Just Scraps

❖chapter eight❖

Xael

"Julian, have a safe day at work today! Goodbye." Mother says as she gives him a kiss on the cheek. "Today, I'll be taking the you and the kids out to dinner! Bye." He closed the door behind him and ran off to his Cadillac.

I hate weekends! Other families during the weekend do their chores or relax all day. In the Cunningham house, all we do is go out to dinner, so Father's reputation looks squeaky clean.

Lies, they're all lies. My father is Julian Cunningham, one of the wealthiest men in the East Coast. He's a popular business man, CEO of Cunning&Co. He's also a fraudster, just like Jeff Skilling or better yet Bernie Madoff. Therefore, we're in Camden. We didn't move here because we love the town, we moved because his time in Manhattan was limited. I don't know how he does it nor do I want to. When everything starts to cave in on him, I don't want to be pointed at and accused of hiding the truth!

"Alright kiddos, I'll be off to work. I'm working a quick shift at the restaurant today, so I'll be home at seven! Tata!" Mother kissed Christophe and I on the forehead and left.

There was nothing but silence, awkward silence.

Ollie, my Persian cat pranced over to me and hopped onto my lap. "That stupid cat of yours gives me the creeps, I'm out of here." Christophe rolled his eyes and went to his room. I rubbed the top of Ollie's head, so he could feel better. He doesn't like it when Christophe is mean and neither do I.

"Don't mind him Ollie, he doesn't know any better." I whispered. Sooner or later, he fell asleep on me. I picked him up and carried him to his little bed.

Christophe and I have never been friends, our parents have tried many times to make us friends, but it never works out. The reason why he hates me so much is because my father left his mother to get with mine. In his mind, I'm the source of his mother's depression and their divorce when really, the decision wasn't mine. Father had a secret affair for years, he says I was born out sin, which is true.

I wish he'd just get over himself and stop being such a jerk. Yet again, I can't blame him for his behavior. Julian is my father, but I do not respect his childish antics from the past.

Sade's Greatest Hits album played silently on the radio. "No need to ask he's a smooth operator, smooth operator..." I swayed back and forth to the beat and pretended like I was in an 80s nightclub. I consider myself an old soul, I rarely listen to modern day music and I try avoiding technology at all costs.

I got a text from my group chat which consists of Rowan, Will, Lyndsey and me.

"Hey Y'all guess what I just found out! This will blow your mind!" Said Rowan.

My curiosity has peaked, although I hate gossip it is also my guilty pleasure. My fingers flew across the screen, "Oh lord, what's today's story?" I asked.

"I just stopped by Just Scraps and guess what I saw... Elias helping Raul clean up the place. On top of that, he was shirtless! Xael, you dig?"

"Oh Rowan, you're such a perv!" Will sent.

I rolled my eyes, "Wow, what a scandal!" I said sarcastically.

"Hey, why don't you guys come over? I'm super bored and I'm home alone C'mon! Let's have some fun." Rowan suggested.

"I'll be there! My dad's being an ass anyway, catch in ten!" Will...

"Same. Be there in a few! <3" Lyndsey...

"I guess I'll come too, It's not a party if I'm not there!" I joked. I tossed my phone aside and turned off my radio. I changed out of my pajamas into jeans and a crewneck.

"Christophe, I'm out! Be back in a few!" I shouted down the hall.

"I don't care!" He responded.

Of course, he doesn't care. Why do I even bother? I grabbed my house keys and walked to Rowan's apartment. During the walk, I learned more and more about my city. In Camden, there are a lot more liquor stores than bookstores. Cigarettes are sold at delis instead of treats. No wonder kids around here act the way they act, they don't have a lot of options.

I passed by Just Scraps and I noticed a guy carrying out large bags of trash, he looked exhausted and I wanted to be kind and give him a hand. "Yo Raul, are we almost done? My back's killing me, man!" There, Elias came outside and stretched. In an instant, I decided to ignore him and keep it pushing. I hope he didn't notice me!

Ever since yesterday, I've had a bad feeling about him. I made a big mistake trying to save a guy who clearly doesn't want to be saved. He's a lost cause and I have no choice but to watch him crash and burn. It kills me on the inside knowing that I can't do anything about it, but I must do what's right for my sanity.

Damn, I miss him a lot...

"Xael, over here! Where are you going?" Will shouted as he threw both of his hands in the air, grabbing my attention. I snapped out of it and approached Will and Lyndsey who was chilling on Rowan's stoop. "I'm freezing my butt off and Rowan's taking forever to open the door! What's the holdup?" Lyndsey shivered and squeezed both of her hands between her thighs to keep them warm.

"Tell me about it, my breath is turning into ice, see?" Will exhaled, a cool cloud of air appeared. He banged on Rowan's door repeatedly until she opened it. "Alright, alright I'm here! Sorry for keeping you guys waiting, I was sort of naked."

All three of us groaned in disgust, "TMI!" I yelled as I covered my eyes. We sat on her couch and ate some chips. "Man, my boyfriend's being such an ass. He gets so jealous for no reason! I told him I was going to your house this morning and that I couldn't hang out. So, he gets upset and says, 'is Will going to be there?' Like duh, is that even a serious question?" Lyndsey scrolled through her messages and showed us the conversation.

We laughed, "He does know I'm not into girls, right?" Will asked. Lyndsey nodded her head up and down, "I'm pretty sure he knows. He gets like that whenever I'm around guys. Regardless if they're straight or gay!"

"Dump him, he's such an airhead!" Rowan added, "Don't get me wrong, you guys are a cute couple but, he's kind of stupid." Lyndsey shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what to say. "I think that's none of your business, Rowan. Leave it to her to make the decision to stay or leave her boyfriend." I said.

Rowan covered her mouth and pretended to yawn, "Boohoo! That's just how I feel, at the end of the day, you do what you want to do." She got off the couch and wandered into the kitchen to fetch us some more snacks.

"Speaking of boyfriends, how's yours?" Will asked. "Yeah! Mr. Ruiz, the troubled artist who has horrible social skills." Lyndsey teased.

"C'mon guys, stop it! He's not my boyfriend, we're not even friends! It's like every time I try to reach out to him, he runs away like a child! I want to be his friend but, he doesn't want anything to do with me. I can't force him—it is what it is!" I shouted.

Lyndsey and Will gave me a hug, "Xael, don't stress over him. He's always been like that, it's not his fault. Ever since his mother passed, his whole personality changed. He stopped playing sports, he cut most of his friends off, and he refuses to let anybody get too close to him. I feel bad for him but, he's just a negative ball of energy that you shouldn't worry about!" Will said. He rubbed my back, trying to make me feel better but it was no use.

"I personally think he likes you and he's too afraid to speak up. He's always at Scraps, you should go there and talk to him. If he acts like a jerk, you leave and never speak to him again. If he does the opposite, get his number and see what goes on from there. Is that a plan?" Lyndsey suggested.

I placed my thumb under my chin and thought about it. Elias has shown me that he doesn't want to be friends but, I never give up on anybody! I was so close to cracking his shell open, but he bailed on me! I think I'm going through with this plan. This time I believe something positive will come out of this.

"Yeah, I'll do it!" I said bravely. "Woohoo!" We all got up and high fived each other. If all goes well, Elias and I have a shot at becoming great friends. Maybe, even close friends...