DAYDREAM, ROBIN BUCKLEY

TWO

Richard Hill sits in front of his daughter at their small wooden kitchen table. In between his pointer finger and middle finger is a cigarette, one that he brings up to his thin lips every so often for a quick inhale and exhale. His wife stands over the stove in the kitchen, cooking eggs, bacon, sausage -- everything essential for breakfast this early in the morning.

      Wendy silently watches as her father drags his smoke through the blue ashtray in front of him. She waits for a few seconds, wondering if he'll light another now or wait until after breakfast. He grunts and takes a swig of the scorching hot coffee next to his fork and knife and then looks her straight in the eyes. Looks like he'll wait for after his breakfast, then.

      "How's the job goin'?" he asks her.

      "Good," she replies.

      Silence. Richard clears his throat, a phlegmy sound resonating around the kitchen as he does so. Wendy shifts uncomfortably in her seat, the hair on her arms standing straight as she tried to work up the courage to say something to him. Even if she could manage to get her words out, what would she even say? Their conversations only last a few sentences usually, and not much happens in either of their lives that's actually worth talking about. She comes up blank.

      Linda Hill sauntered over to her husband with a tiny smile. "Here it is," she sang softly, using the flipper clutched in one hand to place the eggs their plates from the giant frying pan held in the other one. The rest of the food follows.

      "Thanks, mom." Wendy smiles at her.

      "You're welcome, dear."

      Wendy is pretty sure that her mother is her favourite person in the entire world. She's a small woman with curly brunette locks and warm brown eyes, but she's the brightest woman she knows. Her father doesn't see it, doesn't realize how much potential she holds, but Wendy finds it hard to not notice. She wishes that her mother would recognize how much better their lives would be if she divorced him. The money would be tight and they would have to move, but none of that would matter when they actually got their own lives. And, maybe, Wendy could find a girl that she really likes and she would fall in love. Or, if her father was the one to leave, Wendy could stay here and get to know the ice cream scooper from Scoops Ahoy a little more. Assuming her mother didn't mind how disgusting her daughter's feelings were.

      Wendy and Richard eat in silence. Her father finishes in a few minutes, leaving his things on the table for his wife to gather. He pulls his shoes on just as Wendy shoves another forkful of eggs into her mouth. After requesting a kiss on his cheek from his wife, he's gone.

      Linda takes up the empty plates to place them in the warm water settling in the sink. She turns to her daughter, pink apron swishing to the side as she does so. "So," she starts, wiping the sweat beading the side of her face, "It's warm today, hun. Maybe the public pool is a good idea."

      Wendy sighs at the mention of the pool. Her mother goes every day with the other women in the neighbourhood, each and every one of them only there to watch Billy Hargrove sit on the lifeguard chair and scream at little kids.

      Once, before she knew the real reason for their going there, Wendy joined Linda and the other women. By the time lunch rolled around, Wendy had been holed up inside the dressing room. She would have left had she owned her own car, but her mother would be furious and she really didn't want to upset her.

      She came out only two times. The first time was to steal snacks out of the concession stand, and she smacked into tiny Holly Wheeler who wailed and called for her mother. Wendy had been so upset that she almost cried too. The second time she came out for a drink -- making sure to pay extra attention to the little ones running around -- and Billy had cornered her just before she made her escape.

      Billy stood so close that their toes touched. He was chewing gum and smiling, his blonde curls a soaked mess. She understood why everyone thought he was so handsome; he had a strong jawline, a dimpled chin layered in morning stubble, and fine blue eyes that were firm and alluring. Her parents would be proud if she brought Billy home to meet them, but Wendy knew the kind of things Billy got into. He'd fought Steve a couple of months ago, or so she heard, and he'd won, too. And the number of girls he'd been with — she would be shocked if he even wanted her for anything other than sex.

      "Wendy," Billy sang, his voice a low, deep grumble resonating from his chest. "It's so nice to--" his eyes fall to her breasts without shame-- "see you. Having fun?"

      Wendy nods mutely, leaning back against the wall. Her face was flushed and her head was ducked down, lips parted slightly as she tried to form her own words. She wished he would leave her alone, let her go back to the washroom without making a move on her. Instead, he smiles a toothy grin and takes a tiny step backward.

      "That's good," he says softly, and the sudden change in behaviour has her mind reeling. "I'm glad. How's your mother doing?"

      Wendy blinks in surprise. "G-good."

      He hums as an answer, and then he turns around and walks away from her, calling out, "I'll see you around, then, Wendy."

      Wendy didn't understand what had happened. She wasn't someone who listened to rumours often, but she had seen Steve's face and had listened to the story straight from the source so she had believed that Billy was a hothead that argued with his fists. The rumours about having sex with multiple girls were true, she knew because both parties involved had talked about it. It wasn't a one-sided thing. That's why she's unsure of what had happened between them. One minute he had been trying to get her back to the washrooms for a quickie, and then the next he was speaking to her like a concerned friend. Soft-spoken, kind eyes, keeping his distance. Ironically, it only made her uneasy.

      She hasn't gone back since. She didn't tell either of her parents, obviously, and had managed to get off going because of work, but now she'd have to have an actual excuse. Or a lie, but she hated lying in general and especially hated doing so to her mother. Still, despite the pity and guilt wafting off of her as she stared at the frail woman ahead of her, she says, "I was going to meet Lindsey at the mall. Sorry."

      It wasn't a complete lie. Lindsey was working today and Wendy would meet up with her, but the two girls hadn't planned it and wouldn't be able to shop together. It didn't matter. If her mother decided that, for the first time, she cared enough to call Lindsey and find out whether or not her daughter was actually with her, Lindsey would cover for her. She knows how badly she needs to get out of the house, away from the pressure and the parents (also known as the pressure-starters).

      "Oh." Her mother plasters on a fake smile. "Alright. I'll drive you."

      Wendy nods in appreciating, averting her gaze to her half-eaten eggs. "Thanks, Mom."

      "No worries, Hunny."

AUTHORS NOTE:

I do NOT stan Billy Hargrove. I added in that little bit because of his late character development, and mostly because there is no part of this series that Wendy will be able to interact with Billy (which I guess isn't a bad thing) and I wanted to show that Wendy isn't good at handling her own battles, especially physical ones, without help. It's called character development and I really desired to have an OC that isn't a total badass straight off the bat.

He's still an abusive, racist, self-absorbed asshole that I really, really don't like, guys. I hate that I felt the need to state that just so I don't get attacked.

Also, this was more of a filler chapter because I wanted y'all to know what Wendy's home life was like so yeet bye