Bad Ideas

5

Chapter 5

Kamren

After Stan was clean and dressed I looked at him. Really looked. He was sad. I grabbed him into a hug leaning into him. "Stanford Bowers, I need you to know it's okay. Because I love you too."

He blinked at me. "I never said I loved you."

"You didn't have to. You showed me you did. After we eat at the local diner. You can show me again." I teased, kissing his lips as if I've always done this.

"You cease to amaze me, Kam. From day one you've been full of surprises." He whispered to me.

It was cold outside. Winter stung the cold morning air with a frostbite cold. I handed him his coat and put mine on. If it wasn't so cold I might walk the mile, or run it even. But I jumped in my red Ford, cranking the heater up.

"I forgot how cold it could be here. Shayla is going to hate it." Stan said with a sigh.

"How's she doing with her mom's passing and everything?" I asked, turning into the restaurant's parking lot.

"Better. I think joining the army early was good for her. I'm glad dad got over his shit and let her go. He knew what he was doing when it came to my sister. Too bad her mom was such a junkie."

"I've dealt a lot with junkies. At the end of the day I'm not sad Shayla got away from her." I said, my voice was harsh. "I'm sorry. That was mean. I just hate that she had to see her mom die like that."

Stan's baby sister Shayla, who was now almost 19 years old and not a baby at all, had walked in on her mother overdosing three years ago. The girl tried to save her. Tried to give her cpr. She called 911, but the house they lived in was out of town with the nearest hospital 20 miles away. By the time the ambulance got there Alice had died. Shayla was never the same. I felt for her. I really did. That was not an easy thing to go through I'm sure.

"Yeah, me too." Stan murmured, getting out of the truck.

We walked into the restaurant with all the confidence in the world. I led Stan to a table in the back and sat down not caring about all the eyes on us. For some reason I expected this. I'd been gone for a long time, some folks were placing me, while others glared. Who knows why. From the corner of my eye I saw a child with lime green hair staring at me like I was her long lost idol. I could feel her getting closer and wanted to run. I hated kids, man. But she just kept staring. Finally, I looked at her and smiled.

"Can I help you?" I asked, she had long black nails and a pretty face. She looked familiar to me for some reason, she almost looked like my mom. Or me. It was so strange.

"Uh, duh. I wouldn't be here if you couldn't." She giggled. "Are you Kamren Reynolds? Rosie Reynolds' son? Scott Walsh's best friend?" She asked with a gleam in her eye I didn't understand.

"Yeah, that's me, dollface." I smiled at her, turning a little pink because she was making me nervous. She pulled me out of my booth with two hands and hugged me. There were claps and awes, heard from all around for some reason and I didn't know what to do. I hugged her back feeling a little strange about this occurrence.

"What's going on?" I asked, pushing her away after I felt like she had held on to me too long.

"You don't know who I am?" She asked, her lime green hair falling in her eyes. She sighed, looking at me like I was mean.

"Uh, no ma'am. Am I supposed to?" I asked with wide eyes.

"No. I suppose not. I guess they listened to me when I talked." She sighed, then held her hand out in front of her.