She walks through the woods when things go wrong.
She glides through the woods when she hears a song
She crawls through the woods to ask and tell
She trips and breaks until she's well.//
Waking up in my bed confused me. I do not remember how I walked through the woods yesterday or how I opened my window and climbed into my room , but I can tell I did because my window was wide open letting in a breeze of summer air. What is wrong with me?
And look, I'm in my pjs.
I wandered out of bed moving slower than a zombie and stumbled to my closed door tripping over clothes and shoes in my room. Before I opened it I smelt breakfast. Like when I was younger and my mom would cook for my dad and I. I'd wake up extra early to wake them and my dad and I would watch cartoons on the couch while my mom cooked breakfast. Bacon, eggs, and cheese on toast, I would always ask. And now I smelt it. Breakfast.
I opened my door and was caught off guard by the brightness of the kitchen. One thing we did have were blinds and we always had them closed. But on this Friday morning they all were open, letting in natural light.
Once my eyes adjusted to the brightness of it all, my mind had to comprehend the fact that my mom was cooking. There she was, cooking and washing dishes at the same time, turning in every which direction to finish the task. The kitchen never looked or smelled any better.
"Good Morning Love." she spoke.
Love? Love is something you cursed to hell at during father's funeral. Love is a word you've never spoken of in years. Why now?
I didn't respond still confused by the sudden difference in grammar. I'm just so used to her calling me a bitch or loser. I walked to the kitchen table which was cleaned off stainless and decorated with napkins and in the center was a pot. A pot with a cactus in it. What the actual fuck?
My mother tilted her head concerned with my face, " What's the matter, you don't like my new friend? I'm thinking of naming him Juan or probably Miguel. You know, because cactuses can be found in Mexico. HA! I crack myself up."
"Ha....," I managed to laugh out. " Where'd you get Juan-or possibly Miguel from?"
"Oh, a friend"
A friend. This can either mean she bought it for herself or from one of her one night stand "friends".
And as if one cue a tall man with no shirt on stride out of my mother's room. He wore white khaki shorts and had a moon tattoo on his shoulder. His hair was long and wavy brown and he had a cigarette in his mouth- unlit. Everything about this dude gave away his age, younger than my mother that is. The usual friends she brought back were old creepy men who had nice cars and fancy jewelry. Those friends never stayed for the morning.
But this dude was different. He didn't look creepy and he stayed for the morning time. Something is not right.
"Babe, you got a light?" His voice was deeper than the ocean.
"Yeah, over by the dresser. In the candle holder" She recalled.
As if he didn't see me he walked over to the table I was sitting at and looked out the nearby window.
He opened the blinds more and marveled at the sky, "Damn, the woods looks so beautiful in the morning. Do you not see that sunlight illuminating the trees. So gorgeous."
"Yeah, it sure is a delight " My mother pondered.
I've never heard my mom have an intellectual conversation with anyone in years. This frightened me in a way I cannot seem to explain.
I could see the awestruck in my mother's face as she watched this man marvel out our window. She then grabbed 3 plates and set them at the table I was sitting at. She grabbed the bacon egg and cheese on toast sandwiches off of the kitchen counter and walked back to the table.
"Let's all eat as a family" She smiled as she pulled out a plastic chair and sat down.
"Who the hell is he?" I asked my mom frustrated with the idea of a man I do not know suddenly replacing my father, and I don't even know his name. Where is the respect?
"This is Paul and please honey stop with the harsh language."
"Paul" stopped gazing out the window and took a seat next. He put his unlit cigarette in the back of his ear and reached for a sandwich which he took a big bite out of.
"Are you gonna eat yours?" He asked me startling me by his sudden nerve to even look at me.
I scrambled with what to say.
"No, I- I am good with mines. I'll take it to school anyways."
I haven't, in a long time eaten breakfast. My mother stopped cooking a long while ago so I'd usually eat at my school. I glance at the clock to read 8:07 AM. Oh shit, school starts soon.
I got up and grabbed my breakfast.
"Where are you going honey?" My mother asked with interest in her eyes, "Paul offered to drive you to school today, why do you think I didn't wake you up early to walk to school.My car's in the shop still so I can't take you plus the schools far away and..."
Unamused by her acting I smiled, "You never wake me up for school. Please dear mother-save it,, and who the hell said I wanted a ride to school anyway. Remember my bike you ran over last fall? Yeah, I don't know if you watch me go to school, but sometimes I ride it to school. And don't mind me but I'm gonna ride it to school today.Thank god you didn't do much damage to it..."
I got up to go off to my room but before I left I watched their faces. My mother held a face of disappointment while Paul smirked.
"What's so amusing Paul?" I had to know.
"I ran over a bike driving in here last night. My apologies Charlie. I just couldn't see it" He laughed.
What surprised me most is the fact that he called me Charlie. My mother swore to never call me that because it was simply not my name, so she couldn't have told him it was. I was too caught off guard to register what he said firstly. But I knew I had to take that ride in order to get to school on time.
"Fuck you," I said.
"I'll be in the car!" He yelled and I slammed my door.
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I walked outside to the air of nature. My timberlin boots crunched the earth beneath me as I walked to the side of the house.
His car was a sedan. A turquoise sedan that I wouldn't have ever guessed belonged to him. Perhaps he stole it, Perhaps he's borrowing it from his dad or somebody. All I knew was that a young guy like him owning a nice car like that is very rare.
"What do you want with my mom?" I yelled stepping into the car. It smelt like lemons a marijuana. Not really a smell I'd crave early in the morning. Made my head spin.
He was already in the car like he promised, still- with no shirt on and he had the radio on blast. I closed the door and yelled the question again. He was sitting back with his eyes closed singing the song on the radio ignoring me. He tapped the steering wheel to the beat of the song and started the car up. Is he serious?
I turned the radio off and yelled the question again. He stared at me, amusement in his eyes. Green-Hazel eyes.
"Why are you so uptight Charlie. Life doesn't have to be so shit."
"You're talking like you've got everything under control? You're too young to know so much, so that can't be true."
"Says who," The car's engine roared. We rolled down the path out of the woods. "Who says a young guy can't have his life in his hands?" He asked me turning the radio back on but the volume on low.
"Life says so. It's like law or some shit."
"Why are you so mean to me? Scared, I'll rip your loving mother away from you? Well, you are too late my friend-"
"Please dude, please "rip" her away. I will pay you" I begged.
We finally made it out of the woods and onto the main street. He stayed quiet surprised by my sudden hate for my mother I bet. She's done so much fucked up shit I can't bear to accept apologies for.
"Wow, I miss high school" He sighed as we finally pulled up to the main entrance.
"I reckon you left not to long ago" I said gathering my bag and food.
He just laughed. "I worry about you Charlie."
"Why?"
"Have a nice day." He just said and unlocked the doors.
I walked out and like all the time, eyes were on me. Probably because I was getting a ride to school in a light blue car by some 20-year-old dude with his shirt off. When I put like that I can't help but laugh. What is my life turning into?
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Oh right. I need to find Aliz.It almost slipped my mind. I skipped my first class to finish my second-class's homework in the bathroom. World History is next so I'm heading there now.
I walked through the silent halls to history. The bell will ring in 2 minutes or so. I sat beside my History class door and finished the homework outside. We had to write an essay about the many Revolutions: French, Haitian, Brazilian you name it. Compare and contrast them and not only about the fact the they wanted a revolution. I'm finally finished so I just walked around the hall and read some posters. One of them read "Vote Megan for Miss Garnish..."
Bullshit. I took out a black sharpie and colored her eyes sockets black. Good, now she looks like the demon she is. I even added some black blood running out of her perfect smile.
The bell rang and kids swarmed through the halls. I walked back to history and I couldn't help but hear my name being whispered from every direction of the room.
"Yeah, He had his shirt off... He was hot, girl. You have no idea..." I heard a female voice say.
"A very very expensive car..." a dude mumbled.
"Charlie was talking to him and he was smiling like they knew each other..." Another voice recalled.
"Her? a prostitute, seems likely..."
The attention on me was non-stop and I couldn't lie, I was enjoying it. The thought of me and Paul together when really we're not, I don't know dude- people and their rumors.
Aliz walked into class and sat in the back. I walked to the back too and sat next to her.
She looked at me confused and worried but quickly pulled out a book to avoid conversation. Aliz is one of the people who never talked, but always looked like something was on her mind.And when she does talk it's something that makes you think about life. I heard one day she punched Angeline in the face because she was bullying a kid for being gay, and she just walked away after she did it.
After I heard that I couldn't contain myself from laughter. Just imagining a quiet girl like Aliz punching a loud and annoying girl like Angeline, and just walking away. Just like that. No words were spoken. Not like anyone needs an explanation for punching Angeline.
The book she was reading was from the school library. I twisted in awkward positions trying to get the title.
"It's called "What Happened to Lani Garver"." she spoke.
"Oh,," I said embarrassedly. I didn't know she saw me even though I was nearly falling out of my seat.
She checked her white wrist watch and sighed. Where's the teacher anyways?
Anywho I had to get the questions out of her.
"Hey Aliz, you know Trent, right? Trent .... uh , damn what his last name?" I asked myself.
"Trent Mason?" she asked facing me.
"Yeah, that's him. You know him?"
"Yeah, why?" she asked suddenly giving me all eyes.
"He asked me to ask you a question."
"Really?" she beamed putting her book down.
Oh boy does she like him? Does she think I'm going to ask her out from him? Oh no.
"Yeeeah..."
"Spit it out Charlotte" she pleaded, " Does he want his pen back, I lost that though.." she trailed off. "Well?" she smiled.
"He wants to know truthfully why you called him weird , yesterday," I asked and as the words came out my mouth her smile left.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, I know. Weird ass question. But I want to know too, why'd you call him weird?"
"When did you start talking to Trent. I've never seen you two together ever" she questioned kind of defensively.
I watched her confused at her tone.
"Just last night, but this isn't about me Aliz. He asked me to ask you, I'm just here for answers."
"But why can't he ask me. We have plenty of classes together."
I told her how he couldn't wait the weekend for answer and how this was really bugging him. She looked concerned as I explained and I was confused as hell at her concernment.
"I bet you were just kidding around when you said it, right? He's making it all a big deal.." I hypothesized.
"No, it's not like that" she explained.
"What do you mean?"
"I work at the library after school every day on the weekdays, the library in the city." she began,
"The Marie Fall Public Library?"
"Yeah, and I always close up the place. So for a while now I would always see Trent walking to the back of the library through the second-floor windows..."
"Uh-huh." I nodded.
Her eyes wandered around the teacherless class, checking to see if anyone was listening.I do too, but students were just playing and running around the place. When the coast was clear she continued.
"So one day last week I followed him to the back of the library. He went to the back through this gate that was closed with this thick metal chain, but you can easily walk in between it, and he walked into this vacant alleyway. As I was going through the gate my back hit the chain and made a loud sound and he stopped walking so I hid behind this big dumpster before he can see me and I stayed there because I heard him having a conversation with himself ,and he just stopped talking and started sobbing I think , then after 2 minutes or so I finally got up to see if he was still there and he wasn't. He wasn't in the alley. I checked to see if he went in any doors, but there were none and I also didn't hear him walk away. It was just weird that that happened. Trent is weird."
"I think there's more to that story" I replied. " But that is weird ass shit."
We nodded together in silence and I had so many questions to ask Trent today after school. I know Aliz wouldn't lie to me. This seemed so out there, but it had to be true.
"Well, thanks for that. I'll tell him what you saw."I said.
I'm thinking of leaving class, there's no teacher in here anyway. I grabbed my bag and put my notebooks away.
Aliz looked a little disappointed as she's watching me.
"Whatsup?" I asked.
"Are you skipping class?"
"Well, I wouldn't necessarily call this a class if no teacher is present."
I looked around as the gossip of me "getting out of a nice car with a "hot" dude driving it" had died down. Now some kids were playing tic-tac-toe on the board and some painted their nails while others rummaged through the teacher's desk.
"I found the answer key for the quizzes next week!" This dude named Tyler roared and he waved a handful of papers around over his head. The class roared and yelled and a paper airplane flew by my face.
"Well, I'm coming with. I can't read in this treacherous environment" she demanded as she grabbed her black and white striped book bag and her book and got up.
"Okay then." I giggled. "Time for an adventure!"