The Art of Losing

I grew up in a trailer park. My parents hated each other...yet they never got a divorce. My brother recently got out of jail, he forgot to pay child support again. My ex-sister in law recently lost her job cause cocaine was found in her drug test. My uncle is the crazy drunk who likes to tell stories that have never happened, but likes us to believe him, his wife believes ghost are real. Then there's my 83 year old grandpa, he's normal...except for the random Vietnam flash backs he has, he thinks I am the solider who saved him from a burning building. Only weird thing is now he thinks my whole family can see ghost since they see me. Then there's my cousin Ann, she recently turn 23 and has a big role in a new soap opera series...Spanish soap opera that is. Ann's husband just happens to be the only normal guy in the group, well he is to Ann. I know he sells drugs! I was once proud to be an aunt...till my niece grew up. She's 6 and if hitting children was legal...

Every Christmas and July 4th we have a big family get together. By that I mean we all come together in my Great grandma 1 story home...which isn't that much bigger than my parents double wide trailer. There's always some fight, normally between my mother and her grandma over who makes the best cookies. I really don't know how I fit in with this family, any guy I end up with is gonna have to be a strong one...

"Lorna I know you care about Dougal but your father is minutes away from shooting that mutt if he doesn't stop pooping on his shoes." my mother said from the other end of the line.

"Mom for the 3rd time Dougal isn't mine, never was. I don't care! I am in the middle of the library and every person that passes can hear your comments! Call me when grandpa has another seizure!" I said in a harsh whisper before snapping my phone shut and covering my face with my hands. I think I was the only one at this school with a messed up family.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but over hear you say something about your grandpa having another seizure. Kind of harsh don't you think?" I heard someone say from behind me, I closed my eyes tightly before turning in my seat and looking up.

"It's a long story, if you knew my family you'd understand." I said to the guy standing in front of me. He wore jeans, a plain red t-shirt, some tennis shoes. Looked like a decent guy.

"So I noticed you're here almost everyday. No life?" he asked, I opened my mouth to say something but he cut me off. "I was kidding about the no life thing. Don't want to make and enemy in my first week here." he added, and went on.
"I would have started on the 16th like every other normal college student here, but of course my papers got lost in file. I'm Reed by the way." he ended as he sat down next to me at the table I had chosen away from most of the other study nerds. I liked peace and quiet...alone time. My roommate happened to be a phone obsessed freak and was constantly on the phone, or texting. I get sick of her giggle and her beeping of buttons.

"Lorna." I said looking down at my Physics book.

"Huh, that's a unique name. So really why you here everyday?" he asked me.

"To shop." I said sarcastically. He laughed, his laugh was kinda cute...he was kinda cute himself.

"A smart ass, I like that in a girl." he said before reaching over and snatching my book. "What you going to school for?" he asked. He seemed nice, why not chat for a little bit? I had the time.

"I truthfully don't know. I'm just taking the major classes right now, then going through the courses I want when I figure out my career." I answered, he nodded. "You?"

"My dad wants me to follow in his architecture career. But I have never been big on building, so I am mainly taking math class the semester. Next semester which my dad doesn't know, I am going in for what I really want to do which is be a airplane mechanic. Well any airbourne transportation."

"That's pretty cool. My parents didn't even want me going to college."

"Why?"

"Too expensive, but with my 4.0 grade point average the state got me in free."

"Well in all honesty, I was a C average student, and I got by really because I was an excellent guesser." he said, I smiled.

"Well least you got here." I said.

"You have a very white smile." he said, any movement someone made in the library he was quickly glancing over, and he kept bouncing his leg. When he wasn't bouncing his leg he'd be fidgeting his hands; I smiled.

"And you have a bad case of A.D.H.D." I replied.

"That I do, first case in my family too. My parents got my pills, which I stopped taking few years ago. So how'd you get your smile so white?"

"Just very O.C.D. about my teeth, family is full of bad teeth."

"What is your passion? I mean maybe I can help you choose a career." he said jumping back to the subject before. My brother was A.D.H.D. so I was use to following them, and I was bit one myself.

"Don't really have one." I answered, he scoffed.

"Now I don't believe that for a second." he said. Before I knew it 2 and a half hours went by and the library was about to close.

"How about I walk you to your dorm?" he asked with a cheeky smile, I couldn't help but smile back.

"Sure." I answered, and that was the day that Reed Carter walked into my life, and pretty sure he wasn't about to walk out.