Hazy Days
fourteen;
Jamie's been picking me up the past few days to bring me to his house for a little while. I take showers there and we go to the diner for food or I raid his fridge. I haven't seen Joel since two days before that night Oliver found me outside and I miss him.
My stomach drops on this particular day when I see Joel's car out front. "You all right, Tor?" Jamie asks. He looks where I'm staring. "Oh. The boyfriend's back, huh?" he says in a very un-Jamie like manner. I nod because if I talk I know I'll throw up. "Do you want me to come in with you?"
I turn to Jamie and try to smile. "It's all right. I'll be fine, don't worry. Thanks again- for everything." I reach out to hug him.
"Anytime, Tor." I wave when I get out. Right at the edge of our building my stomach lurches and I vomit into the bushes. And of course I'm window level with the old Korean guy that lives in that room. He wrinkles his nose and shakes his head and I'm so ashamed of myself. I turn away and try to prepare myself to see Joel again.
"Vic, it's for you," Joel passes me the phone without much interest. I take it and he starts tying a band around his arm. His skin is bruised and covered with puncture marks. I don't want to watch so I head to our room.
"Hello?"
"Hi Tori!" It's Shawn. I haven't heard my brother's little kid voice in forever and it reminds me of how much I miss him. "I just wanted to say thank you for my present. It's really neat."
"No problem. I'm glad you like."
"I really do! Even dad asked if he could try it. He actually-" he stops talking for a second. In that second of silence I can hear my mother, who asks whom he's talking to. "Um, Danny." he tells her. He talks into the phone again a moment later. "I have to go now, Victoria. Mom says I shouldn't talk to you."
This makes me so angry. I can't talk to my own brother? What gives her the right to say that? But I can't take that out on Shawn. "Sure. I'll try calling this week, though, okay?"
"Okay. Love you, Victoria, bye!"
"Bye, kid. Love you too."
My stomach drops on this particular day when I see Joel's car out front. "You all right, Tor?" Jamie asks. He looks where I'm staring. "Oh. The boyfriend's back, huh?" he says in a very un-Jamie like manner. I nod because if I talk I know I'll throw up. "Do you want me to come in with you?"
I turn to Jamie and try to smile. "It's all right. I'll be fine, don't worry. Thanks again- for everything." I reach out to hug him.
"Anytime, Tor." I wave when I get out. Right at the edge of our building my stomach lurches and I vomit into the bushes. And of course I'm window level with the old Korean guy that lives in that room. He wrinkles his nose and shakes his head and I'm so ashamed of myself. I turn away and try to prepare myself to see Joel again.
☀ ☀ ☀
"Vic, it's for you," Joel passes me the phone without much interest. I take it and he starts tying a band around his arm. His skin is bruised and covered with puncture marks. I don't want to watch so I head to our room.
"Hello?"
"Hi Tori!" It's Shawn. I haven't heard my brother's little kid voice in forever and it reminds me of how much I miss him. "I just wanted to say thank you for my present. It's really neat."
"No problem. I'm glad you like."
"I really do! Even dad asked if he could try it. He actually-" he stops talking for a second. In that second of silence I can hear my mother, who asks whom he's talking to. "Um, Danny." he tells her. He talks into the phone again a moment later. "I have to go now, Victoria. Mom says I shouldn't talk to you."
This makes me so angry. I can't talk to my own brother? What gives her the right to say that? But I can't take that out on Shawn. "Sure. I'll try calling this week, though, okay?"
"Okay. Love you, Victoria, bye!"
"Bye, kid. Love you too."
♠ ♠ ♠
there's this cute guy who works at my starbucks and when i told him my name for them to write it on the cup, he said it was nice and he liked itwe're getting married next week. you're all invited.