Cold Summer

When my mother came home she looked at me and then looked back in the fridge,

“There’s no food.” She said looking at me eyebrows rose.

I shrugged, “Dave was over all week except for two days, I was at the restaurant I ate there.”

She looked at me like she didn’t believe a word that was coming out of my mouth. And then she said snappishly, “Don’t blame it on Dave.”

“I simply stated that he eats a lot more then I do.” I said as I got up from the stool at the counter, graving my bag. Ready to head back to hell or high school. She huffed and puffed around the kitchen opening up cabinets finding nothing but the crumbs of crackers.

“I got to go, bye mom.” I kissed her on the cheek as I walked by.

“Yeah bye Hun….Say hi to Dave for me.” I rolled my eyes as I made my way out of the kitchen I’d say hi alright.

“Hey kiddo.” Dave said coming up beside me as I stretched before attempting the four laps around the field that my small frame and muscle couldn’t live through.

“Alex, Dave.” I shot back. His face scrunched up, he could call me kiddo but I couldn’t call him Dave? Screw that. “Oh and by the way if your going to eat everything in the house mind replacing it so I don’t starve to death before I can get the hell out of here?...Oh mom says hi”

And then I started running I wasn’t even half way around the field before my muscles started to ache in protest. My legs stiffened, I was not tall which equaled no long legs, no long legs meant no long strides.

I watched as all the tall girls passed me I swore under my breath.

“Hey pixie pick up the speed.” A voice called from behind me. I turned my head a fraction to see Fred making his way to my side.

He played on the basketball team. Naturally he was tall.

“Have I…Mentioned…How much….I hate…Tall people?” my words came out in small bursts of air. He laughed running past me with a small nod to me, still smiling he took off down the field.

I did one lap and then I crumbled to the ground at the very end of the field my breathing heavily made my chest rise and fall so fast it just made me dizzy. I groaned and rolled my head to the side.

I hate gym.

Dave’s whistle broke through the air slicing through my skull like a rusted sword.

“Are you okay?” Asked a voice that made my stomach turn. I moaned and rolled over on my side away from the voice.

“Kiddo, hey Alex, Alexandra answer me.” Dave said his voice growing more worried as he spoke.

“Are you alright, Alex?” His voice same again, question different words.

I groaned louder and lifted myself onto my feet and made my way to the woods on the side of the field. Where I threw up the contents of my lunch. When it was over I fell to my side my eyelids fought to stay up but exhaustion fought back and won.

First time in three weeks and four days that I’ve slept a dead sleep without that voice haunting my memory’s and dreams.

“I don’t think she should go after this.” My mother’s voice ran out stern.

“The doctors just said she should eat a little more and get some more sleep.” Dave said gently back.

“Maybe if you didn’t eat everything in the house my baby girl wouldn’t be in the hospital hooked up to an IV.” My mother’s voice shrieked out as she hiccuped a sob, her voice still some how seemed to hold a threat.

“Don’t blame Dave.” I mumbled dazed as haze seemed to surround my mind.

“Sweetie are you okay? If you didn’t think you could run the laps you should have just told Dave.” Her voice rung out sweet and kind as apposed to the voice she had just used with Dave.

I opened my eyes to look at her worried face, “Mom I’m fine just a little drowsy.”

She nodded to her self, “Maybe you should –"

“No mom I’m going to dad’s for the summer end of story.”

My locker was now a complete mess only two days of school left and my locker that I had emptied out a week ago was now full of papers, glue out of the bottle and the classic red spray paint that said whore on the front of my locker and then inside there was bitch where ever there was free space.

I sighed and started taking out papers that I had just now noticed had very nasty things written on them. I put them all into the garbage bag the office had supplied this morning. I cursed when my hand started to feel wet and sticky.

Lori always did have a wild imagination. I wonder when she did this. The graduate’s sleep over? Sneaked out the back door in the gym? Did she get Cristal and Mandy to help?

Or maybe they volunteered. They haven’t exactly been best friends towards me lately either.

Of course they where being more civilized then Lori was. I guess not even my little hospital day could gain me enough sympathy for this not to happen.

Reaching down I ringed the sponge out that the office had given me. Now that the papers where all out, I started scrubbing away at the glue and spray paint.

“Do you have any idea who did it?” The vice principle had asked.

Lori.

“Nope not a clue.” I had answered short and simple.

“Stupid spray paint…This town can kiss my ass…Sooner or later I’ll be free…Ugh! Come off! You stupid piece of shit!” My mumbles turned into screaming at my locker.

The bitch on the left side of my locker was being extremely stubborn.

“What are you going through?” A voice asked from behind me. I turned to see Fred his eyebrows disappearing in his pitch black hair, his stare was full of insanity accusations.

“I was simply yelling at my locker.” I stated calmly, a blush coming over my cheeks as I turned back and started to scrub.

“You’re not doing it right.”

“Oh yeah? And how I’m I not – “ And then his arm extended so that he stood behind me, his long arm went over my shoulder. He easily placed his hand over mine and started scrubbing the locker in more faster and rougher movements.

After a couple of minutes I stopped moving my arm and let him do all the work. After all he on the basketball team, his muscles should be used for some good. Basketball was over after all, a lot of things where over for Fred.

The few times I had talked to Fred, he had told me that he in fact did not plan on going to collage. He was already working on getting the last bit of money that he needed to buy his father’s gas station which was also a garage.

I had gone to school with Fred since preschool. And although I’ve always been on the laughing bases with him. I would have never been able to sit with him at lunch and just start talking. I knew what everyone knew about him, his mother had died when he was seven and his father never remarried, no siblings.

“So your collage plans the same?” I asked as he scrubbed taking my arm with his. Up and down, without any effort on my part. My voice came out with all the awkwardness that this position seemed to bring over me.

“I think I might take some night classes at the community collage.” He said easily as he pulled my arm more into the locker. My poor arm screeched in protest I was stretched as far as my arm could go.

“That’s good, you’re smart.” I said as I pressed my stomach up against the locker so that my arm would not have to be stretched so much.

“Why thank you.” He stated sarcastically. Then more seriously, “What about you pixie you still planning on heading across Canada? To B.C?”

I nodded, “That is not going to change.”

“So are you choosing the location because of the school or the fact that you really want the town to kiss your ass?” He asked lightly leaning in more to get more of H off.

“A little bit of both.”

“Come on H.” He said to the letter as he leaned forward more. Loosing his balance as he did so, hi feet ramming into the back of mine made his body lurch up against mine so that his chest was completely pressed up against my back.

I gasped surprised at the weight that was now holding me against the locker, my chest was pressed into the locker to the point where I could barely breath because of his weight.

“Whore.” Lori mumbled under her breath as she passed. Fred had now regained his posture and was giving me back my personal space.

He looked after Lori completely miffed, “I thought you two…And then Mandy and Cristal... Your locker was that?”

“Thanks for your help Fred. See you around.” I said picking up my bag and walking away.

“Yeah see you around Alexandra.” He said back quietly. I almost stopped dead in my tracks Fred has never called me by my full name only by short nicknames and Alex.

I just pushed it from my head and rounded the corner to see something even more surprising, Lori making out with Noah full throttle.