"Spring Break!" we all yelled, throwing our papers in the air. I raced out the hall and down the wings to the parking lot. There, Emmett was waiting for me.
"Happy Spring Break, Alice," He said, sprinkling some confetti over my long hair.
"Confetti, Emmett? Really? You certainly know how to play up the situation. Happy Spring Break to you, too." I laughed, throwing my head back. I grabbed handfuls out confetti out of his bag and threw it in the air, and Emmett and I jumped and laughed and do-si-doed as the brightly colored, shiny pieces rained down on us, getting caught in our hair and on our clothes. So what if people stared? We didn't care.
"How did we come to be best friends? I used to be level-headed and sensible. You turned me into a 5-year-old, you goofball!" I squealed.
"You couldn't help yourself. I'm irresistible. I just have that kind of power." He grinned.
"If you say so. So when are you picking me up tomorrow?" I asked.
"You need to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by 6A.M. so we can get an early start on the road. Are you sure your mom's are okay with this?" He asked.
"Oh, well…she will be. When I tell her." I mumbled.
"Alice…I hope you are right. Your mother would be worried. You need to do the right thing," he mused. In a way, Emmett kind of took on the role of my father once my father left. He looked out for me in a protective way, and even though he was so super silly at times, he was full of wisdom when it came to right from wrong. Especially since he'd done things that he wasn't proud of, and I'd been the one he came to. I'd been the one that kept all his secrets. I trust him with my decisions, and possibly my life.
"Ok, Emmett. Promise." I said.
"Good. I'll see you later, Alice, okay?" He said, and bent down to kiss the top of my head. I closed my eyes, and sighed.
"Okay." I said. I sniffled. I wasn't ready to face my mother. Emmett and I have known each other since 3rd grade, and my mother loved him like he was part of the family. But she would have a heart attack if she knew I was traveling alone with a guy. This is why I didn't tell her. But I must.
"I have to run. Here comes Jamie." He said. He jogged over to his ex-girlfriend, Jamie, and she put her hands on her hips. He had his hands up in the air, signaling innocence. She lifted her manicured hand and slapped it across his face. I could hear her heels click-clack away down the pavement. He looked down at his hands, sighed, and got in his 2010 Buick Lacrosse and drove off sadly. I didn't know why. I felt bad for him, as I stepped in my Sebring. I knew what I needed to do, and with my mind made up, I drove off.
I walked in the door, and put my keys in the key bowl. There was miniature, high-pitched barking that I had gotten to know very well in the last eight days. It was my new puppy. Boo, I decided, should be his name. Yeah, I know it is a weird name. But…I don't know. It just fit. I opened the sliding glass door, and walked out to the back yard. My little sand-colored puppy cocked his head, noticing my appearance. He smiled, letting his tongue flap in and out as he panted. His little legs pushed him forward to me and he slid into my arms. I lifted him from the grass and cuddled him against my chest.
"Hi, Boo-bear! Oh, I missed you, baby! I hope you had a good day. C'mon, let's get you inside." I cooed, taking Boo upstairs. My suitcases were packed and under my bed.
"Well, Boo, I'm going to be off for a week and Hunter and mommy are going to take care of you. I'll be back as soon as I can. But I'm going to spend a much needed week off with Emmett. So you be good for them, okay?" I whispered. Boo understood. I kissed his nose and he barked. My mother knocked on the open door.
"Hi, Alice." She smiled.
"Mom? You're home early." I said, confused.
"Well, yeah. Your spring break, my spring break." She said, as she pulled her hair out of her neat little bun and her wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders. She took off her heels. She's a piano teacher, and she taught me. I think she was glad to be having a break, as well as me. She moved towards my bed, and stroked Boo's head and he panted in content.
"Hey, Boo." Was all she said, and she stood and walked out.
I let out a breath I'd been holding since she walked in. When would I tell her? I'd figured I would tell her at dinner. I invited Emmett to dinner, which was okay with my mom but I was a little nervous. He appeared at the door some time before 7P.M. He picked me up and spun me around. My mom was in the kitchen making fried chicken. Emmett sniffed overdramatically.
"Mmm! It smells really good in here Ms. T! You sure know how to feed your family." He enthused.
"Thank you, Emmett. I'm glad you appreciate my food." She smiled.
Emmett and I waited for dinner to be ready in the living room. I sat on the couch cross-legged and Emmett stretched over the rest of the couch, his feet hanging off the edge. His head rested in my lap, and he laughed as I played with his ears. I turned on the television and "16 and Pregnant" was on MTV. Emmett's lips pressed in a tight line. His expression was cold.
"Could you please turn the channel?" he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"It's just really sappy and dramatic. Not my style." His eyes were glowering at the screen as the young girl conceived a baby girl. But I changed the channel anyway. And that was that.
"Thank you. So did you tell your mother?" He whispered.
"Uh…yes." I lied. He was oblivious.
"Good. So I'll be in your driveway by 5:55A.M. I want your little butt down there with your stuff and in my car by 6A.M. Are we clear?" He said in mock sternness.
"Yes, sir!" I said.
After dinner, when Emmett left, my mother blew my brother and I a kiss goodnight and trudged upstairs, flopping on the bed, fast asleep in a matter of seconds. I dressed in a pink tank top and pink pajama pants with hearts all over them. I passed by Hunter's room.
"Is it Valentine's Day already?" He said, pausing his video game.
"I believe every day is a holiday." I replied simply.
"Okay, Butterbean. If you say so." He said.
"Of course I say so, Cuddle-bug." I smirked. The embarrassing nicknames were our inside joke from when Mom, Hunter, and I were watching television in the family room and the commercial came on with all the teens looking like kids in floaties and saying how they are all those embarrassing nicknames and urging parents to talk to their kids about sex. We turned to mom, whose cheeks were burning bright red. Hunter turned back to me and we joked:
"Well, Butterbean, are you having sex, yet?" He said, smiling.
"Of course not. Are you having sex, Cuddle-bug?" I said in response, eyeing mom who seemed shaken and amused all at the same time.
"No, ma'am." He guffawed and we turned to mom.
"Lighten up." We said in unison.
I looked at the game he was playing.
"Modern Warfare?" I asked.
"I like it." He said.
"Oh."
"I know where you're going this week."
"Oh." I said again.
"So are you going to tell her or do I have to?" He said, not looking up from his game.
"I'll tell her." I said in a small voice.
"Well that's a change." He said.
"I know." I said shrinking against his wall. I sat down beside
"Look," he said, patting my knee, "you're growing and neither mom nor I can stop you. I'm just glad you're doing this for yourself. But if Emmett lays a finger on you, I'll have to rip him to shreds and use his insides as a jump rope." He said.
"Nice, Hunter. Real nice." I laughed.
"I know. Now get outta here, and go get some sleep. You've got a long drive ahead of you tomorrow." He mussed up my hair and went back to his game. I walked down the hall to my fluffy, pink, sparkly cushion of a bedroom, immediately dreaming perfect dreams of all the happiness spring break would bring me. No worries…right?
I woke up at 5A.M., which was earlier than I'd wanted, but that's okay. I took a long shower, and dressed in jean shorts, an orange tank top, and rainbows. I brushed out my long, wavy black hair. I should blow-dry and straighten it but I don't have the time and I still need to inform mom about the trip. I tiptoed to my mother's room. The door was open, and the early morning's blue light spilled through her window. She still slept peacefully, one arm hanging off the side of the bed, face turned away from me. I couldn't wake her now. So I tiptoed back to my room and scribbled down a note on a tiny pink piece of paper.
Dear Mom,
I'm going to be leaving for spring break with Emmett to Myrtle Beach. Don't follow me. Don't worry, I'll be safe. I mean, c'mon. It's Emmett. I have money and I promise I will call you once I arrive. It'll be sometime around noon. You and Hunter will have to care for Boo. Thank you for understanding. I love you, mom.
-Alice
I slipped the note under her hand and she sighed. Her mouth opened a little and then closed. She was still sleeping. I stopped by Hunter's room. His door was cracked. I peeked in and he was awake, laying in bed, arms folded across his chest, staring at the ceiling. At my approach, he sat up and I sat beside his bed on my knees.
"Alice, I want you to have a good spring break. And I want you to make wise decisions. If you're in any trouble, you can call me." He said quietly.
"I love you, too, Hunter." I smiled. Hunter cradled my head in his hand and lightly kissed my forehead. I stood, and on the way out, I turned back to him and he was staring at the ceiling again.
"Hunter. Take care of Boo. And take care of Mom. Good-bye." I said.
And that was that. So, I picked up my suitcases, my carry-on, and my purse, and walked downstairs, kissed the sleeping Boo goodbye and walked out the door. I closed it quietly behind me, and there in the blue morning I saw Emmett's headlights and he opened the trunk. He helped me lift my suitcases into the trunk. I waved goodbye to my brother from the second story window, and we headed of to paradise.
