chapter 2

Chapter 2

            It was Sunday, the one I had been dreading for two weeks. Scott had just left and it was defiantly not my favorite day. He left me his switchblade and a few other choice items. The way Jones’ looked at me in the smug way she always does made me want to take a wild punch to her catlike smile. The way her face was formed, if I did whack her it most likely would have made her look better.

            I hated feeling helpless, not sure what to do. There was no one to go to. No one. I sensed that Scott felt it too. The only difference is, is that he had no idea where is life is going. Not knowing if you’re going to end up a multi-millionaire, or in the dumps living off of scraps.

            After Scott left, Katie came in to study. Even though there was an extra set of books, Jones had pleasure in making me suffer. We worked in silence, I had nothing to say to her and she had nothing to say to me for a while.

“I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to lose a family member.”

“Look, I don’t want to sound rude but you make it sound like Scott just died.” I told her, not looking up from my book.

“Well I’m sorry for my compassion.” Katie replied sarcastically.

            I didn’t bother her again, I don’t like getting girls too mad at me (as for the fireworks that did not bother me, it was worth It. They weren’t even fireworks. More like overgrown sparklers, I might add)

            I looked over at Katie, her light auburn hair fell slightly over her face covering up her pale eyes. I could tell she was having trouble on her math homework. She sighed loudly and erased with her pencil as loudly and frantically as she could. Math was my best subject. Never knowing why everyone was so bad at it, I did my best to rub it in at any possible moment. Knowing that I could solve the problem and no one else could. That way most people think I’m smart and bright. But to save the whole story, only teachers believe that. Katie looked up at me.

“Are you gonna help me or not?” She asked. I smiled and scooched my chair closer to hers.

 

 

“I’m Red.” the boy said. I hadn’t had the room to myself more than one week when Miss Jones had gotten this kid to replace Scott. It was like she wanted to completely erase Scott from her memory.

“He will be your new roommate” Jones told me. She towered a head taller than the guy. Her hands were placed gruffly on his shoulders. Her cat smile was large showing off her yellow teeth, damaged permanently by years of smoking. By her feet was the scrawny cat, rubbing its head against her thick legs.

“Brady." I told him I hadn’t moved an inch from where I was sitting, giving my person a relaxed but stern personality (confusing him).

“Well I’ll leave you two alone.” Miss Jones said, and she left. Following her was the mangled cat, Dog.

            Red stood in the doorway, maybe thinking I would welcome him right after Jones left. I didn't, so he stepped in and started to unpack his things. I could tell he was from the country by the looks of his clothing. Plaid shirts and dirty cowboy boots.

“Where do I put my stuff?” he asked.

“The closet is divided into two halves you get the other side. And there’s two drawers for you.” I replied. I had not been reading my book with any interest. What I had been doing was kind of watching him, like a housewife watches a new neighbor move in.

            He took out a picture of what I thought was his family. There was a man and a woman, Red and a little girl. The little girl looked about six. She had a big smile on her face and was missing her two front teeth. She was wearing a bright yellow dress with tiny red flowers printed on it. Red was wearing a long sleeved button up navy blue shirt, and a pair of jeans. His eyes looked bright and cheery unlike they did now, sad and full of sorrow. His teeth were perfectly white. His parents were close in the picture. The father had thick blonde hair and the wife had long jet black hair. The perfect family, is what it looked like. But no one is perfect. My family fought very little, but when we did it would be a big fight with lots of yelling. Red gently brushed the side of the framed photo with his fingers.

“Mind if I put this on the dresser?” he asked me.

“Go ahead.” I told him. He did.

“I’m seventeen.” he told me.

“Me too.” Red seemed okay. He had dirt brown hair to match his eyes. Red seemed to look pretty strong, but I could probably beat him if we were to get into a fight. His eyes looked tired and sad.

“Any brothers or sisters?” I asked him sympathetically.

“Yeah. At least I used to.” he replied in a small voice.

“Scott, my older brother just left. Legally as an adult.” I sat up and grabbed a picture of the two of us from the desk and gently handed it to Red.

“You don’t look much related to each other” he commented, not to be rude, it was just a side note.

            I heard a knock at the door, but before I could answer Katie came in. she had Scott’s textbooks in her arms,“Miss Jones wants me to give these to the new kid.” she looked at Red for the first time since she walked in. she looked him up and down, then she smiled slightly.

“Hi, I’m Katie.”

“Red.” he replied.

“What?”

“My name is Red.” he told her with patience.

“Oh I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry I get that remark a lot.”

            Katie nodded and smiled a little more and finally said,” I need to go” she looked at me, “dish duty.”

“Aw the joyous times you have while scrubbing dirty dishes.” I said to her in a happy sarcastic tone. Then she left closing the door behind her.

“So why do I get her books?” Red asked

“Newbies always get special treatment.” I said

“Was she new?”

“What? Oh! No, I set off fireworks in her room and burned hers.” I told him without even thinking. But by saying this it seemed to lighten his sad gloomy mood.

“Anyways she uses our books until she can get new ones which probably won’t be a short wait.”

“Why doesn’t she study with her roommate?” Red questioned

“Cause Miss Jones says so.”

 

 

            Red and I walked down the street, I was planning to stop by Scott’s apartment and introduce him to Red. I hadn’t talked to Scott since Red had become my new roommate, which was a couple of days ago. He lived the poorer part of town. The apartment building was okay. The landlord, Ms. Pattie, is not at all like what you see in movies. She does her best to keep the building clean. Pat lets pets into the building and helps the homeless. She’s an older lady whose husband died in WW2. I know this because when she stops you in the hallway and asks you for help or such, I see her desk, which is covered with photos of him in uniform. She has a metal in a glass case on her desk where she kept the only two metals her husband had. She also has a framed newspaper with the words “WE WON!” hanging on her wall.

            Red and I climbed the stairs stopping only once to catch our breath. Scott lived on the fourth floor of the elevatorless building. Coming up the last of the few steps, feet heavy. One of the tenants opened his door and said, “This isn’t Vegas! Shhhh!” then slammed his door rather loudly.

            Not knowing what to have said we both began to laugh. When we arrived at the tiny apartment at the end of the hallway, I took a key from underneath a pot which contained an ugly fake plant.

            Opening the door it was no surprise to find an empty apartment, Scott was out working most likely. Shutting the door behind us Red and I stepped in.

“Want anything to eat?” I asked him

“Sure.” Red replied, then he sat down on the stiff couch and picked up a magazine with a pretty woman on the front. Then a few seconds later he put the magazine back with a wild grin on his face.

It was then that I found a disturbing note from Scott taped to the refrigerator, it read

“Brady, left for California”