Six Years Ago
"Hello!"
It's harder to swallow my cheese cube when I peek around the corner to see Kenzie at the door. No. It's not one of Mom's welcoming parties (she's held enough of those). It's December. Our first Christmastime. We're keeping up her mom's last-weekend-before-Christmas tradition in seeing a musical downtown, combined with a special arcade trip.
But, first?
Dad takes Kenzie's dad downstairs. "So, I said..."
Both of our dads just have to take a "we'll only be five minutes" delay to chat in the basement workspace.
"...Heh. You two are all quiet."
Can Mom leave us alone?
Stephen.
"Why don't you go upstairs?" Mom suggests like she read my cringe. "You know Dad and his designs. They'll only be a minute."
It was "a minute" ten minutes ago. I'm roasting in my coat.
Go.
...Kenzie and I make the trek up to my room.
Mom cleaned.
I go to feed Bradley II. He missed me. We watch him saber-rattle with his two pellets. Dinner. I look over at Kenzie. We're all dressed up with somewhere to go...if her dad hurries. It's my first Christmas with her and...I want to go downtown a—
***
Present
"All ashore who's going ashore..."
The way to work's shorter when in a car. We're at the plaza branch in a handful of minutes.
"Thanks, Mr. Vaughn," Kenzie says.
I'm too far for an awkward car hug, so I smile at the rear-view mirror. Yes, I'm fine. Yes, fun. Yes, just call if I need you. Otherwise, ten...ish. I hurry from the car to avoid that conversation. I can sense Dad watching us as we walk up together. The quicker I get inside, the better.
"Hey, guys! Visiting, Stephen?"
James.
"Working," I say. "Soccer."
If Kirsten and I are the branch's Dynamic Duo, then Kenzie and I are...the same (I didn't think that through).
YOU ARE READING
Earhart & Noonan: An "Us Club" Novel (#1)(NaNoWriMo15)
Teen FictionFor the first twelve years of Stephen Vaughn's life, just trying to get others around him to pronounce his first name the right way ("Stee-vehn Vawn") has felt like the hardest task he's had to try and cope with. That is, until his perfect life with...
