English class didn't put a damper on my plans of staying within the shadows of the school. In fact, after the first day of jealous glares sent towards me by the other girls in my class, they obviously saw that I didn’t care who he was and just went back to ignoring me while attempting to steal small glances at the new class hottie.
Over the two weeks that I had been seated beside Cason in English he hasn’t actually talked to me that much although, I think he may have asked me for a sharpener at one point, but I don’t really see how that makes a big influence in my life.
Anyways, when I told Olivia about Cason transferring into my English class, she seemed shocked at first but didn’t find it all that surprising. Apparently, on top of his everyday business of being a badass, Cason also didn’t do too badly on tests and actually had a decent brain attached to his shoulders.
One thing I just didn’t understand is why Cason and his friend Evan, who returned to school halfway through the first week, were said to be the school bad boys. Sure, I had heard a ton of stories about them; they each are in charge of an underground gang, they’ve been known to steal from local businesses, they’ve spent the last two summers behind bars, they live in the ghetto, they have twenty tattoos each, they skip class consistently, etc.
What I don’t understand is why, with all these rumours, I have yet to see one be true.
At my old school, I knew that a bunch of rumours were circulating about me and students had made up reasons why I was so closed off. I think at one point the school’s soccer captain spread a rumour about me being a spy for the police unit to monitor the drug and alcohol levels that teenagers consume these days, and that was just one of the ridiculous stories that followed me back home.
The point was, ever since the rumours started about me in my old town, I vowed never to listen to a rumour about someone until it proved to be true, and that’s why I hadn’t formed an opinion about Cason yet. To me, he was a normal guy who got annoyed easily with the slutty girls at our school, kept his business to himself, and took his education seriously. Nothing he had done had proven this theory wrong, and it was what I was sticking to until I saw something that went against my theory.
When I told Olivia my take on the bad boy, she actually listened and agreed on the fact that she’s never actually seen him act all that badass either. The only thing she really had to say on the subject was that, if I was to ever try and talk to him (which would only happen when pigs started to fly), I should proceed with caution because behind every rumour, there was always a small ounce of truth.
At the time I shrugged off the advice as I knew that the moment I talked to Cason about anything other than English would be the day that I wanted to come out of the shadows at school - which happened to be never.
On a regular weekend in my old town I would usually stay inside, complete every piece of homework I was given, and then just watch a movie with my parents. Since my dad died however, I never really got past the homework part of my weekend before walking to an abandoned room and letting my tears stream down my face.
Last weekend, the days that concluded my first official week of school in Avondale, was the first weekend in a long time that I had actually made plans.
On the first Friday of the school year, Olivia mentioned that every weekend she usually went into town to check out the new books before heading down to the beach stand for lunch and had actually invited me to come with her.
After agreeing, thinking that it would be good to do something with a friend for a change, I met her at the book store just before noon and we actually did have fun that day. I ended up buying a new book that would become a great asset to my never-ending collection while Olivia actually splurged and decided to buy two detective books she’s been dying to read.
Once we left the book store, we took the short trip down to the beach to grab lunch and talked on the way there. Since we didn’t know all that much about each other yet, the conversation never really hit a dull point as we both had something to say most of the time.
It was weird talking about my personal life and hobbies with someone other than my mom but, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, in fact, it actually felt kind of good letting somebody else in.
As we reached the beach stand, I had a hard time choosing what to order, but after a few moments of thought, I decided to try the poutine and it ended up being really good. The owners of the stand had made their own gravy and used freshly cut potato fries, which made the poutine that much more delicious.
Thinking about how much fun I experienced last weekend with just a simple trip to the book store and an afternoon lunch, it made me kind of sad that I didn’t have any plans for the upcoming weekend.
It was currently Friday afternoon and I had just finished my second week of school at Crestview. Olivia, who I thought would want to hang out again, was going away for the weekend to see her grandmother in the next town over. When she asked if I wanted her to come home early on Sunday so we could hang out I graciously declined and told her that she should spend the time she had with her family.
So now, as I walked into the entrance of my house just after three ‘o’clock, I realized that I was in for quite a boring weekend.
Slipping off my flip-flops at the door, I carried my school bag up the stairs and into my room before dropping it beside my desk. My teachers had given me quite a load of homework for the weekend and I wanted to get started as soon as possible instead of waiting until the last possible minute on Sunday.
Sitting down at my desk, I took out my calculus binder and textbook before flipping to the correct page. Staring at the page in front of me, I sighed and got started on the multiple problems I had been assigned.
After a half an hour or so of working, I had just finished my calculus homework and was going to start my English journal when I heard the front door open and close downstairs.
Figuring it was my mom, I didn’t think anything of it as I started to write, but after only a minute of writing about my favourite book, I heard a voice calling me downstairs.
“Jessalyn, would you come downstairs for a minute?” my mom asked, her voice carried throughout the entire house.
Putting down the pen I had been using, I stood up from my chair and brought my arms over my head to stretch my slightly cramped muscles before replying to my mom.
“Coming mom!” I replied as I walked out of my room and down the stairs to meet her.
Assuming my mom had headed into the kitchen, that’s where I headed first. Sure enough my mom was leaning against the kitchen table as she reached down to take off her heels.
“Hey.” I greeted, as I went around the table to grab a misshapen pear from the fruit basket that was rested on the counter. “How was work?” I asked, pulling out a chair and taking a seat at the table.
My mom relaxed as she had both of her shoes off now and smiled. “It was good, except for one little kid who doesn’t seem to understand simple math like adding and subtracting.” she stated. “I’m thinking about calling in his parents if he still doesn’t pick up on the concept in a couple days and see if they could help him out a bit at home, but I guess I’m rambling on about things you don’t really care about, right?”
I shook my head as her rambling amused me. Unlike other teenagers, I didn’t mind if my parents, or in this case my mom, talked to me about work because I knew that soon enough I would become a part of the working world as well.
“It’s alright mom, I know how much you care about your job and I’m glad to see you smiling again.” I said before taking a small bite out of the pear.
My mom smiled tentatively at me but I saw in her eyes that it wasn’t a complete smile; I still saw the sadness that surrounded her because of her husband’s death. “I may not be 100% ready to say goodbye to our old life with your father however, I do know that I have to keep on living because I have you, and I’d say that’s a good enough reason.” she said and I could see the familiar tears that formed in the corner of her eyes every time dad was brought up in a conversation.
Getting up from my seat and leaving my pear on the table, I walked over to my mom and gave her a hug because I knew that’s what she needed. She needed the comfort of her family and a loved one to get over her loss. I also knew that it would take quite a while before she will be ready to move on from dad but, when she is, I will be able to look at her and see that she’ll always care for my father.
Pulling back from the hug, I felt a couple of tears in my own eyes so I brought my hand up to my face and wiped away any trace of tears. Looking over at my mom, I saw that she was doing the exact same thing.
Once both of our eyes were tear-free, I gave her a smile. “So, did you call me down here for a reason or did you just want me to stop doing my homework?” I asked, adding a slight teasing tone to my words.
My mom's expression soon mirrored my own as she shook her head with silent laughter. “I actually did have something I wanted to talk to you about…”
My head tilted slightly to the left as I wondered what she wanted to talk to me about. It’s not like I had gotten a bad grade a school or gotten into trouble with the law. Come to think of it, I couldn’t think of anything, good or bad, that I would have to discuss with her.
“Okay mom, what would that be then?” I asked in wonder.
“Well, I was just wondering if you had any plans for tonight.” she said. “I know that you went out with your new friend last weekend and I just wanted to see if you happened to be free tonight.”
I shook my head in reply. “I’m free for the weekend.” I responded. “Olivia went to visit some family in the next town over so the only plans I have for the weekend would be watching a couple of movies in pajamas and finishing my homework.”
“So, do you think you would be up for going out to dinner tonight?” she asked nervously, probably expecting me to say no due to how shy I was, or I guess still am.
I shrugged, not really caring where we ate dinner because all that mattered was the fact that there would be some kind of food in front of me.
“Sure, but where exactly were you thinking about going?”
“A co-worker of mine invited me over for dinner tonight and when I told her about you she said that you were welcome to come.” she explained. “Apparently her house is just down the block so we can walk there in an hour or so if you wanted.”
Thinking about it, I knew that my mom, like myself, didn’t have many friends her own age that she kept in touch with and I was happy that she was getting along with somebody.
I smiled at her and nodded. “Yea, I’d like that.”
“Okay but just so you know, this woman does have a son but I didn’t ask how old he was.” my mom stated.
Biting my lip anxiously, I tried to remember a time where I was surrounded by little kids and I couldn’t come up with one. “Mom, you know that I’m not used to being around little kids.” I stated nervously, trying not to fidget.
“If we get there and you feel uncomfortable we can just leave, I’m not going to force you to stay if you’re not up for it, but do you still want to go?” she asked, looking like she was hoping for me to say yes.
As I couldn’t disappoint my mom, I took a deep breath before putting a brave expression on my face as I nodded in agreement.
My mom smiled at me, looking happier than I’ve seen her in a while, at least since dad died.
“That’s great honey. I’ll go call Diana and tell her that we’ll be coming in an hour or so. Why don’t you go do some of that homework and wash up before its time to leave.” she suggested, going around the table to dig her cell phone out of her purse.
Deciding to have a bit of fun with my mom, I let out a fake gasp and put my hands on my hips. “Are you saying that I don’t look good at the moment?”
My mom, catching on to my joking intent, shook her head in amusement. “Well…” she said, with the same teasing tone I had used.
This time my gasp was real as I tried not to laugh. “Mom!” I said, giggling a bit at her implication of my disastrous looks.
My mom just laughed along with me for a couple seconds before nodding towards the staircase. “Just go do some homework.” she said with a smile as she turned on her phone and started to dial this woman’s phone number.
Still coming down from my giggle fit, I sent one last look to my mom before scurrying up the stairs to finish my one page English journal.
An hour later, I was in my room ready to go. Feeling the slight need to change from my school clothes, after I finished my English homework I had taken a quick shower to rinse off, making sure not to wet my already straightened hair. When I stepped out, I quickly dried off with my towel before walking over to my closet to pick out a new outfit.
I was now dressed in a light purple skirt that had a simple floral design on it and a white tank top. I had reapplied my mascara and lip gloss once I got out of the shower and I had brushed my teeth again, making sure not to give these new people the impression that I was notorious for bad breath.
Grabbing my brown gladiator sandals, I smiled at myself once more in the mirror before flicking off the light switch in my room and heading downstairs to meet my mom.
Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I was met with the sight of my mom patiently waiting for me as she sat on the couch and watched a re-run of Friends.
“Mom, are you ready to go?” I asked, walking over to stand beside the couch.
My mom reached for the television remote, switching the power off before turning to look at me and smiling. “Ooh, you look cute.” she stated as she stood up.
I smiled at her in appreciation. “Thanks, but you look good to mom.” I said, complimenting my mom’s good eye for simple and stylish clothes.
She had changed out of her teaching clothes and was now wearing a much more casual outfit. On her bottom half she was wearing a pair of tanned capri pants that ended just above her knee and on her top half she had paired a white sleeveless cardigan with a light blue scoop neck tee.
“Well thanks, but how about we head over to their house now instead of basking in the wondrous beauties that are currently standing in this room.” she said.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t keep the smile off my face as I replied. “Okay Miss. Egotistical, let’s just go.” I said, turning around and heading towards the door.
The walk to my mom’s friend’s house wasn’t actually that long and when my mom said that she lived just up the street, I didn’t think she had meant it literally. We simply walked about six or seven houses up the road before crossing the street and we were there, a quick three minute walk at the most.
Walking up the driveway, I took the time to admire the house in front of me. Like ours, there were quite a lot of windows in the structure but they seemed to have a smaller yard than ours and a triangular shaped roof instead of a bunch of flat and sloped sides.
As we reached the door, my mom pressed her index finger onto the doorbell and I could hear the faint sound of chiming that was coming from inside the house.
Standing there fidgeting, I guess my mom noticed as she looked over at me and smiled reassuringly. “If you feel uncomfortable at any point throughout the night just tell me and I’ll tell Diana that we have to leave.” she said, restating her words from when we were in the kitchen a little more than an hour ago.
I smiled back at her and nodded as some of my nerves flew out of my body however, I felt a bit of them come back when the door opened and displayed a woman about my mom’s age.
The woman in front of me had blonde hair that reached a little ways past her shoulders and was probably about 5’4” as she was bare foot. She also looked really nice as she had a small, welcoming smile on her face and she was dressed similarly to my mom with a white scoop neck tee and a pair of jean capris.
“Hi Wendy, I’m so glad you could come over.” she said, opening the door a little more so we could walk in.
“Well Jessalyn didn’t have a problem with it and I didn’t see a reason why we couldn’t join you and your son for dinner tonight.” my mom replied, giving the woman known as Diana a quick hug.
“So, this must be Jessalyn right?” Diana asked, looking at me as my mom nodded. “Well aren’t you a beautiful young girl.”
I smiled shyly as I felt a small amount of colour spread onto my cheeks in the form of a blush. “Umm, thanks.” I replied nervously.
“Oh don’t be nervous Jessalyn, I just don’t get to see a lot of girls your age around town.” she said. “My son doesn’t seem to be keen to talk to any of the girls around this town, saying their too annoying and too obsessed with getting a tan than actually learning something useful.”
As she mentioned this, I came to the realization that her son must be around my age and I started to get even more nervous than I had been when I thought he was younger. It was one thing for me to start talking to a girl my age, but a boy? I just couldn’t see this situation going all that well.
“Mom! Are the guests over yet so we can start eating?” I heard a male voice ask from somewhere in the house.
I was assuming that her son was upstairs as I heard footsteps barreling down the stairs that were to the left of me, and the footsteps definitely sounded heavy enough to belong to somebody my age.
“They are sweetie so come and say hi.” Diana replied, smiling at me.
I heard the footsteps halt as the male specimen clearly stood behind me now.
“Hey everybody.” the voice said and I immediately spun on my heel and turned around to face the person as I thought the voice sounded strangely familiar.
I don’t know how I kept the words I wanted to release inside my mind but, it was a good thing I did because most of them were strung together by a bunch of curses.
My mom and Diana were probably looking at me strangely because my eyes had turned the size of soccer balls as I took in the reality of the situation. I had definitely seen this person before, in fact, I saw him every day because he sat beside me in English class.
I was shocked because my neighbour and Diana’s son was indeed the infamous Cason Michaels.
*****************************************************
Dun dun dun! Sort of a cliff-hanger here but I wanted a filler chapter before I got to the drama that is sure to happen with the rest of the story :)
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope you all find it in your hearts to click the vote button on this chapter, it would mean a lot to me! Also, leave your comments and opinions below as always, I love to see what all of you think of my writing.
Dedication goes out to TaintedRain because she graciously dedicated a chapter of her wonderful story Hey, Beautiful to me and I’m just returning the favour :)
On a side note, I made a website for this story and I’d love for you to check it out… the link is available on my profile in the about me section!
P.S. If any of you could think of any songs that would go good with the story so far, don’t hesitate to let me know and I might add them to the playlist