CHAPTER TWO- HOME
"Mom, can we PLEASE just GO?" I called from the front steps of my mom's trailer. I had already packed all my luggage into her trunk and had been waiting anxiously for her to be ready to leave all day. It was now 2 PM, and considering we were eight hours away from Nashville, and home was another half an hour north, we were going to be late, and she would be in trouble. Not that I minded her being in trouble, I had spent most of the summer alone, either in my room or down on the beach, which was a ten minute walk from my mom's house. I was darker now, and the sun had brought out my natural highlights. I was an inch or two taller, and my hair was longer. I'd filled out some, but I still looked like plain old Lyndsey. Plain, boring, Lyndsey. I'd hoped I'd end up looking like one of the girls who laid out on the sand day to day, but with my genes, I was destined to be short, with a big bust and curvy hips my whole life. My mom finally came out of her bedroom half an hour later.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." my mom grumbled. Her red frizzy hair was pulled up on top of her head with a claw clip and she was dressed in pajama shorts and a tank top with a cigarette hanging from her lips. We looked absolutely nothing alike. She was pale and freckled, while I had inherited my dad's skin tone and hair color. The only thing alike about my mom and I was our build, and our bright green eyes. When she plopped down into the drivers' seat of her Ford, I smelled the liquor.
"Mom, are you gonna be able to drive?"
"Yeah, of course I am, Cassie." she said, calling me by my older sisters' name.
"Ma, I'm not Cassie, I'm Lyndsey." I replied.
"Of course you are."
"Ma, you can't drive. You're drunk." I said, reaching for the keys.
She slapped my hand away and started the car anyway.
"I am not drunk." she said, starting the car and putting it into reverse. I clutched my seat in fear. I had never been in the car with anyone who was drunk before. Clearly, my mom was not giving up; she was going to try and drive. I felt my eyes welling up with tears, scared. My mind was racing, I was trying to figure out a way to stop her.
"Ma, I left my cell phone in the house." I told her. I didn't even have a cell phone, but in her state, she wouldn't even realize it.
"Hurry up and go get it then." she told me, putting the car in park. I got out and ran in the house, picked up the house phone, and dialed my dad's work number.
"Hey Cupcake. Where are ya? Daddy misses you."
"I miss you too, Daddy....Mama's drunk. We haven't even left her house yet."
"Oh no, how bad is it?"
"She's pretty ill...she says she's not drunk, and she called me Cassie. Daddy, can you please just come get me?"
"Just stay put, Lynds. I'll be there as soon as I can. I'll probably fly down if I can get a flight. I'll call you in a few minutes, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy."
I hung the phone up and sat down to wait for him to call back. My mom had started honking the horn from outside, and I was starting to worry. Hopefully Daddy could get a flight and I wouldn't have to wait seven hours for him to arrive. My mom stopped honking just as the phone started ringing.
"I'll be there in an hour or so. Wayne is letting me use the company jet to come get you. Sit tight."
I said goodbye to my dad and walked out on the front porch. My mom was standing at the front of the car, hood popped, scratching her head. There was smoke coming from somewhere. There was absolutely no telling when the last time she had maintenace done on the hunk of junk, but I was grateful that it had malfunctioned when it did. This gave me time to stall until my dad got there.
"Ma.....what are you doing?" I said, walking toward her.
"Stay there, this thing is gonna blow!" she yelled. I stopped, and took a step back. Was she serious or just toasted? I couldn't tell, but either way, I wanted to get my things out of the trunk.
"Ma, if it's gonna blow, I need to get my stuff out."
"Well be quick, and don't make any sudden movements." she said.
Yeah, she was just toasted. However, I popped the trunk and unloaded my things, carried them up the steps, and set them in the living room. I sat down on the couch, hot but more at ease than earlier. The phone rang just as my mom walked back in the house.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hey. Why are you still at your mom's? I thought you were coming home today?" Kenneth's voice came. It had gradually gotten deeper over the summer. I couldn't wait to see him, it had been way too long.
"I am, I'm just running a little late." I replied. I heard my mom pop open a beer from the kitchen and I groaned.
"A little? You're supposed to be home by now....what's wrong?"
"I'll have to tell you about it later."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. How's band practice?"
"We didn't have it today, Brandon went to his Granny's, so...."
"I see....well, will you be home tomorrow?"
"No, that's why I was hoping you'd be home tonight. I'm gonna go to my mom's until the night before school starts."
"Aww....nooo.....that means I have to wait another week to see you!"
"I know, it sucks....but hey, at least it's not another month, right?" he replied.
"Yeah, you're right."
"Call me when you get home, okay?"
"Even if it's late?"
"Even if it's late."
"Alright....I'll talk to you later."
"Bye, Lynds."
"Bye, K-Wayne."
We hung up and I sat back, waiting on my dad to arrive.
"Hey Lynds, how are you gonna get home since my car broke?" my mom called from the kitchen.
"Um, I called Daddy when I came back in the house. He's gonna come get me." I answered.
"Oh okay. Well. I'm going out. George is having a party. See ya at Christmas, kid."
My mom walked out the front door, allowing the screen door to slam loudly, a beer in hand.
Cheese and rice, Mom, thanks for caring. Goodbye, love you too. I thought.
About half an hour later, a taxi pulled in the driveway and my dad got out. He helped me take my things to the car and hugged me for a minute before we got in. He told me how much he missed me, and that he had a few surprises for me when we got home. As long as one of them wasn't an evil stepmother with five children, I was okay. Dad assured me he hadn't so much looked at a woman in months, he'd been entirely too busy at work, and that I'd love my surprises.
After a twenty minute car ride to the airport, and an hour long flight to Nashville, we finally arrived home around seven-thirty that night. I picked up the phone and dialed Kenneth's number as soon as we walked into the house.
"Hello?" Kenneth's dad answered.
"Hey, is Kenneth there?"
"No, sweetie, he already left for his mom's. Do you have her number still?"
"Yes sir. I'll call him there. Thanks."
"No problem, hun."
I held the button on the phone cradle down and dialed Kenneth's mom's house, but got no answer. I hung up, and headed back into the living room to help my dad bring in my luggage.
"I got it kiddo. You hungry? Wanna go get a bite to eat?"
"That sounds good, I'm starving."
"Your choice. Where do you wanna go?"
My dad made good money, but we never went out to eat. He was a good cook, and so was I, so we generally ate together at home.
"Is this one of my surprises?" I asked.
"Yep...I'll tell you about the rest of them when we get to where we're going."
"Okay, umm....what is there?"
"Well, I'd rather not go to Nashville to eat,but if you don't find something around here you want we there's plenty around here."
We wound up at a local barbecue joint where he revealed to me that he'd be taking me the next day to leave me at the mall with his credit card so I could go school shopping.
"That's your surprise. Not a diamond ring or a car, but I figured you'd like to get some new clothes, and I knew you wouldn't want old Dad tagging along." he said, paying our dinner bill.
"That's really cool of you, Daddy. Thank you."
"And when you get home, I bought you that new comforter set you wanted for your bed."
"You didn't have to do that."
"No, but I saw it and I thought about you. I missed you while you were gone, kid."
My dad hadn't spent much time with me as a kid, he was always working. He still worked a lot now that we lived in Tennessee, but not two full time jobs. My mom was always too drunk to work, so she couldn't hold a job to save her life. My dad finally got fed up with it around my fifteenth birthday and left me and my mom, but promised me he'd get me in the end, that I wouldn't be stuck living with Mom and Granny forever. He had stuck to his word, by grace of the courts of the state of Alabama, he was awarded full custody of me, and he had taken a new job in Tennesee, so I had to move. At first, I was, of course, not happy about it--not because I disliked my dad, but because I had to leave everything I had ever known, and what few friends I had.
I'd come to love Tennessee, though, especially my best friend and his best friends, at least two of them. Tim was somewhat annoying, and a pot-head, which annoyed me even more. He had been trying to get Kenneth, or as we all called him, K-Wayne, to smoke with him to no avail. Brandon had tried it a time or two, but didn't do it as much as Tim did. I told them as long as they didn't come around me with it or while they were high, everything would be fine.
I enjoyed the next day of shopping for school shoes and clothes, but was kind of lonely all by myself. I sat down with a soda on a bench in the mall to rest before heading to the upper level. I heard some familiar voices behind me, so I turned around to see who it was. I saw Brandon, Chris, and Tim sitting at a table, throwing paper at one another.
"You guys grow up." I called.
They all looked up at me, silent.
"Lyndsey!" Brandon said, standing up. I hugged both Brandon and Chris tightly, but only waved to Tim. I took an empty chair and pulled it up, setting my bags down on the floor beside me.
"Where's Kenneth?" I asked.
"He's at his mom's, she wouldn't let him come." Chris said.
"Oh, why not?"
"Why do you care so much about him anyway?" Tim asked.
I glared at him and felt my face go red.
"Hey dude, leave her alone." Brandon defended.
"Guys....I just asked a simple question....I'm about to go finish my shopping. I'll see you guys Monday."
I grabbed my parcels and stood, but dropped over half of them.
"Let me help you. Guys, I'll see you later." Brandon said. He picked up some of my bags and held them for me as we walked away from Chris and Tim. We talked about our summers and what we expected out of the coming school year.
"Well, we're juniors now, and Chris is a sophomore. It's weird, we're almost done with high school, just two more years to go."
"Yep..."
Brandon had gotten taller over the summer, and had a bit of peach fuzz growing on his upper lip. He was cute, I thought. He seemed to be flirting with me, which I didn't really mind. As long as it wasn't Tim flirting with me, I didn't care who it was. Brandon dropped me off at home and helped me take my packages in the house. I called my dad to let him know I didn't need a ride home, then headed back into the living room where I'd left Brandon sitting on my couch, playing with my dog, Sadie.
"Wanna go get something to eat?" he asked.
"Nah, I'm not hungry." I replied.
"Okay. Well, I'll see you Monday."
"Alright. Bye, Brandon."
He hugged me goodbye, and I went to my room to put away all of my new clothes and shoes. I had just hung my last pair of new jeans when the phone rang.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hey," Brandon's voice drawled from the other end.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Nothing, hey, I have something to ask you."
"What's up?"
"Um, what are you doing Friday night?"
"Nothing that I know of, why?"
"I was gonna see if you wanted to go to the movies in Hendersonville with me.....like on a date."
"Sure, that sounds cool. I mean I'd have to ask my dad but I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
My dad agreed to let Brandon and I go to the movies Friday night. The entire night was awkard. Brandon picked me up, met my dad, and bought my movie ticket and snacks. It was perfectly clear to the both of us by the nights' end that we were not meant to date one another.
"That was way too awkward. You're like my little sister."
"Agreed. No more Lyndsey slash Brandon dates."
"Definitely not."
Brandon dropped me off early and headed home. My dad had left a note by the phone to call Kenneth, that he'd called several times while I was out.
I dialed his number and waited for him to answer. He picked up on the first ring.
"Yo."
I would have sworn at that moment that his voice had gotten even deeper since I'd last spoken to him on Tuesday afternoon.
"Hey, K-Wayne. What ya doing?" I replied.
"Nothin'. How was your date with Brandon?"
"Very awkward. Never happening again."
Kenneth laughed. "I knew it would be, but I didn't wanna burst ya'lls bubbles. Did you have fun though?"
"Yeah, the movie was good, but I just don't ever see myself dating Brandon. Or Chris. Or Tim." I intentionally left his own name off of that statement. I still had a crush on him, though I hadn't seen him in months.
"Did he give you those CDs I sent?"
"Yeah, he did, thanks for making those for me."
"Glad you liked the music." he said.
"Yeah, who would've thought, huh? Boy band obsessed me, listening to bands like these."
"I'm so proud of you." he joked.
"Mhm, I'm sure!"
"Hey, you like the music, don't hate."
"I'm not hating. I do like the music. I even took down my Justin Timberlake poster."
"Awww, did you cry?"
"It was a somewhat emotional departure, but no."
We both laughed. I pictured his beautiful smile, and the way his eyes would crinkle at the corners when he laughed hard enough. I was so ready to see him; Monday couldn't possibly come fast enough. We talked a while longer, he filled me in on what had happened on Smackdown, and we said goodnight. The weekend seemed to drag by, and when I arrived at school on Monday, Kenneth wasn't waiting for me in our usual spot. I figured he'd either not arrived yet or was already in homeroom, after all, I was a few minutes late myself. I located my name on an eleventh grade homeroom roster hanging on the wall just inside the entrance hall to the school and hurried along, passing by Tim, Brandon, and Chris in the hallway. I said hello quickly, but didn't stop to chat. They already had their schedules in hand and were waiting for the bell to go to first period.
I rushed into my homeroom and waited in the short line before my teacher to hand the students in front of me their schedules. She handed me mine and I scanned over it. I had at least one class with Kenneth, I knew, which was choir. He had already told me he was definitely taking choir again. I just hoped I'd at least have one of my boys in one of my other four classes with me.
On the way out the door, I bumped into a wall. Not literally a wall, but a human wall. He was tall and skinny, dark haired and medium built...extremely good looking with a great smile, probably an athlete, but completely unfamiliar.
"Is this Mrs. Rhodes' room?" he asked.
"Sorry....yeah, it is. Excuse me, I gotta go."
"Wait, what's your name?"
"Lyndsey...."
"Hey, I'm Kenneth. I'm new here....could you hang on a second and help me find my first class?"
I sighed deeply, but agreed to wait. It would only take a second for him to get his schedule, and about the same for me to point him in the right direction. After I was done with him, I could go find Brandon, Chris, and Tim, and hopefully my Kenneth. The new Kenneth, however, had first period with me, so I allowed him to follow along while I sought out my friends so we could compare schedules. Before I could catch up to the guys, however, the bell to go to first rang, and I rolled my eyes. The first day of school was sucking hard at that point, and it hadn't even really gotten started. I rushed to my first class and sat down at a desk in the far corner. Unfortunately, the new Kenneth followed me, and as the students filed in, my Kenneth was nowhere to be seen. I was starting to get frustrated when Brandon walked in.
"Brandon! Come here." I called.
"Hey." he replied, sitting down in front of me.
"Hey. Where's K-Wayne?"
"I dunno, haven't seen him. Let me see your schedule."
I handed him my schedule and my heart twinged. He hadn't seen Kenneth? That couldn't be good. I watched the door, hoping for my best friend to walk through. The tardy bell rang, and my K-Wayne was nowhere in sight. I scanned over the room at least five times and every time the door would open, my heart would race a little, but he never came in. I asked Brandon twice to look over the room in case I had missed him, but he didn't see him either. The new Kenneth didn't have second period with me, but neither did Brandon. I sat in the back corner of my English class a few seconds after the tardy bell, exasperated and annoyed with the new Kenneth already. He'd asked me to show him to his second period. Brandon offered, but he refused, insisting that I showed him.
I signed the attendance sheet that was being passed around and stared out the window the entire class period, wondering where on Earth Kenneth Wayne Nixon was. It wasn't like him not to show up at school, even if he was sick. His dad wouldn't allow him to miss school. The class sped by, and I grabbed up my books, headed for my locker, and shoved them inside, slamming the door. It was break time, now, hopefully I'd find Kenneth somewhere, along with Brandon, Chris, and even Tim. I knew I was having a bad day when I was looking forward to seeing Timmy.
Unfortunately, New Kenneth's, who I'd learned his last name was Williams, followed me after second period to the blacktop for break. He didn't speak much, but his presence was somewhat annoying me. I just wanted to find my friends, not be his tour guide. I found Chris and Brandon, Timmy had already gotten break detention, but no K-Wayne, to my disappointment.
"Have either of you seen him?" I asked Chris and Brandon. They both shook their head no in response, but I wasn't surprised. Chris was a grade behind us, and Brandon had a repeat sophomore course second period. I sat down on the hot pavement, cross legged, and put my head in my hands.
