The Roots of Our Past

Chapter Nine

June 2000

Usually, once school's out, kids love sleeping in; I even heard some bragging about sleeping till noon every day. Not me. I love summer, it's my favorite season and a three-month break from school. No way am I going to waste it sleeping.

Especially today, it's Olly's last day here before he leaves for the whole summer. His uncle won't be picking him up this time, either. Instead, his dad got him a plane ticket. Kris will be taking him to the airport early tomorrow morning, so early we have to say goodbye to him today.

No send-off at the curb this year... it feels so weird and just wrong.

We decided to spend the whole day hanging out; Hunter gets off work at three and will join us then. I have my basket full of Mama's apple cobbler and some stuff I got for Olly's new room. Kris and David married last weekend and moved into their new house just this week. She told Olly he could do whatever he wanted in his room, so he asked me for help. I can't wait for a whole room to decorate!

Mornings in Sweet Haven are the best; I love how quiet and calm it is. I smile as I ride my bike past the beautiful flowering cherry blossoms, the grasshoppers are buzzing, and it's like music to my ears. It's quiet and calm this morning as I glide down the road on my bike, my long hair flying behind me from the wind.

As I bike through town, I see Chucky sweeping sideways outside the bar. He waves at me, and I smile back, my silver braces glinting in the sun.

It's just a few blocks away from his old one and Brandi and Billy's place is just a house down from his. All the houses on this block are all really pretty, they're older styled Victorian homes. Brandi's is yellow with a big white front porch and Olly's is a dark shade of blue with a wood trim.

As I reach Olly's driveway, Nate and Jermone look to be leaving.

"Where's Olly?" I ask as I glance at them.

"He came back from lunch with his mom and told us he had to go. Ran over there," Nate explains, his own silver braces glinting in the sun as he speaks. He and I bond over our hatred of all the annoyances that come with our metal all the time. He's pointing towards Brandi's house and I frown, confused.

Why would Olly go to Brandi's? What if Billy does something to him? Granted he's pretty much left Olly alone all school year, but still...

I ditch my bike in Olly's driveway and worriedly start waling over to the Benson's.

I haven't talked to Brandi in months, not since the whole thing with Mary Beth, and she never talks to me either, but at least she leaves me alone. I knock once, and Billy answers before I knock a second time, his phone tucked between his ear and shoulder.

"Where is—"

I'm cut off as Billy is already talking to someone on the phone. "I need you now, Gabe. Meet me at the diner, as many guys as you can get," he says into the phone and then looks at me. "What do you want?"

"Where's Olly!" I push past him. "Billy, if you hurt him, I swear to—"

"I didn't hurt Olly," Billy rolls his eyes. "No, Gabe, this is not about Olly. I was talking to Bucky, she thinks — What? Fuck off, I'll call her whatever I want. Hurry the hell up and meet me at the diner."

"What?" I'm stunned as he hangs up. Did Gabe just defend me?

No...

"Where's Hunter?" Billy asks impatiently.

"At work, why?" I am getting more confused by the moment.

"Damn it," he curses as he slips his shoes on. "I need as many guys as I can get. I got to run. Olly's in Brandi's room. Tell her I'm taking care of it."