Skeletons

Chapter 7

Yet again if I know you irl I beg on my hands and knees please don't read this It is like a not-so-irrational fear of mine at the moment lol

Enjoy

He sorta stares off into the distance for a few moments before looking back at me.

"You like slushies kid?"

"Never had one...Mom doesn't let me have a ton of sugar."

His face shifts into a horrified expression and for a second he looks like he is going to cry. "What." He raises his bros thinking. "You MY child have never had a slushie?!"

"Uh yeah.." I say completely confused by why he is having such an extreme reaction to the lack of high-fructose corn syrup in my life. "What are you 12? And you have NEVER had a Slurpee?!"

"Fourteen."

"FOURTEEN?!" he looks utterly flabbergasted. He runs a hand through his hair. "That's even worse," he says his voice still distraught. "That's it we're going to 7/11"

He starts walking to a black slightly run-down truck and I follow. We both sit inside the car. The drive is mostly silent it's not an uncomfortable silence but it is still very obviously there. 

Eventually we pull up to the 7/11 and both get out of the car.

As we enter the snappy shake a sweetish sour aroma of sugar and disinfectants hits my nose. "Here we are." He says sighing and outstretching his arms. "Isn't it beautiful?" I look around at the linoleum isles filled with more chips candy and drinks, more than I could eat in a lifetime only because I would die three days in from lack of nutrients.

"It's certainly something." I say still scanning the store.

"You haven't seen the best part yet Lydia."

He walks to the very back of the store where there is a large big gulp slushie machine. "Here it is my alter of slush." He says grinning like a child seeing their presents on Christmas morning. "What are you gonna do pray?" I laugh at my own joke. He jolts his head to me. "You have your Mom's laugh...your practically a carbon copy of her." He sighs and grabs two medium slushie cups. "Here." I take the cup. "What flavor do I get?" He turns to me again. "Ronnie- or your Mom always liked cherry." He leans on the slushie machine and pats his hand on the Blue raspberry section of the icee machine. "But I always preferred big blue here." I point to the third one "What about coke?" He shakes his head. "No trust me kid I've been on this spinning ball in space for a whole lot longer than you. I know what type of slushie is good and which will leave you empty in the end."

He fills up his slushie with the blue raspberry concoction that is so bright blue it looks like dish soap or drain cleaner. "You made up your mind?" I nod my head and fill up my cup with cherry then blue raspberry and then cherry again alternating until the cup is full. "I'm impressed kid your smarter than you look."

We leave the store after he pays and we sit next to each other on the pavement.

"So tell me about yourself Lydia."

"Oh uh well I was born in Sherwood on June 8th 1990 but Mom left the second the summer was over. She went to Seattle for a couple years then we moved. Costs of living went up. Then there was Connecticut but Mom got homesick so we moved to columbous when I was six. But Grandma was always telling mom how to parent which pissed her off so we went to Texas for two years. Uh then there was practically all of Massachusetts. Now here we are."

"You moved around a lot."

"Eh I'm used to it." I sigh. "I mean going through ten houses they all started to get blurry at some time or another, no point planting roots cause we're gone in a hurry." He nods. "Same here kid...same here." I look at him. "You moved around a lot?" He laughs a little. "Everywhere from Las Vegas to Boston." He takes a sip from his slushie. "That's how I started to love 7/11." He says. "Those linoleum isles I could get lost in for hours on end." I take a sip from my slushie for the first time and the artificial sugary sweetness fills my mouth. I taste flavors I never knew existed. I could get used to this. "Woah these are good." I say. "Tell me about it." He responds taking another sip. 

We sit in silence for a few more moments as I sip on the Slurpee without thought. "Shit" I cry out and grab my head. "Brain freeze." He lets out a small laugh. "Oh Lydia that is the most incredible part. Freezing your brain. I've learned that happiness comes when everything numbs." I look at him. "Who needs cocaine." I joke. "Exactly!" He responds sounding strangely eager. I mean maybe it's good that we're bonding however he seems a little too enthused about frozen beverages and the convivence stores that sell them, but I mean everyone has their quirks I suppose.

"How do you nod have a throbbing headache every time you go to this place like all the lights and signs are tiring to look at. This place is pure chaos."

He laughs. "Which is why it's so great...Chaos is great." He playfully elbows me with the hand holding his slushie. "Chaos is what killed the dinosaurs Lydia."

I raise my eyebrows. "That's really good. I'm going to use that one."

He lets out a small exhale shaking his head yet again. "You really are my child." He says sounding lighthearted.

The silence slips back in for a small period of time but this time he speaks. "Shouldn't you be in school?" He looks at me his head and brows both cocked. "Yeah but I skipped." I say still feeling like a badass about my decision. "A child after my own heart, High School is a reflection of society. A society that churns out slaves and blanks." He shakes his head. "No thanks."

For some reason when he says this I feel chills go down my spine and I get the urge to leave the situation. "I have to go home." I decide to add something so he doesn't think I just am leaving. "School gets out soon and Mom is expecting me home." He nods and stands up. "I'll drive you back." He says and starts walking to the car. "Ok thanks.." I get up and quickly follow after him. 

The drive back to my apartment is mostly filled with him talking about his job and the distain he has for certain employees or the way a building looked as it exploded. It is a bit bland but I still find it interesting just because I like learning more about him. I want to ask him about his High School years but I don't because it feels weird to ask about my Mother to him. Even when he mentions her in passing it still feels like they are two different lives I am living. Two parents who don't know about the other. Which is blatantly false but that is how it feels.

We eventually make it back and he finds a place to park outside of the building. "Goodbye Lydia, if you need anything EVER you know where to find me." I smile and nod at him. "Thank you"

I turn away but look back again wanting to know his number so I can contact him more easily but he is already gone.

It's time to face the beast.

I walk up the three flights of stairs up to my floor trying to kill time because I know the second I get in there my Mother is going to chew me out for ditching school then I will have to lie to her until her anger subsides.

I unlock the door and see my Mom sitting at our kitchen table typing on her computer. "Hey Didi how was school?" She says not looking up from her computer. She looks surprisingly calm for someone whose child ditched school. "How was school hon?"

Shit. I have too options 

1. Fess up and face the possibility of her not knowing but if she does know and I fess up my punishment will probably lessen.

2.  Lie through my teeth and possibly face an angry Mother who feels she has been lied to (To be fair she has)

I decide to choose the latter. "Eh it was about as good as High School can be." I say. "Science was really boring though." I add trying to be more believable.

"That's nice" She says and it seems like she isn't really paying attention. "I'm going to go do my homework." I say grabbing an apple from the fruit basket and quickly heading back to my room. 

I did it.

Guyyysss thanks for reading I am SOO sorry for the unnecessary Heathers references specifically for freeze your brain in the part where Lydia is trying to bond with her Father 💀💀 I just couldn't help myself lol

Have a good day

Remember to not put forks in the microwave