The shopping trip didn’t turn out to be so ‘fun’. Blake tried to convince Seth to try on a bunch of lighter colored clothes, but Seth wouldn’t have them. Then he tried to buy him a new jacket, and that didn’t go over so well. He tried to get him to buy a newer, Cherokee brand coat.
Seth refused.
They ended up with two pairs of black jeans, one pair of dark blue ones, and four black shirts. Blake paid for these and they both walked out to the BMW. “Don't you ever talk?” Blake asked.
Seth shook his head as he pulled the handle of the door and got into the front seat. Blake put his keys into the ignition. The car vibrated lightly, but otherwise made no indication it had started until it pulled out of the parking spot. Seth fingered a loose black thread on his old coat. “Where did you get that?” Blake asked, mentally noting it’s wear and tear.
“It was my dad’s,” Seth said quietly.
Silence.
It started to rain lightly and Seth watched the raindrops break on the windshield before being wiped away by the squeegees that swung back and forth across the glass. The even tempo of the light precipitation soothed his mind and he started tapping his fingers to a nameless beat as they rolled on out of the parking lot. “Do you ever hear from him?” Blake asked. “Your dad.”
Seth shook his head again. “He left a long time ago.”
They stopped at a red light about a mile from the Langley’s house. Blake opened his mouth again. “Do you hear from your mother?”
“No.”
The light turned green and the car surged into motion. “That's sad. You must be lonely,” Blake alleged.
Seth shifted in the gray leather seat uncomfortably. Blake noticed this, and dropped the question like the rain that fell from the dark clouds above them. He changed the subject. “How was school today?”
Seth drew his coat higher up his neck. “Fine,” he said, sounding a bit muddled and irritated.
The house came into view.
There was a man in a dark coat at the door arguing with Sasha. Blake and Seth opened their car doors and hopped out, Seth grabbing the bag with his clothes.
“–have no right to keep him here,” the man was saying in a low, angry voice, almost muffled by the rain.
The next bit was harder to make out, and then he turned and stalked off towards a old, rusted truck that was parked by the walk. His head turned and he met Seth’s gaze momentarily before climbing into the truck.
Something inside Seth froze, his gut turned to ice.
Where did he know that man from?
“Seth? Is that you? And Blake?” Sasha’s shrill voice broke through his confusion. “Come in here and get out of the rain.”
Seth didn’t move.
“Seth?”
The truck roared to life, and drove away.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Chapter 9
First of all, you guys had better comment or else i'm not posting any more. Thanks!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Hey guys, how was school?” Sasha asked as Seth and Jenn piled into the car.
“Fine,” Jenn sang.
Seth slammed the door loudly. “Seth? How’d it go for you?” Sasha asked him wth a concerned expression.
He exhaled. “Great,” he lied through his teeth; he already hated school. This was the one place that he could ever hear the lights without straining his ears.
In fact, almost everything about it was irritating to him. Mostly, it was really loud. His sensitive ears picked up every noise happening. There were footsteps everywhere. The lights burned his eyes and the sound made his mind foggy. The teachers were too loud and you could hear people chomping on their gum like a cow chews its cud.
He pulled his black backpack over his legs and leaned against the door with his shoulder. He sighed inwardly. “Was someone giving him a hard time?” he barely heard Sasha ask Jenn. Her jacket rustled as she shook her head.
The car started and the world whirred into motion.
Seth said nothing and watched the road go by through a few strands of his dark hair.
“Hey, Seth, Flashman said that you had art with him,” Jenn said, reaching across the seat to poke his backpack with one finger then sitting back.
He broke his concentration on the road and looked at her with a purposeful bored look. “Yep,” he said the one word quickly.
Jenn nodded once.
“You guys have a lot of homework?” asked Sasha.
“No,” Jenn answered for the both of them.
“Oh, because Blake wanted to take Seth shopping for some new clothes. I can take you with me, Jenn, and we can go get ice cream or something.”
Seth frowned. “I’ve got clothes,” he said seriously.
“I know, but you look like you’re growing out of them,” Sasha watched him momentarily from the rear-view mirror. “You really need a new coat.”
This angered him. “What’s wrong with my coat? ”
Sasha bit her lip. “It’s a little…” she trailed off.
“Ghetto?” Seth provided.
“No!” Sasha exclaimed, one hand flying off the wheel and coming back to rest on the black leather again. “No! That wasn’t what I was going to say! I was going to say ‘old’. They’re a little worn.”
Of course it was, it had been his dad’s, seven years ago. He remembered his father wearing it at the dinner table, the dark fabric blending into him, becoming him. Seth had looked up to his father, and when he left when Seth was seven, it had killed him. He saw that his father didn’t care for him the same way that he cared for the dark young man.
But he left The Coat.
Seth glared. “My coat is fine,” he said, finishing the discussion.
There were only clips of things that Seth remembered about his father. He remembered his mother telling him that he looked just like him. Same eyes, same hair, same fair skin. His mother told him he had his father’s strong hands.
His father never yelled at the children. Never talked to them either. He showed no interest in Violet, his daughter. Seth was of more importance to him, and so occasionally, he would get a few dollars to go spend on himself.
Seth had been a good boy, and he never used the money for himself. He gave it to his mother for groceries or something.
Mom never had any money. It was Daddy who had all the cash. Dad gambled. Dad won.
His father drank a lot. He also fought with his wife a lot, and hit her.
Seth always thought that his father was disappointed that he had been born. That both his children had. He didn’t think that his father found it convenient to have children to have to return to. Seth’s mother was demanding, and bitter. Seth didn’t like her either, and wondered what his father had thought about him when he first met her.
Secretly, Seth really believed that he was an accident. Nobody had ever really wanted him anyway, except Violet, but she had been less wanted that him. She was an accident too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Hey guys, how was school?” Sasha asked as Seth and Jenn piled into the car.
“Fine,” Jenn sang.
Seth slammed the door loudly. “Seth? How’d it go for you?” Sasha asked him wth a concerned expression.
He exhaled. “Great,” he lied through his teeth; he already hated school. This was the one place that he could ever hear the lights without straining his ears.
In fact, almost everything about it was irritating to him. Mostly, it was really loud. His sensitive ears picked up every noise happening. There were footsteps everywhere. The lights burned his eyes and the sound made his mind foggy. The teachers were too loud and you could hear people chomping on their gum like a cow chews its cud.
He pulled his black backpack over his legs and leaned against the door with his shoulder. He sighed inwardly. “Was someone giving him a hard time?” he barely heard Sasha ask Jenn. Her jacket rustled as she shook her head.
The car started and the world whirred into motion.
Seth said nothing and watched the road go by through a few strands of his dark hair.
“Hey, Seth, Flashman said that you had art with him,” Jenn said, reaching across the seat to poke his backpack with one finger then sitting back.
He broke his concentration on the road and looked at her with a purposeful bored look. “Yep,” he said the one word quickly.
Jenn nodded once.
“You guys have a lot of homework?” asked Sasha.
“No,” Jenn answered for the both of them.
“Oh, because Blake wanted to take Seth shopping for some new clothes. I can take you with me, Jenn, and we can go get ice cream or something.”
Seth frowned. “I’ve got clothes,” he said seriously.
“I know, but you look like you’re growing out of them,” Sasha watched him momentarily from the rear-view mirror. “You really need a new coat.”
This angered him. “What’s wrong with my coat? ”
Sasha bit her lip. “It’s a little…” she trailed off.
“Ghetto?” Seth provided.
“No!” Sasha exclaimed, one hand flying off the wheel and coming back to rest on the black leather again. “No! That wasn’t what I was going to say! I was going to say ‘old’. They’re a little worn.”
Of course it was, it had been his dad’s, seven years ago. He remembered his father wearing it at the dinner table, the dark fabric blending into him, becoming him. Seth had looked up to his father, and when he left when Seth was seven, it had killed him. He saw that his father didn’t care for him the same way that he cared for the dark young man.
But he left The Coat.
Seth glared. “My coat is fine,” he said, finishing the discussion.
There were only clips of things that Seth remembered about his father. He remembered his mother telling him that he looked just like him. Same eyes, same hair, same fair skin. His mother told him he had his father’s strong hands.
His father never yelled at the children. Never talked to them either. He showed no interest in Violet, his daughter. Seth was of more importance to him, and so occasionally, he would get a few dollars to go spend on himself.
Seth had been a good boy, and he never used the money for himself. He gave it to his mother for groceries or something.
Mom never had any money. It was Daddy who had all the cash. Dad gambled. Dad won.
His father drank a lot. He also fought with his wife a lot, and hit her.
Seth always thought that his father was disappointed that he had been born. That both his children had. He didn’t think that his father found it convenient to have children to have to return to. Seth’s mother was demanding, and bitter. Seth didn’t like her either, and wondered what his father had thought about him when he first met her.
Secretly, Seth really believed that he was an accident. Nobody had ever really wanted him anyway, except Violet, but she had been less wanted that him. She was an accident too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
