Hooligans

Tyler’s Point Of View

Shortly thereafter Betty had left with Rikki, I let out a small sigh of what one could only refer to as relief. I polished off my breakfast and changed from my basketball shorts into a pair of skin tight jeans. I left my torn shirt, it wasn’t like I was somewhere fancy… in fact I was sure I was in a place that was quite the opposite.

Whenever I’d finished and finally come out of the room that was mine for the time being. She was lounged on the leather couch, her feet propped up on a matching leather footstool. As quickly as she set her eyes on me she lifted he remote to mute the blaring television.

Her eyes were on me and she appeared to be holding back words of some kind. Until I sat down on a leather recliner, similar to the other furniture, she stayed silent. “Your mom phoned me, Tyler,” she finally spoke up. “She told me she’s been trying to reach you since last night. Neither her nor your band mates can get a hold of you.”

“That’s because I’m not answering my phone,” I replied putting as much condescension and irritation as possible into my tone.

“It would be nice if you were to give them a call. They’re worried about you, darlin’,” she tried to plead.

“Can’t you just let them know I’m fine for God Sake?” I almost shouted at her. “I don’t want to talk to them a day after they forced me on that plane!” Halfway through my outburst I was on my feet and making my way to the front door.

I slammed the door shut behind me as I stepped out into the nearly blinding sunlight. Despite the lack of knowledge I held over Betty’s acreage, I headed off to explore.

In the daylight the property was much more clear than it was in the dim lighting from the headlights of Betty’s mud clothed truck, which I now saw was parked in the narrow dirt driveway… if you could even call it that.

I jogged down the sanded wooden stairs which led up to the porch of the same texture. Both my feet hit the hard packed dirt as I jumped off the last wooden step. A small breeze tousled the hair on my head and the brilliantly bright sun beat down on me.

On my right side I noticed a house, quite large in comparison to Betty’s. There was quite a bit of distance between Betty’s house and this house I was speculating. I’d missed it last night in the minimal light I had had. I assumed it to be the house in which Rikki lived and then moved my exploration around to the back of the house.

Behind the house, as I was sure of the night before, was a forest of trees. The leaves were still a bright green, though it was deep into autumn. Before the trees were within reach, though, there was a magnificent field. There was a worn down building littering the field and close to nothing else. The field must have been close to a mile long before it reached the tree line.

The building, I noticed, was closer to the trees than the house. My curiosity got the best of me and I made my way to the wooden building.

Carefully, as if I were stuck in a horror movie, I peeked into the building built out of splintering wood. A noise startled me. It sounded like a horse whinny. I stepped further into what I was now sure was a barn. Sure enough I was greeted by a few horses, three to be exact. One was a paint, another a buckskin, and the last I noticed was really truly a black beauty. I stared at them for a moment, puzzled. After that moment was up I slowly backed out of the barn.

I moved from the entrance of the barn to the center of the field. I plopped myself down in the thick grass. It served as somewhat of a cushion for me. I spread my limbs out, nestled in the blades of grass. The blades tickled my bare skin as they flowed in the breeze. I closed my eyes in the first feeling of contentment that had come over me since I’d arrived in Georgia.

“You’re gonna get ticks lying down there like that, ya know?” A female voice came from above me and the bright light of the sun that came through my closed lids darkened. My eyes snapped open to reveal Rikki looming over me. “What are you doing down there anyway?”

I squinted my eyes up at the girl. She was carrying what appeared to be a small bale of hay in her arms. I must have lost track of time if she was already home from school. “What does it matter to you? Why are you out here?”

“Well, if you must know,” she began, flipping her mahogany hair over her shoulder. “Betty asked me to feed the horses. Although, I don’t see why you would care,” she informed me, gesturing to the worn down barn that I’d peeked inside earlier.

“I don’t.” I pushed myself up to my feet. “I just figured I would ask to be polite,” I told her, snidely.

“Yes, because you’re oh so polite,” she scoffed, beginning again on her way to the barn.

“Just what is that supposed to mean?” I retorted, stopping her in her path.

She swiveled, a mystified expression taking over her countenance. “Do you really have no clue what I am referring to?”

“No… I don’t.” I sent her the best glare I could muster.

“You’ve been a dick to me since I’ve met me and at the same time barely said two sentences to me. No wonder your family and friends felt it necessary to send you here, but I feel bad for Betty that she has to put up with you,” she fired back.

“Listen, you bitch,” I spit, my voice menacingly low. “You don’t know the slightest fucking thing about me. You don’t know my situation either. You have no clue. So just shut your fucking mouth when it comes to me.”

The tiny girl, about half my size, narrowed her gray eyes at me. One of her small hands rested on her curvy hip while she held the hay in between her arm and her other side. She looked like she was biting back words, which I’m assuming were not nice.

Without another word to her, I turned on my heel and nearly stomped back toward Betty’s house. Once inside the house I stormed past my aunt who stared at me, stunned, but let me go without a word.