Broken (The Outsiders Series) (6 page)

6

The next day, I’m riding my new bike back over to Jeb’s house.
He’s a nice guy, an older man with one heck of a house. His yard is pretty messed up because he doesn’t really take care of it – like, at all. He kind of joked about it, really. He just doesn’t have time right now, though. He takes care of a family. They share his house with him, and he is focused on making everything normal and stuff.

But he gave me the job, and I don’t even
know why. I showed up at his house, tired after walking so far, and he just handed me a rake. I raked up the old piles of dead leaves while he questioned me about Atlanta and stuff. I answered him pretty honestly. I figured he didn’t care about my abused mother. He even started cussing when I told him about Jack and how my mom chose him over me. I even told him about what the cab driver said. He told me that she was lying to make herself feel better and stuff.

“You know,” he said, “she just doesn’t know how to love a kid like you. You’re bigger than anything she could hold. And I ain’t talking about size, Carter. You’re stronger than she is, because you can see past the damaged relationship she’s in.”

I turned to look at him. He was wise, smart, and someone I wanted in my life. He had no idea what that meant to me, but at the same time, I think he did.

And now, I’m headed back
over there to trim the trees some. There are a lot of dead branches that need to be cut off. And the bike that he gave me sure helps me a lot. It’s nice, being able to ride around this small town. Oh, and the name of this town is Mason. It’s not really in Mason County, but the town likes to pretend it’s cut off from the rest of Georgia. I guess they feel like it makes them more secluded and perfect or something. Because this town makes me think of
The Stepford Wives
in some ways. And it’s not because everyone’s rich, cause they aren’t. It’s because everyone’s really nice.

“Mr. Daniels,” Jeb hollers from across the lawn. He’s sitting on his wide front porch in his overalls and straw hat. He’s just like I’d picture someone from this small town.
And his long grey beard and hair just add to it.

“Yes, Mr. Mason.” I approach him after getting off my bike and propping it against the side of the fence. There’s no kickstand anymore, and I don’t want to just throw it on the ground. He’s the guy that owns this whole town. I mean, it was his relatives that built it and helped it grow. And now he’s the last one in the family. He told me yesterday that he didn’t want to marry anyone from this town because all they wanted was the money. When I asked him why he didn’t leave, he said that the town couldn’t go on without him. At that point, I was confused. Because when he dies, the town will be without anyone with the last name of Mason.

“The equipment that you need is in the shed behind the house. When you need water, come on in this main door. Whatever you do, son, don’t go up them stairs over yonder. You hear me good, Mr. Daniels?” Jeb leans forward and squints. His grey eyes pierce through my soul. I can tell he’s pretty serious.

I hold my hands up in surrender
and back up. There’s nothing to really say to that. And I’m pretty certain that my actions speak louder than words.

And I’m right cause h
e just laughs. When he’s done, he clears his throat so he can speak. “I knew you were a good man, Carter.”

I smile
at him. “Thank you, sir. That means a lot to me.”

“
Anytime, Carter. Now shoo. And make sure you have some fun. There’s nothing like good yard work. Heck, before my knee went out, I had the body of some o’ them celebrities out there now. And boy was I a looker.” He laughs and flexes his arm.

I shake my head back and forth and head for the shed. And he’s right. The yard work is nice. I can feel my muscles working, stretching and relaxing. Pretty soon, I’m tired and thirsty, so I head inside to grab some water. Jeb’s sitting on the couch talking to a
woman. She has a rough, scratchy voice and dark, curly hair that stops halfway down her back. It makes her look younger, but I can see her true age when I look at her hands. And her blue eyes are sad. For some reason, I feel like I know her. But Jeb shoos me outside before I can figure it out. And I do as I’m told, because I don’t want to get him mad.

So
I go back out and sit on the porch before I finish the trees in the front yard. Jeb comes out and gets me when the sun starts setting. He waves me over onto the porch. When I get there, he puts his hands on his hips and clears his throat. “Carter, do you have food at home right now?” he asks.

I sigh but answer honestly. “No, sir. And I don’t want you to feel like you owe me something. Because you don’t.”

“I know I don’t, son. But you don’t owe it to yourself to be so proud. Not around me. So come on inside. I haven’t had someone to eat dinner with me in a long while now.” He had already started to walk on in, but he stops when he senses that I’m not following him. He offers me a small smile and turns back around. “Carter,” he says when he reaches me, “I want you to grow up successfully. You can’t do that if you’re not eating, son. Do me a favor and share a meal with an old, lonely man. Will you do that for me, Carter?”

He turned it around to make it look like I’m doing him a favor. Once again, he doesn’t know how good of a man he is. But I do. And I’m going to be like him.

“Thank you, Mr. Mason,” I say as I follow him into the simple dining room. I sit down in one of the straight-backed chairs.

A woman comes out
              and pours us some soup before she bustles back into the kitchen. My guess is that he helps her out too, because she’s very kind to both of us. She’s nothing like the servants and help in the movies. She’s not fake-polite. No, it’s genuine. And Jeb’s story about her being a single mom, further pushes the point at how great he is. He was right when he told me the town wouldn’t run if he left. The people that needed the most help would go under if he left them.

When we finished the meal, which consisted of some amazing barbeque ribs and potato salad, along with sweet bread, I headed back to my new home. Ryan was picking me up later. His dad was letting him borrow the car for the night. And I had to get back home to look through my new, secondhand clothes.
Dane had been right about the place, which was fondly named after Secondhand Serenade, a great band that the owner and I both love. The place did have some great brands, and the guy even looked through new stuff that he had. He was nice and gave me a discount for being new to town and all. He was really just helping me out, but he insisted that he did it for every new person.

And as I pull my new, Abercrombie polo over my head, I think about what Lane told me about Atlanta. She said the people were bad. When I compare them to this place, with all their helping and kindness, she’s right. But, like I told her, there are some nice people
in Atlanta. I just didn’t have the pleasure of meeting any of them. And I’m glad I stopped here in Mason. This is my new home. And I don’t really plan on leaving anytime soon.

When I hear Ryan honking downstairs, I rush out the door and into the passenger seat of his dad’s Chevy truck.

“You ready?” he asks me. He’s containing it, but I can tell he’s excited. “We’re gonna go pick up Lane and Brooke, so get ready to get in the back seat, man. They don’t live too far from your apartment.”

I nod and turn to look at Ryan in the light of the streetlamps. He’s got on a white polo and some dark jeans. He’s wearing boat shoes, and his faux hawk is a little bit tamer than it is at school.
“So, these parties. Do they get crazy and stuff?” I ask.

Ryan laughs. “I’m sure they don’t get as crazy as those Atlanta parties, but we like drinking and playing games. No live bands or DJs. We just have iPods and expensive speakers. What do you think?”

“Sounds good to me, man. That sounds more like my style, anyway. Never much liked the club atmosphere and stuff. You know?”

“Yeah,”
Ryan agrees. “So, what did you do today?”

What
did
I do today? I mean, in this fake life. “Uh, I just went home and hung out with my parents. Didn’t really do too much. Just grabbed some clothes so I can hang out in the apartment more, since my dad’s going overseas for a while. He won’t be back for a couple months, so I probably won’t go home.”

“Your mom doesn’t care about being alone?” Ryan asks. “My mom would freak out without my dad.”

“She’s used to it. Plus, she works a lot.”

“I get you,” Ryan agrees.

I nod and look out the window to see larger houses now. We turn another corner and stop partway down the street. The house is huge. I wonder whose it is.

A second later, Brooke and Lane come running out in short, tight dresses. They’re both wearing black with bright colored heels.  Brooke’s wearing red and Lane has on some pink ones. They both have their hair curly, and seeing them dressed almost exactly alike kind of freaks me out. Ryan, on the other hand, thinks it’s hot.

“Man, I’d love to get my hands on both those girls, Carter. It would be like twins or something. But better somehow.”

I laugh. “You can have them both if you want, Ryan. You know that.”

Ryan elbows me because the girls are opening the door and I’m supposed to get out. I do, letting Brooke sit in the front with Ryan. As soon as I get in the back seat, Lane scoots over so that she’s really close to me.

“How was your meeting with Vandelya?” she asks me.

I turn to her. “It was kind of weird,” I start. But then, I remember that she asked me not to tell them that she cried. Why would she care about them so much? Who cares what they think?

“How was it weird?” Lane asks sweetly. She leans into me, and I can already smell the alcohol on her breath.
How much has she had to drink already? Geez.

“I don’t know. We just kind of wrote answers down and stuff. We didn’t talk, so I think we could have just done the work in class.” I lean back, wondering why I kept her secret. Am I still into Vandelya? Or am I into the girl I saw near the pond? And since they’re the same girl,
I guess I have to like both of them.

“Carter? Can you hear me?” Lane’s voice breaks through my inner monologue. She’s got her hands wrapped around my upper arm. Something about it turns me on, and I flex it some. She giggles.

“Sorry,” I say as I lean into her. “I was just thinking about how great you look tonight. I really like that dress.” Man, I sound like a jerk. But she likes it. I can tell by the way she keeps blinking and smiling at me.

“Thanks,” she says as she reaches up to pop my collar. “I like that Abercrombie. I was waiting to see you in some real clothes. Those ripped jeans aren’t acceptable in Mason, Carter.”

I smile to hide the fact that I want to punch her. She’s so superficial.

“Well, I like his ripped jeans. It proves how down to earth he is,” Brooke chimes. She turns around and winks at me. “She’s a little drunk right now,” she whispers. Then, she turns to face the front. She puts her hand on Ryan’s upper leg, and he swallows.

“I’m not a little drunk,” Lane argues. Then she laughs. She leans into me once more. Her chest is resting against my arm, and I can tell that she isn’t wearing a bra. She has some high expectations. And mine are not that low. She might be easy, but I am not interested in something like that.

But I will pretend to be for Ryan, who is now glancing from the front seat. It’s like he’s watching over me or something. “You’re fine,” I say as I place my arm around Lane’s shoulders.

Ryan smiles and pulls into the driveway of Colton’s house. His house is huge too, and I hope that they don’t plan on being invited to mine.

“Come on,” I say as I pull Lane out of the car. She stumbles and leans against me. And I put my arm back around her shoulder so that I can support her.
She pushes up on her toes and kisses my cheek before patting it affectionately.

This time, I can’t help but roll my eyes. “Why
did you let her drink this much?” I ask Brooke as we walk up.

“I fo
und her in her room like that. I didn’t let her drink any more when I got there, but it didn’t help at all. She’s still pretty bad, and I’m sorry about that.” Brooke pulls away from Ryan for a moment. She leans into me, and I can tell that she’s been drinking too. She just isn’t nearly as bad. “Just don’t take advantage of her right now, Carter. Wait till it wears off a little bit. I know she’s going to want to remember your first time together and all,” she says with a wink. Then, without another word, she steps inside with Ryan.

I sigh and follow the
m inside. And I look up into a large room. The ceiling is two stories high, and there’s a huge, glass chandelier. There’s a disco ball attached to the end of it right now, and it’s flashing different colors around the dance floor. Girls are grinding each other while guys stand around watching. Red, plastic cups are piled near a keg in the corner. There are a few liquor bottles, too.

Ryan and I go grab a few drinks. The girls end up taking them all when we get back, and we l
et them do what they want. We end up standing in an awkward circle while the girls down the beers. I mentally shake my head at Lane, who’s probably going to end up wasted and passed out somewhere.