The first thing noticed that day was the absurd silence that slowly followed Brandi like a shadow.
Today would be the tenth year anniversary of her husband’s death. Skip Broke would now be forever forgotten by his three sons—Dustin, Beau, and the toddler Ricky.
It brought tears to Brandi’s eyes. If only Skip was here to celebrate Beau’s thirteenth birthday…
“Morning Mom,” Dustin announced as he came behind her.
She instantly turned around, only to find how he looked too much like his father. She couldn’t believe that he was turning eighteen in two months. Soon, he would be going off to college, and she would have to be the one who brought him to his first dorm room.
“Morning, Dustin.”
“Did you order the cake yet?” He went to the fridge, bringing out the carton of milk.
“Yes. It would be ready by noon. Would you mind getting it for me?”
Dustin nodded, while pouring the milk into a glass.
“How are you and Angela?”
“Fine.”
“Were you two deciding on a co-ed dorm?”
“I guess…”
“I don’t want you two to be messing around now…I think that Daniel and Mary-Sue also think that best…”
Dustin sighed. “Mom…” His annoyed tone was nothing new to Brandi. In fact, ever since his father passed away, it was one thing he honestly did.
She knew well of his job in helping out the neighborhood thief—Russ Bear. And, she knew of the late night meetings between him, Angela Pleasant, Alexander Goth, and of course Don Lothario’s son Marc. She didn’t know where they went, but she once heard at the hair salon that there was a recent amount of teenagers hitting Club Heat that Malcolm Landgraab had just opened.
“I’m just warning you.” She stared out the window at the new family that had just moved in to town. Boxes still lingered here and there… “…Have you met their daughter at school?” she suddenly asked.
Dustin presumed that she was talking about the family across the street. “Yeah.”
“…Hm…She’s a…?”
“Senior.”
“Must be hard having to move out to Pleasantview. I heard that they’re coming from Belladonna Cove…That’s a busy place.” She sighed. “It must be hard making new friends…”
“I think she fights in just perfectly. She was hanging out with Lilith, Ginger, and Jillian…”
“…Oh, so she’s that…” If it was one thing that Brandi Broke hated it was those girls: those girls with the absurd fashion statements. Those girls were the goths, the punks, and the it’s-not-Halloween girls… “She fights right in then.”
“She’s not to extreme. Her hair is still untreated, Mom.”
“I would assume! I heard from Nina that her parents are doctors! God, she must keep up a good reputation. What was her name again?”
“I think it was Janie…Janie Alder.”
Alexander was getting pissed off from his nephew, David. David was only a few years younger—five to be exact—but he was such an ass!
“Just let it go, Alex,” Lawrence casually said with a push of his glasses.
David was being his annoying self and sucking up to their dying grandfather-father, Mortimer.
Lawrence, who was only three years younger, was showing signs of a calm headed person who would be willing to take over Mortimer’s business. Good. Alexander didn’t want his father’s stock shares. He wanted to be a game designer…
Alex was now fifteen and ready for anything high school had to offer. Spending his whole life in a rich private school, he had learned the ins and outs of the school and everything was bought with money, it seemed.
His cell phone rang with vibrations. He picked it up, only to see that Lilith was calling him. “Yeah?”
“Are you ready for tonight?” she asked.
“What’s tonight?”
“You said that you were going to get the pot from your friend!”
Alex feigned astonishment. He remembered and the pot was sitting in the secret chamber of his messenger bag. “It was tonight? I completely forgot!”
The cold pause that followed could not have been put into words. “Some friend you are,” Lilith whispered, as if truly disappointed.
“I’m sure you can get it from Angela,” Alex innocently answered. “She has connections that I don’t even have.” Annoying Lilith was something that came naturally to Alex. And, it became a hobby. He needed to take the opportunity. Lilith was going to college soon…
She went off like a bomb. “Ask Angela? Ask Angela! Why don’t you ask Angela! Do you know that I would have to kiss her feet and become her slave for the rest of my life before she would even consider my request? Damn it, you know how much we despise each other and you always tell me to ask her!”
“You two are identical twins, though…”
“Fine! Fine! Fine! You’d better have some tomorrow or I swear…” If Lilith swore, it meant that she had to be serious.
Before Alex couldn’t respond that he did have some, she had already hung up. Alex shut his phone and snickered. The snicker casually turned into a sigh. His eyes drifted to the window and stared at the house next to theirs. “Hm…College…”
Mathew Picaso had just pulled into his garage. His wife—Jessica—was watering the plants. He got out of the car and headed straight into the kitchen. He pulled out a chilled Budweiser and sat in front of the TV for Monday Night Football.
The front door opened and Jessica came in, wiping some sweat off of her brow. “How was work?”
“The usual. How about you?”
“Same same, here. Dina was pretty excited to hear that I was pregnant.”
Mathew nodded. The test results had come in the other day, and it announced that his wife was pregnant. This wasn’t the first one in their seven year marriage. No children had been born on those nine accounts. Jessica…Jessica was so reckless. It seemed that she loved babies, but the thought of giving birth to one would scare her off and have her get into accidents…
Mathew was slowly easing up to thirty two, and it had felt as if he would never have the feeling of holding his own flesh and blood. But, once upon a time, he had loved Jessica and promised things to her. He wouldn’t leave her. He would never leave her, less she left him…
Jessica sat down next to him and he hadn’t noticed that she was drinking some Budweiser as well…
“Jess…” He gave her a wary look, and drifted his eyes to the can in her hands.
“Oh, come on, Matt. It’s been a long day!”
“…The baby…” He was getting tired of warning her.
“I’m only a month along. I don’t think it would affect the kid.”
He was tired of it. Do whatever, then. He continued to watch TV.
The phone rang and Jessica volunteered to get it. “Hello?”
Perhaps he had tuned the conversation out or she was very quiet about the conversation, but he couldn’t quite hear her. She had moved to the kitchen and was writing some things down. Perhaps it was regarding her job…
His eyes drifted to where the book case was at. He glanced through the books he had: Dante’s Inferno, The Iliad, Edgar Allan Poe, Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye…
Pride and Prejudice…
He couldn’t help but smile. When was the last time he actually thought about Jane Austen? Or the freshman who signified and reminded the importance of why Jane Austen used only outspoken heroines in her stories? Or that art class which had been his fifth period during his last year as a high schooler?
How long had it been since he was last reminded of that high school freshman? Where was she now? Was she an English teacher? She certainly had the right thoughts, attitude, and passion to be a confusing English teacher teaching ignorant high schoolers…Or, perhaps she was an artist? Perhaps a world renowned one? She certainly had the talent of creating beauty.
Jessica ended her conversation and came back to join her husband. “That was my boss.”
“Mortimer?”
“Yes.”
“Something wrong?”
“He reminded me that I have some files for him that I left in my car. I think I’m going to go and give it to him.”
“Okay. Pick up some dinner.”
“Sure.” She downed her beer and grabbed her purse and keys. “How about Chinese?”
“That sounds fine.”
She left. She left Mathew thinking about that one year more than a decade ago.
“Fetch, Melvin!” The young woman threw the Frisbee to as far as she could. The giant Labrador Retriever stupidly followed the Frisbee and caught it in mid-air. It then came back to its owner.
She grabbed the Frisbee and patted his head.
“It’s getting late.”
The girl looked at the announcer. “I know.”
“We should head home, Janie.”
Janie looked at the blushing sky. “I know.”
“Then, let’s go.”
“I don’t want to.”
The announcer—a boy around her age—sighed as he inhaled a long breath of nicotine. Two seconds later, he exhaled. Jeremy West wasn’t your everyday bad boy. He was actually a very smart boy—he was to be the graduating valedictorian of a class of over eight hundred people. He was to be accepted into The Crumplebottom Academy for the Highest Intellect. It was ranked as the best college in the country. He didn’t look like a bad boy either. He actually dressed really nice and was a very good person. His father was the CEO of a well-known company and his mother was a world-renowned surgeon who had just retired at an early age to raise their very young son—James.
“Why not?”
“I don’t like it here.”
“Seriously?”
“Of course. It’s too quiet…”
He laughed. “Shouldn’t that be a good thing? Everyone nowadays wants to be…um…one with nature…” He puffed once more. “I think they’re all hippies.”
“I liked it at Belladonna.”
“Know what you mean.” He patted Melvin’s fur. “I liked it on Main Street, and now I’m on North Main Street.”
She glared at him. “You know what I mean.”
He laughed, but they were interrupted by the approaching people. “Hey, it’s Ginger.”
Ginger Newson came over with a few bags of groceries. Her blue-streaked hair was nearly impossible to miss.
“Need help?” Jeremy offered.
“I’m fine.” Ginger was always just ‘fine’. She was taking care of five other people at her house, and none of them was a dying parent or legal guardian. “Were you guys just about to go home?”
“Yeah.” Janie hitched the leash to Melvin’s collar.
“Oh, good.” Ginger smirked a bit. “I heard that Alex got some stuff…”
“Oh, thank God,” Jeremy sighed with a genuine smile. “How long has it been…?”
“When are we meeting?”
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