The Mason's

Chapter Three - Lane

The next week, Travis invited us over to his house. Well, he invited Mom, but she was adamant on introducing us to his roommates. When that woman gets something in her mind, I swear she might as well cement her head in a block of stone.

He lived relatively near, only a block or two away. It was large enough, he lived with two other people, so it made sense. Of course, Mom made us dress up.

"First impressions are important, honey. You can't go dressed like a teenage vampire. "

She ended up stuffing me in a floral printed sundress, which I argued heavily against. Just the sight of it made me feel ill. Too bright, too much color. It thankfully covers the numerous pentagrams drawn on my thigh during school. I get extremely bored during classes, there all too easy. But demons are fun, unpredictable. And very, very much disliked by my mother. Plus they are really fun to sketch.

It was mid-afternoon when we arrived. Ella clung tightly to Mom's side, I hung back, observing the house and the people within. I already knew Travis, for whatever that was worth. His roommate, Summer, I think, was nearly as bad as my mother. She was bubbly, obviously sporty, so so so sickeningly colorful. Liberty on the other hand, wasn't to bad. Her wardrobe shied away from the bright, vibrant hues of her friends, and she seemed quite uncomfortable with us in her home. I liked her.

While Ella was politely talking with Travis and Summer with Mom, I made quiet small talk with Liberty. It wasn't hard to figure out she had a crush on Travis, whether it was just because of their close proximity or if he was an actually okay person, I was unsure. We talked for a while, until an elated squeal shocked me out of our conversation. I whipped my head around to see Travis on one knee, and my Mom grinning like an idiot, jumping around in excitement. The light from the sunset glinted off the shiny surface of the small item in the velvet box, making it shine and glisten. I didn't need to hear it to know she said yes, I was already storming out the door. He proposed, she said yes, my life is tumbling down.

My legs worked on their own, taking me away from the scene. To be honest I wasn't sure where I so frantically running to. I was furious, my vision burning red. It was late into the night when I arrived at the barn. The humid air did little to cool my anger. The dirt floor was welcomed as it came through the opens straps of my sandals. I just wanted to scream! They had been dating for no more than a week, and she just was throwing herself at him like a sucicial off a bridge. Like it turned out so well the first time.

The soft sound of crickets and the hooting of some far off owls soothed me somewhat. Twinkling stars shone through the cracks in the barn roof. Climbing up the stairs to the hayloft, I evened out my breathing. I wasn't going home tonight. The dusty steps brushed dirt against the yellow fabric of the dress, not that I objected. The boards that used to be the roof above the loft had fallen away long ago, leaving the night sky to shine brightly through. I rested back on a bail, soaking in the peace and darkness of the night, something I never got at home. Eyelids fluttering closed, the night shortly enveloped my conscience.

It was around dawn when I woke up. The twittering of birds took the place of crickets and dew hung on every little blade of grass. I groaned, remembering the events last night. Soft light shone through the hole in the roof making the fog glitter and sparkle. It would be a lie to say it wasn't beautiful. But I knew I had to get back home.

The walk back home, no matter how short, was rather unpleasant. The ever growing anger and nerves that built up with each step made me nearly want to stay at the barn. No one was out and about at this time, so it was nearly silent aside from the birds happily singing their tunes. My street came into view shortly and just the sight made my stomach boil with anger. She freaking said yes. Why? Because she was desperate. No one really finds a overly-hyper single mother of two, attractive. She was willing to take anyone at this point.

There was no dramatic greeting when I got home, finding the spare key under the mat. I slipped into the house and quietly padded to my room. The dark, warm, familiarity of the black, embroidered bedspread and the dim lamp, struggling to keep a steady flicker was welcomed as I peeled the now dirty and slightly damp sundress off of my body, tossing it into the laundry bin. Grabbing a pair of baggy black sweatpants and slim-fitting tank top, I trudged into the bathroom to take a shower.