A River Flows in You
Don't Lie to Me
The leaves were green as ever and the school smelled of stoners of all ages. Ah, it’s good to be home. I came back because my fiancé had been cheating on me with a 16 year old who was apparently prettier. It was one hell of a breakup so I guess you could say that’s why I moved back here.
Though this place was a shithole to begin with, I didn’t really have anywhere else to go. Once you’re in here, it’s practically impossible to get out. I guess my skater buddies hadn’t moved because I could faintly hear the sounds of wheels hitting cement.
My skater boys were my best friends and were probably still causing havoc even after I left for a year. I’m sure they’d gotten worse. There was Felix, the vocal one, with his fire red Mohawk and someone who never got scared easily. He was basically the ring leader of this group of friends.
Next, there was Robby, but he slouched a lot so I always wondered if he’d had back problems as the years went on. He had sluggish brown hair and it never seemed like he took a shower. God only knows how long it’s been. I felt like I could smell him from here, almost.
Last, there was Jackson and trust me, he was always finding ways to get beer or weed. He didn’t want to admit he had a problem, but we all knew he did. His parents were never home and that caused him to get bored and go snooping for things he shouldn’t have.
As I walked back into my old high school, I saw them. How did I know? Felix’s bright red Mohawk mostly made me aware. From what I knew though, all of them wanted to drop out or at least that’s what they’d told me.
“Kali!” they chimed and Felix went straight for a bear hug, scooping me up in his arms and twirling me around. Once he put me down, Jackson and Robby were greeting me casually. I bet they were happy to see me but Jackson reeked of weed.
“You’re strung out, aren’t you, Jackson?” I gave him a glare. I hated when he got stoned. It’s not like I had anything against anyone who smoked, but it was the fact that I tried it a few times and had bad experiences with it.
“Kali,” Felix interrupted, “This is Max, my younger brother.”
Next to Felix, there was a long, dirty blond haired teenager who smiled shyly. I smiled back, but knew he was a lot bigger than me and taller than me so I tried to stay my distance. “Let’s go to the gas station!” Robby cried, racing Felix and Jackson out of the school.
The spot we all used to hang out at was the gas station. There was a beautiful green hill with lots of daisies and sun flowers leading up to it, so that was always my favorite part. We sat atop the hill, smoking cigarettes while being all huddled together.
Everyone except Max was engaged in talking about nonsense teenage things while he seemed to concentrate on smoking his cigarette. Perched on a nearby rock, he was hunched over, facing the opposite way of the boys.
I made my way over to him, “Hey,” I smiled and plopped down next to him, “I thought you would like some company.” He nodded and mumbled something inaudible for my ears. I personally don’t know how to make conversation with strangers, because I wasn’t good at it.
I didn’t know what to say, but thank God he’d probably noticed, because he continued, “Are they always this way?”
“Not normally. Is this the first time you’ve hung out with them and just not your brother?”
He nodded, seeming kind of timid, nervously looking over at them. “So why are you here anyway? Felix had told me that you moved.”
“I was engaged to someone who I’d been with since I was 15. Later, I found out that he’d been cheating with a younger girl for half our relationship. I caught them in the act a month ago but wasn’t able to leave until now.”
He apologized, saying how he felt sorry for me. I laughed nervously, “Well, it’s life. You have to live it with it.”
“And if you don’t?”
“You die trying.”
Though this place was a shithole to begin with, I didn’t really have anywhere else to go. Once you’re in here, it’s practically impossible to get out. I guess my skater buddies hadn’t moved because I could faintly hear the sounds of wheels hitting cement.
My skater boys were my best friends and were probably still causing havoc even after I left for a year. I’m sure they’d gotten worse. There was Felix, the vocal one, with his fire red Mohawk and someone who never got scared easily. He was basically the ring leader of this group of friends.
Next, there was Robby, but he slouched a lot so I always wondered if he’d had back problems as the years went on. He had sluggish brown hair and it never seemed like he took a shower. God only knows how long it’s been. I felt like I could smell him from here, almost.
Last, there was Jackson and trust me, he was always finding ways to get beer or weed. He didn’t want to admit he had a problem, but we all knew he did. His parents were never home and that caused him to get bored and go snooping for things he shouldn’t have.
As I walked back into my old high school, I saw them. How did I know? Felix’s bright red Mohawk mostly made me aware. From what I knew though, all of them wanted to drop out or at least that’s what they’d told me.
“Kali!” they chimed and Felix went straight for a bear hug, scooping me up in his arms and twirling me around. Once he put me down, Jackson and Robby were greeting me casually. I bet they were happy to see me but Jackson reeked of weed.
“You’re strung out, aren’t you, Jackson?” I gave him a glare. I hated when he got stoned. It’s not like I had anything against anyone who smoked, but it was the fact that I tried it a few times and had bad experiences with it.
“Kali,” Felix interrupted, “This is Max, my younger brother.”
Next to Felix, there was a long, dirty blond haired teenager who smiled shyly. I smiled back, but knew he was a lot bigger than me and taller than me so I tried to stay my distance. “Let’s go to the gas station!” Robby cried, racing Felix and Jackson out of the school.
The spot we all used to hang out at was the gas station. There was a beautiful green hill with lots of daisies and sun flowers leading up to it, so that was always my favorite part. We sat atop the hill, smoking cigarettes while being all huddled together.
Everyone except Max was engaged in talking about nonsense teenage things while he seemed to concentrate on smoking his cigarette. Perched on a nearby rock, he was hunched over, facing the opposite way of the boys.
I made my way over to him, “Hey,” I smiled and plopped down next to him, “I thought you would like some company.” He nodded and mumbled something inaudible for my ears. I personally don’t know how to make conversation with strangers, because I wasn’t good at it.
I didn’t know what to say, but thank God he’d probably noticed, because he continued, “Are they always this way?”
“Not normally. Is this the first time you’ve hung out with them and just not your brother?”
He nodded, seeming kind of timid, nervously looking over at them. “So why are you here anyway? Felix had told me that you moved.”
“I was engaged to someone who I’d been with since I was 15. Later, I found out that he’d been cheating with a younger girl for half our relationship. I caught them in the act a month ago but wasn’t able to leave until now.”
He apologized, saying how he felt sorry for me. I laughed nervously, “Well, it’s life. You have to live it with it.”
“And if you don’t?”
“You die trying.”