Status: moved here from quizilla.
Bella
twenty-eight: acel
Louisa was like a ghost town. There wasn’t much there and there wasn’t much to see. It was well into the night and it was quiet enough to hear the coyotes howling miles away. I had my hand on the wheel tightly, driving around the outskirts of Louisa to get to my desired destination—Rocky’s Shop. It was the only gas station near me that sold decent smokes.
Rocky’s Shop wasn’t hard to notice. It was the only place in the middle of nowhere that kept the inside of the store lit twenty-four seven. “Aren’t you a little young to be buying cigarettes, son?” The clerk was a gray old lady, her skin almost identical to the wrinkle distressed on my work shirt. I retrieved my ID from my back pocket and slapped it onto the counter. “The younger you start, the faster it destroys your lungs—”
“Oh, I know who you are.” The voice was familiar, but I told myself that they most certainly couldn’t be talking to me. “You’re the guy that I met a few months ago. Ah, I remember now. Acel Sykes.” Sliding my ID back into my pocket hesitantly, I turned around, furrowing my brow.
A sad smile danced upon my lips. “You’re Bella’s brother aren’t you? God, how is she?”
“A walking travesty…you brought out the good in her, you know? I could really see a change in her. Not anymore, though.” A cough brought my attention back to the meddlesome cashier. I shrugged my shoulders noncommittally and turned back around to pay the cashier the little bit of money I owed her. She quickly gave me my change, the cigarettes, and waved to me dismissively.
Just the mention of her and the idea that she could be worse than she was when I left her flustered my mind. “I miss her,” I admitted. “I miss the way her hair smells like lemons, the way she ran her hands through mind, the way that she’d laugh when we’d do something utterly pitiful…has she moved on?” I was hopeful that she had, but my heart was breaking on the inside.
Ranger picked up a few bars of chocolate and set them on the counter. “I guess you could say that.” After buying his few items, Ranger walked up to me, holding the plastic gas station bag in his right hand. “You’re a cool guy. I’d love to see you and my sister together again.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets, switching my focus to the dirty tile floor. “The chances of that are unlikely. Your sister and I were never the perfect couple, but I loved her nonetheless. And if she moved on, I wouldn’t want to ruin what she has with someone else.” I felt Ranger grab ahold of my forearm and guide me outside. “I couldn’t see us ever being the way we were—”
Her brother grimaced, his dirty blonde hair tousled. “You haven’t talked to Bella lately, have you?” He didn’t wait for me to answer. “Would you happen to know that Bella is pregnant? She’s not as far along as Julie, of course, but three months is enough, don’t you think? And if my assumptions are correct, I’d assume that you were the father.”
“Is this some kind of sick joke?” I opened the box of smokes and retrieved one, placing it between my lips. Keeping it place with my teeth, I lit it with my lighter.
Ranger furrowed his brow. “Why would I lie about Bella being pregnant? If you don’t believe me, which I have a feeling you don’t, go see for yourself. They still live in the same place, right across the street from your sister.”
I danced with a girl named Lucy Dillons, a blonde I met during my sophomore year of high school, to get my mind off of Bella later that night. Was she really pregnant like Ranger said? I shook my head and held tighter onto Lucy’s hips, allowing her to grind onto me. I could’ve gone home instead of coming here to Sonny’s party, but I convinced myself that it was okay to have fun once in a while.
Lucy turned around in my arms, looping her arms around my neck. “I’m amazed how much you’ve changed since the last time I saw you. In tenth grade, you were such a geek.” The blonde giggled, placing her lips to the hollow of my neck. “Still clinging on to your virginity?”
“You ask such bold questions, Dillons. Now tell me, why would that be any of your concern?” I grabbed my red, solo cup from the table next to us and drank from it. The cup contained alcohol and it nipped at the back of my throat as I swallowed it. She allowed her hands to trail from my neck down to my waistband.
Smiling up at me she said, “Perhaps I wanted to do…something bold. You’re an attractive guy. You can’t blame a girl for wanting more of you.” I frowned and chewed on my bottom lip, setting the cup back down. I kept my arm around her waist, mulling over my choices.
I sighed. “In order to do something ‘bold,’ it has to be wanted by both people, right? I don’t want to do anything bold with you—ever.” A look of hurt crossed her hazel eyes. “Look, Lucy, I have nothing against you. You’re a lovely girl, beautiful and all, but you’re not who I want.”
She smiled softly, her eyebrows contracting inward. “It’s okay. I understand. You’ve got a girlfriend?” She asked, sincerely. She placed her hands on my waist and set her head on my chest.
“I wish I did. Oh, how I wish.”
Rocky’s Shop wasn’t hard to notice. It was the only place in the middle of nowhere that kept the inside of the store lit twenty-four seven. “Aren’t you a little young to be buying cigarettes, son?” The clerk was a gray old lady, her skin almost identical to the wrinkle distressed on my work shirt. I retrieved my ID from my back pocket and slapped it onto the counter. “The younger you start, the faster it destroys your lungs—”
“Oh, I know who you are.” The voice was familiar, but I told myself that they most certainly couldn’t be talking to me. “You’re the guy that I met a few months ago. Ah, I remember now. Acel Sykes.” Sliding my ID back into my pocket hesitantly, I turned around, furrowing my brow.
A sad smile danced upon my lips. “You’re Bella’s brother aren’t you? God, how is she?”
“A walking travesty…you brought out the good in her, you know? I could really see a change in her. Not anymore, though.” A cough brought my attention back to the meddlesome cashier. I shrugged my shoulders noncommittally and turned back around to pay the cashier the little bit of money I owed her. She quickly gave me my change, the cigarettes, and waved to me dismissively.
Just the mention of her and the idea that she could be worse than she was when I left her flustered my mind. “I miss her,” I admitted. “I miss the way her hair smells like lemons, the way she ran her hands through mind, the way that she’d laugh when we’d do something utterly pitiful…has she moved on?” I was hopeful that she had, but my heart was breaking on the inside.
Ranger picked up a few bars of chocolate and set them on the counter. “I guess you could say that.” After buying his few items, Ranger walked up to me, holding the plastic gas station bag in his right hand. “You’re a cool guy. I’d love to see you and my sister together again.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets, switching my focus to the dirty tile floor. “The chances of that are unlikely. Your sister and I were never the perfect couple, but I loved her nonetheless. And if she moved on, I wouldn’t want to ruin what she has with someone else.” I felt Ranger grab ahold of my forearm and guide me outside. “I couldn’t see us ever being the way we were—”
Her brother grimaced, his dirty blonde hair tousled. “You haven’t talked to Bella lately, have you?” He didn’t wait for me to answer. “Would you happen to know that Bella is pregnant? She’s not as far along as Julie, of course, but three months is enough, don’t you think? And if my assumptions are correct, I’d assume that you were the father.”
“Is this some kind of sick joke?” I opened the box of smokes and retrieved one, placing it between my lips. Keeping it place with my teeth, I lit it with my lighter.
Ranger furrowed his brow. “Why would I lie about Bella being pregnant? If you don’t believe me, which I have a feeling you don’t, go see for yourself. They still live in the same place, right across the street from your sister.”
†
I danced with a girl named Lucy Dillons, a blonde I met during my sophomore year of high school, to get my mind off of Bella later that night. Was she really pregnant like Ranger said? I shook my head and held tighter onto Lucy’s hips, allowing her to grind onto me. I could’ve gone home instead of coming here to Sonny’s party, but I convinced myself that it was okay to have fun once in a while.
Lucy turned around in my arms, looping her arms around my neck. “I’m amazed how much you’ve changed since the last time I saw you. In tenth grade, you were such a geek.” The blonde giggled, placing her lips to the hollow of my neck. “Still clinging on to your virginity?”
“You ask such bold questions, Dillons. Now tell me, why would that be any of your concern?” I grabbed my red, solo cup from the table next to us and drank from it. The cup contained alcohol and it nipped at the back of my throat as I swallowed it. She allowed her hands to trail from my neck down to my waistband.
Smiling up at me she said, “Perhaps I wanted to do…something bold. You’re an attractive guy. You can’t blame a girl for wanting more of you.” I frowned and chewed on my bottom lip, setting the cup back down. I kept my arm around her waist, mulling over my choices.
I sighed. “In order to do something ‘bold,’ it has to be wanted by both people, right? I don’t want to do anything bold with you—ever.” A look of hurt crossed her hazel eyes. “Look, Lucy, I have nothing against you. You’re a lovely girl, beautiful and all, but you’re not who I want.”
She smiled softly, her eyebrows contracting inward. “It’s okay. I understand. You’ve got a girlfriend?” She asked, sincerely. She placed her hands on my waist and set her head on my chest.
“I wish I did. Oh, how I wish.”