Inertia

I was sitting on my bed, laptop on my crossed legs when I heard my parents’ door close.

It was the third time that week. Mom was leaving, I was sure of it. I was coming down from an Adderall high, so of course I got distracted.

I removed my laptop from my legs and slipped into some Vans, grabbing my car keys. I turned off my bedroom light and tiptoed down the stairs.

The front door was shutting so I hid behind our expensive old couch as it clicked closed.

I waited until Mom’s headlights shone on the back wall of the living room through the front windows until I walked out to my old station wagon.

I turned off my headlights and followed my mom from afar. She finally turned onto a street crowded with duplexes and apartment buildings. What was she doing? Charity work at two AM?

She pulled into the driveway of the only actual house on the block. It was an old two-story, looking like it had some history.

Mom looked both ways before running up to the house, finding the spare key, and walking inside.

What the hell?

I swear I sat out there, waiting, down the street, until at least five AM. When she finally came back out, Mom wasn’t alone. A tall, lean man, much younger and more handsome than my own father, was behind her, hugging and kissing her.

“Frank, cut it out. I gotta get home before my daughter wakes up for school. And you too! Charlotte will be up any minute!”

Charlotte? I had a girl named Charlotte in my Genetics class, fourth period. Was it the same girl? How common was the name Charlotte?

“I love you, Claire,” The man said, gingerly kissing my mother’s lips.

She smiled, a tiny crystallized tear escaping her eye. I wanted to run up to her and wipe it away and tell her Daddy would never know, but I couldn’t. “I love you too, Frank. You know that.” My mother reached up and stroked his face, then turned and walked to her car.

I ducked down and watched her leave through my steering wheel. She drove off and Frank stood on his front porch, rubbing the bridge of his nose, sighing. Then after a minute, he stepped back into the house and shut the door.

-

In fourth period that day, I couldn’t stop staring at Charlotte Clark. She was actually really cute. She had amazing green eyes that made my legs into marshmallows and she had perfect skin and long hair that was the color of the shadows.

“Miss Curtis?” My teacher asked, his body looming over me. “Finding something interesting about Miss Clark?”

Everyone knew I liked girls, but picking on me in class was fucked up.

“Yeah, Mr. C. Actually, I was counting the freckles on her shoulders.” I shot him a glare, my blue eyes angry.

He scoffed. “Keep it in your pants, Sailor.”

“Screw you! Don’t be picking on me because of my sexual preference! You really need to check yourself because your behavior is really inappropriate, Mr. C!” I stood up so he didn’t think just because he was a teacher he was above me.

The classroom door banged shut and it tore Mr. C’s attention from me. “Who just left?” He searched the room with his ugly grey eyes.

“Uh, Lottie did,” Her friend next to her said. “Can I go find-”

But I was already out the door in a second, following Charlotte down the hallway.

“You know your mom is sleeping with my dad,” She blurted out, whirling around and staring straight into my eyes.

I nodded, biting my bottom lip. “Yeah, I found out this morning. I followed her over to your house.” I stuffed my hands in my jeans’ pockets and leaned against a set of lockers.

Charlotte rubbed her left elbow with her right hand. “It wasn’t right for Mr. C to do that. Single you out because you like girls. Who cares? Honestly, it’s no one’s business. Especially not his.”

I smiled a bit. “Yeah. . . Glad you feel that way.”

Back in class, I got a referral for arguing and walking out. I convinced Mr. C to only give Charlotte a warning. It didn’t bother me, actually, getting into trouble. My mom would chew his ass out later for discrimination.

In lunch, I found Charlotte with her nose in a book and carrots crushed between her fingers and teeth. “Hey, can I sit with you?” I asked, setting my lunch tray down.

She only nodded and continued eating and reading.

I opened my chocolate milk and stuck the straw in, slurping it into my mouth. After a few minutes of silence, I reached across the table, took her book, marked her place, and sat on it. “Talk to me.”

She burned red, smiling. “About what, Olivia?” She smirked, knowing no one called me by my real name. Everyone called me Sailor because I swore like one.

“You know what, Charlotte.” I popped one of her carrots into my mouth and chomped on it. “Don’t you eat more?”

She shrugged. “I was busy. Reading, but apparently, I have better things to do.”

I smiled. “Yeah, me.”

Charlotte’s cheeks burned once again. “Sailor, come on. Honestly. What’s there to talk about? Your mom and my dad are screwing.” She shrugged. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Except confront them! My mother is happily married to my father.” I scoffed. “How did they even meet?” I ran my hand through my hair.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Obviously they’re not happily married or your mom wouldn’t be fucking my dad.”

I was taken aback by her swearing. I’d never heard her do that, but then again, I’d really never heard her talk. “Well, you don’t know shit, Lottie.”

She ran her hand through her hair and sighed. “Sailor. If we talk about this, it probably shouldn’t be in the crowded lunch room.”

I licked my front upper teeth and popped my lips. “Fine, whatever, Lottie.”

She reached over the table and laced her fingers with mine. “I’ll see you after school.” She smiled.

I kissed her hand and nodded, handing her back her book. “I gotta go study in the library. Meet me outside after last bell?”

Charlotte nodded and blushed as I kissed her cheek.