Broken Roots

2 To Go

A/N: I told myself I'd do a lot more writing than  I did the past few days that I've been homebound with Covid. I still plan to carry on, but I decided to split the story's day between this chapter and the next so that I could go ahead and post what I have done for now! Sorry these have been so short! Anyway, y'all enjoy!

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Endo

When I pull up to Ida's on Friday, that new waitress Brooke is pacing outside by the side of the building on her phone. My window is down and I can't help but overhear her end of the conversation.

"-and I'm telling you the same thing now, Mom. I'm not doing it. I can't right now...Well tell her to stop calling you...That's because I have nothing else to say to her...Okay, fine. But not until closer to the trial...I know." Brooke looks over at the sound of my truck door closing. "I have to get back to work...You too, bye."

I smile at her and try to act like I didn't just hear her argument with her mom. "Hey there, how's it going?"

She shakes her head and sighs, ignoring my question. "How much of that did you hear?"

"I just caught the tail end. But for all intents and purposes, I didn't hear a thing." I make a motion of zipping my lips shut.

She smiles briefly then gets somber again. "Well I appreciate that. It's just that my Mom doesn't know when to back off. She's been driving me crazy about talking to- No, I'm sorry, you don't need to hear all this, that was unprofessional of me. I've just had all the wrong buttons pushed today. Come on in and let's take your order."

"I'm not going to fight you on that, but it needs to be said, I know I'm just a stranger but if you ever need an ear to talk to, I'm always around here somewhere." She doesn't respond, but as I pull the door open, she gives me an actual genuine smile as she shuffles inside. I slide into my booth as she runs behind the counter to pick up her pen and paper.

"Okay, it's Endo, right?" I nod. "What are we having today then, Endo?" All evidence of her being flustered outside has vanished.

I order a burger and fries and wait for her to put it in before asking, "So, are you from around here? I've not seen you around before you started working here." There's no one else in the restaurant other than the cook in the back, so I feel like trying to start up a conversation. Plus, I'm curious to know more about Brooke, partially just out of small-town nosiness, and partially because I'm betting she's got a real story worth sharing.

She shakes her head. "No." She hesitates, as if deciding whether to share or keep me at a distance. "Well, sort of. I just moved here from Johnson City, which is-was where I called home. But I use to live down here when I was a kid."

I chuckle, "What makes a person leave the city to come to Clintwood?"

"Oh, I just needed a change of pace, that's all. Besides, you can't argue that it's not beautiful out here. I know it's not that far of a distance but there's a difference. Not just in the scenery, in the people too."

I nod. "Well you've got that right. I didn't mean to make it sound like I'm not proud of where I come from. This place is something else, isn't it? Do you have any family out here?"

"My cousin is pretty much the only one I talk to. There's also my aunt and uncle, but I haven't seen them in years." Something in her face tells me I'm close to hitting a nerve, so I don't try to press any further, though I am curious as to who her family is. I've come across most people who live in town and many throughout the county because of my work. Brooke interrupts my thoughts, "So have you always lived here?"

"Born and raised. My family's been in the county for generations. My grandparents have a farm over in Haysi that's over a hundred years old. Me and my sister grew up spending half our lives there and the rest at our parents' house that's here just outside of town."

"Did you go to the new school?"

"Naw, I went to Clintwood High, graduated just before it shut down. The class after me was the last one there."

"It's a shame they tore it down. I always thought I'd go there. My c-" She stops herself, "I knew a few freshmen before we moved that I was always so jealous of. My first couple years in Tennessee were a nightmare and I always had this notion that things would've been so much better at Clintwood. It probably wouldn't have made much a difference, but that's how I saw it. So, if that's when you graduated, you're not that much older than me then. You're what, 26-27ish?"

"You got it. 27."

"Cool. You might've known-" It's at this moment that my food is ready, and that snaps Brooke back into work mode. She says, "I'll leave you alone now and let you eat in peace. If you need anything holler at me." And she busies herself behind the counter, making me wonder if she actually had any interest in talking to me before or if she was just being polite. I mull this over as I eat, also wondering why I can't get this girl out of my head.

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Brooke

When I see Cassidy, Charlotte's youngest daughter, pull into the lot, I start to gather my stuff up. She needed this morning off for an appointment so she switched with me, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with a Friday night off. Ezra invited me to tag along with him and Todd to the football game tonight. Todd's brother, Justin, is one of the starters. It would probably do me some good to get out. Since I've been back, I pretty much just stay in at my apartment when I'm not working. Even before the move I spent almost a month holed up feeling sorry for myself. I think it would be a lot all at once though, and I'm not sure I'm ready to try and be social. I'm already starting to feel drained just from what little conversation I made at work today. Speaking of, Endo appears at the register in front of me. I was so caught up in my thoughts I didn't even see him get up.

As I'm ringing him up, he says, "I just saw Cassidy drive up. You off early today?" I nod. "Any exciting plans?"

I shake my head. "Nah. I'll probably just head home."

"Well if you get bored, Ridgeview's first football game of the season is tonight. I know it's just high school, but the kids play pretty well, and this county makes a big fuss over their football."

I laugh, "Yeah, I remember."

"It's something to do, anyway. I'll be around if you happen to need a familiar face."

I tell him, "I'll think about it." He smiles and leaves, and for whatever reason, I actually decide to go. I don't know if it was what he said, or the genuinely kind way that didn't seem at all like he was trying to make a move or anything. Besides, I really do think it could be good for me, and I need to try to do more for myself.

When I get in my car, I text Ezra to let him know I'll be there, and we plan for him and Todd to pick me up at 6. I start to overthink the whole thing on the short drive to my apartment. It's going to be so crowded, and people make me jumpy these days. And what good would it really do? I can hang out with Todd and Ezra some other time at one of our houses. I wouldn't realistically talk to anyone but them anyway. I almost talk myself out of it but think better of it. I really can't stay holed up in my apartment for the rest of my life. It's been six months since it happened, and I've done nothing but feel sorry for myself in that time.

I get home with a newfound energy. Tonight, I am going to try to tap into a bit of my old self. Not that I was ever much too outgoing, but exponentially more than I am now. I change out of my work clothes and pick out a comfortable pair of jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and a plain grey hoodie. I'm looking for warmth, and blending in, definitely not to catch anyone's eye. I have about an hour before Ezra comes, so I throw something quick to eat in the microwave and try not to let my anxious thoughts get the best of me.

In a moment of good timing, I'm halfway down the stairs on my way out when Ezra texts that they're here. I smile when I see him and Todd. "Hey guys." I say as I get into the car.

"Hey Brooke. How was Ida's today?" Todd asks. We converse easily throughout the ride to Ridgeview. I think about how I rarely even spoke in the months before I moved back and feel thankful for the role my cousin and Todd have stepped into in my life. I really don't know what I'd do without them.