Chapter 5: Weakness
The weather was cooling immensely as Alex walked home from school. She shoved her hands in her pockets as she cursed under her breath.
"Damn, I should have brought a jacket." She thought to herself as she noticed some boxes lined up along the front of her house. She looked into one of the boxes & saw that her clothes were in it. She sighed as she ran to the front door. She tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. She looked up at two pieces of paper. She looked at the larger piece of paper, & she looked as if she would cry.
"Marcia Nenez, this is the final notice of your eviction. You have approx. 24 hours to clear out your possessions. If it is not done so, whatever that is left in the house will be locked in. -Shawn Cooney, landlord." She read the note over & over again, she just couldn't believe it. She worked so hard to get the house, & now she had lost it. Every time her life became livable, it all slipped away from her. She looked at the smaller piece of paper, & the tears that she tried to keep up, had finally fell from her eyes.
"Lexxi, they have taken me to a rehab center. I have all your things outside. Please be careful, I want you to be safe. I love you…Mom." She crumpled up the paper & threw it across the yard.
"Yeah, of course you do." Alex said bitterly to herself as she hit her hand on the wall beside her.
"So…where are you gonna go?" Jimmy asked as Alex looked blankly out the window. It was raining heavily outside, & she sighed a bit.
"Man, I don't even know anymore." Alex said as she shrunk into the chair that she was sitting in. She put her head into her hands & started to cry again. Jimmy rolled beside her & wrapped his arm around her. She laid her head on his shoulder & sighed a bit, still crying.
"Look, since Manny is staying here, why don't you stay here?" He whispered into her ear as she wrapped an arm around his waist.
"…Thanks." Alex looked up at him & a smile tugged at her lips. He smiled back at her & they both laughed.
The next day wasn't easy for any of the three. Manny was still being tormented by Paige & Hazel, Jimmy now had to deal with Derek, a grade 10 basketball player that he had to coach, & Alex had been starting to drink a lot more than she usually did, which was every once in a while. Though they were going through these things, they still stayed friends, which probably would have been impossible if they had their previous cliques. They decided to walk home together that day, since it seemed to be a little warmer.
"It's starting to get boring." Manny said as she rolled her eyes. "Look at me; my life is so boring & I'm so lonely that I waste my life by picking on Manny Santos, because I'm so controlling & I can't keep a man!" Manny mocked Paige as Jimmy laughed a bit.
"Look at me; I'm so selfish because I just CANNOT deal with the fate of my boyfriend, which he couldn't control. But I'm so mad because Paige didn't tell me that I was able to let him move on!" Alex mocked Hazel as Manny & Jimmy both laughed loudly. They turned into the front of the house. Once they got inside, Alex checked the messages on her cell phone. She looked across a name & scoffed a bit.
"Why would Jay be calling me?" Alex started to dial the number as Manny flopped on the couch beside her. She put the name up to her ear.
"Hello? Alex?"
"Yeah, why have you been calling me?" Alex asked flatly, as she clicked him on speakerphone so Manny could hear.
"I called because I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out." Jay said as a loud noise boomed over the phone. He was driving.
"Jay, I don't have time for you or anything you have to say." Alex hung up the phone & Manny laughed a bit.
"I swear that boy will call me if I was on the moon, asking me to hang out." Alex stood up & got her jacket & started to put it on.
"Where are you going?" Jimmy rolled into the living room & looked at Alex with his arms crossed.
"Out. I'll be back soon, DAD." Alex rolled her eyes as she hugged Manny, & then left out the door, leaving her phone.
"Well, I have homework. See ya at dinner." Manny went into her room, & shut the door as Alex's cell rang again. Jimmy picked it up & saw Jay's name. He rolled his eyes as he answered the phone.
"Alex?" Jay asked as another loud noise boomed over the line.
"No." Jimmy said flatly as Jay laughed a bit.
"Wheel Boy! How ya doing? When did you become Alex's phone boy?" Jay said as the noises subsided.
"That's NOT my name, I was doing fine till I heard your voice, & I'm not. She went out & forgot her phone." Jimmy said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"Hmm…look Brooks, just tell her I called, okay?" Jay said with an annoyed tone.
"Look Jay, Alex does not care about you anymore, so just stop calling here." Jimmy said, with his voice rising a bit.
"Oooh. What are you gonna do, run over my feet with your wheelchair?" Jay taunted.
"If you keep calling, I will." Jimmy hung up the phone as he turned around to see Manny standing in the doorway.
"Aren't you supposed to be doing homework?" Jimmy asked as Manny smiled a bit.
"Forgot I didn't have any, Mr. Nenez." Manny walked into the kitchen as Jimmy hastily rolled after her.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jimmy said as Manny kneeled down & was inches from his face. She smelled of vanilla & ocean, & it entranced him.
"You like Alex." Manny said teasingly as Jimmy looked away from her & laughed a bit.
"No, not even close." He looked back at her, & she had an eyebrow up in suspicion.
"Prove it. Right now, prove it." Manny said as she smiled a bit. Jimmy smiled back at her as he cupped her chin, leaned in, & kissed her passionately, but softly.