Many Mistakes, No Regrets

Chapter 8: One Truth + One Slip = One Confession

Chapter 8: One Truth + One Slip = One Confession 

            “I haven’t been totally honest with you.” What was he talking about?

            “Rikki, you just told me your secret. And I have one of my own. It’s about my family. I don’t mention them much. All I have every told you was that I grew up in town.”

            “Jake. So what? I told you about my family because I wanted to. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

            “I want to. My family is huge and very poor. I only go here because I got a scholarship. I have five older brothers.”

            “Wow. Five? As in you are your mother’s sixth child?”

            “Yup.”

            “Okay. You have to tell me their names, their ages, and what they do.”

            “Oh I do. Do I know?” He had an evil look in his eyes. I got up and ran. But he’s faster.

            “And how do you plan on making me?” He pulled me over his shoulder and spun around. He stopped and ran towards the water.

            “No! Jake please don’t! I’ll be freezing!”

            “Alright. Alright. Just stop screaming in my ear. I think I went deaf.”

            “That’s what you get. Now spill. What’s your family like?”

            “So there is Alex. He’s the oldest. He just turned 27 last week. He lives down in Texas on a ranch. He doesn’t come home much or call. I don’t really know him. He took off when I was like 5.” It sucks that he wasn’t close to Alex. Life is way to short not to know your family.

            “Next up is Tim. He’ll be 24 in a month or so. He’s putting himself through med school in Boston. Austin is 22. His big goal in life is to become a music teacher.”

            “Hey. Don’t make fun of your brother’s goals.”

            He held his hands up apologetically. “Sorry. But he’ll be home soon. He’ll probably end up like Scott and work for our dad.”

            “Two quick questions. Who is Scott? And what does your dad do?”

            “Scott is another one of my brothers. He works at our dad’s hardware store. He’s 19 and didn’t want to go to college so he went to work. Last is Ryan. He is 17 and goes to school in town but he’ll be graduating this year. So now you know about my family.”

            “What about your mom? You never mentioned her.”

            “Oh. Well she works as a nurse at the town’s high school. You aren’t mad that I didn’t tell you about them?”

            “No. Why would I be? Everyone is allowed to have secrets.”

            “Thanks for understanding Rikki.” He looked me in the eyes like there was something else he wanted to say. I could feel my cheeks heating up. In a very bad effort to hide my very red cheeks, I glanced down. I saw the time on my watch. It was almost 11:30!

            I was freaking out because of the time. Jake must know how late it was. I wonder when their curfew was. I looked up but he was still looking at me. His hand moved towards my face. What was he doing? Why was his hand going towards my face? Oh why did I look up?! Right, the time.