The Adventures of Macy and Travis

A Bad Feeling, and Taking on the Responsibility of Being an Adult

    "They're just ignoring you?" I heard Jamie's voice echo through my phone. 
                "Yes. They won't even answer simple questions." I sighed.
        "It's really freaking weird." Travis supplied.
                "There was no lecture of anything, and I'm sorta freaking out." I had told Jamie the whole tale of our night. She laughed when Travis explained how innocent that I wasn't. He told her I was acting like a wild child but I really was just angry.
        "Look, I have to go. Call me if you need anything, and be good, for God sake." Jamie said. I laughed quietly.
                "No promises." Travis and I said in unison. I glared at him, and he shrugged.
        "As much as I hate to do this to you, I have to go too. My mom should be coming home today." Travis looked at me guiltily.
                "It's Monday. Where had she even gone?" He shrugged his shoulders. 
        I stood up off of the porch step I was sitting on. His arms embraced me, and I had a feeling in the bottom of my stomach something was going to go wrong. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and squeezed him as tight as I possibly could. His hands petted my hair down, and I inhaled his scent.
         "I have a feeling. I feel like something bad is gonna happen, Trav." It was mumbled from my face being in his chest but he caught it.
                "I'll be alright, don't worry about me." He reassured.
        "You don't know that. Just please be careful." I felt a soft chuckle erupt from his chest, it's ring bringing me just enough comfort to but the feeling at bay. 
                "Okay, Mace." He gave me a kiss on the forehead and began walking down the road. I wanted to chase him, and make sure he got home alright. I knew something bad was gonna happen, I just didn't know what.
                        "Travis!" I yelled. He turned around, maybe 100 feet down the road. He raised his eyebrows up as to say "what?" 
                "Call me when you make it home?" I shouted. He nodded with a smile.
        Then I heard him shout back "Sure thing, Mace." 
                Ten minutes went by before my phone rang. I looked down, and was thankful to see Travis's cheeky smile popping up. I answered and before I could even say hello, his voice came clearly amused. "I'm home. All safe and such." 
                "I just wanted to make sure." I reply.
        "I know, but I'll talk to you later Mom is home. Be good." He bid.
                "Be careful." Then, I hung up. 
        I went back into the house, Mom and Dad still weren't paying any attention to my existence, and I couldn't tell if I liked it or not the start with but now I know; I didn't. The tension was unbearable and also the wait of the inevitable lecture was also. They were both all cuddled up on the couch watching Ripley's Believe it or Not. Which was weird cause Dad should be working. 
        I cautiously sat on the love seat, watching their reaction with ultimate precision. "Mom? Dad?" I tried for at least the fifteenth time today. Neither reacted.
            I was getting ready to blow a gasket. "Seriously you guys?! Just give me the lecture that is gonna happen anyway! Quit pushing it off cause I'm tired of waiting I want to get it over with. I already know me and Travis didn't make the best decision yesterday but it's too late now. We're gonna get a job to pay off the fine, so you guys don't have to. Just stop with the silent treatment." I almost jumped when I head Mom's voice softly.
                "Travis and I." She said. I looked at her confused.
        "What?" 
                "It's Travis and I, not me and Travis." She repeated just as soft.
        "We aren't going to give you a lecture." Dad chimed in. "We've tried it countless times before and nothing has happened. You told the cops you were adults, you can start acting like them. Which can start with being responsible for your own actions." I looked at them shocked unaware of what to say.
                "Is this for real?" 
        "Yes. Which means you can either start paying rent here, or get your own place." I looked at them still shocked, but not angry.
                "Okay. When does it start?" They looked at each other.
        "At the beginning of July. That should give you a couple weeks to get a job and pay off that fine."  Dad said.
                "How much?" I found myself asking.
             "275 a month." Mom answered sounding almost unsure. I nodded, and went upstairs.
        I got on my computer and looked for job openings at different places. Then I remembered what James said about Walmart being short on employees. I clicked on the online hiring center and filled out an application for myself, and then for Travis. We had been friends since we were four and I knew everything about him. Which means I knew that he would be too lazy to fill this out himself. 
                It was only six o'clock when I got finished and I had a real hankering for Taco Bell.
        I slipped on my converse. "Mama can I borrow your keys? I really want some Taco Bell." 
                "They are on the counter. Be careful." She pointed towards the counter.
        "You want anything?" She shook her head and I went into the garage and started up her old cavalier. 
                The ride was comforting because I hadn't drove in a while. Travis usually had his old pickup, but this week it was getting fixed. I began to wonder if Travis would want to get an apartment together. If we split it, it would probably be cheaper than the two hundred and seventy-five dollars Mom and Dad wanted me to pay. If we shared an apartment maybe I could get him to stop drinking. It was definitely something to consider. 
        I pulled into the drive through. "Hello, may I take your order?"
                "Yeah, can I have 4 Doritos locos tacos, 2 ranch and 2 regular. Also, can I have one medium baja blast." 
        "That will do. That's $6.30. Please pull around." Her voice came out staticy and I wondered how much they had to pay her to sound so peppy despite the mood she must actually be in.
        They were actually fast, and I got all the right food. I went home to eat. I drove past Travis's house and didn't see his mom's car. Which was weird cause he said she was home.
        I tried to ignore the nagging feeling that something bad was already happening as I ate my Doritos tacos at the kitchen table. I remember the first time I had ever been to Taco Bell. Travis and his mom brought me when I was like 8. Although the menu has changed tremendously in the last ten years, almost everything they had was just as good as it was then. 
        I ate one of each kind and stuck the other two in the refrigerator for later. It was already nine, and for some reason I was exhausted although I had done nothing all day long. 
        I went and gave Mom and Dad a hug and a kiss telling them goodnight. I changed into my sleep clothes. Silently thanking God for getting to sleep in my underwear. The shirt I had grabbed was slightly bigger than the one I usually wore. It hit right above my knee, making me look like I was wearing a t-shirt as a dress. I shrugged and went to the bathroom. I put my hair up, and washed my face. Then brushed my teeth. As I walked past Isaiah's room I sighed. I quietly pushed open the door and went inside. Everything seemed the same, except my annoying brother wasn't present. He had been working double time at the cafe. Also, he had been staying over at his girlfriends since Saturday. I rolled my eyes at the thought of his girlfriend, I had never met her but I was sure she was a ditz. 
        I closed the door and made my way back into my room. Picking up Travis's "bed". Taking back my comforters and pillows. I turned off the light and climbed into bed, the smell of his cologne was still faintly on the pillow and comforter. I surrounded myself in stuff until I was so comfortable my eyes wouldn't stay open.
                
        The familiar cliche' rock on the window scene was occurring again. I didn't even hesitate to get up this time. I rubbed my eyes and made my way to the window. It is Tuesday, at 2:30. This is something new.
        Down below was Travis sitting on the ground looking up at my window. He had an empty bottle of Jack Daniels in one hand, and a half empty opened Jack Daniels in the other. I went downstairs, and snuck out the kitchen door like I usually do. This time I didn't have to worry about Dad because he was sleeping in his room with Mom.
        "Trav?" I walked down the porch steps and into the wet yard. He turned around and his eyes were red and puffy. "Oh, Trav." I said quietly.
                "It won't stop." He said much like a little kid.
        "What won't stop, honey?" I asked as he pulled me into his lap so I didn't get my butt wet. 
                "The pain. It hurts so bad. It won't stop." I begin to look over his body, looking for any sign of bruises or blood, but there was none.
        "It's not on the outside." He said again, and his eyes were as sorrowful as a puppy. "It's in here." He pointed to his chest with the hand with the empty bottle.
                "Here let me see those." He didn't budge, and I grabbed a hold of them. "Come on." He grunted but gave up. I took the open one and took a quick drink, knowing I would need it. I put the lid on them and stood up. I slid them underneath the porch. 
                "What are you doing?" I heard Travis say worriedly.
            "Hiding them so you don't get in trouble. Now Isaiah isn't home. You're gonna have to help me get you up the stairs." He nodded but I knew this was gonna be a big task.  
        I grabbed his hand and helped him stand up. Surprisingly he could walk halfway like normal, which would make it easier than it usually is. I snuck him in the door, closing it quietly behind us. "Come on, one step at a time." He was leaning on me and I was trying my best to support him, but from his rib cage up was leaning sideways over my head. 
        After twenty minutes, we managed to get him up the stairs. He took off his shoes, and jumped in my bed. 
                "What happened? Why are you hurting?" I asked him as I climbed into the bed with him.
        "She left. Mace, she left." He sat up, as did I.
                "Who left?" I looked at him confused. He looked so broken, even more so than normal. His eyes were puffy and he was on the verge of tears once again. 
                "Mom. She left, and she didn't take me with her. She left me with him." He sobbed and I scooted over to him. I wrapped my arms around him on the verge of tears myself, but I knew I had to be the strong one right now.
                He buried his face into the crook of my neck and squeezed me so tight I could hardly breathe. I rubbed my hands up and down his back, trying to get him to calm down.
                "She needed to leave him, Trav." I cooed.
        "But she didn't need to leave me." He hiccuped from all of his sobbing.
                "Don't you want what is best for your mom?" I asked quietly, pulling away slightly from our hug so he could look me in the eyes.
        "Yes." He said looking absolutely hurt.
                "She loves you, Travis. She does, but she needed to get away from your dad. You need to get away from him too, but she couldn't risk making you unhappy by taking you with her. Don't you think she'd be safer with just herself?" I asked softly caressing his cheek.
                He nodded but he was still in pain. I was in pain looking at my best friend in this shape. "Come here." I tried to keep my voice steady but it came out cracked cause it was heart wrenching to see him in such a shape. 
        He pulled me into his lap, and I wrapped my arms around him tightly again. "It's gonna be okay." I whispered, giving his cheek a soft kiss. 
                "You probably need to get some sleep." He nodded, and I wiped a remaining tear from his cheek.
            He laid down, pulling me close to him. I covered us up, and took a second to look at his face.
                "Goodnight, Mace." He said quietly. His face was still a little swollen but as he fell asleep he looked almost normal. I gave him a small kiss on his chest before falling asleep myself. 

 okay so I know this is a pretty long chapter and it gets kinda boring in the middle I just didn't know how to cut that out without making some huge time gap, and I wanted to show her thoughts and stuff about moving in with Travis and foreshadow on the fact that something wasn't right with Travis's mom. Anyways, we had a very vulnerable Travis here. Which he seems vulnerable every time he gets drunk. Things may start getting a little different cause they will be having a job, and possibly consider the fact of moving in with each other. If you don't mind please comment and tell me what you think. I'm getting worried cause it hasn't had any sort of feedback, and I don't know how well I am doing. Anyways,thanks for reading, if you want to point out any mistakes that I made please do, because I can read over it a billion times and still not catch any of them. I love you guys, and bye.