Just Bent

Chapter Two

I inhaled the fresh night air, a shiver racing down the length of my body as I inhaled deeply. I stalked past my truck, opting to walk the anger off as I made my way to where I was supposed to meet the guys in town. Every second that passed, with the thump of my shoe against the pavement, emotions shifted under the surface, threatening the composure I was desperate to hold on to before anyone saw me.

 The sun was setting into a gold and red pool of light on the horizon and stars began to slowly appear in the turning night sky. Long shadows painted the ground.

Running a tense hand through my hair, I felt as unsure as ever. The only thing that seemed to stay clear to me was that I couldn't stay in that house.

About fifteen minutes later, I found myself entering the main town square, stores replacing houses. Wishing I'd worn a long sleeve t-shirt I walked past a shop window catching my reflection from the corner of my eye, but looked away.

I found now a days there was apart of myself that refused to meet my own eye in the mirror, because if I did, and looked long enough, I was sure I would see my father's eyes staring back. When I was younger, mom had said that I was like him. I had his eyes, his hair, his smile. Now what? Maybe that's why I was walking this road, alone at night. Maybe I needed to prove that look in my mom's eyes right.

At 8 o'clock, on a Wednesday night, the small town of Chrestler Vermont was it usual quiet self. There were people walking about; the restaurants were in full swing with young couples and families. The post office was shutting down and the pharmacy's lights were out. With my hands stuffed into my pockets, I met the eyes of a couple people I recognized, and smiled a closed mouth smile. Sleepy towns were the place where boredom turned into desolation. We liked to pretend we were too prim and proper for the likes of it, with our red brick buildings covered with just a mystical enough amount of climbing vines, and our Victorian Century accents, but the truth was a sleepy town hid too many secrets to truly be what it pretended to be. No one knew that better then me.

Nathan and Tommy were waiting for me in the IHOP parking lot, leaning up against a familiar jeep. At the sight of its off white paint and black trim, my heart sank. I guess Molly saw more then I credited her for.

Haley wasn't supposed to be here. When Mac had turned up in his own black pick-up, cigarette in hand, today at school Haley had never been apart of the plan. My shoulders slumped, a new feeling filling me up, adding to the many open wounds I had yet to lick from tonight.

Nathan shot me a knowing look as he removed the cig from his mouth and put it out with the heel of his boot. He leaned away from the car, hand extended towards me in our usual greeting. As I clasped his hand in mine, I saw that he was as unsure about this entire thing as I was.

"Hey man."

"Sup." I turned to Tommy as I let go of his hand. He smiled wide at me from beneath his shaggy black fringe.

"Took you long enough dude." I shook my head to Tommy's out stretched cigarette pack and slipped up onto the hood next to him.

"Sorry. Decided to walk it." Looking over my shoulder I could see that the car was empty.

"Where's-"

"They went inside to grab something to drink." Nathan's deep voice answered me. I glanced over to him to see him shake his hand and stuff his fingers into his jean pockets, back pressed against the curve of the hood.

"I told him it wasn't a good idea to bring her." Tommy groaned in disgust.

"Mac's as whipped as it gets man, I'm telling you."

"Don't let him hear you saying that or he'll knock your face in."

Tommy grinned, "Yeah whatever," and took another puff from his cig. It was almost smoked down to the filter.

"There the love birds are!" Tommy's voice rang out suddenly, and suddenly my heart skidded into a gallop; I counted the small blessing in the fact that the Jeep was parked so that sitting on the hood meant my back was facing the I-hop. I set my elbows on my knees and placed my face in my palms. My head hurt.

I couldn't believe she was here. I couldn't believe she would put herself here. What a stupid, ridiculous, idiotic thing to do!

A soft hand was set against the small of my back, and my heart did a jack dive into my stomach. Heat crawled its way up my neck as I pulled my face from my hands. And there she stood; Haley Hunter. In a little white, frilly skirt, and a pink sweater that had blue flowers on it and dipped down off her right shoulder, showing off a bra strap and her collar bone, and the heart locket her grandma gave her when she was nine. Her long strawberry blonde hair was unbounded, as it usually was, and hadn't been cut since the 3rd grade. Her freckles were starting to multiply as the seasons changed. Her smile always did funny things to my stomach.

"Hey Cole." I sighed.

"Hey Hales."

She just smiled at me for a second, and I couldn't keep my palms from starting to sweat. The last time I'd seen her she had been sprawled across my bed, her hair tangled and wild and tickling my chest. She'd kissed me and kissed me and then got on top of me and kissed me again. And I'd tried; I'd tried my hardest to resist her for so long. I'd tried my hardest to keep the line between the age old friendship we'd had since kindergarten and the age old crush I'd thought was unrequited, clear. But then the lines had blurred, and I then began to try my hardest to wipe Mac's memory from her head with every thrust; with every kiss and touch. Apparently it hadn't worked. She was here tonight with him and her smell was just starting to fade from my sheets.

"Aren't you going to hug me?"

I slid from the hood, my hand had a mind of its own as it smoothed hair away from her face, before I wrapped my arms around her. She was short, the top of her head hitting my collar bones, so it was easy to see Mac, standing with Nathan and Tommy, grinning, a case of beer in his hands. Tommy had already taken one and was chugging it. Mac was handing a bottle to Nathan who accepted and said something that made Mac throw his head back, long hair swinging, and laugh. When he turned to me he continued to grin, but something dark filled his eyes.

"Hey there boy," he said whipping his hand out and capturing the one I had offered him. I let him carelessly tug me away from Haley and into him, our connected arms trapped between us as he clapped me soundly on the back, twice. Pulling back I tried to shake the guilt that rested at the wings of my subconscious away and keep the anger I had towards that fact that Haley was even here in the first place, at bay.

"You ready for this?"

The thing about Mac was his energy. He was like the pipe piper, the charisma in his voice leading you down paths you would have never taken if he hadn't been whispering in your ear.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." I laughed.

"That's my man." His slapped my back again and then threw an arm around my neck, the muscle against my cheek taught, pulling me farther from Haley and back towards Nathan and Tommy. He raised the case into the air as he proclaimed:

"Alright boys, lets get this show on the road."

Tommy raised his beer in reply.

"I call shotgun!"

------------

The image above is a representation of Claire Harper-Martin, Cole and Molly's mom