“Today, the sunflowers look beautiful,” Mortimer admitted to his Labrador—Ruby. He took in a deep breath of air and let it out. “I love Tuesday mornings.” He patted Ruby’s head.
It would be nearing thirty years since the disappearance of Bella. Her name had become a forgotten memory; her presence was invisible like air.
He smiled. “I think I’ll go visit the cemetery. Want to go with me, Ruby?”
As if responding, the dog whined.
Mortimer laughed. “Yeah, I know. Who wants to go to a cemetery?”
He headed for the house with the dog, but ran into Lawrence coming down from the stairs.
“Morning, Granddad.”
“Morning, Lawrence. Is Alex awake?”
“He’s out. I think he pulled an all-nighter…”
Mortimer sighed. “The boy doesn’t know that he’s killing himself.” He followed Lawrence to the kitchen.
“Don’t be so hard on him, Granddad. He’s applying for college, isn’t he?”
“Last I heard…I don’t understand why he wants to go to some low and un-rated college…I made sure that he’s accepted to the Crumplebottom academy.”
“He’s young and doesn’t see that you only want the best,” the Goth family butler—Sebastian—admitted.
“Sea-Bass is right, Granddad,” Lawrence admitted.
“I-I just don’t understand where I went wrong in raising him…Does he not appreciate it?” Mortimer poured himself some coffee and Sebastian gave him a piece of toast. “Perhaps it is because Bella was never there…”
The sound of her name echoed in the rooms of their hearts.
The awkwardness was broken by Sebastian.
“Well, Lawrence, did you finish your homework?”
“…I think I did.”
As those two broke off into their own conversation, Mortimer buttered his toast. Finally, Alex appeared.
“Morning,” he yawned as he took his place across from Mortimer.
“Morning, Son.”
“Can I have the comics?”
Mortimer took out the comics section in his newspaper and handed it to his son. As Alex read his newspaper, Mortimer watched him with great intent.
It was true that Mortimer’s looks had been inherited by his son. But something about his son brought a distant memory of vanity; a distant memory of love.
“I haven’t seen a report card in a while,” Mortimer admitted. “Are you keeping something from me?”
“What makes you say that, Dad?”
“…Well, Lawrence had shown me his.”
Alex looked over his shoulder to where Lawrence was standing. Lawrence saw him and quickly made way for the other side of the room.
“…He’s in middle school.”
“He’s only in eighth grade.”
“Still middle school.”
“Don’t be difficult.”
Alex folded the comics and went back to his cereal. “We need more Fruit Loops.”
In times of crisis, he would change the subject. He was some image of most people, where in a crisis, they would change the situation.
“…I’ll be sure to get some.”
“Oh, you’re going to the market?”
“I’m free today.”
“Pick me up some candy.”
“Candy…Son, you have braces.”
Alex set down his spoon. “…You never said much about me eating candy.”
Mr. Harrison’s science class had never been so boring. AP Physics had never been so…so dull.
Alex stared straight at the board. He might’ve seemed intently focused on the lecture, but his mind was nowhere there. He didn’t even recognize the note on his desk until he sighed and looked down.
He opened the skillfully folded paper and read its contents: Roman’s got some. The handwriting belonged to the girl who sat two seats diagonal from him. She didn’t even seem to notice him.
He shook his head with a slight smirk on his lips. “Emily,” he murmured as he replied this note. He placed it next to his table partner. His table partner—Jack—saw the note and continued to pass it. Jack quickly went back to texting.
A few seconds later, Emily had gotten the note and opened it. She kept her composure and wrote an answer. But, instead, she passed the note to her other side. Alex knew that the note would be going to Roman.
Roman—a brown haired good Catholic boy—took the note and was included in the conversation. Soon, he finished his answer and sent it towards Alex’s direction.
Alex took the note and almost changed his grim expression.
Alex, what the hell? You need to be there! Bring Lilith! Roman, have a say!
Alex, she’s kind of right. A party is not a party without you or Lilith…
Alex wrote his answer and sent it to his more logical friend: Victoria.
Victoria was the most quiet girl in the Junior class and she always sat in the back of every class. Victoria Chang was going to be the valedictorian.
When Victoria got the note, she set it aside, to end the conversation.
Roman saw and slammed his pencil into his book. Emily crossed her legs and began to play with her long hair.
Mr. Harrison looked away from his book, noticing Roman’s angered behavior. “Mr. Callaghan.” He turned and stared directly at Roman. “Is there something wrong with my class?”
“Not a thing, Mr. Harrison.”
“…Well then, Mr. Callaghan, do not disturb my class, please.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Harrison.”
A few seconds later, Alex got the note. Victoria had sent it back.
He turned to look at her and was slightly surprised to see her looking back.
He shrugged and crumpled the note. So, tonight there was to be a session on the Long Way.
“Where’s Lilith?” Emily asked.
“Forgot to call.”
Roman shook his head. “I’m glad that Lilith wasn’t the one with the stuff.” As he said so, he brought out a bag of pot.
“Thanks, Man.” Alex reached for the bag, but Roman snatched it away.
“Excuse me, Alex, but we should let the maid of honor do this.” He turned to Victoria.
She glared at him. “I don’t smoke.”
“You always say that. When are you going to let loose?”
“Let loose? My parents are doctors. They’d know instantly, and my sister’s boyfriend is a freaking cop!”
“You stress too much,” Emily stated as she rolled a cigarette. She lit it and took a long whiff.
“Why are you even here?” Alex asked.
“…You were the one who told me to come.”
“You were?” Roman and a partially baked Emily asked.
Alex stared to the side as he took the cigarette from Roman. He sighed with much content. “Just what I needed…”
“So,” Roman began again, “you told Vicky to come?”
Alex laughed as he threw his head back. The smoke came out of his mouth. “Yeah. Who’ll drive us home?”
Victoria crossed her arms. “You could just walk home.”
A few minutes later, Jeremy West and Kyle Myrtle joined them.
Kyle and Emily went off into their own little land. Everyone knew they wanted each other, but their prides didn’t allow them to back down to one another.
“There’s a party at Damon’s on Saturday. We going?” Jeremy asked.
“Sure,” Alex answered. “But, who’s driving me home?” He nudged at Victoria. “Well, Neighbor?”
She glared at him. “Hell no.”
“And why not?”
“Unlike some people, Saturdays are busy days for me. I have two brothers, and three sisters. And, it just so happens to be that this Saturday, I’m going to my sister’s party and-.”
Without warning, Alex grabbed the side of her face and threw his lips onto hers.
She quickly pushed him away. “What the hell?”
“You’re too noisy…”
The color from her face drained and she got up. “I’m taking a dip.” She walked over to the pond, where she un-bashfully stripped off her uniform and dove into the water.
“T-that was…um…awkward.” An already baked Roman laid his head on Jeremy’s shoulder.
“Get the hell off.”
Roman laughed with much slur in his voice. “T-that’s not what you-you said last…um…last night!”
“God, he’s like a…middle schooler!” Jeremy admitted as he pushed Roman off.
Roman fell off of the seat and stayed there, laughing at some invisible joke.
Jeremy sat up, apparently still sober. “I’m taking a dip, too.”
When he left, Roman sat up, seemingly a bit sober.
“You’re not stoned?”
“Oh, come on, Alex. I’m Roman; it takes me a bit more than five huffs to get me going.” Roman folded his hands, waiting for his turn. Once Alex took his huff, he gave it to Roman. Roman sat staring at the smoke. He rubbed it between his thumb and index finger, as if pondering life on the rolled cigarette. “Hey, what was that?”
“What?”
“With Victoria…”
“Just a petty kiss. Who’d really kiss her?”
Roman nodded. “She’d get confused.”
“She’s too smart to get confused. Plus, she knows I tease. She knows how I feel about her.”
“…How do you feel about her?”
Alex sighed. “She’s a friend. We are classmates; neighbors. Her dad is my dad’s personal physician. That’s it.”
Roman nodded, officially taking the cigarette to his lips.
“Plus, how could I feel that way towards her? We all know that I only want Lilith.”
Lawrence’s homework was too hard to even comprehend. The math he was doing was worse than Alex’s homework.
Yes, Lawrence was a very smart genius. Everyone knew he was such a smart boy; how he could solve college leveled problems in less than a few seconds. But, he didn’t know how to solve himself.
He admitted that he had a sick family: his dad was a whore and his mom was no better. All his life, he had only known his grandfather and Alex. But, there was no warmth that had come from any kind of embrace. The mother he once knew was only recognized as the woman who had birthed him.
He looked down from his window to face the sunflowers. They loved the warmth, he had learned. And, he was a bit like them: He wanted to live for the warmth.
Eventually, he saw the other young man who was also looking at the sunflowers. If he remembered correctly, the golden-haired boy was Beau Broke.
What was he doing in front of the Goth mansion?
As Lawrence was getting up, he noticed that Beau was looking at him. For moments, those two pairs of eyes stared at each with such intensity that even a wall could not get between the connection.
Lawrence closed his eyes and walked away. It was something in the way that both boys stared at each other that sparked some unknown curiosity in him.
He went back to his homework, attempting to solve the Calculus problem that seemed to be un-solvable.
There was a knock on the door. “Yeah.”
Mortimer stepped inside. “Homework?”
“Yes, Granddad.”
“Have you seen your uncle?”
“I last saw him getting into his car.”
“Alone or with friends?”
“…Alone.” It was better to cover up for Alex than feel his wrath later on.
“Okay…Do you need help? I heard from a son of my friend’s that Calculus is pretty hard.” Mortimer looked out the window. “…Hm…That’s the Broke boy.”
He was still there? “Oh…What’s he doing?”
“Looks like he likes my sunflowers. He keeps staring at them…” Mortimer turned away. “What do you want for dinner? How about pork chops?”
“Yeah. Yeah, pork chops sound good.”
“Good. I already started dinner. Half an hour; dinner’s in half an hour.”
“Okay.”
Mortimer gave him a sudden pat on the back. “…Good boy.” He left soon.
“Good boy…” he repeated. He went back to the window to see Beau Broke walking back to the direction of his home. “Good boy…”
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