Chance Encounters

I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, so I was exhausted when I walked into first period. My dad had kept me up. He ranted on and on about how I was a terrible son for staying at a girl’s house when I should have been home making dinner and cleaning the house. I wasn’t a slave or a chef. I was his son. Why couldn’t he realize that?

I slid into my desk and rested my head, blocking everything out. I didn’t care about the gossip around school. I didn’t want to hear about who slept with whom or who was anorexic. I didn’t want to hear my name in every conversation because I was a social outcast and had no friends. I just wanted to be alone, to be able to think on my own for once.

However, I heard a small voice whisper my name. “Luke,” she said. It was familiar, almost like I knew her in my past. Her voice was almost mesmerizing. Yet I knew who she was.

I lifted my head, seeing her distressed face. She seemed so destroyed, but I didn’t care. She had hurt me. I rolled my eyes and hid my head in my arms. I heard a foot stomp against the tile floor as she huffed. “Luke!” Ellie yelled, causing everyone to look at her.

I knew there was no way out of this, so I helplessly lifted my head up again. “What?” I replied, sounding harsh. Ellie’s face softened as she saw my expression. It was like she could read through me, like she could see the pain seeping into my eyes.

“We need to talk about the project,” she paused for a breath and sat down, knowing she finally had my attention. “You stomped out of my house last night in the middle of our brain storming. We barely got one idea for each of us. We need to step it up. And I’m sorry I talked about your mom. But honestly, how was I supposed to know?” She said, almost making me feel guilty.

“You’re right,” I said. She looked at me curiously, as if she hadn’t expected me to say that. And then she tensed up. I realized what it was. Ellie was scared of me.

“You don’t know anything about me,” I spoke coldly, making her face pale.

“That’s the whole point of this assignment!” She retorted. She cleared her throat and looked at me again.

“You don’t want to know me,” I said, knowing that if I were her, I would stay as far away as possible.

“I’ll decide that for myself,” she said. “Anyway, I’m coming over to your house this afternoon so we can work on the project,” she stated authoritatively.

I opened my mouth to object, but then realized she wouldn’t give in. I knew Ellie was stubborn. It stood out of her like a broken bone.

~~*~~

“Well, you should get going,” I said later that night. We were at my house. I was more than embarrassed when she came over. My home was more like a shack that collected dust than something that people actually lived in. Her house was so prim and proper while mine was like a shelter for rats. And as much as Ellie tried to hide it, I could see the disgusted look on her face when she first walked in. “Are you sure? I still have another page to write before I’m done. And you have some work too,” she protested.

I stood up and pushed my chair under the table. “We have a week. We’re way ahead. Besides, my dad and his girlfriend are going to be home soon. I’d rather not risk you meeting them anytime soon,” I said. Ellie hesitated but eventually stood up and stuffed all of her homework in her book bag.

“Okay. Well, thank you for working on this with me. You’ve been really mature today about everything,” she said.

I nodded. “About that, I know I already apologized but,” Ellie stopped me before I could go on.

“No, Luke, it’s fine. I understand. I’ll see you on Monday,” she said as she waved to me and walked out the door.

My dad and girlfriend walked in five minutes later, barely noticing me getting a glass of water before heading to my room. “Why are you taking stuff from our fridge?” He asked, acting like I was a burglar.

“I live here,” I mumbled, chugging my glass down before he could take it out of my hands. I didn’t eat much as it was. I had no idea why he was complaining.

Torri turned to my dad and whispered something into his ear. He grabbed her tightly by the waist and laughed gruffly before agreeing. “You’re right,” he said. My father looked at me.

“Luke, you haven’t been doing anything to help out this family,” he started. Family? This was anything but a family. It was more like a gang. I was scared to live in my own home. That wasn’t love and affection. That was hate and fear.

I waited for the rest of his speech. I could tell by the way he wobbled on his knees and slurred while he spoke that he was extremely drunk. “You need to get a job,” he said. I scoffed. Was he forgetting the fact that I was the one who paid the bills?

“I have a job dad. Remember? I work at Jamba Juice and Kohl’s on the weekends. I don’t see you working your ass off,” I fought back.

My dad tightened his grip on Torri and glared at me. “Don’t you fucking talk back to me, you son of a bitch,” he said. My eyes widened as soon as I realized what he had said. I grabbed the empty glass and threw it at the wall, watching as shards exploded everywhere.

“Don’t you ever insult mom. She’s the best woman you ever had. You didn’t deserve her. Hell, you don’t even deserve that slut,” I said, motioning towards Torri.

He let go of Torri and walked up to me. He was inches away from me. I could taste the beer from his nasty mouth as he exhaled. “Get out of my house you scum,” he said. At first I thought he was kidding. He told me to leave at least once a week. But then I realized he was dead serious. “Get the fuck out of this house!” He yelled, spitting all over me.

I gave him one last look before walking outside with my back pack and slamming the door, making one of the hinges on the side fall off. And because I was the luckiest person in the world, it was pouring outside. I had no where to go, but I knew I couldn’t stay there. I started off towards the local store, knowing that I could probably get away with sleeping by the dumpster.

The water pointed towards me, a deluge of cold liquid splattering all over my weak and battered body. Although the temperature was pretty warm, the water was freezing cold, like icicles stabbing through me.

I shivered as I walked, not even thinking that my homework would probably be ruined. I smiled when I was almost at the store. Only a couple more blocks and I would be home; wherever that was.

As I was crossing the road, I noticed something extremely peculiar. There was only one car, and the driver was waiting for me to walk across the street. But I knew that car. If it wasn’t raining, I knew I would’ve been able to make out who it was. Right before I was on the sidewalk, a girl jumped out of the car and ran up to me.

“Luke!” She shouted. There was her familiar voice again. I would be able to recognize her in a group of a million different people. There was just something about her. “What the hell are you doing out here?” She asked.

“Leave me alone!” I yelled, trying to walk away. She grabbed me and pushed me towards the car.

“No, you’re going home!” She said.

“You can’t!” I rejected. But she didn’t care. Ellie opened the door and shoved me in the passenger seat. I knew it was no use trying to get out. I shoved my soaking bag down by my feet as Ellie jumped in and turned the heat on high.

“You will freeze to death!” She said, driving away.

“I’m telling you, you can’t take me home!” I said, trying to get Ellie to understand. She looked at me as if I was crazy. But then again, maybe I was.

“Why the hell not?” She screamed. I tried to calm myself down, but it didn’t work.

“I was kicked out! I have no where to go!” I yelled back.

“Where are we going?” I asked after a couple of minutes of silence. I watched as she passed my house.

“I told you, I’m taking you home,” she muttered.

We were soon in her driveway. We both looked at each other and laughed as we ran straight to the door, not being able to avoid getting pelted with hail and rain on the way. “I can’t stay here,” I told her as she led me up stairs and handed me an old sweatshirt and dark green pajama pants from her dresser. I was surprised she actually had something for me to wear.

“You don’t have any where else to go. I’m not going to let you stay on the streets,” she said.

After I had calmed down, she pushed me into her room and closed the door so that I could change. I was shocked when I realized how different her room was compared to mine. Ellie’s walls were painted magenta and dark purple, two on each. There was one lava lamp on a white desk by her bed and another tall one on the opposite corner of her room.

I noticed an extremely large queen sized bed on the left side of the room, covered in a black comforter. At the end of the bed was a black, purple and magenta colored rug. The head board had black ringlets, swirling over and around the pillows.

I turned around so that I was facing the door and saw a somewhat small book shelf.

I sighed, realizing she had so much more than I did. But knew I couldn’t complain. She was brought up in a good family. I changed into the clothes and walked out into the hallway, handing Ellie my wet shirt, jeans, and boxers. She cringed at the thought but threw them in the washer.

This was going to be a strange night.