Last

Chapter 2.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the stupid alarm clock. 6:55 a.m. It was a cold morning and my room was still dark. The dense of the clouds covered the sun entirely from the far horizon. The sun. I recalled last night with the girl I met. Vanessa was her name? Yes, that's what it was. I burried my head under the pillow as flashbacks jostled inside. Somehow, I fell back asleep.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
"So, you just went on a date with a stranger?" My friend Bethany asked, eyes widened.
"He's not a total stranger, I mean I know his name, his surname and that he's our age."
"He's eighteen? He smokes at this age?" The problem with Bethany was that her parents were too strict. I rolled my eyes.
"Please, Beth, my sixteen year old cousin smokes." I slammed my locker's door close.
"And he goes to Oakwood high like us?" Bethany asked.
"Yes." I answered.
"How come you never spot him around?"
Now that - I didn't have an answer to. I looked at the empty hallway. He was supposed to be here at school for our senior year and I hoped deep inside that we'd have a chance to talk. Hold it, Vanessa.. You're being naïve. The sound of the bell, on our very first day, broke the silence of my thoughts. I took one last look at the hallway but there was no-one there. No one at all.
- - - - - - - - - - -
I stopped my car, and threw the cigarette out of the car's window. My sneakers scratched against the hard pavement. The trees were bare. Clouds still floated about. I examined the buildings and the houses around; until my eyes landed on the banner that said Oakwood High. Apparently, the first school day had ended and the students were jostling outside the gate. I spotted that same girl sitting on the front stairs, chatting with a friend of hers. As our eyes met, her expression changed to 'Bad timing.'
'Now?' She asked.
'Now.' I replied.
'Don't you think the classes are over by now?'
'I lost track of time.' I said, spreading a smile.
She rolled her eyes.
'Anyway, this is my friend Bethany Myers. Bethany, this is.. Cameron Lockwood.'
The Bethany girl reached her hand out and we both shook hands.
A dubious girl, she looked like, Bethany. Her hawk-like eyes examined me from her thick eye glasses.
"Well, if you don't mind, Myers, I'm going to have to steal Vanessa right now." I said not really caring whether she'd agree or not - though I wondered if anyone asks her out. Bethany was certainly the kind of person who's straight at approximately - everything. She wore a grey oversized hood, baggy pants and a pink All-Star converse. I decided to run a test of my own. Picking up a cigarette; I waved it at her face. "Care for one?" I asked.
"No- I - I don't smoke." Bethany said with an eerie, slightly annoyed look. Vanessa shot me a hard cold glare. Pity. I said to myself. Strict parents and massive college dreams were the chemicals Myers was made of.
"Would your friend want me to give her a ride home before we go on our second date?" I asked turning to Vanessa. Before she answered, Bethany took her chance.
"No, thank you lots Cameron. I'm meeting with a friend at the bookshop. We're going to read about the archeological discoveries over the centuries for our next project due-"
"Sounds like bloody of lustiness. Pleasure meeting you, Myers." I held Vanessa's arm and hurried off to my car. Bloody wicked. Bookshops. Mention this tedious culture talk again and I'm going to shoot myself.
"We had plenty of fun in history class. Queen Elizabeth is rather a deary first class." Vanessa said. Alright that does it. I shot her a look.
"I could barely give a damn, Vanessa. Is that what you talk about - you and Myers- when you sit alone? School?" I asked her, a teasing tone in my voice.
"What's wrong with having a good historical background?" Vanessa exclaimed.
"Well because the Queen and most of those archeological beasts are probably having afternoon tea with my grandfather in heavens right now. What do you care of the past?" I said as I turned the steering wheel around and hit the fuel pedal. We started passing by some more Brazilian wooden roofs of the houses in this silent neighborhood. Vanessa laughed. It held sarcasm.
"Speaking of school.. where were you today?" She asked.
"What do you mean where was I?"
"I mean- it's our senior year and you should've been there on our first day-"
"I was sleeping." I replied shortly after drifting to another block.
"And you could barely give a damn about attending your classes as well?"
"Easy now, McAllen. Don't make a fuss over our first day of senior year and why I missed it."
"Alright then, how come I never saw you in the past three years?" Vanessa kept on asking.
"Because I was home-schooled." I answered.
"Why?" She asked.
"I don't trust you enough, love." I gave her a smile.
"Seriously, Cameron?"
I nodded.
"Well what do you expect me to do now?" Asked her again.
"Your seatbelt."
"Huh?"
"Unbuckle your seatbelt Vanessa. We've arrived." I told her as I climbed out of the car. I hurried to open the door for her as in a statement of acting like a gentleman. She went out and stared at this old block. If 'rusty' was a right thing to describe this block then it would've been nothing more than that. Some stoner slogans filled the walls. ' Foxes', 'kings and queens of rock', and 'thug life'. All those were in dazzling colors. Let alone the manga frogs and butterflies that were designed by - no doubt of recent experience - lacrosse cheerleaders. "What is this place?" She asked. There were no cars parked around but there were plenty of motorbikes and that let me feel delighted. I grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around. "That's the place." "Diego's bar? You brought us to a pub?" Vanessa was surprised as if this huiminilated her entirely. I never understood why most girls that I met have an irrational fear and rejection whenever someone takes them to a pub. If you look at it from the bright side, the worst that you could possibly see is burly men with fake tattoos probably printed on as a cause of a heartbreak because their precious cat died in its sleep and long thick beards with crumbs of bread stuck in them. So why all the fuss again, I never really know.
"You'll enjoy your time, trust me." I said as I reached out my hand to her. She took a few moments to consider the idea of entering Diego's before she put her hand in mine and we both walked in.
As soon as we stepped inside the robust smell of whiskey surrounded us and we could hear the roaring sound that blared from the huge music box. Some highfull taste of tango and scratching sounds of highheels against the wooden tiles.
I turned to Vanessa to see her examining the huge bodies ahead of us. Men were drinking, cheering, ladies playing cards and laughing with a high pitched tone. Perfume and cigarette scents were mixed together.
"Enjoying the scene?" I asked her.
She nodded slowly but gave no answer. We were still standing at the bar's door when a man; dressed in a leather jacket, dark jeans and a pair of black timberlands walked to us and said outloud "Look who's here everyone! It's Lockwood!" Everyone turned their gazes towards me. Then raised their bottles and glasses as the traditional sign of 'hello'.
"Cameron my friend, where have you been?" The man, who's name is Diego St. Hill asked, with a querlous look on his face. A flashback of late summer nights of last year flashed through my mind as I remembered how we spent the night here until dawn, having one shot of martini after another. Roughhousing and breaking beer bottles, smoking Bensons and shooting some darts near the barstool; not to forget dancing to some 90's with older ladies who wore expensive - yet looked like fake - fur.
"You know, some tough buinsess, mate." I said as we clasped. His eyes moved from me to Vanessa who was staring blankly trying to process why a boy like me is quite known in a place like this. "You brought in some pretty girl."
"Vanessa McAllen." I said. Then I turned to her.
"Vanessa this is Diego. He owns this place." I told her as I introduced them before they shook hands.
"Best place in Rocking Alley." Diego said to Vanessa.
"Sure is." She said.
"Well allow me to offer you and your girl a glass of sherry. You preferred the blue?"
I nodded. Vanessa held my arm and whispered in my ear.
"I don't want to have a sherry. I'll take lemon juice If they have some." She said almost demanding.
I twisted my lip. "Come now, Vanessa, it's a bar. One shot isn't going to-"
"Cameron - I said I don't want to."
I raised my hands up as to surrender.
"Diego, give her some lemon juice instead."
He smiled in approval as if her morals were something he admired just now. I couldn't help but giving him a hard stare.
"You have all rights to avoid those damned drinks. They do you no good. Here's your lemon juice." He passed a glass of lemon juice to her as we took our places on the stools and set our drinks on the counter. I felt an urge to mock him but I decided to have some discipline. Though I was baffled that a man whose blood is running along with rye is now praising my date for not drinking. But I held back for the reason that I believed deep inside that Vanessa had the same thought but she was just being too polite. (That altered me, annoyingly.) I turned to her.
"How'd you like your lemon juice?"
"Cameron you can mock me as much as you want but I have no intention of getting wasted tonight. I need to study."
"So you'd get wasted another night?"
She laughed.
"Don't be an idiot, Cameron."
I smiled to her. Then I pushed a hair strand off her face. She looked at me and nervously continued to sip her juice. She stopped and looked around her.
"I love this song." She said.
Lyrics To Summer of 69 by Bowling for Soup started playing. Bloody hell, Vanessa's a rock type.
"Make yourself comfortable." I pointed to the dance floor.
"You're not going to dance with me?" She asked with a glitter of plea in her eyes. I turned to Diego, who was drying a large glass up, pointed to me to come over for a talk.
"I'll just have a little chat with Diego and I'll be right there with you." I told Vanessa. She placed her glass on the counter and joined some girls to the dance. I watched her moving her waist in slow moves and then her body started moving to the rhythm. It made me smile before I turned and walked over to Diego who was at the far end of the counter, smoking. I sat down myself and lit a cigarette of my own; I don't really enjoy any other kind of cigarette but mine.
"So what are you going to do with this one?" Diego asked, stealing a glance on Vanessa.
"Nothing." I answered.
He looked at me in surprise.
"Nothing?"
"What are you driving at now, mate?" I asked sternly.
"I mean, Cameron, on your first year of high-school you dated that - What was her name? Ashley? And you got her to let you join the football game and you ditched her."
I gave no reply.
"And then on your second year you dated that Stefani and cheated on her with Laura-"
"I didn't cheat on her with Laura. Laura and Stefani were twins and I was rattled."
"You use that as an excuse?" He asked.
"It's far from being an excuse. It's a fact. I was fond of Stefani." I said.
"But never in love with her?" Diego asked. "You know I don't believe in love stories, mate. And even if I did I wouldn't the least rather to stick myself to stupid commitments. I never make promises and I'm never good at keeping them either if I made them." I explained.
"But why, Cameron? You can't possibly let your parents' - " He was going on, when a hard stare from me made him stop.
"It's nothing to do with my parents. I'm just no good to be with someone. And especially not Vanessa. She's working hard to save up some cash for college because her father left them with no allowance. And I've no intention of obtaining what she's trying to maintain." I blew the smoke.
"Then why are you bringing her up on your trouble?"
"She may loan me some money after all for my 'trouble'." I said.
"So, it's true? You're in too deep?" Diego asked. I nodded slowly.
"Did you talk to your dad about this?"
"My father, is a plain bastard. Too sophisticated for his son, can't bear to leave his firm and stop stockbroking." I answered, feeling a wave of anger taking over.
"But this isn't bargains or arrears, nor nasty buisness with drug dealers this is - about you."
I showed him no interest.
"Your life counts on it." He went on. "You're only eighteen, Cameron and-"
"Listen now, mate. I don't need sympathy but I appreciate your collaboration. I'll manage myself the way I did for the past years; making sure I'll have a blast of my time with Vanessa." I declared. I turned back to see her still dancing, full of life. A vigorous girl she is. "At least the time I'll get to have." I said to myself.
"You're not making any effort." Vanessa said.
I twirled her around and she went back into my arms.
"What do you expect a guy to do besides twirling a girl while dancing?" I asked her sarcastically.
"You're such a romantic, Cameron." She said while sliding her arms from the back of my neck to my shoulders. My heart raced a bit. I didn't want this to go on more and I wanted to head back home. Unfortunately, Vanessa was having a blast of her time. Then a thought went up my mind. I crept closer taking her by the waist.
"Let's get out of here and go home." I told her.
"Home? Now?" She said, apparently not willing to leave.
"Yes, for I'm waking up tomorrow early and I think I'll be coming tomorrow to class after all."
She looked suspicious.
"Besides, I want you to give me some chemistry notes of today's assembly. I heard there's a fifteen minute try out test for a scholarship." I added.
"Really?" Vanessa said, almost too loud.
"Yes."
"God, this is just the thing I needed!" She cried.
"Is it? How so?"
"Think about it Cameron! A scholarship! Maybe I don't have to work at the café again." She wrapped her arms around me.
"This is going to save me." She said as she kissed my cheek. I whinced, and the atmosphere got hot. I felt bad about lying to that.
"Um, Vanessa-"
She silenced me by putting one finger to my lips. "Let's go. Besides I'm tired now." I didn't have a choice. We thanked Diego for the drinks and for hosting us tonight and he pleaded me to call him if I needed anything. We went out and drove to the same street I was in the other night. Oakshore. I stopped the car once again at Vanessa's driveway. She turned to me. "Tonight was rather a blast." She said.
"You're not putting any effort, Vanessa." I said. And she laughed and took a thought. "Alright, I felt Pollyanna take over me. Blown away, I was." She said.
"Now that's good vocabulary."
She smiled.
"For an initial." I added. She grinned and gave me a playful shove. She rested her head suddenly on my shoulder.
"You know I wish that I could just turn away from this street and live somewhere else. I used to play here with my dad when I was younger in that little garden over there. But it's just.. " she stopped. I got of her words more than she spoke of them. I understood how it felt to be left by one of the two who brought you to this life so they could leave. I didn't want to generalize for most of the people I knew are surrounded by their families, happily.
"It seems as though he had no trouble with moving on." She continued.
"It doesn't matter what he did or who's fault was it, Vanessa. I'm afraid we can't change the past and that's why history was never really my favourite subject."
I saw her smile. Then she sat back.
"Well what am I bothering you with anyway? Goodnight, Cameron." She said, as she kissed my cheek again. Before she opened the door I grabbed her arm.
"It's because of my parents though." I said.
"What?" She asked me, startled by the sudden tenor of my phrase that came out of the blue.
"The reason why I'm homeschooled. It's because - well - my parent's divorce."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did anyone upset you about it in school and-"
"No, no. Even if that happened I wouldn't take it in account. It's just that I didn't want to tell the principle my parents can't make it to the parents conference or any of the stupid activities they do over there." I explained.
She smiled gently at me.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. So who did you stay with?"
"Neither of them of course. I moved in with my older cousin, William. Now he's in Med school whatsoever. But I still am on contact with Mother."
Vanessa had a skeptical, yet stunned look in her eyes and it was obvious to notice. We looked at each other without any words until a devious smile spread across her red lips.
"So, you trust me now." She said slowly.
I laughed.
"Don't praise yourself, love. You don't know my secrets."
"But I will. Soon enough." Selfassured she was. "Anyway, I've got to go and - Cameron, you promise right?"
"What?"
"Promise me you'll be there tomorrow and that you won't keep on sleeping."
Said Vanessa. I smudged.
"Yes, yes. I promise." I said hastily. She smiled again and went out after wishing me a goodnight once more. I watched her as she took out the keys from her yak-fur bag and stepped inside her house. When I started my car, I remembered that I'd completely forgotten to tell her about the scholarship lie that I made up. Well, she'll find out tomorrow. If I get to see her. Little did she know I never keep a promise. That's what I was thinking when I drove away. But little did I know that surrending my heart to her would be the least of the promises that I was going to make.