Chapter II : Back To Basics

A Chapter by MaliceMontgomery

   Sunday, September 3rd , 2006

    She sat with her arms crossed in her lap at the end of her bed. Her hair just past her shoulders. Elaine or Elli to her friends was a beautiful young girl though only seventeen, she was humble, kind, and very discerning. When she spoke it was as if she was telling an epic tale of good versus evil she spoke with enthusiasm and her body moved with her words. She'd use her hands to draw a picture in an attempt to clarify something she was talking about, her leg would shake when she was upset or angry, she couldn't tell a lie to anyone because she always blinked to much, and depending on the way Elli sat you could tell just how involved she wanted to be in her surroundings.

    Elli was Oscar's younger sister and the differences were way to apparent. No one could be a better example of opposites when it came to their personalities. Oscar had this way about him, loud, rambunctious, and had to have an opinion about everything. While she was calm more often than not, not really all that social, she liked to keep to herself and observe. No similar tastes in music either. Oscar was a lover of classic rock: Guns 'N Roses, Metallica, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Her tastes were more indie based: The Junior Panthers, Death Cab for Cutie, and Bright Eyes. Their physical features weren't even similar Oscar was a little hefty, tall, built like a wall however he had the balance of a one legged alcoholic. Elli was small about five foot two, skinny but not anorexic skinny, she had some meat on her bones to give her those desirable curves, and when she walked it was graceful as if she could glide.

    When the young girl rose from the end of the bed her green eyes were burning with fury. Obscene drunk phone calls from her present boyfriend were keeping her awake the night before. Richard a small built boy just six months younger than Elli. He was a fool, did things to impress other people, dependent on what they thought of him, like he wouldn’t survive without their approval. He was scum down to the core and everyone saw him for what he was except Elli, she game him a chance, to prove he wasn’t what everyone thought he was…and he wasn’t doing to well to say the least.

Elli didn’t want Richard to meet Connor, she even tried to keep him away from Oscar…because Richard had an attitude, and didn’t keep his foot out of his mouth. She knew Oscar wouldn’t let off an argument not for anything, and Connor just wouldn’t let it slide. When they were younger they had gone to a party at Molli’s and a boy a little larger than Connor was trying in his drunken state to convince Molli to go upstairs with him. She finally got tired of it and told him to f**k off and tried to walk away and when he grabbed her, she remembers Connor immediately swinging around the corner and grabbing him. He smacked him around for awhile in the front yard until he sobered up enough to form an understandable and believable apology to Molli. Connor and Oscar were big guys, they weren’t afraid of anyone. They got to intimidate people at Molli’s house parties when things got a little to rowdy. Oscar took two young kids out in the back yard once and challenged them to a boxing match for trying to pick fights with other kids. They hit him once and he got a shot in return. The first kid threw all he had into it and Oscar just shrugged it off, Oscar put all his weight into his and it nearly lifted the kid from the ground, he didn’t try to get up, just held his head. The next kid got nervous, he got edgy, and took a risk. Jumped on Oscar and just started hitting him in the face repeatedly, Oscar grabbed him by his sides and threw him down on the ground. He planted one good kick to his chest and knocked the wind right out of the boy. Oscar laughed went back inside like it was nothing.

     But they weren’t always so tough, Connor met Oscar in the fifth grade, some of the kids used to pick on Oscar, he wasn‘t always the tough guy, well when Connor moved into town and entered into the same grade, Oscar became immediate friends with him, the next week they fought four kids on the playground…they lost, but in the end they became close friends and have been sticking together ever since. Graduating from high school in two thousand five and now that it was the fall of two thousand six their friendship had seen around eight years of abuse. They had their disputes about things but they loved each other. Elli wasn't around much in the beginning of the friendship but when she hit high school and developed a healthy set of breasts, she appeared more often than not. Inviting herself along on their late night drives or parties. Which was good for Oscar because it helped him keep an eye on her and have some say in what she does on the weekends, he thought of it like playing babysitter. Connor grew protective of the two of them, they had filled the void of affection he'd been missing. Connor didn't have any brothers or sisters he lived only with his father. His mother had passed away in December of two thousand one.. Diagnosed with Lou Gherhig's Disease in January the same year. Connor watched her wage a war upon herself, for death was inside. The following year after her passing most things had changed for Connor everything except his friendships. Connor even dated Elli for a short period but it didn’t last long, they had just split up last Monday, they promised each other their friendship wouldn‘t change, they swore on that. Connor found himself in the hands of the devil soon after that, you see his mind was positive when he was in a relationship, someone to talk to, confide in, someone who would understand him or at least try to.

They struggled through a lot together but things had been growing more and more difficult when Oscar started using drugs too, and Connor upped the ante with his binge drinking, and Elli had gotten a little curious about other drugs, she liked weed, maybe she’d find something else she could enjoy.

They have had mixed up lives but there was one thing today that they couldn’t ignore. Mr. Addison ; Elli and Oscar’s father, died ten years ago today, Oscar was only nine, Elli was six. Mr. Addison was a stocky man, that’s where Oscar’s mother says he gets it from. Mr. Addison was known for him temper, he’d been in a few scuffles through his life, mostly little bar fights. But one night at the pub down on Main Street and Spring right on the Corner. Mr. Addison started hollering at some drifter hanging around the bar, large built man taller then Mr. Addison but not as stocky. After a few minutes the drifter caught a few choice words Mr. Addison had spoke under his breath. The stranger walked up to the bar and ordered another beer when he went to go back to his table, he popped his elbow out and tipped Mr. Addison’s beer into his lap. They started to scrap a little and ended up outside near stumbling through the parking lot eventually Mr. Addison came out on top and without hesitation left the stranger on the ground and went back into the bar. A few hours later when he went out to his car, the bar had closed up and he was the last one left, usually was the way he drank. He was tackled from behind, and struck repeatedly with a large rock the stranger had found on the edge of the parking lot. Mr. Addison tried to call for help but it was late almost three o clock Friday morning. No one was out and about and it was still so loud in the bar from the juke box and chucking empty bottles into a trash can that already had about twenty bottles sitting in the bottom. The Stranger struck him until Addison stopped moving. The blood had gotten all over the strangers hands and arms, splattered on his shirt and pants. The entire backside of Addison’s head was crushed by the impetus of the rock. The parking lot smelled like death and by the time the bartender and waitress left at four thirty the Stranger had gone.

It’s caused a lot of debate around town, such a violent crime and no one found guilty, left a lot of the people at the bar uneasy. Oscar and Elli never heard the full story, Connor had only heard bits and pieces from them, they never really talked about it.

"Are you ready yet?" Elli yelled down the hall to Oscars bedroom.

"I'm coming." Oscar hollered back and as he walked out of his room he turned his head towards his little sister.

Her eyes grew wide and she examined his face closer. "What happened to your nose!?" She questioned.

"Nothing" He said and walked around her to go downstairs. "Liar!" She exclaimed as she followed him down.

A knock came from the front door so Elli went to answer. When she opened she saw Connor standing with his frame blocking the sun from her eyes. She stared for a moment, his dark brown hair was short but long enough to work around, he styled it from time to time, but not very often. He smelt like smoke, his eyes were tired, but even though he was looking a little strung out from not sleeping Elli wasn't any less enthusiastic.

"Connor!?"

"Elli." He answered back and smiled.

She smiled back and gave him a hug while his tall stature and long arms pretty much consumed her. Oscar came from behind the corner walking to the door.

"Connor." Oscar said with a nod of acknowledgement..

Elli finally let go of Connor and stepped to the side to grab her purse off a small redwood dresser just a few feet from the door.

"Oscar, how are you this morning?" Connor spoke as he backed out of the door and held it while they came outside.

"I'm alright, my nose hurts." He smiled.

They got into the car and left. It was only twenty minute drive from Oscars house to the cemetery his father was buried. Oscar drove his vehicle with Connor sitting passenger, and his younger sister occupying in the back seat. They listened to the only C.D. he kept in the stereo; a mix of various classic rock songs. There wasn't much conversation during the trip only small talk and the music filled in the where there was an abundance of absent words.

"I think this is it." Oscar turned into the parking lot and followed it down to one of the smaller side roads off to the left of the center drive which was the main road that led straight through the cemetery. They stopped about two hundred yards down the road and turned the car off. Connor stepped out first followed by Oscar and then Elli.

Connor waited for them to lead the way and he followed behind the two siblings and didn't acknowledge anything surrounding him. He walked with a blank look on his face, eyes fixated directly into the sky, his pace was steady and quiet. When they finally reached the headstone, he stood a few feet away from Oscar and Elli while they stood at their fathers grave. He over heard them talking quietly as if they would disturb the others laying in their earthly tombs.

"Dad, you know it’s about that time again.” Elli said pulling a rose our of her purse that resembled something more along the lines of a small tote bag and set he flower down on the grave.

Connor watched as they walked back towards the car and he flicked the cigarette he was smoking out of his hand. He exhaled that familiar mixture of chemicals that just lingered in his chest. Kneeling down beside Mr. Addison's grave he spoke softly to the dead.

"They say it‘s beautiful when you die, a golden palace and perfect bodies, no hate or anger, no greed or fear. I hope you‘ve found what your looking for. Your children are in good hands…I‘ll watch after them." Connor stayed down against the dirt for a few minutes before he rose from his position and looked up to see a feeble old man standing not far from him.

"They say death is a gift." The feeble mans voice was broken between words, like he had to take a deep breath between each.

"Excuse me." he blinked for a moment to try a double take in an attempt to put a name to this stranger.

“Death it is a gift.” The old man mumbled almost as if he was speaking to himself, he walked away. Mumbling more words softly to himself.

Connor didn’t respond he just looked back down at the headstone and then stood up and started walking back to the car.

When they returned home Connor led them into the Addison's house. Connor only stayed a short time before leaving to go home while he was standing outside taking in a few breaths of fresh air before getting in his car Elli came out to say goodbye, coming straight up to him.

"Leavin?" She asked as she stood with one hand brushing the hair behind her left ear.

"Yeah, I'm outta here, I have a few things to do today." He replied but Connor just wanted to get away. There was nothing he'd have to get away for, his day was filled with wasting time.

"Kay, can I call you later?" Elli asked.

"I guess, try not to make it to late." Connor finished his sentence gave Elli one last hug but this time it was different. It seemed more intimate for both of them, Elli closed her eyes and held him tight enough to feel his heart beating in his chest. Connor felt her grip tighten so his did as well and that minute was the longest of his life. He remembered everything they’d been through, the times he woke up with her in his arms, and all the times she said she loved him with those empty arms and hesitant hugs. She was growing up, she could hear him breathing, slow and steady, it was the only time she felt safe, and it was the first time she felt guilty…for everything.

“Connor…?” She questioned looking up at him after releasing him from the intimate embrace.

“I know.” He replied looking down into her big blue eyes… “I know.” He kissed her on the forehead and turned to walk towards his car.

She didn’t say anything she just watched him leave.

The day seemed to drag on after that as most did around this of year in the quiet suburbia.   It was the early fall and winter was a long awaited event for Connor and Oscar. They enjoyed the cold probably more than anyone else. Long walks at night through the empty streets counting the snow angels in strangers yards. They filled their time with anything that would keep their minds off the everyday routines that would soon set in once they settled into the season. Fall and winter also brought along a few holidays which meant Andreis would be in town. An old friend from High School, he was a Senior when they were Freshmen, he took care of them in high school showed them the ropes when they came to school. He lived just a few houses down from Oscar and when he’d come home for the Holidays from College he usually would hang around with Connor and Oscar the whole time, it was really the only reason he came down. His mom and dad came up to see him every now and then at school, so it wasn’t such a big ordeal when he came home for the holidays, he’d just eat with his family and be gone every other day with the guys.

Connor arrived home and went straight up to his room, pulling a drawer open and taking out a small black notebook full of numbers. Most people in the area had drug problems. Connor had problem with painkillers, Vicodin specifically, the white pills that calmed his nerves and kept him functioning. He was taking up to five or six a day. He'd been taking massive amounts of aspirin and drinking them down with a few swigs of Whiskey. Six months ago he got in contact with a girl named Stephanie, his current dealer, he got hooked on the Vicodin. Stephanie wasn't to worried about his well being just about getting paid. She fed his addictions to keep him coming back. It was strange really, she was a good student, still in high school. Beautiful, friendly, but she was the death dealer for more then twenty kids in the area.

Connor called her and asked when she was available again to make her next Vicodin sale, she told him sometime Thursday of Friday.

Connor hung up the phone and sat at the end of his bed. He was uncomfortable, but not because he was afraid he felt more helpless than anything. Confused and distraught Connor took a vicodin from a bottle in a nightstand drawer and chewed it before swallowing then washed the bitter taste down with a bottle of water. He laid back to try and get some sleep, he had a bad habit of keeping himself up for two of three days then sleep off the sickness that came along with the strenuous task of keeping himself active. He felt like there weren't enough hours in a day to do what he wanted to do so he just ignored the sunrise and sunsets and continued as he regularly would.

He fell asleep and was devoured by his dreams. A non-materialistic world that shrouded his thoughts with a cloud of hope or sometimes despair. A deep surreal spiral of colors filled his eye lids, like some kind of acid trip. His eyes couldn't focus on just any spot in his thoughts, just little pieces of everything, his colorful high and clouded mind we're making for a interesting sleep.

But just as he sank into the beautiful ocean of color and warmth…

( ZZZZzzzzZZZZzzzz ) His phone vibrated beside his left hand immediately bringing him back to reality. Without looking he moved his hand around to find and grab it;

"Yeah." Groggy and unclear he spoke into the cell phone.

"I'm surprised you answered." A girls soft voice came over the receiver.

"Who is this?" Connor questioned over the phone.

"What!? You should know who this is." The girls voice was a little unnerving for Connor to hear.

"No pretty sure I don't, who is this?" Connor wasn't much for being impatient but it was a simple question that didn't require anything but a name.

"Arienette, Delilah's…" Connor hung up before she could finish and threw the phone off the side of the bed.

"Denied.”   He mumbled to himself wiping his eyes and rolled over to face his white walls.

The phone just kept ringing for hours, every twenty minutes the vibrating cell phone moved across his rug in a circular pattern, lighting up, and eventually stopping for a short while. Connor fell fast asleep again, swimming through the warmth of his thoughts.

"CONNOR!" His father yelled from downstairs. Connor immediately awoke, shot up from his bed, and came downstairs.

"I didn't do it! I swear!" He exclaimed once he had his father in his sight.

"Didn't do what?" Alistair asked.

"Whatever your going to blame me for, that's what." As Connor finished his statement he heard the wood floor creaking behind him and turned around immediately.

"Hello Connor." A beautiful girl spoke to him with that same soft voice he heard over the phone. It was Arienette. She stood in the doorframe of the front room with brunette hair layered and highlighted, warm brown eyes, and a body that any man would have been lucky to get his hands on. It's like her outfit was made just for her, the long legs that carried her so gracefully were wrapped in a black denim and a low rise on the jeans was up just at her waist. The shirt had some abstract design with a rainbow selection of colors but it was just the right size to compliment her D breasts and the v neck collar came down just enough to draw attention with more than enough cleavage showing, but she was a tease, every inch of her body provoked the average man. Her face was something out of the magazines just the right structure, her skin just the right color, brown eyes matched her mocha colored hair with caramel and blonde highlights, the hair just hanging down to her shoulders at its longest , all choppy from the layering. And the smile she wore so deviously made Connor weak at the knees.

"Who told you where I live?" Connor was baffled and confused, his face was showing an expression of surprise. His mouth sat agape, his eyes wide, and his nostrils flared.

"Can we talk?" She asked kindly without an answer to his question.

"What, NO!, I have nothing to say to you or any of the girls from your little clique." Connor shot his mouth off and his father laughed.

"Entertain the young lady son, I'm sure what she has to say is important." Alistair standing against the counter pouring a glass of bourbon with the newspaper under his right arm.

"Alright, so let's hear…"

"Take her downstairs boy, I raised you better then that." Alistair insisted with one hand pointing to the door in the back of the kitchen that led downstairs.

“Yeah,” He sounded despondent “that door will lead you down stairs, I’ll be right there.”

His father said nothing just smiled at Connor as Arienette went through the door and followed the stairs down.

"She might not be the person your so weary of." Alistair commented.

Connor said nothing at first, he reached out and grabbed the glass of bourbon his father had fixed, one third of the small glass was filled with it's amber colored liquor. Connor took it in his left hand and shot it down without a pause and placed the empty glass back on the counter from whence it came.

Alistair gave a hearty laugh then spoke, "Remember boy, the sheep feeds more than the wolf."

Connor knew what he meant, Connor knew because he'd been the sheep before.

When he came down the stairs a long brown couch was in the corner across from a large television on the opposite side. Connor turned the light on and sat down on one side.

"You can sit down, I don't bite." Connor told her and lit a cigarette.

"Thank you,” She smiled “how are you?" She asked.

"I don't know, what are you doing here anyway?" Connor blew the smoke out directly in front of him and tried to pay attention to what she was saying. It was hard, his mind was racing, with thoughts of Delilah, and what she might have to do with this.

"I just came over to check on you." She mocked his nervous comments.

"Check on me?" Connor refuted.

"Yeah, to make sure everything is ok, I mean you stopped answering your phone after you hung up on me." Arienette said.

"Everything is not ok and I stopped answering the phone because you were calling and you would think even someone as intellectually fucked as you would comprehend that." Connor stated.

"Why isn't everything ok?" Arienette asked.

"Well you're here and I'm sure that it's not to make sure I'm recovering to better health." Connor said.

"Delilah and I aren't talking right now if that makes you feel any better." Just as she finished Connor laughed.

"Not talking, that's good, you know I hear girls say that a lot but it's always a lie." Connor replied.

"Excuse me? What are you trying to say?" Arienette sounded a little upset.

"Your looking for something, I don‘t know what it is, and I don‘t care. But I know you’re here because of her, that‘s the only reason a girl like you would bother with a boy like me." Connor commented calmly then took a long drag from his red.

"Why are you so angry, and what does that mean a girl like me?” Arienette asked angrily.

"I‘m angry because you want to come down here like it‘s nothing and everything’s savvy, but it’s not. I’ve known girls like you, fucked in the head, you think it’s ok to get involved in anything, because you feel your untouchable, you can just come and go as you please. Say what you want without a consequence, you’re a f*****g c**t.” Connor shot back at her.

“Why are you being like this?“ She said to him.

“Being like what? What did Delilah say I would be like?, that f*****g b***h was always so fucked up I’m surprised she can remember my name.” Connor was frustrated and was picking a fight.

“She remembers more than you think, she remembers everything about you, she still worries about you.” Arienette with a little attitude.

"That f*****g b***h couldn’t give a s**t less, she wants to seem compassionate, caring, and whole hearted, but the truth is she’s a f*****g liar, a fake, she smiles through her teeth at you. Probably runs her mouth when your not around.” Connor spoke with his hand speaking with him, he knew Delilah all to well to expect anything more than bullshit from her.

“She’s not like that anymore, she really does worry about you, worries herself sick over you. Probably still loves you.” She replied without sounding upset or unsettled by Connors ranting.

"The only way she could still love me…is if she had loved me in the first place. And I’ll tell you this once, Delilah doesn’t love, she doesn’t understand it, she doesn’t try, she’s the ice queen, the poster child for the girl you don’t want your parents to meet.” Connor said calming down a little and settling in his seat on the couch.

“Why are you so hateful towards her after all this time?” She asked him folding her arms across her chest.

“Because she became everything she always said she wouldn’t be and she didn’t care, she’d given into all her friends and all the vices. All the nights I watched her drink herself stupid, crawling across the floor like a f****n junkie to get that last hit. The cocaine filled her with happiness, happiness that she once found in me. I couldn’t satisfy her anymore…she always wanted more…after I gave her everything…” Connor started to sound upset as he continued and Arienette felt her stomach knotting up watching him tear, “I couldn’t compete, I couldn’t compete with a bottle of f****n pills, and she hated me for that, so she picked the drugs over me, but I stayed anyway, I told myself it’s only temporary, once day she’d wake up like it was all a bad dream, and come back to me. So I took care of her when she’d end up in a strangers bathroom throwing up all over herself, I still loved her. After awhile I knew no matter how many times she woke up with me, no mater how many times I helped her into a bed, or kept her from killing herself, she wouldn’t love me, she didn’t care, when she’d come around she wouldn’t smile, she wouldn’t even look at me sometimes, some morning she’d pick her self up and leave me with her mess. I got tired, that wasn’t what I wanted, not for me, and definitely not for her, but I was the only one who wanted a change. She wanted to be a junkie, I wanted to grow up, so that was it.“ When Connor finished he was distraught, lost, and upset. He lit another cigarette and sat back leaning into the couch. Arienette had a tear running down her cheek.

“I didn’t know, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…” Arienette started and was interrupted.

“Don’t apologize, just don’t think you know anything about me, you don’t you never will.” Connor said.

Alistair, “Connor? Is she staying late?” He yelled from the top of the stairs.

Arienette started to stand up, “I should go.”

“Sit down.” Connor said, “I’ll lock up when she leaves.” Connor yelled back to him.

“Alright, have a good night kids.” Alistair yelled and closed the door.