The Stranger

Chapter 12.

I couldn't find the words to say back to Dean. What did he mean that we needed to talk about Oscar? Did something happen to him? My mind was racing with what felt like a million thoughts of negativity. I tried to be positive, as I half smiled and replied lowly, "about what?" "Maybe, we can talk about it away from.." His sentence trailed off as he motioned his head towards our parents. I nodded in agreement; we definitely didn't need them involved in this fiasco. "Mom, we'll be outside, getting some fresh air." I yelled to my mom. "But honey, you've been out all day." She replied.

I opened my mouth slightly in attempt to respond back to her, but Dean's mom Renee butted in and said "it's okay, Kath. Let them be kids." My mom smirked. I knew this annoyed her. She was the type who loved having everyone surrounded by each other, enjoying her cooked meals.

I closed the front door behind me, as me and Dean grabbed my mom's favorite lawn chairs from the porch and carried them to the side of the house. "What's going on, with Oscar?" I asked with worry in my tone. He sighed while glancing up into the night sky, trying to find the right words. "Oscar, is not who you think he is." He said while staring into my eyes. "W-what do you mean by that? Is he talking to other girls?" I asked, giggling nervously. I thought about what Yazmeen said about him being a "dog" and maybe she was right.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows, he could be. But that's not what I'm talking about." "Then what do you mean?" I asked getting impatient now. "I'm John Smith, Dazie. I'm the one who messaged you on Facebook." "Sooo.. what are you trying to say, Dean?" I felt my face getting hot from the words that flowed out of his mouth. The palms of my hands started to sweat, as my legs shook rapidly. I knew that the information he was about to provide me with, wasn't going to be pretty. "Oscar, tried to kill me Dazie."

I sucked my teeth and quickly stood up from the lawn chair. "Oh! Please!" I said in denial. "Dazie, listen to me." I folded my arms. "Okay, I'm listening Dean." He closed his eyes for a couple of seconds before opening them again. "The night I dropped you off home. Oscar was here too." I scrunched my face while shaking my head no. "Impossible. It was just me and you that night. He even asked if I made it home safely." "Dazie, he was here. When I drove off, he came at nearly 100 miles per hour and tried to run me off the streets! It wasn't his car, I know what his car looks like." "Okay, okay. Let me get this straight. So, Oscar tried to run you off the streets with another car that wasn't his?" I asked, not believing this story one bit.

"Yes." He replied. "How? What did he get? A rental car for the night?" I asked laughing. "Dazie, you're not listening to me." I could tell he was getting frustrated with how I was handling the situation. I decided to calm down. "I'm sorry, Dean. But do you realize how this sounds? I didn't even hear a peep of your car crashing into the tree." He stood up, throwing his arms in the air. "It's impossible to talk to you, Dazie." He started to walk away. "How? How is it impossible? Do you hear your story? You expect me to believe that?" I said, chasing after him. He kept his back towards me as I tried to gain his attention by tapping on his shoulders.

He turned around with flushed cheeks. "You'll find out soon enough. Don't say I didn't try to warn you." He said darkly. The tone in his voice led me to believe that he was serious, and this wasn't to be taken lightly. I reached my hand out to massage his arm. "Dean, I'm sorry. You have to understand, it sounds a bit crazy." My voice a bit softer now. "I know, Dazie. We'll talk about it later, I'm starved." I nodded in agreement, still grasping his bicep. "I am too." As we walked back to the front of the house, headlights beamed brightly behind us. I turned around, covering the top portion of my eyes with my right hand. "Who is that?" Dean asked. "I.. I can't tell." I replied squinting at the parked car.

My mouth opened slightly, as the person stepped out of the car. "Hey Daze. What's up, Dean?" It was Oscar. "What are you doing here?" I asked, eyeing him. "And who's car is that?" "My car is in the shop, babe." He said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "Dean, what's up? Why are you here?" Oscar asked. Dean lowered his head and turned the front door knob to enter the house, closing the door behind us. "What's his problem?" Oscar asked chuckling. "Oscar, seriously. What are you doing here? And why is your car in the shop?" He placed both of his hands on my shoulders, lightly shaking me. "You worry too much! Relax! My car just had a slight engine problem, so I rented this baby right here." He said, turning around with pride smiling at the mercedes benz.