Chance Encounters

I slammed the front door of my aunts house shut and leaned against the door trying to keep from crying. I knew that inviting him over was a bad idea but I never thought he would be as horrible as he was! Who the hell was he calling a spoiled rich girl? He didn’t know me. We talked for one day during the summer how the hell did he assume he knew enough about me to say that about me. Let alone to my face!

“Dammit!” I shouted and kicked the door. Big mistake. A sharp pain shot up my leg and I bent down and clutched my toes. The shoes I was wearing were cute, but so not kicking appropriate. I sat down in the middle of the hallway still holding onto my aching foot. My aunt came down the stairs and peeked at me from the last step.

“Someone needs to mellow out.” Marry said, “How about I make some brownies?” I lifted my head and looked at her.

“Real brownies?”

“You should know the answer to that.” She smiled and helped me up. And she was right. I did. Fake brownies with no sugar wheat or milk weren’t exactly what I wanted but it would be tolerable. Maybe the chocolate would make me feel better. After about half an hour of mixing and measuring sugar substitutes, non wheat flour and soy milk the brownies were in the oven. The smell of chocolate filled the kitchen and Mary sat down next to me. “So, what happened with that cute boy?” Her calling him cute was a little upsetting but the fact was he was cute. Though a total ass.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I frowned staring into the contents of my glass of soy milk. I wondered for a moment why it was called soy milk, when really it’s a juice. Soy beans didn’t have utters.

“Nuh uh, youre not getting off that easily.” Mary said tapping the table with one of her fingers. “Spill honey.” sighing I looked down at my glass. I didn’t want to explain what was happening when I didn’t even have a clue about it myself. He said he came from a horrible home life. A lot of people did, I had a friend in San Deigo who was switched from foster home to foster home every other week but he was still really cool, well until after the breakup with my ex, then he turned on me like everyone else.

I explained everything to her. Starting with my breakup, then the fair, then school ending the with today. We chewed on brownies and neglected a normal dinner in favor of more comfort food and a movie. By the end of the night I wasn’t quite as upset soothed by the movie Definitely Maybe and my aunts healthy but still kind of yummy desserts. I nestled into the covers of my bed and drifted off.

In English class the next day I gritted my teeth. As much as I wanted to just flunk this assignment I knew there would be major consequences. Like moving back to my old school where my parents could monitor me and I would never escape beign called a slut, whore, bitch and other terrible things for the next 2 and a half years of my life. I went over to my desk. Put my stuff underneath it and turned to Luke who like always had his head down, oblivious to the world.

“Luke.” I said my voice firm. I got a response from him, he lifted his head, looked at me then put it back down. My eyebrows arched up in shock. Ohhhhhh No. I thought. Then a gripped my hands in a fist. He thought I was a spoiled rich girl, I would give him a spoiled rich girl! “Luke!” I said louder, I might have been causing a scene, but right then that would only help my cuase..

“What!?” He said lifting his head again. He looked tired, I didnt care.

“We need to talk about the project.” I sat down at my desk, now that I had his attention there was no need to keep causing a scene. “You stormed off last night in the middle of talking about it, we only got ONE thing done for each of us. And I’m sorry I talked about your mom but honestly how was I supposed to know?”

“That’s right.” He snapped and I flinched. He had an edge about him. I was never sure if he would get violent or not. I’d never seen him violent but his eyes just had that look to them. “You don’t know anything about me.” He lowered his voice.

“That’s the whole point of the assignment!” My voice jumped and octave and I cleared my throat slightly embarrassed.

“You wouldn’t want to know me.” He mumbled.

“Let me decide that for myself.” I glared at him. “So, I’ll be coming over to your house after school.” He opened his mouth to protest but I was still in spoiled rich girl who always gets what she wants mode. “I don’t care how bad you think it is. I’m sure even the naive little rich girl can handle it.” I frowned at him as he set his face in a grim expression. He didn’t fight me though. “So I’ll drive us there after 6th period.” I felt triumphant even though I was probably just going to prove his point further. Whatever it was self preservation at this point. I did not want to go back.

In the car on the way to his house Luke was really quiet. He would only talk to give me the directions to his house. I hopped that would change soon or this project would be really awkward. I pulled up in front of a house that he pointed at and parked on the street, he said it was a bad idea to park in the driveway his dad would be upset. I didn’t see any cars in it. Was his dad even home? I turned off the engine and was about to climb out when he spoke.

“I’m sorry.” He muttered, I paused and looked at him.

“For what?” I asked. I was sort of sure about what he was apologizing for but not completely. Mostly I just wanted to hear him say it.

“I’m sorry for what I said yesterday, and how I stormed out.” I smiled to myself but my face was turned away. I guess I was kind of being petty. I quickly got over the pettiness and turned back to him.

“I’m sorry about your mom, when did it happen?” I asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I backed off the question. I wasn’t going to push him and have him kick me out. Or more precisely not let me in at all. So we avoided the sensitive topic for the rest of that night and we talked about what made us who we were. It went okay. It wasn’t like a date or even that interesting but we didn’t fight each other. It wasn’t like at the fair though. I wondered if things could ever be like that again.

I left Luke’s house around 7. Well I didn’t really leave. It was more like he forced me to go. He was talking about his dad and his girlfriend getting home soon and not wanting me to have to meet them. I wasn’t sure if he was hiding me from them or them from me. Either way though I was a little miffed. I had told him I could handle whatever they could throw at me but he wouldn’t listen. It had started rainign by then and I had to run to my car on the street and fumble around with the keys. My aunts car was an old model and didn’t have the remote lock and unlock mechanism. I think she did that on purpose something about too much technology and the environment. I don’t know.

I was halfway home when I remembered that I had used up the last of my non tofu food supply last night. Pulling over to the side of the road I checked my wallet. I had forty saved up. I wouldn’t be able to buy a lot but I would be able to buy enough to get me through till I got my allowance again. Turning around I went back the way I came from. The cheap store was past Lukes house. I stockpiled on Ramen, about 3 bags full. I loved Ramen, if you got it by the box you could get 20 for like 5 bucks. I picked up some eggs sliced cheese, lunchmeat, precooked chicken and actual milk. I only had 43 cents left out of my forty but I didn’t mind.

Driving back I had to turn the wipers and lights on high. It was coming down so hard that seeing a couple feet in front of my was difficult. I knew somewhere that I should be thankful for the rain with the drought going on and all but it was really scary driving. I was going as slow as was legal and I still felt that I was going to hit something. I saw a red light ahead of me a couple of feet and was reading myself to pushed the breaks when I saw someone in the crosswalk. At first the novelty of it astounded me. Who in their right mind would walk around when it was pouring out. But as I got closer to the crosswalk I noticed who it was. I slammed on the breaks and skidded to a halt two feet farther back then I probably should have been, but no one was on the road to really care anyway.

Not bothering to take the keys out of the ignition I put on the parking break and got out of the car. I was drenched almost instantly. My hair which I had been meticulously straightening for two weeks now started to frizz, then wave as the rain wiped out its dryness.

“Luke!” I shouted. He had stopped when my car skidded probably frightened that I would hit him. “what the hell are you doing walking around out here?” I shouted over the sound of the rain and the car engine. It was cold. Really cold, maybe like in the 60s I know for some that’s like summer but here that’s a winter temperature. I rushed up to him.

“Leave me alone!” He snapped at me but I wouldn’t I grabbed his arm, and he yanked it out of my grasp, the wetness of his skin probably didn’t help. I grabbed on with both hands this time and pulled him towards the car.

“No get in the car! I’m driving you home!” I said fumbling to get the door open without letting him get away.

“You cant!” He shouted at me but I ignored him. I Open the door and I struggled with him for a couple of minutes to get him in the car.

“The hell I cant!” I said finally getting him into the passengers seat. “You could freeze to death out here!” I grabbed a blanket out of the backseat and threw it on him as I got in the car and I cranked the heat. “I’m taking you home,” I repeated again as I shifted the car into gear.

“I’m telling you, you cant do that!” Luke said sounding both upset and angry.

“Why the hell not!?” I asked angrily semi shouting as I drove down the street towards his home.

“I was kicked out!” He said matching my volume and exceeding my anger. I didn’t say anything for a moment and I bit my tongue. I had a feeling I was going to regret this. We got closer to Lukes home and I sped up. He was clenching his fists and I muttered a curse, we sped past his house. And he looked at me. “Where are we going?” He asked me eyes wide.

“I told you.” I muttered, “I’m taking you home.” Silently I prayed that my aunt was asleep so I wouldn’t have to explain this tonight. Having a boy spend the night was not something that went unanswered for.