The Amity Pact

The Wild One

I was always one to get easily bored. Nothing could sustain my attention for long. The only way I got through living in such a boring town was with the help of Delilah and Addilyn. I reclined in the rocking chair on my front porch and thought about my two best friends. California. New York City. They were both in such magical, energetic places now. I was stuck here, dreaming about their new lives. I could only hope that they would both still think of me.

I heard a car door slam and opened my eyes to see my mother stumbling out of the passenger side of the truck belonging to none other than Mr. Livingston, the owner of our local bar Redmond's. Mom snatched her purse from the floorboard, and Mr. Livingston gave me an apologetic nod before driving away.

"Are you skipping school again? I ought to smack the shit outta you," she slurred as she came up the steps. There was no need to ask anymore. She was always drunk these days.

"I graduated," I sighed as she walked through the door, ignoring me. The door slammed shut, and I thought of the million other times I had heard that sound. She was probably already face-down on the couch by now, snoring with one leg hanging off the side. To be honest, I liked it this way better. It was better than her screaming at me all the time.

"Hey Red! Think she's ready for me in there?" I cringed at the stupid, dense nickname and rolled my head to see Tommy Jennings smiling at me through his open kitchen window. He was two years older than Delilah, Addilyn, and I. He had always been an incomprehensible jerk, and growing up I had always been attracted to that. Once he decided to move out of his parent's house and next door to my mom and I, however, I realized how absolutely agonizing he was.

"You know what the worst part about living in a small town is? They build the houses entirely way too close to each other," I retorted, squinting at him through the sunlight.

"You know what's better than seeing you naked? Seeing you and your mom naked." He leaned even further out the window, laughing. I made a gagging noise. Tommy and I had apparently hooked up when I was a Sophomore and he was a Senior, but it was an alcohol-induced night that I didn't remember very much of. He had always sworn that we didn't have sex, but he would never tell me what happened.

"Fuck off," I mumbled as I stood up from the chair and grabbed Pride & Prejudice off the table. Tommy always knew how to ruin a peaceful moment. "And if you ever see my mom naked, and I find out about it, I will come to your house and literally rip your eyeballs out with my bare hands," I added as I went into the house.



Work was hell, as usual. It was nine o'clock and I was ready for Sonny's to close already. Sonny's was one of a whopping three restaurants in Brinnon, and I had been a waitress there for two years now. Mom sold Mary Kay products as her "full-time" job. With school being over, I could pick up more shifts at Sonny's and make more money to help pay for the house.

I finally got a break and practically ran out the back door of the restaurant. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and took in the cool night breeze. I was tired. I was tired of running around the restaurant for five hours. I was tired of flirting with old men to get better tips. I was tired of being the guardian of my mother, instead of it being the other way around. And I missed my best friends already. They kept me grounded. They kept me sane. What will happen to me without them by my side, holding me firmly to the ground? I contemplated my unfortunate fate until one of the other waitresses, Abby, came to tell me my break ended ten minutes ago. I stood up and mindlessly did my job until closing time. After we closed the restaurant down, I plucked a bottle of Jack Daniels from under the bar and stuck it in my purse. Here's to the start of the rest of my miserable life alone.