The One Who Ran Away

Chapter Four

Jo smiled and waved as she watched the beautiful Mustang peal out of the parking lot of Cosmo's Corner. Behind Addie was Luke and Frankie; Frankie was bumming a ride in Luke's 1970s Chevy Corvette Coup Stingray because her car's battery needed to be replaced. Jo envied her friend's choice in vehicles. Tina tossed a wave and a, "See ya, Jo," over her shoulder as she hopped into her parent's car, a brown Ford Edge, not exactly a luxury car. Jo waved until her friends were all out of sight before weaving through the stationary cars to find her Cadillac junker.

"Well, you old hunk of junk," she addressed her car, "where to?" Jo slid into the peeling leather seat and slammed the door. She turned off the air and rolled down her windows, letting in the natural breeze. It was a hot mid-October day, not so unusual back in Tennessee. Jo sat reminiscing her Tennessee days, letting her engine idle, spluttering and coughing.

Jo snapped out of her memories and gripped the steering wheel as she considered her options while she stared out at nothing. She could go home, but that didn't sound very appealing at the moment. She could drive to her Aunt Gerta's. Jo laughed out loud at the crazy thought. Her father's sister was genuinely crazy and liable to shoot Jo at first sight of her. Jo sighed and weighed her last option against the other two. She could call up one of her friends with the new numbers in her phone and risk them learning the truth. Jo shook her head. Sighing, she threw the engine in reverse and pulled out of Cosmo's, headed for home.

***

"I'm here," Jo called as she entered the small, brick house. The little house was cozy, built for no more than three. The entrance hallway gave the home an old feel, but Jo knew the house was barely twenty years old. The smell of chocolate drifted out of the kitchen as Jo breezed by, bee-lining for her room.

"Hey, sweetie! How was your first day?" Cyrene Thompson-Hall walked out of the kitchen, a flour dusted apron tied around her waist and a chocolate covered wooden spoon in her right hand.

"Fine." Jo brushed passed her step-mother and made her way towards her bedroom. She heard Cyrene call out behind her, "I made you brownies so we could celebrate tonight!"

Jo froze in her tracks, her hand on the door to her room. She dropped her hand and turned around to face her step-mother.

"I hate brownies. If you had spent the last year getting to know me instead of banging my Dad and pretending like I didn't exist, you would know that, wouldn't you? I don't want your food, Cyrene. We both know you can't cook so why are you keeping up this charade, anyways?" Jo crossed her arms and faced her step-mother. The tall, amazon woman frowned.

"Of course you love brownies. Everyone loves brownies! You're just upset because of the move and-"

"You don't know anything about me!" Jo interrupted her. The tan woman took a step back, as though Jo had slapped her. Jo could see the leopard print dress beneath the apron. Her heels looked at least five inches tall. Her dark hair was curled and placed perfectly to look wild and untamed. She wore little makeup and her dark red lipstick stuck out like a sore thumb. Jo hated to admit that her step-mother was beautiful. The confession was easier to make knowing she was dolled up to go clubbing that night.

"Josie-" she tried. Jo's jade green eyes flared with fire at the nickname. She dropped her arms, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides.

"Don't you ever call me that," Jo hissed. Her voice was dangerous, cold, and hard. Cyrene's face screwed up into a pout known to bring men to their knees.

"Oh, honey, I know you miss Johnny but-"

"Don't speak of my Dad!" Jo yelled. From somewhere in the house, a baby started crying. Jo watched Cyrene flinch at the sound.