Chapter 20

    The rest of the winter took hold and dumped even more snow on Wilkins Lake. The last gasp, the people lived through worse, it was just another year, another storm. At least the snow would be gone sooner with the warmer winter. Snow plows rolled back and forth along the highways. Pickups with snow blades driving the streets, that the government road crew couldn't get to, were common sight. Stopping off at fast food joints to load up on coffee and food before heading back out. It had been a while since winter snows brought enough to bring the plows right into the city.
    Cars stayed off certain streets when the radio told them that they were trying to clear the huge mounds of snow piled in rows down the middle of the road. In unused parking lots, mounds of snow were dumped. People really didn't complain about it, it was something that happened every year. They contended with the lumps of grey snow. When they were gone, it would mean that spring was bringing the green back to the world.

    Bev didn't hold anything back, just dumped what she had heard onto the rest. Katrina and Dee hated to admit it, but they both hoped on Ryn's side so they did so in silence. Miki hated to admit that she wanted to hear that they were all dead, it was one step closer to getting to go home. Bev threw away her phone that she always had on in hopes of hearing from Earl.
    For everyone else, it was life getting back to as normal as it could be in their house. For Bev, it was waiting, something she did worst. She snapped at everybody, worst at Katrina, and always felt guilty when got into shouting matches with Miki. She was the only one who tried to be nice to Bev. After each time she and Miki had a go at it, Bev would storm out and pull the pin on a bottle of something. It was getting so that Miki was the only one who would say they had to go and find her. Katrina and Dee wanted to just stop caring 'for' Bev.
    It was a fine point for all of them, just drifting apart while Miki tried to hold them together. Bev, sullen and hung over most of the time, sat at the big house. Dee and Katrina sat at the little house with Spencer, both waiting for the sword to drop. Miki, trudging back and forth between the two places. Each time, she felt more and more torn.
    It took one big fight, Bev was gone for three days. Miki started on the first night, at first, joking around that they had to go find Bev. Each time, Dee would just shrug. Katrina would laugh. The second night, Miki pleaded, reminding Katrina and Dee that if Bev left for home, they were all in trouble. Dee shrugged again while Katrina laughed, how many time had Bev did the same thing? Only to come dragging in looking like she went ten rounds with Mr. Daniels. The third night, Miki just sat in silence at the big house, alone. TV on, but she had no idea what was on the screen. Bev walked in and went straight to her room.
    It was a few hours before Katrina got back from the other place. Dee was with her, they were laughing until they saw Miki sitting on the couch. She had her knees pulled up and arms wrapped around her legs. Katrina went and saw that Bev had gotten home, there was yelling. Katrina yelling about whatever she had done to Miki. Bev screeching back that she didn't do anything, didn't even see her. Dee joining in with Katrina, telling off Bev for making Miki worry.
    All Miki really felt was abandoned after being the only one who really was dragged out to Wilkins Lake. She was lost in her own house and the people who she counted as friends and family were only using her to score points for their own side of the argument. When Bev said she was sorry, it was for being out too long and not calling. Dee sat beside her and said that it would be better if she just moved in with them. Spencer always said that Miki was more than welcome. Katrina just sat and glared at Bev, ready to hit her with something, anything that was at hand. Worst of all, Miki wasn't pitying herself. She felt guilty.
    If she could just go back home. She could have her own life and somehow the three people she knew the best would be in the background, but not forgotten. She could go back and forth between home and Wilkins Lake. Visiting Dee and her happy life with Spencer. Katrina, who knew what she wanted, but Miki would make sure to visit her all the time too. Bev would become a memory, but at least a happy one coupled with that guy she always hung out with.
    It took a good long time before Miki could be pulled out from whatever depths she had reached. Katrina knew that she was a big part of it, all the yelling with Bev couldn't help. So she always made sure to do it in privacy when she could. It wasn't easy Bev was starting to slip off the rails. Dee spent less time with Spencer and more with Miki. Which only made Miki feel guilty again, but after much explaining by both Spencer and Dee, she felt better about it. Bev was the one who helped even out Miki the most.
    Earl had been busily learn how to run a computer and all the essentials. He didn't really splurge, but invested a tiny portion of the money he had in ways to reach Bev. Without giving away who he really was and who he was talking to. He started a blog about a few certain reservations. He would update it once a week and random times in between.
    At first, his typing was full of typos, no punctuation. Then it started to even out. When he figured out how to upload pictures, it got even better. Bev and Miki sat at a computer, both reading everything Earl wrote and laughing at the pictures. People they both knew from different reservations mugging for the camera. It wasn't long before Earl was uploading short clips he shot. Shaky and blurry, then that got better. Every once in a while, driving around Bev's rez, then Miki's, making sure to show whenever something new showed up.
    There was a new playground, at Bev's rez, buried under a few feet of snow. Earl tried to swing, but kept hitting the snow which had a thick crust of frozen snow on top. Earl went to hockey tournaments and got friends to shoot video of him playing. Complete with post-game interviews in the dressing rooms. It was too bad that Earl didn't know how to blur parts of the screen because they saw more penises than they needed to. But that was hockey players for you. Earl shot a lot of video of kids just learning to skate at Miki's rez. There was night video and pictures of dances in gymnasiums. Pow-wow videos. Pot-lucks. A snowman that Earl had built. Kids adding things to it to make it look like a hockey player.
    In their house, the four of them watched those videos in silence. It was really the only time they could sit with each other without a fight getting ready to start. Every time the videos ended, they would talk about it and laugh. At night, before falling asleep, they wondered why the hell they didn't see those things when they lived there? They could have, and should have, been more than happy with all those people they once knew.

    On the north side of Wilkins Lake, the snow went away first. Making flows of melting water that invariably found its way to the bottom of the valley. That didn't really help when it rained and froze during the cooler nights. It made driving a little more interesting and walking a little more scary. Sand and salt was sprinkled everywhere people might be so it covered in shades of grey. Even the walls seemed to turn grey with the daytime dust that everyday traffic kicked up.
    It was a few weeks into spring, on a friday, when Katrina got home and saw that her car was gone. She hoped it was news from home, if it wasn't Bev was out with it. For somebody who always told them that they didn't know what was really going on, she never really took her own actions into account. One thing that would really get them noticed was the car.
    Katrina got on the phone and tried calling Bev's phone and some guy slurred a hello. Behind his voice was some cheap metal from the '80s, he didn't really seem to hear what she said. Katrina stood in the living room yelling into her cell.
    “Where the f**k is Bev?” Katrina held the phone in front of her and yelled.
    “What was that, honey? Hey, come party with us, your friend is already here.” The slurred voice yelled back for no reason.
    “Where?” Katrina heard the address and already knew the place from Bev's ramblings.
    It was in the north west of Wilkins Lake, pretty much opposite side of where they lived. Katrina called the cab company and waited out by the curb. She fumed in the cold wind. The cab pulled up and she climbed in. It was the same driver so he picked right up on his babbling as they drove. Her phone rang and she picked it up.
    “Hey, Katrina, I'm at the theater. Sorry, but I had to borrow your car.” Bev's sounded drunk.
    “Who's driving? If you're driving around drunk, I'm going to kick your a*s.”
    “No, no. We're just cruising around listening to tunes and decided to go see if we can watch a movie. We'll meet you there and you can take your car home. Sound good?”
    Katrina told the cab driver to drop her at the theater. She was too late to find Bev standing out front so she asked if she could go inside and check. The lights were still on inside, they didn't raise the curtains yet. She went in and saw Miki and some girl waiting for the movie to start. It was good to see her with someone other than Dee or Spencer.
    “Hey, you see Bev anywhere? She said she was going to meet me here.” Katrina sat down behind Miki.
    “Huh? No, we were waiting in line outside and didn't see her, why?” Miki was crunching popcorn.
    “She,” Katrina thought real quick, she didn't want to say anything about her car in front of Miki's friend, “wanted me to bring her wallet. Guess she decided to catch the movie some other time.”
    “Oh, want to join us? Dee said she needed 'some private time',” Miki winked, “so she made us come watch a movie.”
    Katrina burst out laughing. “At least this time she doesn't have to sneak out to the van while we watch a movie.
    That made Miki shriek with laughter.
    “Sorry, you'll have to ask Miki about it.” Katrina said to the new friend. “And I can't stay, have to find Bev.”
    “Movie's about to start.” A squeaking voice said from behind Katrina.
    Katrina turned and put a finger up and mouthed, “one minute.”
    “Oh!” Miki jumped, still laughing. “This is Lisa.”
    “Hi, thought she'd never introduce us.” Katrina smiled.
    “Hi,” Lisa lifted a hand to wave, “what's this about a van?” Lisa asked Miki, laughing, but not knowing why.
    “Okay, you guys have fun.” Katrina got up and left.

    Katrina stood out front of the theater and looked up and down the street. When she tried to call Bev, she kept getting booted to voice mail. She left a few choice words. She wanted to call Dee, but that van was rocking, she didn't want to go knocking. It was then when her car cruised on past. Bev hanging out the window laughing, a bottle hanging from her hand as she waved. Katrina scanned the ground for something to throw, she didn't care if it was her car. The car rolled through a red light up the street and kept going.
    That was it for Katrina. There was a big sack of money and she was going to just up and buy that f*****g b***h her own damn house and her own damn car. Let her put a bottle to her head and pulled the trigger. At least if she died drunk, they would have to stop worrying about her. Needless to say, Katrina was angry. It didn't get much better.
    She yanked out her phone and called Bev, again she went to voice mail. She swore at her phone and jammed it in her pocket. She pulled out her wallet, maybe she would just get a cab to drive the streets and follow her car until it stopped. She laughed when she saw that she was practically broke. Enough for a movie, but would she want to nose her way into Miki finally finding somebody to hang out with? She shoved her wallet into her pocket.
    It was cold, she hopped around in a circle while trying to decide what to do. There was a place around the corner, she could stop in there and wait until the movie let out. Maybe, with a little luck, Bev would stop by. Then Katrina would punch her in the face and take her car back. An old couple walked by, late comers to one of the movies. They looked at her like she was crazy.
    It was a little embarrassing, but she was beyond caring too much. She decided to head up the street and go to the diner. She ordered a coffee and sat down by the front window with a paper in front of her. The place was kind of quiet for a friday night, just people stopping in for a quick coffee before they went off home. When the girl behind the counter asked if she needed anything else, Katrina decided she better get another coffee. At least tell her that she was waiting for the second run of the movies got out.
    “Sorry, but we're closing in a few minutes.” The girl handed over the coffee.
    Of course they were. Katrina looked at the clock, it was nearly ten. She thanked the girl and stepped out into the cold. She hoped that Dee had enough time, Katrina was going to barge through the front door in a bit. Before heading up the street, she looked down towards the theater and there was a guy standing out front trying to see the time on his watch. She turned and started to walk up the street.
    The coffee was a pretty decent way to keep her hands warm, when it wasn't doing any good, Katrina took a few sips and dropped in a waste basket. She shoved her hands into her pockets and put her chin down. She wasn't too far from Dee's place. Katrina glanced over her shoulder and saw a guy, really just a dot, way down the street walking the same way she was. His head bent forward as he tried to cut the wind. Katrina decided she better get to Dee's before too long. It was getting cold.
    It was and odd sensation, she felt a pair of eyes hit her back. When she turned to look, there was a guy standing there. He looked at surprised as she did. Well, if he was walking the same way she was, she wouldn't have been surprised, she had her head down and just kept her feet moving.
        “Whoa! Jesus! What the f**k you doing? Sneaking up on a girl like that?” Katrina cringed on the inside, she didn't mean to swear, but she thought it was funny.