Status: NaNoWriMo Novel
The Outlier
Chapter Two
Present Day
When she was born, not many people expected this petite, red-head to be as influential as she ended up being. Her mother, Marsha, always knew that she would do something wonderful, but she never expected anything to this magnitude.
“Anita, you want to join the army?”
The sixteen year old nodded her head, and looked directly at her feet. She had no idea how her parents were going to react. In their minds, she was still their freckle-faced baby.
“Is for the college money?” her father asked. “Because you know that we can afford to give you a hand with that kind of thing.”
“And you still have two years before you even need to worry about that.”
“That’s not true,” Anita piped up, her wavy hair flying in all directions. “My guidance counselor said he was concerned that I haven’t picked a college or a major yet.”
“But Anita, sweetheart, there are so many other things you can do besides the military.”
“Mom, this is something I want to do. I want to serve my country in any way I can. Plus, it’ll give me time to figure out what I really wanna do with my life.”
Her father cleared his throat and leaned forward in his chair. “Have you spoken with a recruiter yet?”
“Caden, you’re not serious.”
“Look, Marsha, we need to be supportive of her decisions, even if they’re not the decisions we would make.”
Marsha sighed and rolled her eyes, moving in her chair so her back was to her husband.
“But, yeah, I have talked to a recruiter. I can’t sign on until I’m 18, obviously, but she and I have been looking at some career choices and stuff.”
“What about health issues? You know that there’s some wacky stuff coming from your mom’s side of the family,” he added with a slight smirk.
“Oh, really funny, Caden.”
“I’m being serious, Marsh. You’ve got some problems on your side. Like your dad. What did he have again?”
“A complex form of schizophrenia.”
“Is that going to affect your plans to join?”
Anita shrugged. “I’m not sure. I mean, she asked if I had any problems, like if I had asthma or anything. Which I don’t. So, it looks good so far.”
Marsha nodded, tearing starting to well up in her eyes. “I’m just so worried about you, Anita. I don’t know what it’s going to be like for you to be a woman in the army.”
“Well, that was one of the things Jen and I-”
“Jen?”
“Yeah, mom, Jen. My recruiter. Anyway, she said that it was going to be tough for me, but if it’s something I really wanna do, I should be able to ignore the naysayers.”
“‘Naysayers?’ Your words, or her’s?” Caden asked, chuckled to himself.
“Mine.” Anita replied smugly. “I’m trying to branch out my vocabulary a little bit.”
Caden sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and then stood. “Well, sweetpea, if that’s what you want to do, your mom and I will support you in any way we can.”
Marsha nodded and stood, gently grabbing her husband’s hand. “You just let us know if you need anything or if you change your mind, okay?”
Anita nodded. “Okay. You guys will be the first to know.”
“Alright. Is there anything else you wanted to tell us?”
She chuckled and shook her head. “No, dad. That was it.”
“Alright, awesome. I’m gonna go start dinner. You go do...whatever it is teenagers do.”
“Sitting up in my room like a loner and listening to depressing music while thinking about how my family and friends have wronged me? I’d rather not.”
“Is that really teens are doing?”
Anita nodded. “Yeah, you wouldn’t believe how much Inga complains about her mom and stepdad. It’s crazy. And Russ doesn’t help at all. He just teases her about how she sounds like she just stepped out of a pop-punk song.”
“Well, she’s got some stuff going on at home,” Marsha interjected defensively. “Don’t tell Inga, but they’re planning on getting a divorce. There’ve been some money problems and Sam refuses to get help.”
“Mom, why are you telling me this?”
She shrugged. “Just so you know that Inga has every right to complain. The family is slowly being torn apart.”
Caden put his hands in the air, almost as if to distance himself as far away from the conversation as possible. “Why don’t we stop talking about this, and I go start dinner.”
“Agreed,” Anita added, making her way out of the living room. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be up in my room, brooding.”
“And by ‘brooding,’ I’m assuming you mean homework?”
“It’s basically the same thing, dad,” she replied sarcastically as she made her way towards her bedroom. “Get real.”
She opened her door and slipped in, closing the door behind her.
Anita’s room was fairly well kept. Three of her walls were a calming shade of light green, while the fourth consisted of only posters and artwork. Her bed was lofted, with her black desk and rolling chair underneath. Her windows were open, allowing her lacy curtains to waft in the warm, mid-July breeze.
She moved slowly to her chair under her bed and plopped down, immediately putting her head in her hands and rubbing her temples.
“Damn headaches,” she mumbled to herself. “What the hell is going on with me?”
She sighed and reached into her purple backpack at the foot of her desk, pulling out a textbook and a notebook. She placed both on her desk and opened the drawer in the middle and fished out a pen.
She cracked open the book and the notebook, and started taking notes from the reading.
”Jesus…”
Anita grabbed her head again, dropping her pen and kicking her desk as she did so.
”...can’t do…”
Anita looked around her room. It sounded like someone was whispering to her. But her room was empty except for her.
“What the hell?” she mumbled to herself.
”...so petty.”
Anita’s head whipped around, looking for the source of the whispering. Still, she was by herself.
”...you tonight, sexy…”
Anita jumped out of her chair, narrowly missing hitting her head on the bed above. She ran out of the room and came bursting into the kitchen. Her mom was at the stove, monitoring a pot of boiling potatoes and her dad was admiring her mom.
“Are you guys trying to play some kind of trick on me?” Anita asked, still trying to catch her breath.
Caden gave her a confused look. “What do you mean, sweetie?”
”...she okay?”
Anita quickly looked at her mom. “Are you doing something?”
Marsha shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, honey?”
”...baby?”
A sudden pain shot through Anita’s head, causing her to once again grab her head in pain. She sunk to her knees and tried not to shout out.
“Anita?!” Caden exclaimed, running over to his daughter. He knelt down beside her and put a hand on her back. “Sweetpea, are you okay?”
“My head!” she shouted, tears pouring down her face. “It hurts!”
When she was born, not many people expected this petite, red-head to be as influential as she ended up being. Her mother, Marsha, always knew that she would do something wonderful, but she never expected anything to this magnitude.
“Anita, you want to join the army?”
The sixteen year old nodded her head, and looked directly at her feet. She had no idea how her parents were going to react. In their minds, she was still their freckle-faced baby.
“Is for the college money?” her father asked. “Because you know that we can afford to give you a hand with that kind of thing.”
“And you still have two years before you even need to worry about that.”
“That’s not true,” Anita piped up, her wavy hair flying in all directions. “My guidance counselor said he was concerned that I haven’t picked a college or a major yet.”
“But Anita, sweetheart, there are so many other things you can do besides the military.”
“Mom, this is something I want to do. I want to serve my country in any way I can. Plus, it’ll give me time to figure out what I really wanna do with my life.”
Her father cleared his throat and leaned forward in his chair. “Have you spoken with a recruiter yet?”
“Caden, you’re not serious.”
“Look, Marsha, we need to be supportive of her decisions, even if they’re not the decisions we would make.”
Marsha sighed and rolled her eyes, moving in her chair so her back was to her husband.
“But, yeah, I have talked to a recruiter. I can’t sign on until I’m 18, obviously, but she and I have been looking at some career choices and stuff.”
“What about health issues? You know that there’s some wacky stuff coming from your mom’s side of the family,” he added with a slight smirk.
“Oh, really funny, Caden.”
“I’m being serious, Marsh. You’ve got some problems on your side. Like your dad. What did he have again?”
“A complex form of schizophrenia.”
“Is that going to affect your plans to join?”
Anita shrugged. “I’m not sure. I mean, she asked if I had any problems, like if I had asthma or anything. Which I don’t. So, it looks good so far.”
Marsha nodded, tearing starting to well up in her eyes. “I’m just so worried about you, Anita. I don’t know what it’s going to be like for you to be a woman in the army.”
“Well, that was one of the things Jen and I-”
“Jen?”
“Yeah, mom, Jen. My recruiter. Anyway, she said that it was going to be tough for me, but if it’s something I really wanna do, I should be able to ignore the naysayers.”
“‘Naysayers?’ Your words, or her’s?” Caden asked, chuckled to himself.
“Mine.” Anita replied smugly. “I’m trying to branch out my vocabulary a little bit.”
Caden sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and then stood. “Well, sweetpea, if that’s what you want to do, your mom and I will support you in any way we can.”
Marsha nodded and stood, gently grabbing her husband’s hand. “You just let us know if you need anything or if you change your mind, okay?”
Anita nodded. “Okay. You guys will be the first to know.”
“Alright. Is there anything else you wanted to tell us?”
She chuckled and shook her head. “No, dad. That was it.”
“Alright, awesome. I’m gonna go start dinner. You go do...whatever it is teenagers do.”
“Sitting up in my room like a loner and listening to depressing music while thinking about how my family and friends have wronged me? I’d rather not.”
“Is that really teens are doing?”
Anita nodded. “Yeah, you wouldn’t believe how much Inga complains about her mom and stepdad. It’s crazy. And Russ doesn’t help at all. He just teases her about how she sounds like she just stepped out of a pop-punk song.”
“Well, she’s got some stuff going on at home,” Marsha interjected defensively. “Don’t tell Inga, but they’re planning on getting a divorce. There’ve been some money problems and Sam refuses to get help.”
“Mom, why are you telling me this?”
She shrugged. “Just so you know that Inga has every right to complain. The family is slowly being torn apart.”
Caden put his hands in the air, almost as if to distance himself as far away from the conversation as possible. “Why don’t we stop talking about this, and I go start dinner.”
“Agreed,” Anita added, making her way out of the living room. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be up in my room, brooding.”
“And by ‘brooding,’ I’m assuming you mean homework?”
“It’s basically the same thing, dad,” she replied sarcastically as she made her way towards her bedroom. “Get real.”
She opened her door and slipped in, closing the door behind her.
Anita’s room was fairly well kept. Three of her walls were a calming shade of light green, while the fourth consisted of only posters and artwork. Her bed was lofted, with her black desk and rolling chair underneath. Her windows were open, allowing her lacy curtains to waft in the warm, mid-July breeze.
She moved slowly to her chair under her bed and plopped down, immediately putting her head in her hands and rubbing her temples.
“Damn headaches,” she mumbled to herself. “What the hell is going on with me?”
She sighed and reached into her purple backpack at the foot of her desk, pulling out a textbook and a notebook. She placed both on her desk and opened the drawer in the middle and fished out a pen.
She cracked open the book and the notebook, and started taking notes from the reading.
”Jesus…”
Anita grabbed her head again, dropping her pen and kicking her desk as she did so.
”...can’t do…”
Anita looked around her room. It sounded like someone was whispering to her. But her room was empty except for her.
“What the hell?” she mumbled to herself.
”...so petty.”
Anita’s head whipped around, looking for the source of the whispering. Still, she was by herself.
”...you tonight, sexy…”
Anita jumped out of her chair, narrowly missing hitting her head on the bed above. She ran out of the room and came bursting into the kitchen. Her mom was at the stove, monitoring a pot of boiling potatoes and her dad was admiring her mom.
“Are you guys trying to play some kind of trick on me?” Anita asked, still trying to catch her breath.
Caden gave her a confused look. “What do you mean, sweetie?”
”...she okay?”
Anita quickly looked at her mom. “Are you doing something?”
Marsha shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, honey?”
”...baby?”
A sudden pain shot through Anita’s head, causing her to once again grab her head in pain. She sunk to her knees and tried not to shout out.
“Anita?!” Caden exclaimed, running over to his daughter. He knelt down beside her and put a hand on her back. “Sweetpea, are you okay?”
“My head!” she shouted, tears pouring down her face. “It hurts!”