Lost in July

XXXVIII

Collin
~
Grandma is going to kill me.

She sent me to the grocery store with twenty dollars to grab some necessities. It's only a five minute walk to the store, so I put the twenty in my back pocket and made my way.

Now I'm walking home with no groceries and no money.

I'm only thirteen and she's going to kill me. This is my last day on earth. It's been nice, kind of. Bye world.

I drag the last two minutes of my walk out as long as I can, stopping to admire the neighbors grass before dragging myself inside.

The house is silent, which means Grandma isn't watching TV in the living room. She's not in the kitchen because I am, and she's not in the bathroom because the door is open. She must be in her bedroom.

I'm not gonna go up there. Instead, I grab the landline and dial my mom's number.

"Hello?" She answers.

"Mom. Can you pick me up?" I whisper.

"What? Why? Collin, I'm at work," she scolds, sounding bored.

"Grandma's going to kill me."

"Collin, I don't have time for this. I'll pick you up at nine like normal." With that, she hangs up on me.

"Collin?" My grandmother shouts from the top of the stairs. I slam the phone down in fear. I stand still, trembling. This is so not good.

"Collin? Get over here," she shouts again, angry that I didn't respond. I reluctantly walk to the bottom of the stairs, keeping my eyes unfocused as I lift my head in her direction.

"Did you get what I asked for?"

I sigh. "No, ma'am," I mumble.

"And why the hell not?" She starts making her way down the stairs and I back against the wall.

"I put the twenty in my back pocket and when I got to the store it wasn't there. I'm so sorry Grandma I don't know what happened. I'll make it up. I'll get a job and pay you back," I ramble as she finishes her decent down the stairs.

Before I know it, she strikes me across the face with the back of her hand. "Stupid boy. How does money just disappear?" Another slap.

I'm standing still, my back rigid against the wall. My heart is pounding and I'm sure that she's going to kill me. This is it. Time to see Grandpa.

~
Now I'm standing still against my own wall, ready to see Grandpa by my own will.

I stare blankly at the shaggy haired blonde in front of me. His eyes are dark and full of anger as he points a knife at me. It's clear that he's on some kind of drug, the crazy look in his eyes and the heavy breathing being a clue. Not to mention the stench of chlorine or maybe vinegar.

"Where is she?" he says through clenched teeth.

I swallow. "I don't know."