The Past is Only the Future with the Lights On

Eighteen. Legal. An adult. Maybe not old enough to drink, but old enough to move out on my own and vote.

It was a crazy thought, really. I mean, I didn’t feel any different, but, suddenly, I’ve gained all of these rights and privileges. Funny how that works, huh?

Too bad my maturity hadn’t changed. If anything, I think it had only gotten worse.

With that final thought crossing my mind, I felt a thick, rough hand grip my shoulder from behind, my laughing now uncontrollable as my friends and I were dragged out of the mall by several security guards, all abnormally large and burly, after being kicked out of the twelfth store in a row. And we quite possibly could have hit the thirteenth store, had Ray and Gee not relieved themselves in the fountain that sat in the middle of the huge building. Still, it was funny as hell, and the cherry on top of a great birthday.

Well, this morning was actually the cherry. This was the whipped cream, I guess.

We had just spent the day loitering in the bowling alley, making obnoxiously loud noises to screw people up, until we were finally thrown out of there, in which case we migrated the couple blocks to the mall. Now, I wasn’t sure where we were headed. Frank would be back in a couple of hours and I was already exhausted, having received no sleep at all last night, courteously of Frank and his damn amazingness.

“She can’t hear you, Mikey. She’s too busy daydreaming about her lover,” Bob’s purposely louder than normal voice sparked my attention. I looked up from the sidewalk passing along under my torn, green Chucks, only to be met by five knowing expressions.

“What’d ya say, Mikey?” I asked the lanky boy as he wrapped a thin arm around his girlfriend’s waist, bringing her closer to his side. I couldn’t tell if that smile currently stretched across his lips was from me and what he’d just said that I missed, or for his girlfriend; something between them that only they’d understand.

I was hoping it was the second one, but I highly doubted it. These kids were convinced that I was in love with Frank. And while I deceitfully denied it, they had this even crazier idea that Frank felt the same. So I was positive that this was what his comment had been about.

“Nothing, Kelly dearest,” Mikey said with a shake of his head, his always slick, mousy brown hair staying perfectly in place, smiling innocently. “I said nothing.”

Glaring at him, I flipped him the bird, which he gladly returned.

“So…where are we going now, guys?” I asked no one in particular.

They all exchanged looks, unsure of where our feet should carry us next.

“Well, it’s your birthday. Where would you like to go?” Bob asked.

I glanced between Ray and Gerard, planning on making them feel guilty. “Well, I wanted to keep wandering the mall, but I can just forget about that now.” They smiled proudly at each other, and I was expecting them to apologize, but they never did. We just ended up walking back to my house, where we ate the cake D and Mikey had made and dropped off before we’d left for the bowling alley.

It was surprisingly good, most likely thanks to Dahlia. I’ve seen some of the homemade lunches Mikey occasionally brought to school, and lets just say, it wouldn’t have looked like a cake, let alone tasted good, had he made it himself. No offense to Mikey, of course.

“Kelly?” my grandma called out nearly two hours later from the kitchen. I had just said my goodbyes to my friends and thanked them for such an amazing day, and was about to go flip through the channels on the TV when she’d gotten my attention. “Your dad called. He said he was on his way back to Bridgewater from a meeting and was in town, so he thought he’d stop by to wish you a happy birthday in person,” she told me, referring to how he’d called earlier this morning to tell me happy birthday, as she walked over to the floral couch and sat down on it, appearing to be fighting back a small smile.

That’s odd. I hadn’t heard the phone ring. I suppose he had called while I was out on the porch, conversing with the guys.

“Cool, thanks,” I said to the elderly woman, receiving a smile and a nod in response.

I walked into the kitchen to get myself a coke before returning to the living room, when my cell began to vibrate in the front pocket of my jeans. Setting down the can that I’d just retrieved from the fridge, I dug it out of my pocket, smiling widely as I read the ID, for once, and placed it to my ear.

“Hey,” I breathed out, hearing his soft, melodic laugh come from the other end.

“Hello,” Frank replied softly. I bit my lip, glad to be hearing his voice again. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks,” I said. I looked up at the stove clock, noticing that it was a quarter to nine. “Are you home? Can I come over now?”

He chuckled at the obvious eagerness in my voice.

“That’s actually why I’m calling,” he said, sounding sad.

“Yeah?” I urged him to continue.

This didn’t sound good.

“Dad got sick this afternoon. I’m going to stay to help take care of him. It’s just him up here and he needs someone. Are you okay with that?” as he asked me this, I could practically see him gnawing at his bottom lip, hating to disappoint me. And I could practically feel my heart drop to my feet.

“Okay? Yeah, sure. Whatever is best for him.” I was only looking forward to his arrival all day. Why hadn’t he called to tell me this earlier? Then I could have moped around with my friends and spent this time in my room. “Tell him I hope he feels better,” I told him, though my tone probably made it seem like I could care less.

“I will. And I’m so sorry, Kelly. I know how much you were looking forward to hanging out with me.” I could virtually picture his face in my head, smiling that conceited smile of his as he spoke. Just then, the doorbell echoed through the house; dad was here now.

“Hold up, Frank. My dad’s here to tell me happy birthday,” I sighed and he mumbled an ‘okay.’

I walked to the front door, my phone pressed against my chest, as I used my free hand to grip the brass doorknob and yank it open, the sight revealed to me making my phone slip through my hand and bounce off the ground.