Out in the Garden

Chapter One - Orchard Lane

A U-Haul roared up the road, leaving dust in it's wake. The street hadn't been paved in a few decades; they were actually lucky if a pothole got filled in. It was as good as dirt nowadays. There were a few old-style, ranch houses dotting the dead-end road half a mile after you turned on to Orchard lane, really giving it that "out there in the woods" feel that the spaced-out inhabitants enjoyed. 

Caroline heard the roar of the large truck's engine from the back porch, watering can in hand as she was about to step off and water the first sprouts of flowers in the gardens - It had been a rather dry spring, and she didn't want the seedlings to suffer. Distracted by the noise, she tried to see over the bushes but could only make out the orange and white top of the truck backing into the driveway of the house that sat diagonally across the street from her own. 

The house had sat vacant for some time now. Caroline hadn't even noticed when the "For Sale - Berkshire Realty" sign had disappeared, even though she'd grown used to seeing it since she was in the fourth or fifth grade. She gripped the edge of the watering can tighter and pursed her lips, thinking back on the last family that had lived there and how God awful they had been, and how happy she and her grandmother had been when they left. She hoped these people would be as quiet and peaceful as the rest of the old couples living on Orchard Lane. 

Afternoon sun hit her skin as she walked to the soon-to-be flower beds that needed watering, and her mind quickly shifted away from the people moving in across the street. The late March temperatures still made her shiver a little in the mornings, but the sun brought promise of Spring. 

---

For a week now, the Halls of Hopewell High school had been haunted by the presence of Alex Gaskarth, who had just moved from Manhattan, New York. Most people who heard this raised their eyebrows, wondering why in the world any family would move from metropolis to suburbia featuring a few rural routes. In a matter of days he became fast friends with almost everyone and fast enemies with anyone that sat up front in Mr. McKinnon's English class with the intent of paying attention.

Caroline's eye twitched with annoyance as something else was thrown to the front of the room while the teacher's back was turned to the board, this time an eraser. The game seemed to be to throw as many things from the back without Mr. McKinnon noticing until there was a small pile of crap accumulated just before his desk. 

"Watch out for the pretty girl," she heard a voice say behind her. Alex's, she was almost sure. 

"She didn't notice last time..." a different voice - Jack Barakat, seated right beside the other boy.
Instantly Caroline's hand flew to the back of her head, sifting through her dark, shoulder length hair for any unwanted accessories. 

Mr. McKinnon went on with his lecture, explaining something about Lenny's character sketch that the class was supposed to pick from Of Mice and Men. The girl sitting beside Caroline breathed a sigh of impatience that mirrored Caroline's own feelings. 

"...As we've all been saying, Lenny's a gentle giant. Very misunderstood... Very dependant ..."

Another eraser flew to the front of the class, this time landing an inch away from her desk. Mr. McKinnon turned around to address the class on a point and for a moment, the objects stopped flying. "Now let's take a moment to focus on George. You all know he's Lenny's caretaker, making sure that every time they get into a mess, he gets them out of there and moves them onto the next place. So aside from the fact that he's very patient and very caring, what else makes him tick?" 

He turned back to the board and as if on cue, this time a cheap blue pen landed with a clack at the side of the teacher's desk. Caroline rested her chin on her palm, tapping her foot with impatience.