Blank Space

Chapter 5

"Hey..." I said awkwardly waving. "You stalking me now?"

His eyes looked me up and down before he showed off his pearly whites. Seriously could his teeth be more perfect? It's bad enough he has perfect hair but seriously his teeth too!

"No, if I was you would have no idea. I'm like a ninja." He said throwing his arms up into some sort of karate stance. "Cute jammies. They look good!" He said pointing to my pajama bottoms.

Good boy, if you had pointed to my top then I would have... Oh shit! No bra! Trying not to draw too much attention to my currently bare chest under my pajama shirt I crossed my arms across my chest. Despite my best effort to try not to be an awkward human being I had failed completely. "So... Did you need something?" I asked trying to make the now somewhat uncomfortable situation less uncomfortable.

He just smiled as if me being awkward was normal, which I guess it is. "Yeah I wanted to make sure you weren't going to that party. You know, the people there aren't really your crowd." He said scratching the back of his neck and leaning back on his heels. He started kinda swaying back and forth from his heels to the ball of his foot looking all of a sudden extremely uncomfortable. Minutes ago he was being his normal overly confident somewhat charming self and now he looks like he wants to crawl out of his skin.

"Yeah, I wasn't planning to go but Danae really wants me to. I haven't really decided yet if I'm going." I replied feeling all the air in the room escaping like a giant vacuum had sucked it all up.

"Okay, great! Well I guess that's it then." He said turning and opening the door. He walked out the door and straight down the walk way to his car which was parked directly in front of my house. He got in and drove away not looking back even once. What the hell was that about?

I closed the front door and turned a walked straight into the kitchen where my lovely mother was cooking her famous award winning chili. "Next time, warn me that it's a male visitor." I said taking a seat on the counter next to where she was cutting onions.

"But that would take the fun out of everything." She said with a giant grin. I love her so much. She is my best friend and the only one who truly knows everything about me. Even now when everything seems to be falling apart around us she still manages to keep me sane.

"So what did the famous Kyle Henderson want?" She asked as she added the chopped onions to her chili. She knew everyone's business in town and who was popular at the high school. She knew more about my peers then I did.

"He just basically told me not to go the party Thursday." I said shrugging my shoulders. "I didn't even want to go but Danae wants me there so I'm not sure what I'm gonna do. Plus if he's telling me not to go I don't want to not go and have him think he decided that for me. Does that make sense?"

"Well yeah I guess it makes sense but if you were already planning on not going don't change your mind because Kyle doesn't want you to go. I mean those parties aren't really your thing, there is gonna be drinking, which is fine as long as you have me pick you up. It just don't seem like something you would have fun at." She replied walking across the kitchen to get bowls. Who needs a big sister when you have the best mom in the world to give you advice.

"Anyway! How was your day?" I asked sliding off the counter top and grabbing three spoons. Three was kinda our number now.

"I haven't heard from him if that's what you're asking." She answered calmly as she pulled the gallon of milk out of the fridge and poured some into our three cups. After putting the milk up she poured the chili into our bowls and took a seat at the table.

"I guess after 20 years and two kids it was just easier to take off, right?" I said taking my seat. She looked at me with a sad smile and began eating her dinner. I was taking this harder then her on the outside at least. She doesn't talk much about it because Travis doesn't know yet and she doesn't want the whole town to find out before he does.

"TRAVIS! DINNER'S ON THE TABLE!" I scream up to my brother who was probably texting his girl friend and playing video games. He along with the rest of the town had no idea about my dad's true reason for not being home. It's hard to believe that at fifteen years old he is gonna have to learn how to be a man all by himself since the man who was supposed to teach him bailed two months ago. He bailed when we all needed him the most. Thomas was getting worse and I needed a strong shoulder to cry on but my father wasn't there. Travis had just started high school and that was enough to drive anyone mad. My mother, well she just needed her husband. She's only one person and she can't fix everything but she sure as hell tried. She has been hold down the fort for what seems like forever so when my dad finally annonced that he wasn't gonna be coming home two months ago she continued on with her life as if nothing had changed.

My brother entered the kitchen with his head down looking at his phone screen, fingers moving fast. He literally never puts that thing down, he's worse then a teenage girl. My brother was a good looking kid. He was 6'1 and had some muscle, of course he was only a freshmen so most girls didn't give him the time of day but he had Blair. In his eyes she was the best thing since ice cream and he talked to her nonstop but I have to admit if I had dated a guy half as committed to me as he is to her I would have love it. He was a good kid and he deserved to be happy.

"Chili, wow thanks mom it looks amazing." He replied taking a seat at the table. "So I talked to Dad last night and he said to tell you he would call you tonight. Apparently the company needs him to stay in Maine for a few more months but he's hoping to be back in time for Frankie's graduation." He said taking a huge bite of chili.

Wow Dad, don't come home on my account. Don't pretend that you actually care because if you did you wouldn't be living in Florida with your 24 year old girlfriend instead of being here in California with your real family. Quit calling Travis and telling him how much you miss him and how you hope you can come home from "Maine" soon. He deserves better.

"Mom, may I be excused? I'm gonna go for a run and then I have some homework to finish up." I stated grabbing my bowl and rinsing it out. I didn't even wait for her response. I ran upstairs and changed out of my pajamas and into my athletic shorts and sports bra. I laced up my Nikes and ran out my room, down the stairs and out the door. I didn't stop until my house was no longer visible. I could feel the sweat running down the back of my neck. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. And if I didn't tell someone this secret soon I was going to explode.