Eternity

Chapter 12

November

I did not kill that damn cat. I didn't! I have traced the rumors back to Cameron and Damien, who were apparently telling people that I had. And I didn't!

"Shanda, I didn't know that you were here."

I looked up from the table, where I was sitting as I watched James and his girlfriend. Lance walked in, staring suspiciously at the girl. Chris, who was with him, sighed.

"She's not here for you," Chris told his best friend.

"Of course she is," Lance said with conviction.

James and his girlfriend were sitting on the kitchen floor, working on a project. I was seated at the table, avoiding Fang. For one, he was cleaning. Ew. Number two, he was all super excited that James had a girlfriend, meaning he wasn't gay. He kept rubbing it in my face, but I don't care. I want a gay son and there is a good chance Cody can be that for me. If not, there's always Nicky. He's still young and impressionable.

"Oh, uh, Lance, right?" Shanda smiled at him. "Hi."

"You know him?" James asked, frowning slightly.

I sat up a little straighter. Fang hadn't paid the TV bill, so I had had no drama in about a day. This was the best I was going to get.

"Yes," she said, still looking at him.

"What are you doing with him?" Lance asked, nodding at James.

"He's my boyfriend."

"What?" Lance started to get a little red. He was mixed, but he was lighter in skin tone, kind of like myself. "You're my girlfriend!"

"How do you even know him?" James asked, standing.

"My mom is his teacher. After our school lets out, I walk over to hers to wait for her to take me home. He's always still there because she gives him detention."

"I thought you said that she was the new girl?" Chris asked, frowning at his friend.

"New to me!"

"Do you like him?"

"James, he's, like, five."

"Eight! I am eight!"

"Alright, eight," she said, frowning. "James, let's finish so that I can go home. It's the first day of break. I don't want to spend all day here."

Finally! All my other kids' friends had no problems with lounging around eating the food that I didn't.

"I am breaking up with you," Lance told Shanda. "I am never bringing you another cookie! It's over."

"I don't think it was ever on," Chris mumbled. Lance tried to storm out of the room, but ran into Tyler, who was walking into the kitchen.

"Move!" Lance yelled, trying to push him. Tyler just stepped back and Lance left.

"What'd you guys do to him?" Tyler asked.

"Nothing," I said, frowning a little.

"Well, anyways, I'm gonna get gone, okay?"

"That's fine," I said. "Where are you going, though?"

"Adeem told one of Tabitha's friends that he could fix cars. He can't. I can."

"You can?"

"Max, I'm the one that fixes Bone's all the time. Plus, I took that class last year."

"Whatever," I said, now sad that the drama had ended. "Just be home before…I don't know. Just come home."

"I will," he said, grabbing a coke before leaving.

"Can I come?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, sure. If you ask Mama."

"I'mma go with him," Chris told me before running off to follow him. Whatever.


"So are your parents getting a divorce?"

"Yeah," Adeem mumbled, laying his head on her shoulder. "Yeah."

"Isn't that like against your religion?"

"Who gives a fuck?" He held her tighter to him. "No, though. Just not common."

"As much as Muslims abuse women though-"

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, alright? We can mess around later, not now."

She sighed, leaning back against him. "I was just trying to make you feel better."

"It's not gonna work."

"And why not?"

He took a deep breath. They were out in his back yard, sitting on the ground. Tabitha was in his lap, staring at the sunset.

"My mom wants to move."

"…Oh."

"If she goes, she's gonna want to take me."

"Adeem-"

"I'm not going either way," he said, kissing her neck. "Just because they want to fuck up their lives doesn't give them the rights to fuck with mine. Right?"

"Right," she said, sighing. "What's the plan?"

"If worse comes to worse, running away together."

"Romantic, might make Jenna jealous. Sure, why not?"

He smiled against her shoulder. "Romantic? I don't think anything about our relationship has ever been romantic."

"It will be one day."

"One day?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

"I see us living on a beach one day."

"A beach?"

"Yeah. Like, in California."

"How's the beach house gonna be paid for?"

"Your amazing band that will form pretty soon."

"Hmmm…What will you be doing?"

"Huh?"

"If I'm making the money with my band, what are you doing?"

"Sleeping all day."

"You sound like your mom."

Tabitha gave up on making him call Max her stepmother. "Yeah, well, she has some really good ideals."


Vanessa watched as Damien cried, not sure of how to help him out. Samantha averted her eyes, not wanting to witness this. Only Cameron was able to squelch the fear of saying something and speak to him.

"Damien, it was a damn squirrel."

"But it was a mommy squirrel!"

She sat down next to him. "How do you know that?"

"I just do, alright?"

Vanessa looked down at Furby, who needed new batteries, and held him out to her father. "Furby."

"Not now, Nessa," he whined. "I killed something, Cameron!"

"I run over squirrels all the time. Get over it."

"What?"

"Well, I have twice. You have before too."

"Yeah, but this is just sad."

"No, Damien," she said. "You crying about this is sad."

He sniffled. "I'm just really sad."

"Well, get over it," she told him as gently as she could. Cameron's gentleness was like sandpaper though. "It's not that big of deal, Damien."

"I can't believe that you killed a squirrel."

"Samantha!" Cameron frowned at her.

"What? That squirrel had a family. He killed it!"

Damien put his head in his hands. "I'm a monster!"

Cameron mouthed something to Samantha while pointing to the stairs. After making a face at her mother, she stomped off.

"Damien, calm down," Cameron said, rubbing his back. "This is not the end of the world. Come on. You wanna watch videos of John Cena getting beat up on youtube?"

He sniffled. "Yeah."


Tyler was almost done with the car when a truck pulled in behind it.

"Who are you?"

Tyler had never seen a guy as buff as this one in his life. Someone's over compensating…

"My name's Tyler. Your daughter asked me to fix your car."

"Is that what you're doing? Sure you're not trying to sleep with her?"

Tyler snorted before going back to the hood of the car. "Very sure."

"What? You one of those gay kind?"

"Hardly," he said. "I'm just not at all thinking about your daughter, ever."

"What? What do you think is wrong with her?"

"Nothing," Tyler said as Chris walked out of the house. Trisha, whose car he was fixing, had taken him inside and was feeding him food. What food, Tyler wasn't sure. He went ahead and assumed cookies, because the boy walked over and put one in his hand.

"You're home early, Dad," Trisha said, walking out of the house.

"I notice that you invited a boy home."

"Not really," she said, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder. "He's not even the one I asked. Adeem backed out."

"That Muslim kid? Good."

"This is Adeem's girlfriend's brother."

Tyler sighed, closing the hood. "Well, I have to get going. My brother needs to get home-"

"No!" He looked up at Trish. "I think that we're becoming really good friends."

"Come on," Tyler said, putting the tools back in the tool box and handing it to Trisha's father.


"Do you think I'm sexy?"

"So sexy."

I stared harder into the mirror. "Do you think that other men find me hot?"

"I like to pretend like they don't."

"…Do I still turn you on?"

"Max."

"Do I?"

"Yeah," he said from the bedroom. He was laying on the bed, watching TV, while I stood in the bathroom, looking myself over.

"You think that I need to lose weight?"

"Nope."

I shook my head before going to get into bed with him. "What time is it?"

"Nine."

"Did all the kids come home?"

"Except Tabitha. Her curfew is midnight though."

I cuddled against him. "We should change it."

"To?"

"Eight."

"Why?"

"To make her complain more."

He sighed, kissing my head. "Lawson was trying to crawl again today."

"I know. You've told me."

"I'm just happy."

"Not about that."

"What do you mean?"

"You're happy that James has a girlfriend."

"That too."

I closed my eyes. "That girl is a slut."

"Max."

"She is tearing this family apart! A modern day Jezebel."

He frowned. "What?"

"I don't know. I've heard Dan call women that before. What does it mean?"

"Jezebel is an evil woman. You'll have to ask Tyler for something more descriptive."

"Dan calls Tammie that."

"When are you around him?"

"When I pick James up from over there."

Fang frowned. "He calls his daughter that?"

"Stepdaughter. They don't have that great of relationship, I don't guess."

"She calls him dad."

"So?"

He kissed my lips. "I'm just saying."

It was silent for awhile. When my cell went off, I let Fang answer it.

"Hello? What? Tabitha…no. Come home. No, I know that trick. Yes, I do! You say you're going over to Terra's, but you stay with Adeem. No. Now, Tabitha Rose. I mean-" He threw my precious phone down. "She hung up on me!"

"Hmmm."

"Max, I do not want her staying with him!"

"Then go pick her up."

"No."

"Fang, she is almost seventeen. Let her make her own decisions."

He got up and started getting dressed. "Well, until she's eighteen, I'm still her father and still make all her decisions."

I rolled over, yawning a little. "Then go get her, Daddy."


"Terra's pregnant."

Adeem looked up. "I thought Jenna was?"

"That rumor's wrong."

"Terra hasn't even been here in a week."

"She's moving."

"Huh?"

"Yeah," Tabitha said, nodding a little. "Her mom's making her go stay with her dad out in Montana."

"Why doesn't she just get rid of it?"

"Normal people don't just abort their kids, Adeem."

"Yeah, they kind of do."

"Either way, her mom's making her keep it."

"Who's the father?"

"Either Richard Martinez or B.J."

"Great choices," he commented, rolling his eyes.

"…If I ever got pregnant, would you want to keep it?"

"Not an issue," he said, not looking away from his game. "We use protection. Right?"

"Yes," she said, frowning at him. "But what if?"

"I don't know," he said. "What if a plane crashed into the house right now? Huh?"

"Good to see you're back in a joking mood," she said, sighing as her father texted her again.

"Joking?"

"That was clearly a 9/11 shout out."

"No, but I'm sure your racist mind thought that."

"Muslim's not a race."

"No, but Arab is."

"A lot of people say it's not."

"Well, I think it is."

"Mmmm…Not really. I think you're all animals."

"Can we at least be tigers?"

"More like cheetahs."

"Are you calling me a cheater?"

"Nope," she said, sighing as she read her father's text. "Just that you're all spotted."

"Whatever that means."

"He's picking me up and is waiting outside," she said, shaking her head. "So…make sure that you don't runaway without me."

"Never," he said as she kissed him on the cheek. "Bye, Tabs."

"Bye."


On Thanksgiving, I saw Nudge. I saw Iggy. I saw Angel. I saw Drake. Amber. Angel's new old man. Even Ella. Who didn't I see?

"He what?"

"He wants nothing to do with us," Fang said with a shrug. "Says that we took his son away."

Nicky started bouncing in my lap. "Daddy!"

Fang gave him a kiss before picking him up. "Come on, Max. Time to go."

I groaned, laying down on the couch. "Ty?"

"What?"

"Take my Explorer. I'll go with Tabitha."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to leave yet."

"Whatever," Fang said, going over to the door. "Boys! Either get in my car or your mom's. We're leaving."

After they were all gone, I laid there, waiting on Tabitha.

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here."

"Max."

"You're taking me," I said, sitting up. "So are we leaving now or-"

"What? No!"

"Yes, you are."

"Fine," she groaned, walking to the door. "You have one minute."

"One minute before I beat you for talking back to me?"

"No. One minute before I leave and you have to find another way there."

"I am not walking."

"Those wings aren't strapped to your back for nothing."

I got up and put on my shoes. "Last time I checked, I know your dirty little secret, so you better watch it. And when I say dirty-"

"Stop it, alright?"

"What? You think you're mature enough to have sex, you are mature enough to take teasing."

She walked out of the house. Whatever.

It was a nearly silent ride to Mom's. Not that I cared though. Oh no, not me. I have no feelings as seen in Tabitha's eyes.

"Up!"

I lifted Drew up as I walked into the house. "Hi, Drew."

"Hi."

Tabitha walked over to the couch where Fang was sitting and stood in front of him. "Look, how long until I can leave?"

"Leave?"

"I have plans."

"With who?"

"Adeem, who else?" She rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing?" I asked, giving Drew a kiss.

"Just hanging out."

"Well, you're going to be 'hanging out' with your family."

She groaned before looking at me. "Max?"

"Stay for dinner."

"Thank you," she said before walking off. Fang made a face at me, but I just shrugged before going back to Drew.

"I love you," I told him, making the baby giggle. He's so sweet…when he's not tormenting his brother.


"I wish it would rain."

Tabitha glanced at Adeem. "I know someone that would hate you for saying that."

"Huh?"

"Nothing," she sighed, laying her head against his shoulder. It was hard, but reliable. "Why do you want it to rain?"

"No reason," he said, staring out the window. They were in the living room, but he couldn't help wishing that he was far away from his house. "It just been so…dry around here recently."

She glanced at him to see if he was making a joke, but found no hint of a smile on his face. "What are you really thinking about?"

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, not believing that there was a time in their relationship that they were nervous about even touching. "Were you serious?"

"About what?" She asked, playing with a stray thread on his jeans.

"Running away with me."

"I always planned to leave. Taking you is just a new step in the-"

"I'm not kidding, Tabitha. I want a yes or no. Were you?"

"Yes," she said, now looking up at him. "What's wrong, Adeem? Why don't you believe me?"

"I don't know," he said, not looking at her. "Let's go for a ride."

He tried to get up, but she held onto him. "Tabitha-"

"Don't," she said, not letting go. She wasn't stronger than him, but he feigned as if she was, if only for the moment.

"What?"

"What's wrong?" She reached up with one hand and ran it across his face. Like most boys, he was going through the phase of trying to grow facial hair. Tyler had had a nice goatee, but shaved it only recently. Adeem was just fuzzy all over, but for some reason, Tabitha liked it.

"Nothing's wrong, Tabitha."

"I can clearly see that it is."

He sighed, closing his eyes. "I just…you're really smart, Tabitha."

"Well, if that's bugging you-"

"I mean, you're really smart. You have a chance to, I don't know, do something with your life. It just doesn't seem right for you to runaway with me."

She interlaced their hands. Over the years, his hand had gotten bigger than hers, but only slightly. When she looked at their hands, she realized that he seemed to be getting lighter. He needed more sun. Or maybe she needed less.

"I love you, though."

"That's the thing though," he said, not looking at her. "I don't want…it's just…what happens when we're twenty-five and you're tired of being with me? Huh?"

"I don't get what you're asking."

He threw her hand away from him, running his fingers through his hair. "You don't really believe in forever, do you?"

"What are you talking about?" She was starting to get a little annoyed with his cryptic words.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"No, I-"

"We're not going to last, alright?" He stood up. "You've said it yourself before. That no one stays together forever and-"

"I was what? Twelve when I said that?"

"Yeah and every year since!"

She was frozen on the ground, unable to get up and hit him like she typically did when he said something stupid. Those times usually had him talking about his Jenna's ass or Terra's boobs. This was so much different.

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"Just that…Tabitha, let's face it. I am moving. I'm going to move and things are going to change and…We're not going anywhere together. Not now. Not ever. We can play around for the rest of high school, but we need to realize that we have to grow up."

She just stared at him. "Is this about your parents splitting up?"

He didn't answer her, just kept on. "We're not long term."

"Besides one break up, I've been with you since I was what? Seven? That's long term, Adeem."

"Yeah, for kids." She was making this too difficult. She made everything too difficult. "I'm just saying, that if I do move, I don't want to lead you on. When I move, we're over."

"You're not moving," she said with conviction. "We're running away together."

"See? This is why I did it over the phone last time."

Her eyes started to well up with tears. "I don't get why you're doing this."

"Because, Tabitha, look at your grades. Look at your life. You don't hangout with barely anyone unless I'm around. You don't study for anything anymore." He looked away, shrugging a little. "I really like you, more than anyone, but come on. This isn't real."

"I hate you!" She jumped up and pulled his necklace from her neck, messing up the latch. "You're a liar! All of you. That's all you ever do is lie to me. Every single one of you."

As with any decision, now was the moment that second thoughts crept into his brain. "Tabitha-"

"I hope you rot in Hell," she said as she threw his necklace at him. He held it for awhile after she left before going to his bedroom. On his bed laid a piece of paper. On it were her SAT scores. She had taken it this year even though she was a junior because she wanted to know what she needed to work on to improve. He hadn't take it. Why would he? He wasn't smart like her. No one was.

"Tabby," he sighed as he sat the paper on the dresser.

That was part of the reason he had to break it off with her. That and Fang calling him. He had told Adeem all about how he was messing up Tabitha's life by being with her, by filling her head with lies. At first, he had been able to push it from his mind. Now, not so much.

"The things I do for you," he told the picture of them laying on his dresser.


"Adeem broke up with me."

I didn't even look up. "I'm sure you'll be back with him soon."

"No, I won't. Didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"He broke up with me," Tabitha said, stressing her words. "If it was up to me, it wouldn't have happened to begin with."

Sighing, I finally glanced at her. "Tabitha, have you cried yet?"

"Almost."

"But did you?"

"No."

"Then clearly you're not that upset. If you really were, you'd be bawling, just like last time," I told her as I gave Drew a little swat on the butt for taking Nicky's toy. "Now curse at me so that we can fight, like usual."

"Fuck you."

"No thanks," I said, just to make her mad. It worked. It would always work.

"The day you die-"

"Come on, Tabs, get better jokes."

"Go to Hell."

"Maybe," I mumbled as she stomped away. Brat.


Bone was smoking. It was late…for him at least. It was four in the afternoon, but still. It had been a long night.

"Stupid," he mumbled as he ran into his door.

He finished the cig and put it out in an half empty soda can. He immediately pulled out another and lit it up. He heard what sounded like a crack of thunder, but then he realized it was just the apartment above him. The guy up there was always beating up his girlfriend. Lucky bastard got a girl and hurt her. Did he even know what Bone would go through to get Vickie back? Did he? Did he really?

As he was about to lay down on the bed, he noticed his phone on the dresser. There were two messages. Frowning a little, the underweight man picked it up and played the first one.

It was just Max, offering him to come over for Thanksgiving dinner. His head hurt and so did his heart.

"Next message," his phone said as he deleted Max's.

This one had a less harsh voice. One that was going through similar things as Bone and yet very different ones. It made Bone smile as he laid down, letting Luther's message continue. He played it twice before deleting him. The other drunk just wanted him to come in to work.

"Not today," Bone mumbled under his breath as he smoked away. Slowly, his eyes started to close and he was drifting off, a lit cigarette still held between his fingers, European style. Europe…he always wanted to go.

It would have been nice, to go. He would take Carrie…and Carol…Max too. Max and Carrie would have been best friends…Oh, right! He would take Luther too so that he would have foreign women to sleep with. Fang because he would never let Max go alone. Damien because he would be lost without all of them. Cameron had probably been before, so she could help plan and then come.

All the kids would have to go. Tyler and Lucas. Cody and James. Neo and Jason. Chris and Lance. Drew and Vanessa. Little Nick and baby Lawson. That's not even mentioning Samantha, who would obviously not skip out on this adventure. And there was no way that Queen Tabitha wouldn't get invited without giving them Hell about it. That would mean Adeem too. While he was at it, if Carrie and Carol got to go on this outing, why not Tommy? And Alex, even if she's a backstabbing bitch. She's just like Tabitha, if you really think about it. And, so that Max would feel better, Kevin could come too.

Yep, all the kids and their parents…Vickie! He almost forgot Vickie. Victoria… How could he forget her? She could go and see all the stuff that she learned about in school. He'd even behave the whole trip and not drink at all…maybe just a little. A shot or two with Luther couldn't hurt anything.

"I didn't forget you, Mom," he mumbled as he started to go out of it. "I don't care what they say. I remember you, three or not."

And maybe it was his drunkenness that made him forget to put that cigarette out. Or could it have been his subconscious finally giving into the urges he had felt for his whole life. But what stops you from saying that flying monkeys from outer space caused him to do it? Sometimes, it doesn't matter the cause, it just matters the action.

"Love you," he mumbled to no one, anyone, as he finally passed out, the cigarette slipping from his fingers and onto the bed sheets.