The Read And Weep Bundle: Anonymous, Perfectly Hopeless, Run (40 page)

We were still at Roger’s. Aunt Wanda had no luck getting her hands on any more money. She was playing it safe to maintain what connection she had with Roger and Anna. This was not something I had ever seen her do before. Most of the people she knew were either dead or wondering where they could find her so they could beat the tar out of her.

It was a unique situation. I knew that she wouldn’t hurt Roger and his family. I tried to crawl inside Wanda’s mind, to figure out the weird loyalty. Maybe deep down somewhere this was the man Aunt Wanda had a thing for. He was good looking, what woman her age wouldn’t want him?

Anna had convinced me to come outside and garden with her and Lainey. She had me pulling weeds and digging holes for her flowers.

I did my best, trying to keep busy so neither one would talk to me. My knees were sore from resting in the dirt for so long. I wiped the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand, my shoulders aching.

“Almost done girls, I’ll get us some lemonade,” Anna said sweetly, taking her gloves off. She pecked Roger on the cheek and went inside. He took a seat in front of us at the patio. Lainey oblivious to her father’s presence as she went about covering roots with fresh dirt.

“Looking good,” he said, chewing on a toothpick. He flicked it back and forth between his lips. I tried my best to keep him out of my head. His eyes glued to my ever move. They were all over me and he probably was getting quite the view as I dug the holes.

I fumbled with the straps of my camisole, hoping my chest wasn’t visible from the position I was crouched in.

“I never cared for tulips,” Lainey said, more to herself, she stared at Mason as he mowed the grass off in the distance. Anna found use for all of us. I didn’t think Mason was to upset seeing he didn’t want to talk to me since the temper
tantrum he threw the other night at the duplex.

I watched him use the bottom of shirt to wi
pe the perspiration on his face, his flat muscular stomach calling out to me, along with the dark happy trail reminding me about the parts of him that were quite impressive.

I shook my head, wondering when I had become such a pervert. “I never cared for flower,” I told Lainey.

She tossed her gloves down. Making it a little too obvious she was staring at Mason now. I wasn’t the only one who knew anymore.

“He hasn’t said more than two words to me in days,” she said faintly. I caught her eyes, finding it a bit funny she would bring it up to me.

“Mason is a jerk. Don’t waste your time,” I told her, tossing a hunk of soil in the hole I dug.

“Yeah, but he’s so smart and carefree. And so nice, he’s got the most amazing eyes. He’s exotic,” she bit her lip, taking all of him in.

“His dad was Spanish, that’s not exotic, he’s a mutt.” I laughed. Lainey looked at me agitated by my remark, her smile long gone.

“It was a joke, I apologize,” I said standing up.

“Not a very funny one, Kendall. Do you think he is upset with me?” She stood too. It was like she was lost in a dream, completely mesmerized by Mason.

“I don’t know. Best way to find out is to ask him.” I jumped as a bunch of wood was dropped at my feet. Noah shot me the angriest glare, shoving the wheelbarrow past me.

Lainey stared at him rather confused. “Now if you want to know what a jerk is, that’s one right there,” she said pointing at Noah.

I laughed, watching Anna make her way out with a tray of lemonade.

“Wow, good job girls,” she said, sitting the tray on the table.

“Looks good, I agree,” Roger said in agreement. He leaned back, resting his arm on the chair beside him.

“Have a seat, girls. I’m going to get Mason and Noah so they can take a break before they die of heatstroke.” She hurried off. I studied Roger’s pleased expression as I took the seat next to him. I ran my hands across my knees trying to get some of the dirt off.

“Nothing a shower couldn’t fix,” he said, trailing a finger across my kneecap. I gave him a weird look growing a bit uncomfortable.

“Lainey could you grab my paper?” Roger asked. She shot right out of her chair eager to please him and left us alone.

“Sorry about the other day,” he said, waiting for me to acknowledge that day again.

“Maybe it was for the best,” I said, my eyes pinned on Anna who was approaching with Mason.

“Well, that’s a little disappointing to hear,” he said.

“I think your wife is really nice. I don’t want to ruin what she thinks about me.” I felt a bit ill all of a sudden. The smile on Anna’s face as she closed in on the patio was nauseating.

“I agree. My wife is a wonderful woman.” He nodded, watching Anna.

“I’m glad we agree then, Roger,” I said.

“I could make you feel amazing. I could do things to you that you never imagined. You’re a beautiful girl, Kendall. You have a lot to offer someone.”

I pondered what he said. What it could mean. All he knew about me was the way my breast felt in his grasp. Or what my lips felt like against his neck. He knew nothing about me. To him I was a naïve girl. A girl who resembled her mother and that he found attractive. Someone he probably thought was stupid enough to let him have his way. Something his wife probably was not doing anymore. Or maybe it was just a thrill to him to almost get caught with the young girl on the run. I didn’t know, and odds were Mason was right. Roger was hoping to reach my mother through my female parts.

“I’m sure I can imagine what it would be like.” I smiled as soon as Anna’s feet touched the patio. Mason plopped down next to me shirtless. I looked at him, Roger watched my every move.

“I could really use a swim,” Mason said, looking at me to agree with him. I ignored him. Lainey came out of the house excited.

“I forgot your paper, Daddy.” She gasped bringing her hand to her mouth.

“It’s alright don’t worry about it,” Roger said dismissively.

Mason grew uncomfortable as Lainey took the seat next to him.

“I think you’re doing a great job on the lawn,” Lainey said breaking the awkward silence.

“Thanks,” Mason said dryly.

“I heard you say you wanted to swim. I don’t have anything to do, I could take you down there.” She smiled at him, hanging on for dear life.

Anna handed me a glass of lemonade, agreeing with Lainey’s idea.

“I think that would be great for all of you,” she said with a smile, sipping at her glass of lemonade.

Noah groaned, loud enough
for everyone to hear. “I don’t like them. And I am not going to sit here anymore and pretend I do,” he said, knocking his mother backwards into her chair. Roger’s eyes were huge and my heart plummeted to my feet.

“Noah Wylie, these are our guest. Do not talk like that in front of them,” Anna said sternly.

“I don’t give a shit. I’m sorry, but they could be the god damn president of the United States of America for all I care. I’m not playing nice and going down to the water. I want nothing to do with them,” he said, laying his eyes on me and me only.

Anna pulled a smile from somewhere, her body rigid and seething with anger. She stood up, clutching her drink with one hand and pulling at her shirt with the other. “I apologize, Kendall and Mason. I don’t know where his manners went to. Noah I’d suggest you excuse yourself before I do something I regret later,” she said through gritted teeth.

Noah stood, he nodded his head and gave everyone one more troubled glare. Lainey twirled a strand of hair, her jaw agape.

Roger was as white as a ghost. He knew his son could bring him to his knees. I knew he wasn’t going for that. He
wanted to voice how much he hated me now.

“I’m sure we
won’t be here much longer,” Mason spoke up, downing his lemonade an eyebrow raised at Noah’s theatrics. Noah stalked off slamming the door like an enraged child.

Lainey looked around, chewing her fingernail. The girl was full of angst.

I sighed finally giving in. I looked at Mason. “I have a swimsuit in my bag. Let me grab it,” I said, Lainey lit up from head to toe.

“Mason are you coming to?” she asked. Mason nodded, heading back to the duplex with me.

“You’re not one to be nice,” he informed me.

“They mean no harm. They are the first people I met who are decent and kind.” I shrugged.

“Are you falling in love with the thought of their happy family?” He grinned.

“Mason, knock it off. She really likes you,” I said, Mason glared at me.

“I’m not some prostitute you can pawn off. I’m not going to sleep with her to make you happy or her. What the heck is wrong with you people?” The shocked expression on his face made me want to laugh.

“I didn’t ask you to,” I griped, heading up the stairs. He stared after me blown away.  I was beginning to think Mason thought I had no morals at all.

“I just want to get out of here,” he said, going inside.

After throwing on our swimsuits we headed back through the woods to the water. Lainey proved to be quite the country girl. She knew every step of the way. To me it was nothing more than a mass of trees. I would have been lost in seconds if I was alone. I always thought it was funny how similar to her I was, but yet so different. We were both from the south, although I never felt like I was anymore. I had grown up in nearly every stare for a long time. The south had been sucked right out of me.

“Well, here we are guys,” she said, standing at the edge of the water. Tall trees lining the edge. It was the sort of thing in the movies. I hoped I wouldn’t come out covered in blood sucking leeches.

Mason pulled his shirt off and tossed it on the ground. He took off before Lainey could give him another dreamy look.

I wiggled out of my shorts, dropping them at my feet. Lainey watched, before taking her own clothes off. She was comparing herself with me. That was a girl for you. I was comfortable in my skin, as comfortable as breathing.

She was skinny, but in a sporty way not an underdeveloped girl way. Her body was like a piece of pale art. Her hair glistened in the sun, her purple bikini made her alabaster skin look even more porcelain like.

“I love your swimsuit,” she said, pulling her hair back. I smiled, securing the ties on my hot pink bikini. It was the most girly thing I owned. And I loved it.

I wasn’t skinny like Lainey—I wasn’t fat either. I was exactly what a woman was meant to look like. I had a tiny waist, small hips and muscular legs. Probably from all the running I did.  My arms were long and thin, with a subtle muscular undertone. I had a rear that went well with anything I wore. My butt was my favorite part of my body.

Mason always said I was the most amazing looking girl, that my body drove him crazy. He said I was made that way to work all the men up. I always thought he was failing at romance when he said such a thing.

But as I watched him watching us, it was obvious whose body was drawing all his attention. Lainey grabbed my arm and started running toward the water. I quickly shook my sandals from my feet as our feet hit the water.

We both went under simultaneously. The soft lull of water filling my ears and shocking my hot skin. I immediately opened my eyes, a million particles floating past my face as I swam. I could see Mason and Lainey standing a safe distance away from each other. I stretched my arms and legs, swimming further.

When I swam I felt like life was pulled from my shoulders and tossed to the wayside. I was weightless. And something was holding me up for once. I didn’t have to try to do anything, no matter what I did I was secure when I swam. And nothing mattered.

My entire life I never knew what it felt like to have someone worry about me. No one ever cared about me. And living my life that way made it hard to be normal.

I didn’t want to be sad. I didn’t want to feel sorry for myself. It was hard to when you never do anything else. When I lived with my mother I never saw anything good in her. I never saw much of her at all. She was never there, she never cared and I was alone almost every day of my life.

I got used to it. And I learned that my best friend was myself. But even I didn’t have what it took to make me feel loved or care for.

And like a leaf in a stream, I was swept through life like a current. It never mattered what was happening around me, I still had to move on.

My mother was never angry and bitter like Wanda. She was the opposite. My mother was overly emotional. She was always crying or upset about something. She never said why, she just went on her way.

Men were her comfort, a sort of torture and at the same time a soothing place to run to. She was a beautiful woman with a broken soul. And there wasn’t one day in my life that I felt like she was my mother. She was a woman living under the same roof as me. I was a burden in her home. A burden she ignored and never looked at.

I resurfaced once my lungs were on fire and begging for air. Mason’s body was floating off in the distance. Lainey trailing behind him, they were having a conversation as they drifted further away.

I decided I had enough swimming and headed back up the hill, grabbing my clothes from the ground. I started walking. They would never even notice I was gone. And this gave Mason the chance to make Lainey happy. I knew Mason liked to make people happy. He would never treat anyone badly if he didn’t have to. And there was no reason to treat Lainey bad. Deep down Mason was a nice guy.