Violet

Chapter 26: Fitting In

Watching TV was difficult whenever Katherine was around. She and Mom would crochet on the couch and laugh about things I didn't get or was too lazy to understand. The kids were at school and Denise was at work, leaving me alone with these two.

I watched Katherine and my mother most of the time. They were friendly with each other. They'd known each other for two weeks and acted like they were the best of friends. It was nice seeing my mother happy like this, but Katherine seemed a little too friendly. Like too, too friendly.

My mother snapped me out of my thoughts when I heard her mention middle school. That grasped my attention. I turned down the TV as they spoke about schools around here for me to attend. Me in a school with hundreds of people? I couldn't even imagine it. It was something I'd always wanted but never thought would happen.

"She would fit in all right," Katherine said. "It's one of the best schools in the area. Nadine goes there." I frowned at the name. Nadine was Katherine's daughter. She was a fourteen-year-old who thought she knew everything in the world. You couldn't state your opinion around her or she would go insane. I hung out with her for two hours once, and that was more than enough.

"I don't know," my mother said. "I don't intend to stay that long. I wouldn't want to burden my sister like that."

My heart dropped at the idea of ever going back home. I was having a ball here. "Aunt Denise loves us here," I said.

My mother waved a hand at me. "You won't understand this now, but people need their space. We can't stay forever."

Katherine placed her hand on my mother's shoulder. "We'd love for you both to stay with us. If things don't work out here, I'm your girl."

My mother chuckled. "You're too kind, but I'm sure everything will work out in time."

Katherine smiled and moved her hand off my mother's shoulder. "I'm sure it will. In the meantime, you should put Violet in school. It's now or never, and even if you decide to leave, it's not hard to withdraw her." She placed her hand over her chest. "Trust me, I know what it's like waiting for change. Sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesn't. Don't waste a second."

I agreed with Katherine. It wouldn't make a difference if I went to school. I was never a TV fan and I got bored waiting for Ryan to get home from school most days. I needed something to keep me busy. "I want to go to school," I said.

"You're right about that, Katherine," my mother said. "I'll look into the school your daughter's in."

"Girl, you will love it," Katherine said.

***

My mother and Katherine spent the whole afternoon talking about registering me for school. When Denise got home, they immediately took me out to get me registered. I was able to tour the school. We went shopping for books and school supplies afterward. I was ready, although I wouldn't start until next week.

Around 8 PM, I helped Kellin and Zachery with their homework. Zachery gave me a hard time and he had a hard time focusing. Sometimes, when he found the answer, instead of writing it down, he would doodle on the paper. He had weird outbursts whenever it was completely silent, as if he couldn't stand the quietness in the room. He didn't have much homework either, but I had been helping him for almost two hours.

After I finished with the boys, I went to check in on April. I knocked on her bedroom door and heard her singing a song. Before I opened her door, I heard someone else laugh as she sung. Did she have a friend over? I opened the door and looked inside. April sat on the bed holding a brush and was looking at her closet door. The wind from outside blew her curtains in.

"Yes?" April said.

"Is someone with you?" I said, looking around.

"Nope," she said, then continued singing.

I closed the door and waited a few seconds. I know I didn't imagine the laugh. I heard a laugh. As I stood by her door thinking, April started talking again.

"Why can't I tell her you're here?" April said.

I heard faint sounds replying to her but couldn't make out what they were saying. I opened the door again, this time quicker and began looking around. "Okay, I heard something," I said.

"No, you did not!" she almost yelled. "Mommy! Violet's bothering me."

My mother walked out of the guest room and down the hallway toward us. "She's asleep. What's all the hubba?" She smiled.

"Tell Violet to leave me alone," April whined.

"I wasn't bothering her," I said. "She was talking to someone. I heard her."

"I was playing," April said.

My mother shook her head and closed April's door. "Just leave her be, Violet. She's fine," she said, leaving me there. I continued listening by the door but only heard April singing.

Back in the living room, I looked at the ceiling and did something I didn't do often. Prayed.

"Dear God, please watch over me," I said. I meant it. I was spooked. I didn't want anything bad to happen. Not here. Trouble seemed to be attracted to me like a magnet. If the previous stuff wasn't bad enough, I couldn't imagine what would happen next.