Disclaimer: Not mine. :)
A/N: I humbly present the next installment. My apologies if it is riddled with mistakes, time is not on my side! But I hope you'll read it just the same. You guys are awesome with the reviews!
Keep it up. ;)
-S
Miss Imprint
Chapter 3: Space
Seth never showed for lunch.
I waited for him as long as I could but I had Calculus after lunch and Mr. Vart was reknown for being a stickler for punctuality. I turned into the classroom and sat down in my usual seat by the window.
We would be discussing derivatives today. In calculus. What a shocker.
Mr. Vart stepped up, his ruler brandished before him like a sword. The tweed of his jacket was slightly ocher, in high contrast with the striped blue and green polo underneath. I slipped my hand into my bag and pulled out my sketchbook.
I knew this stuff cold, no need to waste time when my artistic muscles were itching to be stretched.
Mr. Vart. Time to turn time forward and make you look like you're 95.
It was a fun little project that I'd started in middle school with Seth. He's pick the subject and I'd draw them as old as possible. Back then, it was really only a matter of me turning their hair white and shaking my hand when I drew the lines of their face. I'd become far more accomplished now.
Class flew by and I walked out, pleased at my progress, Mr. Vart was perfectly recognizable but clearly 40 odd years older.
Ten points to me and a big gold star-
Huh.
No Seth at my locker either.
I put my stuff away carefully, trying to use up as much time as possible. I had a sinking feeling that he wasn't going to turn up. But I took my time, meticulously aligning the books, and then re-aligning them when he still hadn't shown.
The little idiot probably got lost or something. You know. In our school. With two hallways. That we've attended for two years.
I banged my head against my locker before peering down a few feet to his.
Empty.
Well, he'd have turn up sooner or later. Seth never went home without his books. He was more persistent about homework than I was.
Surprising, huh? He's actually brilliant, when he's not busy being an idiot.
I waited by my locker for an hour, but there was no sign of him, and I was just turning to walk home when I heard my name being called out.
"Cassie!" I turned back, and there he was, scurrying towards me, his hair tousled and his shirt rumpled at the neck like it had been stretched.
"Where've you been? I was worried!" I frowned up at him.
"I'm sorry, I got held up. Look I can't hang out today but I'll call you, okay?" His eyes darted nervously behind him and I glanced over his shoulder to see the four ominous figures of Jared, Paul, and Jacob towering over the beige lockers.
"That's fine." I said loudly, and then scribbled hastily on a piece of paper and held up a sign at him so only he could see.
Are you in trouble?
He grinned at me before shaking his head.
"I'm fine Cassie. I promise. I've just gotta help the guys with something, I'll call you tonight though, I promise."
"Okay, but…just, be careful okay?" He tilted his head to side and his eyes darkened slightly.
"I will. You too." He leaned forward like he was going to hug me, and then leaned back suddenly like he'd changed his mind. I smelled myself subtly. Nope, mango scent was intact and flourishing.
Maybe he smelled bad.
Yeah, that must be it.
He took a step back and then turned and I was left alone by my locker. Seth accompanying me home had become a constant in my life and I hadn't even realized it. But now, I was…alone.
Shaking it off, I trudged to the parking lot and listened carefully for the sound of Seth's hurried steps that signified him changing his mind.
But they never came.
The next morning was dripping with fog and humidity; the clouds were low and ruthless. I had gotten a very incoherent voicemail from Seth around two in the morning which I'd checked this morning saying he had a ride to school and that he'd meet me by my locker. I checked the time. It was seven thirty. I walked downstairs, to see my father tiredly stirring a pot of coffee.
"Hey pops, what's cooking?" I smiled cheerfully up at him.
"Coffee, want some sweetheart?" He shot me a lethargic smile.
"Sure."
"You know, Cass, I've been meaning to talk to you."
"What's up,dad? You sound all serious-like." I winked at him and he grinned before sitting up straighter.
Uh, oh. Good posture. That's never a good sign.
"Well, the company's gotten a lot of business over the last couple of months and they've mostly been orders coming through my branch." Dad was a manager of a small segment of a paper company.
"And they've decided to promote me." He said it tentatively.
"That's great! Why the sad face?" He looked down at his hands, before taking a long sip of the coffee.
"Cass, the job's in Seattle. But it's a lot of money and I know we could do with some right about now." He paused and then started up again after a breath. "You've been great about it, but I want more for us Cassie." He looked at me, so unsure. And I felt my heart melting. My dad couldn't possibly think I wouldn't support him in this. Not after all he'd gone through.
"Dad. I…When do we leave?" The man needed some good in his life, it was about time something came his way. Besides it's about time I got to do something for him. He'd been so great about my art, never missed a show that man.
"That's the thing, I was thinking, you're growing up now and you're so close to finishing high school, I don't want to pull you out now."
"Don't worry about that, moving won't be that bad." I intoned, secretly agreeing though. The idea of leaving school now, well to be honest that was fine. It was leaving Seth that was freaking me out. We'd never been apart for more than a couple of weeks and to be completely frank my friend base was kind of limited.
"Slow down sweetheard, hear me out, I was thinking you could stay and finish out your school year and then spend the breaks with me in Seattle. I asked Emily to keep an eye on you and she said you're always welcome to stay over. I'd just be gone the weekdays and I'll be here Friday through Sunday. Does that sound fair? I hate to leave you all alone honey…" But I cut him off before he could finish.
"Dad it's perfect. I'll be fine! And you're coming down every weekend, I won't even notice you're gone. Besides now I can throw though parties and invite over all the delinquent friends that you never approved of."
"Atta girl." He ruffled my hair.
"Don't mess with the do, pops, or I'm going to have to mess with you." I glared at him playfully.
"That's it, no more rap for you."
"Please daddy-o that's all original."
"Maybe I won't go to Seattle. Clearly there's much too much to be done here." He shot at me, reaching over to tousle my hair affectionately. I dodged him, leaping back lightly.
"Whatever do you mean?" I drew a halo over my head and started humming hymns when he started to laugh.
"You remind me so much of your mother some times." He smiled sadly
I pushed my hand on his and squeezed. Even now, four years later, his wounds were a little sore. That woman seriously did a number on him. They had made their peace but it would take me longer to make mine. As far as I was concerned he was always too good for her.
The kitchen was quiet for a moment. I saw the clock out of my peripheral vision and started to get up.
"I gotta go dad, my education awaits me."
"Thank god, I was beginning to think you'd be here all day." He pushed me lightly before offering me a ride.
I declined and then walked out.
I wondered what I was going to tell Seth about my dad leaving. I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about it yet. I mean it was fantastic for him. But now I didn't have any parents and it sucked a little. But, he was going to be here part of the time. So it's like I had half a parent. That had to better than nothing.
I got to school in record time but I was still late to meet Seth so I darted to my locker, speeding passed the few students that showed up as early as we did for school.
But he never showed.
Not seeing Seth was becoming a rather unfortunate trend in my life.
My phone was filled with apologetic voicemails and false promises of rescheduling but I'd started to just ignore them, he was clearly going through something. But I couldn't fault him for that. He stuck by me through my dark ages when I found out about my mom. I'd shut him out for two weeks and then thrown paint balloons at him for an hour before I'd let him in. He never said anything and I respected him for that. The least I could do was let him have his space. And so when I saw him at school a week and a half later and he'd grown about a foot and he looked like he'd aged about ten years, I wasn't even suprised.
I knew he'd show up eventually.
He was there, waiting by my locker, leaning casually, a pose he'd struggled to master for years and now seemed to come easily to him. He was frowning at the freshman that walked by him and his ever present grin was missing. He looked, different. I felt a little unsure but then he turned to look at me and that burst of warmth that I'd become used to flared up in my stomach and I smiled familiarly at him.
He looked startled for a second and then almost confused. I wasn't sure how to quantify the expression but it was gone in an instant, so soon I almost felt like I had imagined it. I tried to recreate it but it was so hard, so ephemeral but it was so, so captivating. It was, it was so hard to put into words but it was almost like it was straddling that barrier between heartbreak and heart ache, like he was just out of reach of something he desperately wanted-and I needed to take a serious chill pill.
Where the hell was all this coming from? He was probably just feeling dehydrated or something. I needed to stop over thinking things, seriously.
I felt my cheeks warm but I ignored it. No one else knew how ridiculous I felt for that little soliloquy and they never would.
He starting heading towards me, snapping my attention forward.
"Hey Cassie." Was it just me, or had his voice dropped again.
I thought puberty only happened once.
Maybe I should stop drawing so much in class.
"Seth! How are you?" I couldn't keep the excitement out of my voice. It had been a lonely week and a half without him.
"I'm… good Cassie. I just, I know I haven't been around but I'm back now. I was just going through some stuff and-"
"Don't sweat it." He smiled gratefully and I felt my stomach flip.
"Are you really back? I've missed you." It came out quietly, we weren't sincere often. It just wasn't our style.
"Cassie." He looked pained and I could see him begin to apologize.
"No, no, seriously it's cool." I offered quickly and he paused, seeming unsure. But then evidently decided he could move on.
"Okay, but yeah, I'm really back." We smiled at each other then, and it was quiet.
The bell rang distantly jerking us back to reality.
"I've got to go, but I'll see you after school?" I shot at him easily.
"I, shit, I'm sorry Cassie, but I've got some stuff to do, can I call you later? We can hang out tonight. I promise." My heart sunk, this sounded really familiar.
"Sure. I'll talk to you then." I tried to keep it out of my voice. Space, I needed to be able to give him space.
"Cassie, I'm serious. Seven o'clock." He peered down at me, and I saw his fingers clench slightly. Maybe things would go back to normal.
"Alright, it's a date." I nudged him and I barely moved him but I saw him fall exaggeratedly to the floor.
"God, watch that strength Cassie, you almost took out my torso." He glared at me in jest and I couldn't help but laugh.
There was my dorky best friend.
I'd missed this.
"That's right boy, you better recognize." I snapped my fingers.
"Listen whitebread, we need to talk about your rap exposure." I groaned, not him too. Why couldn't these people let me have my words?
I smacked him upside the head and smirked at his yell of protest before yelling goodbye and rushing to class.
Seven couldn't come soon enough.
