Into My Own

Nine

"CHARLIE!" I screamed, walking through the door after work.

"What?" He yelled back.

I didn't actually think he would be home so early.

"I need you!" After a second of silence I added "NOW!"

He slid into the kitchen in his socks, nearly toppling over.

"What's wrong?"

"Wanna go camping this weekend?" I asked calmly.

"You drug me in here acting like it was important for that?" He exclaimed indignantly.

"Yup," I grinned.

"You're somethin' else..." He ran his hand through my hair and proceeded to dodge my half hearted swats.

"But yes, I would like to go camping," he relented.

"Great. Now help me convince mom and dad!"

"Uh, who else is going?"

"You, the boys, Oakley, and possibly her brothers," I counted off.

"You already asked the guys?" He exclaimed.

"No. But they're invited. We're going up by Joseph. Her family has property up there."

"That sounds fun."

"Yup. MOM!"

"What?"

"I need you!"

"Come here!" She yelled back.

"Where are you?"

"In the living room!"

I sprinted in, dragging poor Charlie behind me.

"Can we go camping this weekend?" I pleaded.

She gave me a measured look before responding. "Where and with who?"

"Joseph with Oakley and her brothers," I replied.

"Her brothers? Aren't they all in their teens still?"

"Yes. But so is Charlie and you trust him!"

"Coda. Lose the attitude."

"Sorry."

"I'll have to talk to dad about it." I knew that was the end of the discussion with mom.

I ate dinner with mom and the boys. Dad had to finish up the baler and check a sick cow over at my grandpa's place.

Afterwards, I took a long, hot shower and sat in bed with my electronics.

The music blasting into my headphones suddenly stopped playing when I got a Facebook video call from Oakley.

I picked up and found my coworker cuddled up in bed with a huge smile on her face.

"Hey, Coda! I talked to my parents!"

"I assume it went well?" I laughed at her goofy grin.

"Yeah I got two of my brothers to agree to it and they helped me convince my parents!"

"That's awesome! I can't wait to meet these idiots," I teased.

"And I can't wait to meet Charlie and your friends! Did you ask your parents?"

"Yeah I asked my mom."

"And?" She prodded.

"She said she has to talk to dad. She seemed kind of skeptical," I explained.

"Dang. Hey, tell her to call my mom!"

"Okay give me her number," I agreed.

I scribbled it on my hand as she rattled it off.

"Okay, let me run downstairs and give it to her. I'll call you back."

"Deal. Good lucckkk!" She trilled.

I ended the call and stumbled wildly down the stairs.

Mom glared at me as I came flailing into the kitchen.

"I got Lina's number if you wanna call her about the trip," I explained breathlessly.

"Why would I do that?"

"Don't you want to know the details of it all?" 

I proceeded to beg when she didn't reply. It was only after I dialed the call and shoved the phone to mom's face that  she gave in. And by giving in, I mean she shot me a glare and took the ringing phone. 

I scurried back up to my room and called Oakley. She picked up on the second ring.

"Are they talking?"

"Yup. The fate of this trip is in my mother's cold hands," I rolled my eyes. 

"So it'll probably be a while," Oakley concluded. 

"Yeah. What do you want to do when you grow up?" 

"I want to travel." I could see her eyes light up even on the crappy phone camera.

"Where?"

"All over the country. Maybe even the world! New Orleans, Miami, Chattanooga, Louisville, Seattle, LA, Houston, Phoenix, Bismarck, Raleigh, basically any place you can think of! I want to see the capital of every single state and eventually settle down in some little town I love. Anywhere but here."

"You never want to come back?" I questioned in disbelief.

"Never. I can't wait to get out of this hell hole of a school; of a town. Everyone here is a hypocrite. Everyone." She stated vehemently. "Even my mom."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"My mom pretends to be this great, perfect person. She acts like she never did anything wrong in high school and says my brothers and I are the worst kids ever--that we will never live up to her. But do you have any idea what I realized a couple years ago? She got pregnant at sixteen. I was so mad that I never realized it until then. She never finished high school. She just got her GED and got married. She never told me any of this until I asked straight up. And she barely gave me any answers. So I went to my dad and he told me what I wanted to know. You know how all of us kids are a year apart? Yeah. She had me at nineteen. The same age as Matt." Oakley finally paused for breath, her face red with anger.

"I'm sorry."

"You know, I've only ever told a couple people about this. And do you know what they did? They spread it around the entire town and now they all tell me I'm gonna be a slut, just like my mom." Tears began streaming down her face. "Everyone hates me here." She sobbed.

"Oakley, listen to me. You're not a slut. I haven't even known you that long and I know that you're way better than that. And what other people think and say about you hurts--it hurts a lot--but it doesn't actually matter. The only thing that matters is what you think and how you feel about yourself."

"Thanks Coda." She whispered.

"Hey, is your mom off the phone yet?" I changed the subject, sensing that she wanted to drop it.

"I don't know. Hold on." She came back a second later. "Yup! Now go check with your mom!"

"Alright, I'll call you back! Bye!" I grinned.

I began running down the stairs but slipped about half way and tumbled the rest of the way down. I landed with a loud smack on the slippery hardwood and then scrambled to my feet. Mom was sitting at the table with a glass of tea when I slid into the kitchen. 

"So, are we good to go?"

She rolled her eyes and waved in dismissal. "Just go. I don't care."