The Boys

The next morning, Casey woke up feeling strange. For an instant, she couldn’t remember where she was. Her room had green coloured walls, not orange like the ones she was currently staring at. And her bed didn’t usually face the window. Then she remembered where she was. Casey wasn’t used to her new living arrangements, and wondered if she would ever feel comfortable in her new home. Memories from last night’s escapades swirled around in her head, and she wondered if anybody but Sean, Jamie, and herself new about what they did. She got out of bed, glancing quickly in the mirror before heading downstairs. She threw her messy, bed-head hair into a loose, but tamed ponytail.

As she opened the door to her bedroom, she noticed a smell that was wafting in the air. A good smell, like someone was baking, and her stomach grumbled in response. The smell was like a trail, and she followed it down the stairs, and into the kitchen. She entered the kitchen, and immediately she thought of one word; chaos. The kitchen table had an entire spread on it. A bowl of scrambled eggs, a platter piled high with pancakes. The two young boys were fighting over the bacon, and Jamie sat at the table, pouring himself some orange juice. As she rounded the corner, she saw Jeanie at the oven. She was pulling out a tray of blueberry muffins. Paul was standing at the island, leafing through the newspaper until he found whichever section he was looking for; business maybe. Paul looked like the type of guy who would read the business section. It was Thursday morning, which meant that Paul had to work; that would explain why he was already dressed in dress pants, and a button down shirt. Being that it was the middle of summer, and because they probably had nothing better to do, Jamie, Patrick, and Tyler were still in their pajamas.

“Good morning,” Casey said as she entered the kitchen
“Mornin’ Casey,” Jeanie smiled. Paul nodded at her and continued to look through the newspaper. “Have a seat and help yourself,”

Casey sat opposite Jamie at the table. She looked at him, wondering if he would acknowledge her after what happened last night. However as Casey took a seat, Jamie bent even lower over his plate, and continued to shove bits of pancake into his mouth at an alarming rate. Casey reached for the plate of pancakes in front of her, and helped herself to two.

“Everything looks so good!” she gushed as she examined her other choices. “Do you always cook like this?”
“Oh, this is nothing,” Jeanie said with a wave of her hand, taking a seat at the table, and helping her self as well.

“Wait,” Casey said, realizing that somebody was missing from this picture. “Should we be waiting for Sean to come down?”

Jamie scoffed. However, Jeanie replied, “I would spend an hour just yelling up there trying to get him up most mornings. I’ve learned it’s easier to just let him sleep. I don’t think he ever gets up before noon if he can help it.”

“Well, I’m off to work,” Paul said, snatching a few pieces of bacon, and placing a kiss on the top of Jeanie’s head. “See you later, boys. Have a good day Casey.”

“You too,” Casey replied, pouring syrup over her pancakes.

After a few moments of scraping cutlery, Jeanie asked “So how was your night, hun?”

Casey realized Jeanie was directing the question at her, and her heartbeat sped up. Did she know that she and Sean snuck out and came home after curfew?

“W-what do you mean?” Casey stammered, mustering a small smile.

“Well, did you settle okay? How was your sleep?”

“It was great. Thank you.” Casey blew a sigh of relief. “Yup, everything was quiet. I spent the night unpacking.”

Casey looked up at Jamie. Was he going to say anything at this blatant lie? Now would be his chance to rat her out if he wanted to. Casey waited, and…nothing. Jamie glared at her, but continued to eat in silence. Whew.

“Great. I was hoping you’d be okay. Let me know if you ever need anything,” Jeanie said. “I’m sure a change like this can be hard on a young girl like yourself.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine,” Casey said.

“Are you sure? I mean, school is starting in a few weeks, so if you need it, I can take you shopping for some new clothes, or supplies,” Jeanie offered.

Casey loved to shop, but she already felt like she was taking advantage of the Johnsons. With them giving her a free place to stay, she could at least follow their rules. Last night had obviously not been the best decision. “Oh, that’s really not necessary, but thank you,”

“If you’re sure,” Jeanie said. Conversation became light, with Jeanie asking Jamie what his plans for the rest of the summer were. Casey focused on eating her breakfast, and decided that she was going to make an effort to be a more gracious guest – which meant no more partying or flirting with son of the woman who took her in.

Later that day, after Casey was showered, she dressed herself in her knee-ripped, light wash jeans and black t-shirt, and decided that she was going to take a walk around the neighbourhood. She wanted to see where she was now living, and thought she should get her bearings a bit.

Casey went downstairs and peeped her head into the living room, where Jeanie was sitting with a book.

“I was just going to go for a walk, if that’s okay,” Casey said.

“Of course,” Jeanie smiled, “Go right ahead, just be careful”

Casey left the house, letting the screen door slam behind her. As she stepped down the stairs, and onto the driveway, she noticed that the garage door was open. Inside was a black 1967 Chevy Impala. It wasn’t in the best condition, but she loved old cars like that, and stepped closer to get a better look. Her hand touched the hood of the car, and she circled round it. She heard a grunt come from under the car, and it startled her, for she didn’t think anyone was in there.

“Uh…hello?” she called out nervously. She heard the clattering of metal, then a thud.

“Jesus Christ!” the voice grunted. Jamie rolled out from under the car, rubbing his forehead. “You scared the shit outta me,”

“Sorry,” Casey said. “What are you doing under there?”

Jamie got up from the floor. He was wearing a white tank top and jeans. There was car grease everywhere. “Well, I’m trying to fix this thing, but I’m stuck.” He said. “What are you doing out here?”

“Well, I was on my way for a walk, and I noticed this thing sitting here.”

“Oh,” Jamie said.

“Yeah…well, see ya,” Casey started down the driveway.

“Wait!” Jamie shouted, and Casey turned.

“I’ll, uhm.” Jamie stuttered. “I’ll come with you.”

“Oh,” Casey said.

“Yeah, well. I’m having a hard time with the car,” he admitted. “Plus, you’ll probably get lost.”

Casey wasn’t sure what to think. Jamie had never had much interest in being nice to her. She didn’t want to ruin her chances of Jamie finally coming around, but knew that if Jamie came, she would be forced to have awkward conversation.

“Uhm. Okay. Sure. Let’s go then.”