Chapter 7.
Bravely Rocky marched to Maria's house with intent on busting the door down and asking a stream of questions, but as he approached the house he froze mid knock and stared at the door. Some one was in there with her!
He put his ear to the door for a better listen and he heard a woman's voice on the other side. 'Why is she talking to herself?' He wondered trying to get a better listen by sneaking over to the cracked window; he crouched low in the bush and held his ear to the conversation.
"I mean it Maria do you want me to send you back to Connecticut? I'm sure your mother would be thrilled to have you back so she and your father can send you back to that home, huh?" The woman questioned in mock tone. "Is that what you want Maria?" A pause. "Well that's what's gonna happen if I hear of any more bad behavior like this, understand?"
The woman was silent and he heard no response from Maria she must have just nodded to agree, but why wasn't she talking? You think she would-..wait a second!
Rocky stood up to leave away from the house but the door opened and Maria walked out freezing his path and glared at him. "Rocky? What are you doing here?" She asked him and he just looked at her. "Well, are you gonna stand there or does the cat have your tongue?" Rocky remained silent looking at her, his vision then shifted past her to the woman who was looking out the door at them. He opened his mouth to say something and the door slammed shut behind the strange girls back. "Ignore her, it's just my stupid mother." She plastered a huge smile on her face after giving the door a bone chilling glance. "You wanna go to the SunBelt with me?"
Rocky blinked mindlessly and looked back at the door. "Forget about her, she's dumb....not like you and me, lets go get some food okay?"
"Um.....Maria," his voice finally returned and he looked anywhere else but at her as he spoke. "Who was that woman back there? What were you guys talking about?"
She narrowed her eyes at him and then put on a false smile. "That's my mom, Rocky....We were just talking about my messing up a report in school," she scanned his face with her eyes but he wasn't buying it, he knows what he heard from the womans mouth.
"But she isn't your mother. She just said not to long ago-..."
"You were eaves dropping?" She asked cutting him off and Rocky looked at his sneakers guiltily.
"Sort of, she was talking kind of loudly to you." He responded wishing he hadn't. 'Why does she make me feel this way? What is it about this girl? And what did she do to Brandon? Brandon! The reason I'm here I completely forgot.' He yelled at himself for forgetting.
'Brandon got what he deserved. He was a bad person who took your position for MVP at school.' 'Who is saying that?' Rocky wondered listening to the voice. 'Is it my conscience, or is it some other voice in the back of my head?' His vision accidently looked up meeting Maria's eyes. "And if you don't watch out, you'll get what you don't deserve." She suddenly reared up in Rocky's face making him lean back to evade her lunge, but the door opened behind them and she froze.
Rocky's heart pounded in his ears as they stared. "Maria, phone call." She looked at Rocky and smiled politely, he didn't mean to but he frowned at her putting his head down to shade his eyes. "Who is it Ma?" The woman raised her eye brows and handed the girl the phone. 'She must be her mother.' Rocky thought silenlty. 'She just called her Ma and she said nothing back to disagree...maybe I've got things all wrong.'
The girl turned to face her and paused before going inside and grabbed Rocky's face between her hands and kissed him deeply. A tingle ran through his spine and into his stomach at her touch alone, he jerked himself away and she looked at him dearly with an evil smirk. 'Now, you're mine.' Rocky's eyes went wide for second as he watched her go inside the house. "I'm heading out to the store, do you want anything?" The girl didn't answer but the woman responded as though she had. "Alright, I'll be back in an hour. Bye."
She closed the door and Rocky stood where he was, feeling dazed until Maria's mom tapped him on the shoulder calling his attention. 'She looks nothing like her.' Rocky thought as the woman looked down at him with a smile.
"Would you like a ride home, son?" She asked him and he nodded a reponse letting her steer him to the car. "Okay, come on."
"Can I ask you something?" Rocky heard his voice saying. "I guess, sure, what is it?" Maria's mom responded. "It's about Maria I-..."
"If you're going to tell me you're her boyfriend I already know, she told me she was seeing someone from school and I think you're a fine young man but, I wouldn't let Maria get the upper hand on you too much she can be-..."
Rocky waved his hands and cut her off not meaning to be rude. "I'm not her boyfriend, I'm not even sure we're friends anymore-...or if we were in the first place." She looked at him sideways. "What does that mean?"
"Mrs. Atkinson, I don't mean to be rude but Maria is kinda strange....I think-....I think she's stalking me." She nearly swirved when she heard those words and she parked the car on the side of the road so sharply it nearly threw them both through the windshield. "What do you mean stalking you?" She asked and Rocky clammed up a minute searching for the words. "Tell me, please."
"Well," his voice was hesitant and strained. "She's been following me around since I first met her, popping up everywhere....I think she's even been to my house once or twice hanging out across the street." The womans eyes sank to the floor as Rocky went on. "She tried to-..I don't know but there was something in my drink when I came to your home one time with her and.....I'm sorry to speak so rudely of your daughter Mrs. Atkinson but-...."
She stopped him from talking by raising a hand. "Where did you get the idea that she was my daughter? I don't have any children." Rocky's eyebrows furrowed for a second. "But that's what she said to me, unless she's adopted, then I'm sorry for the assumption."
"And Maria isn't adopted." Now Rocky was confussed because who was she if she wasn't Maria's mother? "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Marrisa Balsem, her aunt." It was as though Rocky had been shot in the back of the head and he dropped. A blur of the woman's arms was the last thing he'd seen.
Bravely Rocky marched to Maria's house with intent on busting the door down and asking a stream of questions, but as he approached the house he froze mid knock and stared at the door. Some one was in there with her!
He put his ear to the door for a better listen and he heard a woman's voice on the other side. 'Why is she talking to herself?' He wondered trying to get a better listen by sneaking over to the cracked window; he crouched low in the bush and held his ear to the conversation.
"I mean it Maria do you want me to send you back to Connecticut? I'm sure your mother would be thrilled to have you back so she and your father can send you back to that home, huh?" The woman questioned in mock tone. "Is that what you want Maria?" A pause. "Well that's what's gonna happen if I hear of any more bad behavior like this, understand?"
The woman was silent and he heard no response from Maria she must have just nodded to agree, but why wasn't she talking? You think she would-..wait a second!
Rocky stood up to leave away from the house but the door opened and Maria walked out freezing his path and glared at him. "Rocky? What are you doing here?" She asked him and he just looked at her. "Well, are you gonna stand there or does the cat have your tongue?" Rocky remained silent looking at her, his vision then shifted past her to the woman who was looking out the door at them. He opened his mouth to say something and the door slammed shut behind the strange girls back. "Ignore her, it's just my stupid mother." She plastered a huge smile on her face after giving the door a bone chilling glance. "You wanna go to the SunBelt with me?"
Rocky blinked mindlessly and looked back at the door. "Forget about her, she's dumb....not like you and me, lets go get some food okay?"
"Um.....Maria," his voice finally returned and he looked anywhere else but at her as he spoke. "Who was that woman back there? What were you guys talking about?"
She narrowed her eyes at him and then put on a false smile. "That's my mom, Rocky....We were just talking about my messing up a report in school," she scanned his face with her eyes but he wasn't buying it, he knows what he heard from the womans mouth.
"But she isn't your mother. She just said not to long ago-..."
"You were eaves dropping?" She asked cutting him off and Rocky looked at his sneakers guiltily.
"Sort of, she was talking kind of loudly to you." He responded wishing he hadn't. 'Why does she make me feel this way? What is it about this girl? And what did she do to Brandon? Brandon! The reason I'm here I completely forgot.' He yelled at himself for forgetting.
'Brandon got what he deserved. He was a bad person who took your position for MVP at school.' 'Who is saying that?' Rocky wondered listening to the voice. 'Is it my conscience, or is it some other voice in the back of my head?' His vision accidently looked up meeting Maria's eyes. "And if you don't watch out, you'll get what you don't deserve." She suddenly reared up in Rocky's face making him lean back to evade her lunge, but the door opened behind them and she froze.
Rocky's heart pounded in his ears as they stared. "Maria, phone call." She looked at Rocky and smiled politely, he didn't mean to but he frowned at her putting his head down to shade his eyes. "Who is it Ma?" The woman raised her eye brows and handed the girl the phone. 'She must be her mother.' Rocky thought silenlty. 'She just called her Ma and she said nothing back to disagree...maybe I've got things all wrong.'
The girl turned to face her and paused before going inside and grabbed Rocky's face between her hands and kissed him deeply. A tingle ran through his spine and into his stomach at her touch alone, he jerked himself away and she looked at him dearly with an evil smirk. 'Now, you're mine.' Rocky's eyes went wide for second as he watched her go inside the house. "I'm heading out to the store, do you want anything?" The girl didn't answer but the woman responded as though she had. "Alright, I'll be back in an hour. Bye."
She closed the door and Rocky stood where he was, feeling dazed until Maria's mom tapped him on the shoulder calling his attention. 'She looks nothing like her.' Rocky thought as the woman looked down at him with a smile.
"Would you like a ride home, son?" She asked him and he nodded a reponse letting her steer him to the car. "Okay, come on."
"Can I ask you something?" Rocky heard his voice saying. "I guess, sure, what is it?" Maria's mom responded. "It's about Maria I-..."
"If you're going to tell me you're her boyfriend I already know, she told me she was seeing someone from school and I think you're a fine young man but, I wouldn't let Maria get the upper hand on you too much she can be-..."
Rocky waved his hands and cut her off not meaning to be rude. "I'm not her boyfriend, I'm not even sure we're friends anymore-...or if we were in the first place." She looked at him sideways. "What does that mean?"
"Mrs. Atkinson, I don't mean to be rude but Maria is kinda strange....I think-....I think she's stalking me." She nearly swirved when she heard those words and she parked the car on the side of the road so sharply it nearly threw them both through the windshield. "What do you mean stalking you?" She asked and Rocky clammed up a minute searching for the words. "Tell me, please."
"Well," his voice was hesitant and strained. "She's been following me around since I first met her, popping up everywhere....I think she's even been to my house once or twice hanging out across the street." The womans eyes sank to the floor as Rocky went on. "She tried to-..I don't know but there was something in my drink when I came to your home one time with her and.....I'm sorry to speak so rudely of your daughter Mrs. Atkinson but-...."
She stopped him from talking by raising a hand. "Where did you get the idea that she was my daughter? I don't have any children." Rocky's eyebrows furrowed for a second. "But that's what she said to me, unless she's adopted, then I'm sorry for the assumption."
"And Maria isn't adopted." Now Rocky was confussed because who was she if she wasn't Maria's mother? "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Marrisa Balsem, her aunt." It was as though Rocky had been shot in the back of the head and he dropped. A blur of the woman's arms was the last thing he'd seen.