The Beast Across The Lake

Chapter 14

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                                        Isabella

I drove home after work that night with a heart heavier than a bag of bricks. I kept thinking of how my mother must have felt to witness my father as I had just seen him. My mother was wild and creative and just a little bit insane sometimes but something that had never waivered or been doubted was her love and devotion for my father. I decided to pick up dinner from her favorite sushi place downtown Eastound which consisted of a long road with coffee shops, some dive bars and three or four restaurants. Mom was cuddled up in a blanket when I walked in. The television was on and she was flicking through channels," did we pay the cable bill this month? It's not working."

"No, we don't need cable, we never even watch TV."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she mumbled with disappointment.

"I paid the netflix one though, it's logged in."

She smiled in relief. I took off my jacket and boots and approached her with the bag of sushi.

"Did you have dinner yet?"

"No, what's what?"

I unwrapped the food and filled the coffee table with boxes and watched with pure joy as mom's eyes lightened with happiness," how did you know I was craving this? I haven't had sushi in ages."

For the rest of the night, we stayed up and ate, laughed at crappy reality TV shows and downed a half a dozen beers until mom eventually drifted asleep in my arms. I kissed the top of her frizzy hair and shortly after, I also dozed off.

The next few weeks were consistent in the sense that I was constantly on edge, working four days a week now, overworked and  trying to keep up with the homework. It didn't help that Caleb had been absent since our little incident in the science room. Five or six days ago I had finally caved and texted him again. Of course, he bid me no reply. I kept wondering if he had disappeared because of what happened between us, or maybe his wound really was infected and he was lying dead somewhere in Lost Reserve Woods.
Holden and I were walking on eggshells with each other. I hadn't told him about Caleb and there was a slither of hope that he would never come back just so life between Holden and I could return to normal. It seemed that both of us wanted it to work, he took me on a couple dates where we hardly exchanged words.
Missing every single one of Holden's football practices didn't help either like Kyla kept reminding me. Holden had been irate already that the coach had recruited Caleb for the team, but he'd missed every practise and was on his way to getting kicked out. The game was just a week away now.
After school, Holden had carried me outside into the empty parking lot and flung open the drivers door from my jeep then sat me inside facing him. He stood between my knees as I giggled uncontrollably and kissed my neck ensuing tingles and goose bumps and pure delight.

"Stop it, it tickles!" I wrapped my arms around his neck in an attempt to push him away but Holden wouldn't budge. He kissed down my collarbone and my mind was chaotic as I laughed harder, sinking backwards onto the passenger seat. He laid on top of me now, eyes on mine and we were forehead to forehead.