Unfamiliar (6 page)

I shook my head. “No, not really. Maybe he has a girlfriend?”

“He’s not the kind of guy to have a steady girlfriend,” Jonathan informed me.

I didn’t know much about Deuce except that he knew his shit when it came to music. Jonathan had recruited him and they’d hung out in the same crowd, so that’s how he’d ended up replacing our old guitarist, Trey.

“Well, whether he’s out banging someone or studying astronomy, I don’t really care. What pisses me off is that we have a big show tomorrow and he isn’t here to practice. Again. He needs to get serious about this or we’re gonna have to find someone else.”

“Yeah, I’ll talk to him,” Jonathan said. “So this promoter guy’s really gonna be there?”

I nodded as I slung my guitar over my shoulder and ran my hand gently over the strings. “Yeah, for real. He said he sees potential in us to grow. It’s a pretty big fucking deal so we have to be on our game.”

Last month, a well-known promoter had contacted me and was interested in coming to watch us play live. He was well-connected to people in the music industry and could get us in touch with some pretty important people if we made a good impression on him.

That’s why I couldn’t have Deuce skipping practice and potentially screwing up during a performance. He was good, but he wasn’t
that
good.

There were so many plans I had for this band, but most of all I just wanted us to be successful. This was something that I was really passionate about. Music wasn’t confining or limited. It didn’t hold me back; it let me escape.

Before Jonathan could say anything, my phone started buzzing in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that it was my mom calling.

Shit. I didn’t really want to talk to her after our last disastrous Sunday lunch. There wasn’t really anything I had to say to her or my dad that I hadn’t already said. For a second, I seriously considered not answering it, but then a tiny voice in my head told me I’d be an asshole for ignoring my mother.

Putting my guitar aside, I answered my phone, a tightness beginning to form in the center of my chest. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hello, Chase.” She sounded relieved, though I couldn’t really understand why. “I was worried you would ignore my call.”

I sighed. “I seriously considered it.”

Mom chuckled on the other end. “Well, I’m glad you did answer. I know you have an important show coming up tomorrow and I wanted to wish you luck.”

Wow. This was unexpected. Neither of my parents had ever called up to wish me luck before and I’d been doing this for years. This definitely wasn’t normal for them. I had a feeling that whatever Cecilia had said to them after I’d left on Sunday had gotten through to them.

“Well, uh, thanks.”

Mom heaved a sigh on the other end of the line. “Cecilia informed us that some of the things that your father and I said this weekend were out of line.”

No shit.

“Uh huh,” I said, prompting her to continue.

“Even though we don’t really understand this music thing you’re doing, and although it sounds like a whole lot of noise to me, I don’t want it to get in the way of our relationship.”

So my mother had a weird way of apologizing, but at least she’d made an attempt. I couldn’t hold it against her for trying.

“Well, thanks, Mom. I appreciate it.”

“So I can look forward to seeing you on Sunday as usual?” She sounded more relieved now that the difficult part of the conversation was done.

“Yes, Mom, I’ll be there at noon, like always.”

“Okay, I love you, Chase.”

“Love you, too.”

I hung up and turned back to Zach and Jonathan who were watching me expectantly. They knew my family well, so there wasn’t a whole lot of explaining needed.

“What did your mom say?” Jonathan asked.

We’d been friends since we were five so he was well aware of what my parents were like.

“She was saying sorry for some shit she said last week.”

“Oh yeah? The usual?” Zach asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, and then some crap about Heather. That I was better off without her. Stuff that I didn’t really need to hear.”

“Well, Heather kinda was a psycho bitch,” Zach stated a matter-of-factly. “So she’s not wrong there.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

My turbulent relationship with Heather hadn’t really been much of a secret. Everyone knew about the frequent impromptu fights that we’d have anywhere and everywhere. And everyone knew how it had ended—she’d cheated on me and then dumped me.

Stupid whore.

As I grabbed my guitar, and Jonathan started up a beat on the drums, my mother’s words echoed in my ears:
it sounds like a whole lot of noise.

And even though I barely knew her, I couldn’t help but think back to the pretentious girl from my music class who dressed like a librarian and had booty who’d said almost the exact same thing to me.

Damn that booty.

Hailey

The concert Tessa wanted to drag me to was tonight so Braxton was picking me up this morning. We were going to spend the day with his family at home then head back here this evening. It was lot of driving back and forth so we decided that he should just spend the night here. Boys obviously weren't supposed to be in the girls’ rooms after curfew but nobody ever came around to check so we weren't
too
worried about it.

Normally I would never break a rule like that, but Braxton really wanted me to spend time with his family today— he said it just wasn’t the same without me there and I really needed him to go to that stupid concert tonight. Tessa was refusing to let me back out—laying on a guilt trip and calling Girl Code. So having him crash here instead of driving back to Southlake in the middle of the night seemed like the best solution.

Tessa said as long as we didn't have sex while she was in the room she didn't mind, but if we were going to have sex to at least put my bra on the door so she knew not to barge in. I told her she didn't have to worry about it. Despite the fact that she may have issues with boundaries, I most definitely did not.

Braxton was supposed to be here at nine to pick me up so I woke up early to shower and get dressed. Tessa was still passed out when I got out of the shower so I tried to get ready as quietly as possible.

I was tip-toeing through the room toward my closet when, as if on cue, my phone started to ring and I nearly tripped over Tessa's knee high boots she’d left in the middle of the floor trying to answer it before it woke her up. Seriously, out of all of the girls living in the dorms, I had to be paired up with the messiest one of the bunch. Weren't those compatibility tests we took prior to dorm assignments supposed to pair us up with a roommate that we were
most compatible
with?

“Hello?” I answered breathlessly into the phone.

“Hello?” I answered the phone.

“Hey babe, it's me. Are you ready?”

“Yeah, I'll be right down,” I whispered. Then, because I couldn't help myself, I picked up Tessa's boots and placed them neatly in her overflowing closet.

Braxton was waiting outside the dorm entrance, his tall, lithe frame leaning casually against one of the stone pillars. He had on faded blue jeans and the Basketball State Champions shirt he’d gotten our senior year of high school. He hugged me and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

“Missed you.”

“Missed you, too,” I told him.

The hour long drive back to Southlake was quiet as usual, which was a nice change after spending so much time with my chatterbox roommate. I actually really liked Tessa, but it was nice to just be able to sit and get lost in my own thoughts while in his company. Compatible silence.

When he pulled into his driveway, I couldn't help but let my eyes wander over to my own house. It felt weird being that close to my childhood home and not having even the slightest inclination to stop by. My dad's truck wasn't there— he was probably already at the casino. The thought made me sick to my stomach, but at the same time I was relieved that I never had to go back to that house again. Braxton was always trying to encourage me to forgive my father and move forward, but that was easier said than done.

“There she is!” Brad, Braxton's older brother, greeted me at the door. He and Braxton looked a lot alike with their matching shades of blonde hair and blue eyes, although Brad's nose was a little larger and he kept his hair much shorter than Braxton's. He was several inches taller than my five-foot-six frame so when he hugged me I was lifted from the floor like I weighed nothing. “How's it feel to officially be a college student?”

“Good, I guess.”

“Do you like your classes?”

“Yeah, sure.” All but one anyway, but I suspected that was more to do with my shitty partner than the class itself.

“Okay, serious question.”

“Okay?”

“Is your roommate hot?”

I laughed and playfully pushed him away. “Off-limits.”

“Kill joy. Come on, lunch is already here.”

“Take-out okay?” Braxton whispered in my ear a little nervously.

“Of course.” Food was food and it was more important to spend time with Mrs. Douglas than anything. Besides I wasn't picky.

After my mom had left, I’d survived off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cereal because my dad didn't cook. Most of the time he wasn't even home anyway. Once I was tall enough to use the microwave and brave enough to use the stove it got better. But when Braxton found out that I ate by myself most nights, he’d told his mom and she’d started inviting me over for dinner with their family. She was a wonderful cook, but the last year had been rough and the Douglas family had been eating a lot of take-out.

Chinese take-out boxes lined the otherwise unused dining room table. The family ate wherever Mrs. Douglas was most comfortable these days. Which usually was in the living room, with her propped up against some pillows on the couch.

I was hesitant to enter the living room. I obviously wanted to see her but at the same time, I didn't know if I was mentally prepared for the reality of her deteriorated condition. Just the thought caused a lump to form in the back of my throat that threatened to cut off my air supply.

“Are you okay?” Braxton asked me quietly.

“Yeah. Just nervous I guess.”

“She won't eat much. Don't freak out though, it's just the meds messing with her appetite.”

I nodded, unable to put to words what I was feeling.

“Are you coming?” he asked as he walked past me.

“Yeah.” I followed behind him with slow, heavy steps.

As I walked into the living room, the first thing I noticed was that everything appeared to be the same as it had always been. The same oversized entertainment center filled with little knickknacks that were now coated with a significant layer of dust, something that Mrs. Douglas never would have allowed under normal circumstances. Pictures of the boys in every phase of life still took over the entire wall above the faded tan couch.

But the woman lying on that familiar couch was completely different.

She was once beautiful with chin-length blonde hair, the same color as her boys. Her blue eyes that had once sparkled brightly with life and love now seemed dull and lifeless. She had withered away to practically a skeleton and I could see the bones protruding through her pale, ashy skin.

I smiled as brightly as I could manage. “Hi.”

She smiled weakly in return. “Hi, Sweetie,” she croaked. Brad handed her a drink of water which she sipped carefully, grimacing as she swallowed.

Braxton was right, she didn't eat anything. She occasionally took small sips of water, cringing each time in obvious discomfort, but for the most part she just laid there. Occasionally she fell asleep. It was difficult to be there.

After lunch, we told everybody goodbye and I promised to visit again soon.

Braxton didn't have a bag with him as we walked back out to his truck after lunch. I wondered if he at least remembered to grab his toothbrush while making a mental note to pick up an extra one for him to keep in my dorm room along with some extra clothes just in case.

“I don't want to take you back yet. Do you want to go see a movie?” he said as he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the top of my head. “Hmm, I guess it’s too late for a movie. Even if we caught an early one I don’t think I’d be able to make it back here by seven. What about some dessert?”

“I thought we were going to the concert?” I pulled away from his embrace. Did he forget?

“What concert?”

That would be 'yes', yes he did forget.

“Seriously? Do you really not remember?”

“Ah, shit. No, I completely forgot. I actually made plans with some guys from school.”

“What?” I was disappointed and hurt but mostly shocked.

“Yeah, Jared called earlier today and said they needed another guy for the basketball tournament tonight.”

“So you're going to go hang out with the friends you see practically every day instead of spending time with me? It’s one night; we barely see each other anymore!”