I Left the Womb for This
Part 3
Angelica smiled sadly as she wandered down the still familiar streets of her old neighborhood, lost in nostalgia. The old corner store had closed down and it's dirty bordered up windows spoke to her in memories and faceless voices. The park where she had played as a baby was beginning a collection of graffiti, looking at it now she was surprised her mother had let her touch it. Then again her mother hadn't been the most attentive parent choosing to instead shower her only child with money and gifts instead of love. The worst thing was it worked; Angelica had grown up spoilt and shallow. She'd only realized this toward the end of high school when a good loving mother was the only thing she really needed.
Shaking the thought of her mother out of her mind Angelica continued through the suburban sprawl. Up and down streets with perfectly manicured lawns, identical houses, identical letterboxes. Everything was just so normal, so insanely flawless; Angelica could hardly believe she'd been brought up in this all American suburb. She had known so little about the world when she had left for college, known so little about people and how easily they could manipulate her. In this sleepy little suburb she had been the manipulator, she had been the one with the power. How the tables turned, she would tell herself bitterly after spending the night crying her wounds away.
It was such a clichéd story, the kind you'd find in a daytime soap opera or drugstore novel. She was the heartless shrew; he was the lovely, handsome, witty man who would steal her heart. He'd tell her everything was okay, he'd be gentle, and steal her innocence away. Then, without her even realizing it he'd eat away at her self confidence, make her feel worthless and pitiful. He'd crush her heart and spirit and she'd become bitter and resentful and hurt so many others in her own downward spiral into loathing and self doubt. Yeah, she'd been hurt bad and she found herself regretting a lot of things though she vowed never to regret anything. It's so pointless, she'd say, who has time for regrets when there's so much life to live? Well, she did for one.
She sighed and shook her head, so overwhelmed with emotion she felt a lump form in her throat. She swallowed it hastily and looked up from the sidewalk at the houses around her. Without even realizing it she had walked right into the street where she had grown up, and three houses up, looming over her like some omen of death was the house she had grown up in. She didn't spend long looking at it preferring to instead, forget the memories that bubbled in her skull. She was however, perfectly happy to fondly remember her neighbor Harold. Sweet, dorky Harold, no matter how nasty she was to him he'd always remain loyal. Even toward the end of her high school days when she had alienated herself from her friends, he'd still sit at the end of her bed and listen while her parents fought and she bitched and whined. Out of everyone she knew growing up in this neighborhood Harold was the one she missed the most.
"Angelica?" She swiveled around slowly; her wistful smile still spread across her lips and met Harold's calm doe eyes.
"Harold?" It seemed somehow natural he should show up just when she was thinking about it, like she had beckoned him to her.
"Sweet Jesus Henry Christ," He said, dropping the box he'd been carrying, "I don't believe it." And they hugged as if it had been something they did often, or at all.
"When you left I thought that was the last I'd ever see of you, what are you doing back here? God there's so much to talk about? Are you going to college? Wow."
Angelica just smiled wider and muttered, "It's so good to see you again."
"Please," He said, picking up his box, which Angelica now released held a blender of all things, "Come inside."
Angelica mechanically followed him past the cookie-cutter lawn and creepy garden gnomes that lined the pathway up to the two storey house. He flung the door open and ushered her inside, and the house looked exactly as it had two years ago.
"I'm back," Harold shouted and there was a groaning of floorboards and a creaking of stairs as a woman, quite pregnant, navigated her way to the front door. Harold leaned over kissed her on the cheek and rubbed her round belly.
"Did you get the blender?" She asked looking directly at the box Harold was holding, "Oh thank god, I've been craving smoothies all day."
Angelica must've looked stunned because the pregnant woman gave her a weird stare and turned to Harold, "Who's this?" She asked in an undertone, as if Angelica didn't understand English.
"This is Angelica; she used to live just next door." The woman scoffed, grabbed the blender off Harold and waddled through the hall toward the kitchen.
"She gets moody," Harold explained with a sigh, "But not too much longer, we're expecting any week now."
Angelica didn't say anything, she resolved herself to nodding good naturedly and smiling. She couldn't believe Harold was married? And expecting a baby. It was shocking really, but when she thought about it she really shouldn't be so surprised. Harold was such a softie and so loving, of course he'd want to start a family as soon as he could.
"So, tell me everything Angelica, where'd you move to. You left so suddenly, then I find out your parents were divorced."
"Dad and I moved to California and, I don't know about Mom."
"California? Wow like Hollywood?" Angelica smiled and reminded herself she'd been this naive once.
"No, Orange County. OCU has one of the best journalism and writing courses in America."
"So you're going to college now?"
"Yeah, one more year."
"Wow, I didn't even bother with college. I opened a milk bar down by the high school and business has always been great."
So that's why the corner store was closed down, Angelica thought bitterly, of course.
"So where's your mom now?" Harold asked happily
"I don't know," Angelica replied, "I don't really talk to her much anymore."
"Oh." Harold tired to look sad, but he didn't succeed well. Angelica was glad he changed the subject. They talked for hours, interrupted only once by Harold's wife who screamed at him that the blender wasn't working. The next time Angelica checked her watch it was six o'clock and the sun was sinking into the horizon.
"I better get going Harold, it's getting late." Angelica said suddenly, cutting Harold off in the middle of a story about a high school punk who tried shoplifting in his store.
"It's been so good talking to you Angelica; we should get together again before you go back to college." Harold said as she wandered out the door, chased by his wife's dark glares.
"Yeah sure," Angelica said tiredly and strolled down the pathway. She doubted she'd be going back there again. Harold's happy ignorant life annoyed her and his wife kept muttering behind her back. Some things were better left as memories.
* * * *
Since her breakdown after art class Chuckie noticed a change in Kimi. It was a subtle change, unnoticed by her friends. He knew Kimi a lot better than any of her friends did, he knew her moods, knew her patterns. And right now he knew something was out of whack. Something had broken in her that day, some enlightenment had reached her and the warmth in her smile and the sparkle in her eye seemed to have died.
These were, of course, only things that he could see. On the outside she was her same perky, happy self. Sometimes a little different, but not so much so that people didn't respect and like her. She was the perfect balance of MTV and non-conformism. She'd talk about clothes and boys with her friends, but every now and then comment on something odd and out of place. Her friends called these her 'Dil moments.'
Although Dil was younger than them he was notorious throughout the entire school. He was the ultimate non-conformist. He was the weird, strange, wacky, nutty, red headed Pickles whose thought pattern seemed undecipherable. He went so far beyond normal that he looped right back around to cool. He didn't even seem to mind that no-one in his year level was game enough to try holding an understandable conversation with him. It was often thought he did this on purpose to alienate people, but no-one was really sure. And that was how it was with Dil, no-one was really sure about anything that he did. So when something was mentioned for no reason, when conversation took a turn toward the strange, they were known as Kimi's 'Dil moments.'
One thing that people did seem to notice about Kimi's change was her increase in 'Dil moments.' She would space out during perfectly routine gossip sessions and when asked a question would answer with another question about a popular cartoon or classic jazz band. Before this point her fashion hadn't always been considered normal, but it was at that certain level of strange which she could always reach that made it strangely cool. Since her change, her clothes became even more mismatched, disheveled and second hand looking than ever. Many people were convinced she had started making her own clothes, and that was too Dil for them to comprehend.
By this point, of course, it all became irrelevant because school was over. Chuckie looked out over the crowd of teachers, parents, siblings and strangers here for the food from his place on the middle row of the stairs they had mounted on the podium for graduation. Below him the valedictorian, Elizabeth Von Rurik, was making a half hearted speech about the future and the importance of a good education. It was a complete load of hypocritical bull shit because he knew Elizabeth, and he knew her loathing for 'the system.' He knew despite her intellect, she'd end up just like him, earning minimum wage in a shitty job with a failed band and desiccated dreams of 'sticking it to the man.'
She finished her speech by giving the finger to the principal and spitting into the crowd. Very dramatic, very pointless but so punk rock. The graduates cheered and bounded off the stage, all throwing their hats and robes into the air. Parents cried, teachers congratulated, and Chuckie was mobbed by his friends who slapped him on the back and reminded him how little faith they had in him.
"Never thought you'd make it man," Said Phil with a purposely hard slap on his shoulder.
"Never thought you would either Deville, I suppose you only got into college with that football scholarship right?" Chuckie replied, rubbing his shoulder.
"Yeah right," Phil snorted, "Did you ever see me play football Finster? I'm not wasting my time in any fancy college."
"Let me guess, you're going to be a man and lift heavy things for a living?"
"Hey lifting things doesn't make you a man Finster, you should know that. Shooting people makes you a man. I'm gonna be a cop." Phil puffed out his chest proudly
"You? A Pig?" Chuckie laughed hoarsely, "You can't even obey the law let alone enforce it." Phil joined him in laughter
"You don't have to obey the law to be a cop."
"Touché," Chuckie grinned and Phil slapped him on the back one more time before moving on to another group of people. Glad to have escaped from the throng of people, Chuckie began making his way home. He got to the school gates and saw Kimi sitting on a nearby bench, her diploma in her hands. Chuckie could tell immediately there was something wrong, anyone could have told by the way her head hung and her shoulders slumped.
"Kimi?" He said tentatively, sitting beside her.
"They want me to go to summer school. If I don't pass this class there's no way I'll get into college." Kimi said in an oddly high pitched voice.
"You want to go to college?"
"I don't know, but I better leave my options open hadn't I?"
"So you're going to take the class?"
Kimi sighed and looked at him, her eyes searching, pleading, as if he held all the answers to the universe but was keeping them from her. Looking at her like this, it was more than obvious to Chuckie her results had scarred her deeper than just the surface. It wasn't just a mark to her, there were attachments, and there was a hidden meaning that only she knew. Failing that class had consequences that weren't related to jobs or college, it had damaged her pride, her confidence, it had unearthed something that had, for a long time, been hidden in the depths of her subconscious. She had realized something, though what it was Chuckie could never really comprehend. There was only so much he could know about her, even if it was substantially more than anyone else, he could never know everything.
"Don't tell anyone, please Chuckie." She said finally, hanging her head again
"I won't." And he got up to leave
"Wait," Kimi said, and in that second her doubts and fears were once again hidden behind her clever mask, "do you know my friend Ginny?"
"Virginia Lawson?" Chuckie asked, perplexed.
"Yeah, you've met her haven't you?"
"Yeah I've talked to her a few times, why?"
"What do you think?"
"Huh?"
Kimi grinned cheekily, remnants of her old glint returning to her eyes. "What do you think about her?" Her eyes widened suggestively
"She's alright I guess," Chuckie replied defensively, frowning at Kimi's unprecedented change of attitude.
"How alright?" She wiggled her eyebrows and Chuckie frowned deeper
"Alright," Chuckie repeated
"Would you consider hooking up with her?"
"What? Where did this come from?" Chuckie was now thoroughly suspicious. Kimi had never tried to set him up with anyone. He just knew it had something to do with his failed date the other week. Kimi was pitying him.
"You said you wanted to get laid right? She just broke up with her boyfriend and is looking for casual rebound sex. Now's your chance."
"What would make you think she'd want to have casual rebound sex with me?" Chuckie started indignantly
"Trust me she'd do anyone." Kimi replied knowledgably, "She's got no standards whatsoever."
"Oh I get it," Chuckie said furiously, "It'd only take a slut with no standards to get me laid."
"No Chuckie, I didn't mean it like that." Kimi said quickly, "She said she's always thought you were kinda cute."
"You're just saying that." Chuckie said and, fed up with the conversation, spun on his heel and continued his journey home.
"No really Chuckie, she's not even that much of a slut, she's only ever had sex once. She's really cool you'd like her a lot if you got to know her." Kimi pleaded walking one pace behind him
"Only had sex once? I thought you said she had a boyfriend."
"They were only dating for like three weeks."
"Why did they break up?"
"Who knows!" Kimi said exasperated, "He was probably just using her for sex. He was a bit of a prick to her."
This seemed to soften Chuckie up somewhat and he fell silent.
"Well if she thought I was so cute why didn't I know of this earlier?" He said after a few pensive moments
"Well she's kinda shy when it comes to guys, she reckons she never knows what to say to someone she likes." He fell silent again and Kimi knew he was considering his options, "Look Chuckie, I'll invite her to Tommy's party tonight and you can talk to her then okay? If you don't like her than, fair enough, but she really is pretty cool and even if it is just sex I'm sure she'll be okay with it."
Chuckie nodded his head slightly and Kimi squealed with delight
"Chuckie's gonna get laid!"
"Shut up."
* * * *
"How can you guys just sit there and play videogames? We just finished high school!" Lil said as she passed Phil's room where he and Tommy sat engrossed in a violent and somewhat perverted fighting game. Dil was hanging over the side of Phil's bed, upside down of course, reading an old French magazine he had found while raiding their attic.
"How can we not?" Phil replied at length, not once removing his eyes from the scantly dressed fighting girls on the screen.
"I thought you were going to Tommy's house," Lil said, walking down the hallway to the bathroom
"We are, are you still coming?" Tommy said, glancing at the now empty doorway.
"Ha! Gotcha!" Phil yelled and the TV proudly pronounced 'You lose,'
"No I'm going to Sam Hill's party; most of the school is going to be there." Lil shouted from the bathroom
"Oh well looks who's suddenly too good for us." Phil said scampering over to the bathroom and looking at Lil in the mirror
"I'm not going for long; I just have to make an appearance." Lil said, carefully applying generous amounts of eye liner, "You should come too, Kathleen's gonna be there for sure."
"Why would he care if Kathleen was there?" Tommy said in fake ignorance, Lil glanced at him in the mirror and he grinned
"Yeah why should I care," Phil repeated huffily and Lil grinned along with Tommy
"She told me she likes you, you know." Lil said blinking her eyes a few times and surveying her reflection
"Yeah right, we're just friends." Phil said weakly, there was no way he and Kathleen could be a thing
"Come off it Phil, I've seen the way you two act around each other, it's like watching some weird Discovery Channel documentary."
"The only hint he's gonna get," Tommy said mockingly, "Is the unexpected hit of Cherry in the new Cherry Coke."
"How do we act?" Phil said, ignoring Tommy
"You're both hot for each other, just admit it Phil you like her." Lil turned on him and stared him in the eye
"Yeah I like her, like a friend."
"You can't lie to me Phil," Lil said haughtily, "I know you like her more than a friend." And with that she stalked out of the bathroom and into her room.
"I do not," Phil shouted at the hallway
"Aww come on man," Tommy said as they walked back into Phil's room and took their places in front of the TV, "You don't have to be shy."
"Okay so maybe I like her a little bit, but it's not like we'll ever be a thing." Phil said defensively, "I mean can you imagine me with a girlfriend?"
"According to Cest la Vie, the best way to court your love is to feed her aphrodisiacs such as oysters, chocolate and strawberries with cream." Dil piped up from the bed, "Strawberry oysters with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I'd try it."
Tommy wasn't surprised but Phil looked at Dil in surprise, "You can understand that?"
"Highs school French my boy," Dil replied without looking up from the magazine.
"Just talk to her man," Tommy said, disregarding Dil's advice, "Lil reckons she likes you."
"I talk to her every day Tommy, what am I supposed to say?"
"I don't know, it'll come to you."
"Very helpful," Phil muttered starting another game, but his mind was elsewhere and Tommy beat him in a flurry of short skirts and disproportioned body party.
* * * *
AN: Yay, they finished school! The plot continues. And looky looky, I've even started with the romance slightly! There's still much more to be covered so stay tuned! Oh and if anyone is willing to be my Beta drop me a line at kawaiikitty_01@hotmail.com and please put beta reader or something as the subject coz I'm a little wary of emails these days. Thankies heaps!