Camera With Defective Lenses

Chapter Two: Trying To Get In

   "I don't understand Oaklen." I whined, swirling the ice around in my soda.

   "Because you're not paying attention," he said, no expression on his face.

   I stared at him wildly, my hands slapping against the table. I had been at his house for an hour and a half and still I hadn't learned much of anything. He explained my math too fast, and I couldn't keep up. The numbers and letters whizzed across the white paper unnaturally. He used too big of words when trying to help me write my English paper. And to top it all off, he didn't even remember what president Andrew Johnson did. He said he was too lazy to search in the books; he would just tell me about him another day.

   "I am! But I'm not as smart as you. Hell, I'm not half as smart as you." I admitted.

   "If you'd pay attention Hazel..." He stated, closing up the barely used books.

   "It's Harper."

   "Sorry." He said, but he didn't look sorry at all. In fact, he looked like he didn't care, but who was I kidding? It was Oaklen we were talking about. He didn't care about anything but sex, drugs, and alcohol. It was almost sad to see someone of this nature, but I knew there had to be a reason why he acted the way he did. I would just have to...

   "Can you leave now?" He bluntly asked me.

   "What?" I asked dumbly, actually hoping he didn't say those four words to me.

   He rolled his sleepy eyes, "Can you, Harper, leave right now before I do what I have been wanting to do since you rang my doorbell: strangle you."

   His words stung, yes, but I made sure he couldn't read me, "See you tomorrow Oaklen."

~ . ~

   After coming home and drinking some watery hot chocolate, my doorbell rang. Shuffling to the door thinking it was just a Fed-X truck bringing us a pachage, I was quite surprised when I saw my neighbor Blaire there instead. We used to be best friends back in the day, before she got popular. We haven't talked since the middle of our eighth grade year. I opened the door slowly not knowing what she wanted. She walked in without permission, a look of determination on her pretty face. I backed away in shock at her boldness.

   "Harper! I can't believe you!" Her voice was so shrill.

   I shrugged my shoulders at her not knowing what what she talking about.

   "You've been meeting with Oaklen! He's suppose to be mine!" She sassed towards me.

   "He's just tutoring me Blaire. He's yours for the taking." I tried explaining.

   "That's what everyone says. That they're only friends, they don't like each other. But then that's not the story they tell you when you find them in bed together!"

   I almost gagged thinking about myself even kissing Oaklen. He would probably try gropping me and shoving his tongue down my throat within ten seconds. "Blaire, I don't like Oaklen. That's that."

   "Well," she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a little piece of paper, "can you give this to him please Harper?"

   "No, you can do it yourself."

   "Harper, please!" She whined.

   "Okay, fine. Give it to me Blaire." She handed me the slip of paper happily.

   "Thanks Harpie!" And then she left.

   Why is she so annoying? Why am I so awkward? All I could think about Ashby and his hot chocolate. That might be there I went after Oaklen's...

   ~ . ~

   That night after I had gotten all snuggled into my bed, I heard my parents arguing. I perked my ears up to hear more clearly what they were saying. Their voices got progressively loudly, progressively angrier. They were fighting about me. They made me feel like a burden, like the only reason they were still together was because of me. At my dad's last comment which included something about how he was "fucking leaving a hypocrite bitch", I wanted to cry and never leave my bed. During times like this, I did miss Blaire. I needed someone to talk to, but who did I have? I had nobody and once I realized this, I cried even harder.

   Walking into school the next day, I saw Oaklen in the corner talking to one of his pot buddies. I walked up to him Blaire's note in my hand. I pretty much brushed his friend aside.

   "Harper, what are you doing here?"

   "I have something from my neighbor."

   "That's nice." He turned back to his friend who was creepily listening to our conversation.

   "It's for you!" I nearly screamed causing our peers to look strangely at me.

   "Then give it to me Harper." He snatched it out of my hand.

   I turned to walk away only to have him grab my shoulder.

   "Your neighbor is Blaire Faulk?"

   "Yes..."

   He balled up the paper, "Tell her to take this paper and shove it up her ass. Thanks Harper. I'll see you this afternoon." I took the paper back and walked to my class dazed after telling Oaklen I might be a little late for our session.

  ~ . ~

   "Hi, is Ashby here?" I asked the elder lady at the counter.

   "Oui, oui, he asleep upstairs. Do want me to get him?" She said with a harsh accent.

   I shook my head and the little lady ran upstairs. In less than two minutes, a sleepy looking Ashby flew down the stairs. He was just tossing on another one of his nicely colored sweaters. His stressed face looked relived when it met mine.

   "Oh, hey Harper."

   "I'm sorry I woke you. I just wanted something to drink and you're the first person I thought of coming to..." I rested my clammy hands on the cool metal chair.

   "Oh no, Harper! It's really okay. I needed to get up anyway." He made us some hot chocolate adding different spices this time. We sat down on the couch they had settled in there.

   "This is amazing." I slurped up the drink at a dangerous level.

   "Whoa, whoa there is some vodka in there. Don't drink it too fast."

   I held the cup away from my face, "Are you sure?" I didn't smell any alcohol in it.

   "Nah, I'm teasing. We don't have any alcohol in my house. My grand-mère," he said referring to the elder lady, "is an ex-alcoholic. After my mom passed..." He looked down into his cup.

   I rested my hand on his knee, "You don't have to explain, it's okay."

   "Yeah, you're right. You came here for a drink. Not for me to complain and bicker."

   "I'm all ears," I looked down at my watch, "shit, but not now! I have to go to Oaklen's! I have art class tomorrow, but can we meet after that?"

   He smiled at me, "I'd love to. See you then."

   I handed my now empty cup to him and practically ran out the door. I caught a taxi and landed up right where I was suppose to be: Oaklen's house. Except there was something different.

   Oaklen ran out the door, "Hazel, look what she did to my car! That piece of fucking shit!" I looked at his car and realized it had gotten egged.

   "We're getting revenge on Blaire, Hazel, if that's the last thing we do."

   Oh sweet Jesus, what have I gotten myself into with this crazy freak?