Chapter Five: Catching Up
The sun had finally appeared as the final bell rang. Craig walked quickly outside to wait for Chloe, only to find her sitting in the warm grass next to Ashley. When she saw him coming she picked up her black messenger bag and moved out on the sidewalk to join Craig.
"Hey Chlo." He spoke, taking her bag and slinging it over his own shoulder.
"Hey Craig." She replied, kissing his cheek and grinning madly. The two started to walk down the street. Chloe waved to Ashley a final time before they turned the corner out of sight. They quickly came to a small plot of trees and settled together in the grass.
"So." Chloe spoke, picking several daisies and beginning to plait them together.
"So." Craig replied, watching her hands move quickly over the stems.
"I'm going to get right to the point. Why are you still living with your father?" She asked, pausing her work to lock eyes with him. He quickly shifted his gaze to his own daisy, which he was now making short work of. She waited a moment before reaching out and stilling his hands. "Craig."
"He's my father, Chlo. He's all I've got. I haven't got anywhere else to go. Joey doesn't want me, now that Mom's gone. Dad loves me. Sort of." Craig replied, eyebrow furrowing as he tossed the flower to the ground. Chloe was suddenly livid. She reached out her hand again to gently grasp his wrist. She used her other hand to push back his sweater sleeve to reveal a budding blue-black bruise which looked as if someone had grabbed him a bit too roughly. Craig quickly pulled away and covered it again. Chloe shook her head.
"Is that how he shows you he loves you, Craig? By hurting you?" she asked, trying again to capture his eye.
"It's the only choice I have, Chlo. You just don't understand. I don't want to talk about it anymore." He spoke, effectively putting an end to the topic.
"Fine. How's Angie?" She asked, finishing up her daisy wreath and placing it on top of Craig's almost-curls. A smile blossomed across his face and he reached into his bag to pull out a binder.
"She's great. She's getting so big; I go see her whenever I can. It's been so much easier since we moved back to the city." He explained, pulling out several pictures he had printed of her. She shared Craig's shiny hair and bright smile.
"She's adorable. You two look so much alike." Chloe replied, handing him back a picture of her on a swing. A sudden thought crossed Craig's mind.
"You want to go see her?" He asked, standing quickly. Chloe nodded and accepted his helping hand. They gathered up their stuff and set of toward the playground. When they arrived, Angie quickly noticed her older brother and raced to meet him. He quickly put down the bags and his camera to catch her as she flew into his arms. They hugged for a moment and then he put her back on the ground.
"Hey Ang, do you remember my friend Chloe?" He asked, and Angie smiled quietly. She quickly shook her head, struck with sudden shyness. "Well, she's one of my best friends in the whole world."
"She's pretty." Angie finally spoke. "Craig's pretty too. He looks like a princess."
"A princess?" He asked, and Chloe began to laugh. Suddenly he remembered the daisy wreath resting on his head. "Oh! You mean because of my royal crown! Well, how would you like to be Princess Angela?"
Angie nodded vigorously as Craig knelt on the ground in front of her. She giggled as he removed the crown from his own head and placed it on hers. Hers was quite a bit smaller, and so it slipped forward over her eyes. Craig laughed as he tipped it back. Suddenly, from across the playground, a voice called out.
"Angela! Time to go!" Craig looked up to see Angie's babysitter coming towards them. Craig kissed her cheek and stood up.
"Gotta go, Ang. I'll see you again soon." He told her, starting away quickly.
"Okay Craig. Bye Chloe!" Angie called after them, waving as they started back down the street. Once they were a safe distance away they stopped and Chloe tilted her head questioningly.
"Afraid of the babysitter, Craig?" She asked, watching as Craig caught his breath. He looked at her for a moment before continuing to walk. "Let me guess. Your father doesn't want you seeing your sister."
Craig shook his head and walked faster down the sidewalk. They walked in silence until they reached Chloe's house. Standing on her front porch, he looked over at the house he used to live in, back when his parents were still together. Things were a lot simpler then, his father wasn't so stressed all the time. He stood there for a long time, deep in thought, before Chloe kissed his cheek and took her bag from off his shoulder.
"You should get home, Craig. It's getting late. Unless you want to stay for dinner, that is."
Craig thought longingly for several moments about joining the Davidson family for dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Davidson had always treated him like a son, and he enjoyed eating at their house. In the end, though, he forced himself to shake his head.
"No, Dad will worry." He replied, starting back down the stairs toward his own house, which happened to be four streets away. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Chloe nodded and waved a final goodbye before entering the house and leaving him alone on the street.
The sun had finally appeared as the final bell rang. Craig walked quickly outside to wait for Chloe, only to find her sitting in the warm grass next to Ashley. When she saw him coming she picked up her black messenger bag and moved out on the sidewalk to join Craig.
"Hey Chlo." He spoke, taking her bag and slinging it over his own shoulder.
"Hey Craig." She replied, kissing his cheek and grinning madly. The two started to walk down the street. Chloe waved to Ashley a final time before they turned the corner out of sight. They quickly came to a small plot of trees and settled together in the grass.
"So." Chloe spoke, picking several daisies and beginning to plait them together.
"So." Craig replied, watching her hands move quickly over the stems.
"I'm going to get right to the point. Why are you still living with your father?" She asked, pausing her work to lock eyes with him. He quickly shifted his gaze to his own daisy, which he was now making short work of. She waited a moment before reaching out and stilling his hands. "Craig."
"He's my father, Chlo. He's all I've got. I haven't got anywhere else to go. Joey doesn't want me, now that Mom's gone. Dad loves me. Sort of." Craig replied, eyebrow furrowing as he tossed the flower to the ground. Chloe was suddenly livid. She reached out her hand again to gently grasp his wrist. She used her other hand to push back his sweater sleeve to reveal a budding blue-black bruise which looked as if someone had grabbed him a bit too roughly. Craig quickly pulled away and covered it again. Chloe shook her head.
"Is that how he shows you he loves you, Craig? By hurting you?" she asked, trying again to capture his eye.
"It's the only choice I have, Chlo. You just don't understand. I don't want to talk about it anymore." He spoke, effectively putting an end to the topic.
"Fine. How's Angie?" She asked, finishing up her daisy wreath and placing it on top of Craig's almost-curls. A smile blossomed across his face and he reached into his bag to pull out a binder.
"She's great. She's getting so big; I go see her whenever I can. It's been so much easier since we moved back to the city." He explained, pulling out several pictures he had printed of her. She shared Craig's shiny hair and bright smile.
"She's adorable. You two look so much alike." Chloe replied, handing him back a picture of her on a swing. A sudden thought crossed Craig's mind.
"You want to go see her?" He asked, standing quickly. Chloe nodded and accepted his helping hand. They gathered up their stuff and set of toward the playground. When they arrived, Angie quickly noticed her older brother and raced to meet him. He quickly put down the bags and his camera to catch her as she flew into his arms. They hugged for a moment and then he put her back on the ground.
"Hey Ang, do you remember my friend Chloe?" He asked, and Angie smiled quietly. She quickly shook her head, struck with sudden shyness. "Well, she's one of my best friends in the whole world."
"She's pretty." Angie finally spoke. "Craig's pretty too. He looks like a princess."
"A princess?" He asked, and Chloe began to laugh. Suddenly he remembered the daisy wreath resting on his head. "Oh! You mean because of my royal crown! Well, how would you like to be Princess Angela?"
Angie nodded vigorously as Craig knelt on the ground in front of her. She giggled as he removed the crown from his own head and placed it on hers. Hers was quite a bit smaller, and so it slipped forward over her eyes. Craig laughed as he tipped it back. Suddenly, from across the playground, a voice called out.
"Angela! Time to go!" Craig looked up to see Angie's babysitter coming towards them. Craig kissed her cheek and stood up.
"Gotta go, Ang. I'll see you again soon." He told her, starting away quickly.
"Okay Craig. Bye Chloe!" Angie called after them, waving as they started back down the street. Once they were a safe distance away they stopped and Chloe tilted her head questioningly.
"Afraid of the babysitter, Craig?" She asked, watching as Craig caught his breath. He looked at her for a moment before continuing to walk. "Let me guess. Your father doesn't want you seeing your sister."
Craig shook his head and walked faster down the sidewalk. They walked in silence until they reached Chloe's house. Standing on her front porch, he looked over at the house he used to live in, back when his parents were still together. Things were a lot simpler then, his father wasn't so stressed all the time. He stood there for a long time, deep in thought, before Chloe kissed his cheek and took her bag from off his shoulder.
"You should get home, Craig. It's getting late. Unless you want to stay for dinner, that is."
Craig thought longingly for several moments about joining the Davidson family for dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Davidson had always treated him like a son, and he enjoyed eating at their house. In the end, though, he forced himself to shake his head.
"No, Dad will worry." He replied, starting back down the stairs toward his own house, which happened to be four streets away. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Chloe nodded and waved a final goodbye before entering the house and leaving him alone on the street.