Tearful Hours

After band practice, Aubrey went to her car with Lola.

"What did he look like?" Lola shoved her playfully.

Aubrey moved her raven black hair out of her face. "He had brown hair, kinda long for a guy, but it works for him."

"What else?"

Aubrey stared at the ground. "He had blue eyes too. His name is Chucky."

"Chucky? As in, a nickname for Charles?" Lola stopped her.

"Yea, why are you so surprised by that name?" Aubrey continued walking.

"Bre, is this Charles Lee Ray?!"

Aubrey laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. One, there is more than one person named Charles. Two, if he was the Lakeshore Strangler, he was would killed me behind a dumpster. But, he didn't, so, calm down."

Lola sighed. "Just be careful. My pedophile senses are tingling."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "He's not that type of person! He was gentle."

Aubrey and Lola stopped when they saw her car. Inside, a bouquet of flowers sat in the driver seat.

"It's Chucky!" Lola sat in the passenger seat.

Aubrey picked up the flowers, sat down, then stared at them. "He was in my car?"

Lola shrugged. "Who cares? I wish Jared would do the same for me!" She laughed, kicking her feet onto the dash board.

Aubrey laid them in the backseat then drove the the Lakeshore Ice Cream Cafe.

/

Aubrey sat down with her sundae while Lola had a banana split.

Lola laughed. "I bet you want his banana."

Aubrey nearly spit vanilla ice cream at her. "Lola! Quit being...you..."

Lola scooped strawberry drizzle and vanilla ice cream into her mouth. "It's true. Admit it, smart girl."

Aubrey stared blankly at her. "You think sex is all I talk and think about, don't you? I DO have a life you know."

Lola busted out laughing. "A life? All you do is all work and no play which makes Bre a dull girl."

"'The Shining'? Really? That's what direction you went in?" Aubrey swallowed a bite of the creamy dessert.

"Heck yea! Anyway, I think it's adorable he has a crush on you." Lola tucked her red hair behind her ears.

Aubrey shrugged. "How long has he been there staring at me? How did he know about me in the first place?"

"You're in color guard. NO one is going to not look at you, gorgeous." Lola mushed up the banana into her ice cream.

Aubrey swallowed a bite. "I guess you're right. I do have a tiny crush on him. He did have a pretty face."

Lola sipped on her water. "Let him take you out for your birthday tomorrow."

Aubrey shook her head. "No way! Mom would want me to stay with her anyway. Derek has a gift for me."

Lola finished her dessert. "What is it?"

"How am I suppose to know?" Aubrey finished her dessert.

Lola shrugged. "Just asking."

Aubrey and Lola walked to her car. "Want a cigarette?" Aubrey offered.

Lola shook her head. "No way! Bre, I thought you were suppose to quit."

Aubrey lite up her cigarette. "I was suppose to but I'm totally stressed." She exhaled smoke.

Lola turned the air condition on to full blast. "It's hot!" She leaned her head against the window.

"Yea, Yea." Aubrey drove out of the Cafe's parking and went to drive Lola home.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Lola waved to her. "Maybe Chucky will meet us there."

Aubrey waved then flipped her off. "Bite me." She laughed.

Lola flipped her off with both hands. "See ya, bitch."

Aubrey went out of her driveway and on her way back home where things would take a turn for the worse.

/

8:30pm

Aubrey threw her keys on the table then walked in the living room to find her father and brother sitting on the couch. Aubrey almost never sees her father but she couldn't stand him.

Aubrey gasped. "What the fuck is he doing here?!"

"Bre, calm down." Her brother stood between John and her.

"Why is this fuck face here?! Where's mom?!" Aubrey gave John a death stare.

"AUBREY!" Derek yelled.

"What?" Aubrey looked into his eyes.

"Mom committed suicide." Derek whispered.

Aubrey's eyes were soon tear-filled. "What?!"

John stood beside Derek. "We all didn't see this coming."

"You stay the fuck out of this." Aubrey pointed at him.

Derek held her back. "Aubrey, we had no choice BUT to call him. The court thought it would be better to live with dad other than a foster home."

"I'd rather be in a foster home." Aubrey remarked.

John let out a sigh. "Aubrey, I understand why you are upset with me."

"You're damn right! You left us with mom for years just so you can screw around with younger women! How dare you show your face around here?"

"But..." John ran his fingers through his dark hair. "I'm here now, aren't I? I want to take you two in. Leave this place with Derek and I."

"No! I want to stay here! I'm not leaving Hackensack!" Aubrey protested. "Can't we stay here?"

Derek looked at John. "It wouldn't be a bad idea. You can move your things into here and you can bring Jennifer along."

Aubrey's eyes widened. "Who's Jennifer?!"

"My fiance." John spat it out like poison.

Aubrey shook her head. "Lose the tramp and maybe we'll talk." She began to walk out.

"Dammit Aubrey! Why can't you just get over the fact that I'm your new caretaker?" John pushed up his glasses.

Aubrey spun around. "Because I hate you! Is mom out of here?"

Derek nodded. "This morning she was taken out of the house."

Aubrey looked at her phone. "No one called me?"

"We didn't want you to worry, pumpkin." John explained.

Aubrey sighed. "You know what? You and Jennifer can move in. But if I get pissed off by ANYONE, I'm moving in with Lola. Got it?"

"Yea." Derek and John said at once.

Aubrey ran upstairs and collapsed on her bed with tears in her eyes. "How could you leave me with these idiots, mom?"

Soon, Aubrey's phone rang.

"H-Hello?" Aubrey wiped her tears away.

"Guess who." The familiar voice chuckled.

Aubrey sat up. "Oh, Charles. Did Lola give you my number?"

"Yea, I needed to hear your voice."

Aubrey chuckled slightly. "Now's not the best time to talk to me."

"Why is that?" Charles asked.

"I just found out my mother had, uh, committed suicide this morning after I left for practice." Aubrey put her hair into a messy bun.

Charles sighed. "I'm very sorry."

Aubrey sat at the computer desk. "It's not your fault. She used to be depressed after my dad left but I guess it came back when I mentioned him after our fight yesterday."

"Hey, if you need someone to talk to, just call me back. Are you practicing tomorrow?" He asked.

"Yea, but this time it's eight to four. Plus, it's kinda my birthday tomorrow."

"Well, Happy Birthday! Eighteen, huh?"

Aubrey giggled. "That's right. What are you going to be doing tomorrow?"

"Probably nothing. Want to come over for dinner?"

Aubrey nodded. "I would love to. What's your address?"

Charles told her his address then let out a heavy sigh.

"Everything okay?" She pushed up her glasses.

"I just keep thinking about you, that's all."

Aubrey chuckled slightly. "Am I THAT important to you?"

Charles nodded. "Yea, you really are. Did you hear about what the Lakeshore Strangler today?"

Aubrey shook her head. "I haven't, sorry. What did that bastard do now?"

"A lot." He simply replied.

Aubrey began to type on her computer. "This stupid English paper is making me angry." She laughed.

"Wish I could write it for you."

Aubrey's stomach was in knots. She was actually in love with this guy, this admirer.

"Thanks, but I think I'm almost done. It's about Urban Legends. You know, Bloody Mary, Jeff the Killer, just some weird stuff."

"My kind of story. You like scary movies?"

Aubrey shrugged. "They're okay. I need someone brave enough to keep me from running away."

Charles chuckled. "I think I can do that job. Do you like spaghetti?"

Aubrey gasped. "I LOVE spaghetti."

Charles laughed. "GREAT! I'll take you to my house after practice."

Aubrey tucked her hair behind her ears. "I'll where something pretty." She hung up. "I need a smoke." She walked down the hallway upstairs and out onto a small wooden balcony. The woods and brush were as far as the eye could see. She lite a cigarette then smiled at the night sky.

"God, his voice is so sexy." She laughed.

A knock scared her. She turned around to see her father coming outside. "I didn't know you smoked."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "I don't care if you know."

"No, you don't understand." He reached into his pocket and pulled out Marlboro cigarettes.

Aubrey chuckled. "You sly son of a bitch." She inhaled then exhaled.

John lite up a cigarette. "Can we talk?"

Aubrey blew smoke into the air. "About what? There's nothing to talk about."

"I think there's a lot to be talk about. I'm sorry I walked out on you and Derek-"

"And Mom." She added.

"I was going to say that, Aubrey. Anyway, I want to you know that I love you. I always loved you even though we never talk." John inhaled.

Aubrey looked at him. "Really? Then why did you leave?"

"I was young and stupid, Bre. I freaked out when I heard Derek was on the way. I put up with your mother until I couldn't anymore. I wasn't a good father and I'm sorry."

Aubrey leaned her hands on the balcony railing. "Sorry isn't going to mend a broken heart."

John laid his hand over her's. "Aubrey, I'm really going to try this time. Please let me be a father."

Aubrey looked at her dad. "It will take a while but I think I can let you try."

John embraced his daughter and for the first time, Aubrey didn't want to punch him in the face. Instead, she hugged him back.

"Aww!" Derek swooned through the screen door.

Aubrey and John looked at him. "Go away, twerp! You're ruining this moment!"

Derek flipped her off then walked away from the screen.

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "I swear.." She walked back inside.