It's Complicated

Chapter 6: Travis Stanton

Kacey opens the car door and slowly gets out. I roll down the window of the passenger door as she closes the door. She leans down and looks in the open window, a smile on her face.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she says. I've noticed that she has been using her left arm a bit more today.

“See you tomorrow Kacey,” I say back, smiling. I put the car in reverse and back it out of the parking spot by her apartment. She walks up the concrete stairs in front of her apartment building.

“Hey Kacey!” I yell to her. She turns around. “I was wondering,” I say, “if you would want to come and hang out with my cousin and I. She is coming into town and I think you’d like her.”

She shakes her head. “I would rather you spend some time with your cousin. You and I see each other every day, so let’s let your cousin have some time with you.” She smiles.

“You sure? I’m sure she won’t mind,” I ask one more time.

“No. It’s okay,” she says. “I’ll see you tomorrow Travis.” She turns and walks into her apartment building, and, with a shrug of my shoulders, I drive to my house that is on the other side of the city.

~ ~ ~

“What took you so long?” I question Erica as she pulls into the driveway in her gray 2011 Infiniti. I am walking out of my house after waiting an extra hour for her to get here.

“Sorry. Got stuck in traffic,” she says. She looks so much older than I remember her. Her brown hair sits just below her shoulders, and her grey eyes have never looked so bright. She is just as slim as she always was, and she still has the same, huge smile.

She climbs out of the car and wraps her arms around me. She is just a little taller than me. I hug her back. When she lets go of me, I notice Jason behind her. He looks exactly the same as I remember him. Same short, black hair and green speckled eyes. Still just a few inches taller than me and trim as ever.

“Hey Jason,” I holler at him. He smiles.

“Hey Travis,” he says in return. We aren’t too acquainted because I’ve only seen him a few times.

“So,” Erica says. “Um, is it okay if we run to the jewelers really quick?” I squint my eyes at her and press my lips into a straight line. Looking her in the eyes, I have to use all of my strength to not laugh. For some reason, I have the hardest time keeping eye contact without laughing.

“I’m sorry!” she says. “The designs for the wedding rings we picked out were discontinued for some weird reason, and we need to order the rings today if we want them in by the wedding!”

I roll my eyes sarcastically. “Fine, I guess it’s okay,” I say dramatically.

She hugs me again and says, “Thanks.” I smile and hop into the backseat of their car. Jason gets in the passenger seat and Erica slides in the driver seat. She slowly pulls out of the driveway, looking down the street on both sides. My parents and I live in a large house that is way out of the way of most civilization, so it takes a little over fifteen minutes to get to the city.

As we drive, I notice that Erica is driving with one hand and holding Jason’s hand with the other. My heart can’t help but ache for Kacey.

We reach the jewelry store in about thirty minutes. We walk into the store. On all of the walls except for the wall with the doors, there are glass-display cases filled with jewels, gold, and silver. Each display is about three feet from the wall.

A woman stands behind the case right in front of us. She is tall and skinny. Her face is coated in make-up, and her smile is so big, it looks painful. Her blond hair is glued to her head, and her name tag reads, “Heather G”.