Across the Railroad Tracks

Chapter 3

I froze and they stopped and looked back at me. They looked at me with confused looks,“S-sure…I guess.” They smiled and I walked up and when I caught up we continued walking. We got outside of the school. I saw my grandmother when we left and she waved at me. I smiled and waved back.

“Lil…how do you know Clara Summers?” Jane asked.

“She’s my grandma. Why you ask?” They both looked at me like I was an alien.

“You’re grandma is Clara Summers? The dean of one of the top colleges in the country!?” Riley sad in disbelief.

“So that’s what she does for a living…huh.” I then walked between them and walked over and halfway over I looked back at them.

“Are you guys coming?!” I yelled over and they came out of there daze. They ran over and we walked over to my grandma.

“Hey Lilly how was your first day?” She asked,”and it seems that you’ve made some friends.” She said with a smile and I smiled back.

“Grandma this is Riley and Jane. They have been showing me around the school. We also have all the same classes…conveniently.” She looked at them.

“Well nice to meet you both.” She held out her hand and they both shook it. I then looked at both of them then at my grandmother.

“Wow…this is the first time that I have seen them speechless today. Anyway Grandma is it alright if they come over?” She nodded and a big smile grew on my face. I got in the passengers seat and they got in the back. My grandma drove off towards home.

“Umm…so how is Lilly related to you Mrs.Summers?” Riley asked and I saw Jane face palm in the rear-view mirror. My grandma chuckled slightly.

“Well I’m her grandmother. I’m taking care of her while she’s going to your school…things aren’t so good at her parents house.” I looked at her to signal her to stop talking and she rolled her eyes. We got home After a few minutes and we all got out. We walked in and I put my backpack on the couch. I untied my tie and undid my hair. When i opened my eyes I saw Riley staring at me. Jane nudged him and I giggled.

“Come on I have something to show you two.” I said with a smile. I wiped around and walked to the back door. They caught up and I opened the door, ran across the backyard and hopped the fence. They were staring t me from the other side.

“Come on.” I said and they shrugged, climbed over and we started walking down the tracks.

“What do you need to show us?” Riley asked as he undid his tie and Jane undid hers.

“You’ll see.” I simply said and we continued. The birds started to sing there usual song and I closed my eyes as I got lost in it. I opened my eyes after taking a deep breath. I loved nature around the tracks. So beautiful. I then saw the top of the tree house in the distance, Riley and Jane were looking around.

“Ok guys we're here.” I said as we got closer. I held my hands behind my back as they looked at it with confusion.

“A tree house?” Jane asked. I looked over my shoulder as I kept walking. I nodded and smiled. I looked foreword and climbed up the latter. When I got all the way up I looked down at them.

“Come on you two what are you waiting for?” They shrugged and climbed up. When They got up they looked around and I saw then mouth ‘wow’ and I smiled.

"It’s surprisingly nice in here.” Jane said.

"But why is there a sleeping bag, two stacks of books, a old backpack and a cooler up here?” Riley asked and I stretched.

“This is my little hide out. I come up here sometimes. From my parents house it’s a two hour walk but a ten minute one from my grandma’s. When things would get rough I would walk up the tracks and climb up here.” I walked over to the cooler, pulled out three soda’s and tossed them over.

“I restocked everything yesterday so the soda’s are fresh.” I then took three apples out of the cooler and tossed them over. I then saw a few squirrels on the widow sill and I grabbed a bag of nuts and a bag of bird seed out of the backpack.

“It also looks like it’s feeding time.” I then placed nuts and bird seed on the window sill and stepped back as a few birds came for food. I smirked and turned back and looked at Riley and Jane.

“What?” I asked as they looked at me like I’m an alien again.

“It’s like…you’re a different person than the Lilly we met at school.” Jane said and I giggled. I brushed a piece of my brown hair behind my ear and looked at them.

"Well I just feel at home in the wilderness. I just get lost in the sounds and the flow of everything. I feel like I can be myself without being ridiculed by other people. I guess you guys prefer the fake Lilly huh?” They shook there heads.

“No we like the real Lilly. She seems to have a personality and a free spirit.” Riley said and I blushed slightly. I closed my eyes and listened to the birds on the windowsill start to sing. I sat down and began to whistle along to the tune. I felt a cool wind blow through and some of my hair fly around. I smelled the aroma of the forest and when I finished I opened my eyes and laid back. I heard the distant whistle of the 4 o’ clock train.

“When the train passes we head back.” I said as I stared at the ceiling of the tree house.

“What train? I didn’t here a train whistle.” After Jane said that the train rushed by and I pointed out the window.

“That train.” I said as I sat up and my hair flew around with the sudden rush of air. I put the empty cans in the trash can in the corner and I threw the apple cores out the window. I grabbed the hairbrush that I kept in the backpack and fixed up my hair a little after the train went by. I threw it back in the bag and started heading down the latter. I watched the two of them climb down after I had reached the bottom.

“How did you know that there was a train coming?” Jane asked as we headed back.

“I have my own train schedule that I made up. I also have acute hearing, which helps, so I can hear them coming before I see them.” I said and held my hands behind my back as we walked back.

“Doesn’t it bother you when you’re in a crowded space or when a train passes by?” Jane asked as we were a few feet away from the fence to my grandma’s backyard.

“A little,” I climbed over the fence and looked at them,”but I ignore it.” They climbed over and we went back inside.

“Hey slut.” I heard my cousin say and I turned to see him with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

“Oh look it’s Matt the douche. I thought grandma told you not to come here.” I said with anger in my voice.

“She did but she’s not here.” That smirk on his face always bothered me.

“I haven’t left yet Matt. My cars in the garage.” His eyes widened and he turned around to see our grandma with her arms crossed and a frying pan in one of her hands.

“Get out before I beat you over the head with this. You know that I will put you in the hospital and I won’t go to jail college boy. You’re lucky that I let you pass the entrance exam.” Matt then glared at me and left.

"Who was that Lil?” Riley asked.

“That…was my cousin.”