Pooks

Chapter 2

You arrive home. It wasn't a 5 minute walk back it was less, you basically live right next to that Jb kid. I know being associated with Barry isn't as bad as being associated with kooks or Cameron's around here but maybe I should try avoid the pogues knowing about Barry just yet. I wasn't kidding when I said he's built up quite a reputation for himself.
I remember when I just started the Kook Academy there was a period of about 6 months where dad had to bail Barry out of jail every other weekend. It was just downhill from there.
But I'm trying not to judge too much, keep an open mind and all that. After all we're stuck with each other now.

You get home and no one's there. All your bags are still packed in the hallway where Rafe left them. You go into the room that's eventually going to be yours.
There's an empty bed, no pillows or duvet. I think my bedding is still in the back of Sarah's car, I'll have to get that tomorrow. There's random broken chairs in the corner, an empty wardrobe, a small smashed mirror and that's about it. It's not a big room but Barry's right it needs clearing out before I put any more stuff in here. I can't believe this is my new room. You close the door and head back to the living room but something stops you dead in your tracks. Barry's room.
You stand outside the door for a second debating wether to go inside. You knock just in case "Barry? You here?" No reply. You knew he wasn't home anyway his bike's gone but just to be safe. You have no idea how Barry would react if he found you in here. Would he go mad? Probably.
You open the door slowly even though you know he's not on the other side and go in.
It's a standard room, just like the one I have down the hall. Bed, window, wardrobe. You look around, it's not even that messy. Same as the rest of the house there isn't enough stuff Barry owns to make it messy. Not many clothes on the floor, because they're plastered about the rest of the house. His bed isn't made or anything but it's... exactly how you remember. From the sleepovers. You smile and for the first time you feel sad you're not close to Barry anymore.
You turn to leave when something catches your eye. There's a strip of photos stuck to the side of the wardrobe, you almost didn't notice them. You walk over, the pictures are of you. Both of you, from when you were kids. I don't remember it, I bet Barry does he's a few years older than you. We look so happy. You smile and feel tears rush to your eyes but just as quickly as they came they disappear. You hear a bike engine outside getting louder as it pulls up to the house. You dart out the room, close the door and run into the living room. It's Barry, but there's someone with him. You sit on the couch and watch two people get off his bike and come inside. Barry looks pissed off.

They both come inside, Barry says nothing he doesn't even look at you. The person behind him is an old man, his t-shirt is dirtier than JJ's was at school. The man is also wearing cargo shorts and boots. I guess that's just how people dress around here? He looks at you and stops walking "hey pretty thing" you instantly feel sick. Barry has gone into his room.
You give him a polite smile and look towards Barry's room but you can't see him.
"I haven't seen you before, I think I'd remember a pretty girl like you"
You keep quiet and Barry comes back.
"Don't fucking talk to her. Here" Barry throws the man a bag of white powder. "Get out" Barry says and the man leaves, not before giving you another creepy smile which Barry doesn't notice.
Once he's gone Barry finally acknowledges your presence. "We need to get your room sorted, I can't have you around when people that that come here"
You don't pretend to not know what just happened. You want to have a go at Barry, why can't he get a normal job like everyone else? But you stop yourself. I was the kid that got our dad, at least for a bit. I definitely got the better childhood out of us two, I can't judge too much Barry has practically been on his own since he was a kid. God our dad's a dick.
"I looked in there earlier, if you help me move the broken chairs and stuff I can do the rest?" Barry ignores you and lights up another cigarette which makes you cough. Barry notices and puts it out.
"I'll stop smoking in the house" he says without looking at you. He walks away into your room. You hear him throw the chairs out the window followed by a smashing sound which can only be the already broken mirror. He comes back out "there" he says.
"Thanks" you whisper
"I'm not around tonight, I'll leave you money for food. Do you have my number just in case?" He finally looks at you waiting for a response
"Uh no I don't think-"
"Give me your phone" you quickly unlock your phone pull up contacts so Barry can add himself. That way he won't see any notifications that'll piss him off, like messages from Rafe. "There" he hands you back your phone. "Look I'm working tonight so only call me if it's an emergency and I mean it"
"I won't need you" you say as you fall back into his sofa. Our sofa. Barry nods and lights up another cigarette as he walks outside.
"Move your stuff into your room, I'll sort the chairs and stuff out tomorrow, I'll make a bonfire or something" Barry says from the porch. There's only a mosquito net door between us so it's not hard to hear him.
You pick up your bags and drag them into your room. There's only two, turns out I didn't have much stuff once you took away the fancy house and kook uniform. There's my clothes, a few books, a few photographs and that's it. No surf board and my bedding is in the back of Sarah's car.
You dump your bags on the bed which is just a mattress on an old spring bed frame. If you thought the room looked bare before you should see it now. The window's wide open from when Barry through the chairs out but it's all one level the gardens right there. Then there's just a wardrobe and a tiny bedside table.
You spend the next hour hanging your clothes up and putting your bags in the corner. You put your photos on the windowsill, you have three.
One is of you and Rafe from when you were about 15. You're at the beach, Rafe has thrown you over his shoulder and is running towards the sea. Sarah took the photo, it's kinda blurry because she couldn't stop laughing. If you look closely you can see Wheezie and Rafe's dog Milo in the background running after us. I love that photo, that was such a good day.
Then there's a photo of you and mom, you're even younger in this one. She's hugging you but you're not smiling like she is. You hate this photo, it was before midsummers last year. Mom made me miss the best swell of the year to go to that dumb party I was furious. Her smile is fake too, Ward is taking the picture so mom was on best behaviour. "Smile!" He told her so she did.
I never understood that, why people say "smile" before a photo. The best photos are when people are already smiling and someone happens to take a photo. When you're smiling in the photo, not for the photo. Like the one of me and Rafe. Actually I'm laughing in that photo which you can see even though I'm upside down and it's blurry.
You take the photo of you and mom and put it in the top shelf in the wardrobe face down. "Bitch" you whisper like she might hear you.
The third frame is you and Sarah. She gave this to you before you moved, it used to be on her windowsill. It's a photo of us at some party last year, we're both making a kiss face for the camera and she's hugging me. I'm wearing some random guys jumper and Sarah looks absolutely wasted. I love that photo too, no idea who took that one. Sarah has written on the glass frame 'forever my sister' in her fancy curly writing.
Your thoughts are interrupted by your stomach, I've never heard it growl that loud. You're starving, I haven't eaten anything since you were with Rafe yesterday. We stopped for food before he dropped me here.
You walk out to the living room but Barry's gone again, so is his bike. Funny, I didn't hear him leave. You look by the kitchen sink Barry left $50. Jesus. Guess being a drug dealer pays off?
You grab the money, put it in the back of your phone case and go back into your room. You change your tshirt and head out. Barry didn't say anything about locking the door, I guess people know better than to rob a drug dealer around here. I wouldn't want to mess with Barry either. You text Sarah:
"Hey! You free now? I'm starving and I need my bedding from your car"
She answers before you even put your phone away
"Hey no sorry I'm with Topper 😉 I'll drop it off tomorrow, see you tonight though! xxx"
You roll your eyes. Topper Thornton. Man I hate that guy. Topper is Sarah's on again off again boyfriend. I never really had an opinion on him until he started hanging out with Rafe too. They gym and golf together so I started seeing him more and more over the last few years. He's a dick, you know I said kooks aren't that bad? Well Topper is. He's stuck up and he knows it. His granddad is the county's judge so he basically gets away with murder. He's Figure 8's golden boy.
You text Rafe instead:
"Hey you free? Wanna get food?"
You sit down on a log next to the road. I'm not aimlessly walking around in this heat if I don't have to. Your phone buzzes:
"Yeah. Where r u? I'll pick you up"
I want nothing more than to hop into Rafe's air conditioned Jeep right now but I can't. I can't be seen with a Cameron.
"I'll meet you at yours? I'm not that far away"
Rafe just likes the message. Touché.
Great, I'm miles away from Figure 8 it'll take me ages to get there especially in this heat. You look around, this is where I used to hitchhike to come see Barry. You stick out your thumb, a few cars drive past and ignore you but then a truck drives past. Heyward's Seafood.
The truck pulls over next to you and Pope sticks his head out the drivers window. "Where you off to?" Okay be cool, you don't have to lie to him entirely just don't mention any kook related things.
"Uhh other side of town, I got to sort some stuff. You're not going over there by any chance are you?" The sun blinds you while you look at Pope, you turn your cap back around the right way. Pope sticks his arm out the side but flinches because the metal truck is hot from the sun
"Actually yeah, I'm running a few deliveries for my dad so he can't say no when I ask about the party later" he makes you laugh "hop in" Pope tilts his head offering you to jump in, you walk around and get back in his truck.
I like Pope, he's nice.
You roll the window down and let the breeze smack you in the face. Much better. Popes truck is huge up front when there's only two of you, that or JJ takes up loads of room.
"Hey do you mind if I make a few stops? For the deliveries?"
"No, of course" Pope pulls the truck over and gets two bags from the pick up. You watch as he carries them to the door of the house we stopped outside of. He comes back and picks up another two bags and carries them to the door again, no one has answered yet even though you saw Pope knock. Pope comes back a third time so you jump out. "Let me help" you shout
"Oh nah it's okay" Pope rubs his nose, he's sweating. The bags aren't heavy but this heat is unforgiving.
"No really, least I could do" Pope smiles and hands you just one bag. He picks up two and you carry them to the door. There's now seven bags on the porch of this house. Pope knocks again "Mrs Edwards!" Pope calls
"Should we just leave it here?"
"Are you crazy? This stuff would be picked up in a second if we left it and I'll get the blame" Pope knocks again but there's no answer. "Come on" he picks up four bags, two in each hand, you pick up the remaining three and follow him round the side of the house. You both put the shopping under a bbq rain cover. "She never answers the door, she'll know it's here" Pope pushes the bags under so they fit and zips the cover back up.
You help him with a few more deliveries, no one else ordered seven bags of groceries though. One man ordered a jar of pickles and nothing else. "You'd think he'd just walk to the shop" Pope says. "Do you know how many deliveries I gotta make without assholes like him?" Pope makes you laugh
"Yeah that's a little weird I'll give you that"
"A little? It's absolutely insane and adds 20 minutes to my day by the time I've parked up and he's answered the door. Then he always has something to moan about; the wether, the economy, the bloody pickles"
"Yeah that sucks" you say not knowing what else to add.
You both get back in the truck and Pope puts some music on. "Any requests?" You smile and put Could You Be Loved on. Pope nods his head to the beat in approval
"Not full of disappointments then?" Pope kids.
The sun's starting to set and there's no more bags in the truck. "Where am I dropping you?" Pope asks. You look around, we're by the shake shack. The shake shack is like the boarder. It's not quite The Cut but it's not Figure 8 either. Middle ground.
"Here's fine" you jump out and put your arms through the window "see you later?"
"See you later Tiv" Pope shouts as he drives away. Such a dumb nickname, thanks JJ.