Moved (#Wattys2014)

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

I stood on the steps and waved as my dad pulled down the driveway.  My smile stayed put until he was out of sight.  As soon as he disappeared, so did it.  He'd stayed the two days, but he hadn't found a car for me or relented to move me somewhere near my mom's family.  When he'd asked why it was so important to me that I meet my mom's family, I'd stopped talking.  I couldn't tell him.  So instead, I stayed where I was—in the middle of nowhere—and watched him leave.

I was now at the mercy of my crabby, very unrelated neighbor who, according to Dad, had happily agreed to take me anywhere I needed.  Imagining Racer "happily" doing anything was a stretch for me.  Each time we had run into each other, he'd been abrupt.  Not in an overly rude way, more of an I'm-not-here-to-chat way.

Sighing, I turned and went back inside.  After arriving in the cold rain, yesterday and today had remained mild.  I opened my windows and booted up my laptop.

Hours later, I closed the lid in agitation.  I liked learning.  I liked reading.  I even liked the quiet.  But at the moment, all three were annoying the heck out of me.  How was I going to finish my classes like this?  Stupid Chuck.  Darn overprotective, misleading Dad.

I changed into jogging clothes and pulled on a light windbreaker.  My problem wasn't school or people.  I was annoyed and had too much energy.  After all the cleaning yesterday, I wasn't sure how having too much energy was even possible.  I jogged down the steps and sat on the last one to lace up my runners.

"Going somewhere?"

Racer's voice startled me, but I managed not to react and kept tying my shoe.

"Yep.  I thought I'd go for a run."

He heaved a sigh.  "Fine.  Just give me a minute."

His door closed before I could look up.  Did he want to go, too?  Finishing, I stood and stared at his door.  Was I really supposed to wait for him?  The door opened before I could decide what to do.

"Come on," he said as he closed his door.  He wore loose nylon pants and a tight long sleeve shirt.

"Racer, I didn't mean you should come with me."

"I said come on."  Annoyance laced his words.  He held the door and watched me impatiently.  I fought to hide my reaction to his openly rude attitude.

"I'd prefer to go alone.  I just need to burn off some energy.  No big deal."

"I promised your dad I'd keep an eye on you.  No wandering around alone."

This time I didn't manage to prevent the slight narrowing of my eyes.  Dad.  He'd be getting a call from me tomorrow when he got home from work.

"Look," Racer said.  "If your heart's not set on running, you can use some of my equipment and have all the alone time you want.  Either way, you have to step out the door."  His tone oozed impatience and arrogance.

Holy heck, I wanted to strangle him.  I stepped outside and followed him around the house to a pole shed.  It was set back from the house by about ten feet.  Enough room to fit a vehicle between the two buildings.

He opened the door and motioned me in.  I looked around the twenty by thirty space filled with exercise equipment.

"Wipe your feet to keep the floor clean," he said, pointedly looking at the floor mat that lay just inside the door.  "I'll be on the other side.  If you need anything, yell."

He headed for the wide, double-hung doors that partitioned the part of the shed we'd stepped into from the rest of the shed.  He closed himself into that side, leaving me alone.  Mats covered the majority of the cement floor.  Out of habit, I took off my shoes and left them on the mat.  Warmth seeped through my socks.  A heated floor.  Unreal.