Eyes

Chapter 2

August 2, 2016

"Come one baby we need a piece of the pie!" I exclaimed as I shook the dice on the slightly broken table. With Grace in front of me and Melody, or Mel, to my left as we played Trivial Pursuit backstage our auditoriums stage.

"You know, I saw Jake sneaking a peek at you earlier, Violet," Mel winks," You gonna tap that?" She laughs and Grace joins in the laughter. I scold them and grab a card lying on the table.

I read the question in my head while they continued to laugh at me.

"Will Mel and Grace ever get a life?" I mocked the questions and they just scoffed at me. I let out a little giggle and put the card back down looking at both of them.

"Can you believe what happened to Katie? Animal attack my butt." I say and they nod.

"I didn't see the crime scene, but by what everyone was talking about in the hallways... It didn't sound natural." Grace shuddered and started to put the game away.

"Yeah, totally not natural." Mel added and helped Grace take care of the game.

I sat there staring off into space until Grace snapped her figures in front of my face.

"You okay, kid?" She asked and sat down next to me.

"Yeah, just a little on edge. Let me walk you guys home okay? Just in case something happens, ya know?" I tell them and they mumble a yeah under their breath.
***
About 15 minutes later we left the building and headed towards Grace's house, which was the closest. "I wonder what Jake thinks of all this." Mel says then nudges me, causing me to trip a little bit.

"Hmm I wouldn't know." I shrug and Mel smirks at me.

"Right, cause you're not his girlfriend... Yet." Grace states gaining a laugh from Mel.

"Whatever. Hey, look we're here." I say pointing to Grace's house.

We hugged and said our goodbyes. Grace yelled at us to "stay safe" and "hurry." Mel and I look at each other once she gets inside with worry in our eyes.

"You know, once you drop me off I can get my mom to give you a ride home. She should be home by then." She says and I nod.

"If she is the yeah, but if not I'll just walk home. I live right down the street from you anyways." I say and she nods, staying silent until we reached her house.

I walked her up to her house. A cross on the door with Jesus on it is the first thing you see. Nothing says Pastor's house quite like Jesus being crucified on your front door. I thought to myself with a slight smile on my face.

Mel opens the door to a pitch black house.

"Ugh home alone again. Are you sure you don't want to stay until my mom and dad get home? I'm sure they won't be long." She pleaded, but I shook my head.

"Nah, I gotta get home anyways. It's Taco Tuesday at the Brown house." I laughed and she chuckled.

"Bring me some guacamole tomorrow!" She yelled as I walked down her front porch steps and onto the sidewalk.

"I'll try, but you know how my mom gets when it comes to guacamole!" I yelled back with a wave. She shut the door with a laugh and I headed down the street.

It was a small town. Everybody knows everybody here and all the boys think they are gangster, even though there are cows right down the street from everyone.

The streets are not dark yet so that's good, I thought to myself.

I started humming the tune Bennie and the Jets by Elton John as a kicked a pebble along the sidewalk.

All of a sudden I hear a crunch come from my right in the woods.

Of course, I thought. Okay just stay calm, and continue walking. Like you didn't hear a thing. I reassured your self and took a deep breath in. I stepped off my right foot a little bit quicker than I expected.

I was speed walking now and about 26 feet from my house.

Man, am I out of shape.

I ran up my steps and through the door.

"Whoa Violet, slow down there cowgirl. What's wrong?" My mom asked with a very concerned look on her face.

"I just.. I.. Ugh never mind." I said trying to catch my breath. She looked me up and down to see if she could see anything, but she sighed when she couldn't.

"Alright, well dinner is in the fridge if you want some. I couldn't pick up tacos today, I'm sorry hunny. I know how much you love tacos." She gave a small smile and rubbed my shoulder.

My heart sank a little bit, but it's okay. She is busy with her job and all.

She works in the city at a hospital. Yeah, my mom is a doctor, but sometimes I wish she wasn't. She is barely home and when she is, she is always tired. Even when she is on break or vacation she can't seem to escape her job.

Now you maybe wondering, where is my dad? Trust me, I wish I knew.

My mom told me when I turned 16 that I was a one night stand kind of baby, so she doesn't really know my dad.

No, my mom is not a slut or a whore or whatever. Everyone has a downfall in life and that just happened to be hers. When she found out about me, she changed for the better. She stopped going to bars, she went back to college to finish her schooling, she got a house. She changed all because of me. She has always called me her miracle.

I don't know much about my family tree. I only know my mom and my grandmother. Really, after that the tree cuts off.

Just as I sat down at the table my mom gets a phone call.

"Hello?" I hear her from the living room.

The voice on the other end was inaudible to me, but my moms groan sure wasn't.

"Phil, it's my night off. Please just.. Can't you get so one else to cover it?" She sighs and walks toward her room so she can talk in private.

I sigh and wait till she comes out again so she can tell me she is going back to work. Just like every other night.

I sit at the table eating some Captain Crunch and on my phone. When she came back to the kitchen she was wearing her uniform and I let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry baby girl." She apologized and my heart skipped a beat. Those words baby girl. Those 2 simple words, even from my mom. I know it may be wired, but don't think of it that way. She has always called me that and when I asked her why that nickname, she just said,"It just felt right." Whatever that means.

"Just be safe." I tell her and she nods, with a smile on her face.

"Always." She gives me a quick kiss on the head and leaves me in the silent house, alone.

----

About an hour later I was in bed after a nice hot shower reading a really good book.

"The Last Echo." I said to myself turning the page to chapter 5.

When I finished the page I decided to call it a night.

I put the book on my night stand and turned off my lamp.

I let out a deep sigh before falling into a wonderful nights sleep.