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This is a story I just recently wrote for my fiction writing class and, well here it is. Sorry for the crappy title though, this was hell trying to name. lol enjoy and let me know what you think. smile



“Pretty messed up.” That was my reply to him when he asked me how life was. He rolled his eyes at me. “Stop being dramatic Becca” he said as he grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me off the couch. I flinched slightly and pulled my arm away, rubbing at where his hand had grabbed me.
“You know, you’re really such a jerk.” I said folding my arms over my chest. “I need better friends.” He just looked at me before he turned away and walked into my kitchen. I could hear the fridge door open and the power kick in on the old thing. I sat back down on the couch and pulled a giant blanket over me up to my waist. I wished my dad would turn the heat back on, the cold got to me too easily. I shivered and saw Spencer walk back into the living room out of the corner of my eyes.
“So, I tried to make hot chocolate” he began as he sat down a mug on the coaster next to me then one on the other end table before he flopped down next to me, “but, your stove still isn’t working right. So enjoy your chocolate milk.” It was my turn to roll my eyes as I grabbed the milk off the coaster and took a sip from the mug. It was too chocolaty for my tastes, but it didn’t really matter anymore. I was getting used to his chocolate milk.
“I have told you five hundred times how to get it to work again…” I started, expecting him to finish the line with me. “Hit the stove top, hip check the oven door, then turn on the right setting. Works every time.” We said, totally in sync. He sipped his chocolate milk and smiled at me.
“You act as though I don’t basically live here. It didn’t work this time.” He grabbed the remote from me and turned on the news. I don’t know what his obsession was with staying “current”, but I never got to watch what I wanted when Spencer was around. He put his feet up on the coffee table and watched intently. I knew better than to talk to him then, he always got so serious when it came down to his news. I leaned against the arm of the couch and stretched my legs out to him as I yawned. He must have heard me or something because he looked over and smiled at me. “Tired?” I shook my head no sarcastically and snuggled up with the blanket covering me. “Well in that case, we’re going to the mall. Get up.” He said as he stood up and pulled on his zip-up hoodie.
That’s it, I thought, he’s finally lost it. I'm done. I cuddled under my blanket more and raised my eye brows at him. “No…” I said before he walked over to me and pulled the blanket off. “HEY!” I tried pulling the blanket back over me but he pulled stronger, uncovering me completely. “Such a jerk…” I stood up as he folded the blanket and put it on the back of the couch. “Alright, well where are we going then?”
“The mall”
“I don’t want to go to the mall though…” I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed.
“Too bad, stop whining and put on your coat. It’s cold outside.”
I pouted at him, I really hate the cold. If I had it my way, I’d have been living in sunny California years ago. Pennsylvania was not fun for me in the harsh winters. I didn’t ever want to leave the house to get the mail, let alone go to the mall but for Spencer; I’d endure it for a little. He looked down at me and begged with those bright green eyes. “Come on Becca, have a heart for poor old Spence?”
“Get in the car…” I said slowly, pretending like it was such a hassle and inconvenience to make me get out of the house. He smiled and walked toward the door happily, missing his keys that were sitting on the end table next to me. “Ready to go?” I asked hoping he wouldn’t realize his mistake. He nodded happily. “You sure?” He tilted his head at me in confusion. I picked up his keys and tossed them at him. He chuckled quietly and walked out the door.
“Whatever! Come on.” He got into the driver’s seat of the car and I slid in next to him. We made it to the mall in pretty record time; he was only going a little too fast the whole time. Totally reckless I thought with a smile before we pulled into the spot. He got out and got the door for me.
“Thanks.” I smiled at him. He nodded as I got out. We walked in together, talking about the normal stuff. The first store we passed was Zales, the really nice jewelry place. There was one of those little white boards that little kids play with to the side of the door. He looked down at it before I did then tried to hurry me along with his hand on the small of my back. “Hey, hey! What’s the rush Spence?” I asked, getting ticked off that he was pushing me.
“Nothing, just…um…I thought I saw that girl Chrissie from Sanchez’s class. You’re friends with her right?”
“You know I can’t stand her…what is going on?” I questioned giggling. He looked down at the sign slowly and I knew something was up. I looked to see it and saw in big, bold letters “Mother’s Day is May eighth this year! Don’t wait, get her what she really wants!” I looked down and sighed. “It’s close isn’t it?” He nodded and put his arm around me, walking me to the food court.
“It’ll be alright. Just sit right here,” He pulled out a seat and sat me down “I’ll get you a soda and some fries and it’ll be okay.” I nodded and sat in the seat in silence. Alright, it sounds like I’m kinda crazy, or maybe just slightly bi polar, but my mom and I have had a tough relationship until the day she got mad at me and left. That was the night she was killed. It’s never a good idea to drive when you’re angry, and she was pissed that night. I guess she wasn’t focused on the road enough when she swerved into oncoming traffic. We may not have been all that close, but she was still my mom, and it was all still my fault. I saw Spencer walk back over with his hands full of fries and a soda for both of us. “Still breathing?”
“No.”
“Hm, well that kinda sucks.” He shoved a straw into what I assumed was my Diet Coke/Sprite concoction and pushed it toward me.
“I know.” I leaned down and started to drink from it. “Thanks for the food though…” I said quietly and took a fry. He laughed like it was the funniest thing. “What’s so funny?”
He handed me a napkin. “You got some ketchup…like all over your mouth weirdo.” I rolled my eyes and wiped the corners of my mouth.
“I’m not sure whether to thank you or be mad for calling me that.”
“Yeah, well you’re welcome anyway.” He smiled and went at the fries. Boys and their food, right? “Sorry about that back there, I tried to not let you see…”
“It’s not your fault. Mother’s Day would have come on my radar soon enough anyway…”
“But I made you come here, so it IS my fault. And you can take it out on me later.” He smiled weakly at me.
I tried ignoring him and looked toward the enterance of the mall with all the people walking around. There was a woman with two little girls in a stroller, they looked like twins. She was so lucky. She looked so happy with her family. Her husband joined her with a smile painted giddily on his face and bent down to the two girls. They smiled and stretched out their little chubby arms at him. The man pulled out two teddy bears from behind his back and gave them to the girls. I could hear them scream in their overly adorable little squeals.
I was snapped out of my trance when there was a familiar hand waving in my face. “Huh?”
“You…like lost it.” He took the last fry and shoved it in his mouth. I apologized quietly but he said not to worry about it, as long as I could “manage to stay with him for now”. I nodded and he looked at me with a defeated frown. “Yeah, this isn’t working is it?”
“What isn’t working?” I asked hesitantly.
“This idea. Come on, I got it!” I raised my eyebrow at him.
“What the hell are you going on about now?”
“Don’t worry about it, I have this under control.” He smirked and I widened my eyes. More plotting from him. Surprises were never my strong suit anyway. “Just trust me, alright? Can you do that?” What could happen right? Isn’t that what he said last time?
“Isn’t that what you said last time?”
“Yeah, but I mean it this time!” I shrugged and he pulled me up and dragged me back out to the car. I moaned as the cold air hit me again. “Stop being a baby.” I glared at him and got in the open car door. At least he was still acting like a gentleman, whether he was talking like one or not.
“Close your eyes” He demanded. I did it, but not just because he said so. I was getting kinda drained. “Good girl.” I responded that I wasn’t his dog the last time I checked. He said that I should check again. He moved out of the parking lot eventually and he drove away from the mall. I kept my eyes closed until I felt the car stop.
“Good morning there sunshine. You fell asleep.” He said.
“What? No I did not.”
“You were snoring.” So, I guess I did fall asleep. At least I felt less tired. He put the car in park and commanded me to shut my eyes again. I did, what’s the point in not listening to him now? I thought, questioning myself. He got out of the car and walked over to my side to help me out. He held my hand as we walked and I could feel grass under my feet and the smell of followers coming from near him.
“So, where are we going?” I asked blindly. He said that I would see soon enough, and to just trust him. Adding in a “For God’s sake”. I did trust him though, that was the scariest part of it all. I felt him put his hands on my shoulders and the floral smell got stronger.
“Sit…gently” He said and I sat down and felt a cold bench under my jeans. I felt the wind cooling my face and I suddenly realized where I was and opened my eyes. He took me to my mom’s grave. “I figured your dad wouldn’t get a chance to take you, so I wanted to bring you.” He looked down, probably fearing that I would be upset or mad at him. I wasn’t. He placed the flowers that he must have bought at some point when I was asleep down on her grave slowly then he walked over and sat with me.
“…Thank you.” I leaned against him and looked ahead, retracing the image of the stone in my mind. I whispered “happy mother’s day mom…I'm sorry…”. He put his arm around me and we sat like that for hours. I tried my best not to cry, but sometimes I just couldn’t help it. We got up to leave when it was dark out. The sun must have set without me noticing. He looked down at me and waited for a reaction. “I…thanks. I needed that.” We walked off to the car and spent that whole night talking about how it was when she was around and how different everything was now. The last thing I remember before falling asleep that night was the look on his face when he said that I was welcome.