Collide: A Riverbend Novel (18 page)

She laughed then left the
room.

~~~

I grabbed my art books as
the boys grabbed my bed.
I put my books in
my bag then picked up Scott who was trying to get Havock's
attention.

When we made it downstairs
Johanna was just hanging up the phone.

"Reese, can I talk to you
for a second?"

I nodded and followed her
into the kitchen.

She handed me a granola
bar.

She was always making sure
I was eating right.

"They want to hold a candle
memorial service downtown by the courthouse on New Year’s Eve night
for the passing of your mother and the disappearance of your
father. They wanted your approval before they announced it. Is that
alright with you?"

"It's fine," I said as I
petted Scott and avoided her eyes.

"They want you to
speak."

I shook my head. "Everyone
in town thinks I'm a murderer and I hid my father away. I don't
want too," I said my voice shook a little.

"I'll tell them you said
no. I have to go into work for a few hours today and Rick goes back
too. Can I trust you and the boys to behave?"

"Yes Ma'am." I looked at
her.

"I've already talked with
Havock but he just rolled his eyes. I'm counting on you to be the
one with self control."

"I will be. We'll be good.
I promise."

"Maybe you should just come
with me to the office..."

"Mom, we'll be fine,"
Havock said as he walked in. He opened the fridge and grabbed a
coke.

"Maybe him or Garrett can
drop me off at Hobby Lobby. I need some new art
supplies."

"That coming from you, son,
isn't reassuring at all."

She looked at me. "That's a
really good idea."

Havock popped the lid on
his coke and sucked off the top as it fizzed over. He never
answered her.

Garrett came in and kissed
Johanna on the cheek. "I'll watch them. Have a good
day."

She grabbed her keys and
purse, kissed us all on our cheeks, then left.

"So who wants to take me to
Hobby Lobby?" I asked as I put Scott on the floor so he could go
over to Havock. He jumped up and yipped, trying to get his
attention.

HAVOCK

It was late when we all got
home. We took Reese to hobby lobby where she spent way too long. I
ended up smoking half a pack of cigarettes outside the front of the
store by the time she got done. We then all went out to eat and
laughed over pizza. I walked in and went straight up to my room to
grab a movie to watch with Reese. When I opened my door it made a
beeping sound. I closed it, scrunched my eyebrows, and then opened
it again. I cursed when it beeped again.

"What's that noise?" Reese
asked from behind me.

It sounded like I was
entering a department store, except louder. I shut it again and did
it again.

"No they didn't," I said
through a clenched jaw.

"Oh yes we did!" Dad
laughed from the bottom of the stairs.

Mom walked up with a huge
smile on her face.

"Every time that door opens
I will hear it. Your dad will here it. Garrett will hear it. Even
Reese. That is so you know that we all know when you leave that
room."

"What if I get up in the
middle of the night and have to pee? Or get something to
drink?"

She smiled. "Then you'll
know to bring your happy self right on back to your
room."

I opened it again and
looked around the door for a wire or something I could destroy when
she wasn't looking.

"I dare you to tamper with
it, son. Next it will be one of those tracking things they put on
convicts ankles."

Reese picked up Scott who
was trying to get her attention. She chewed on her bottom lip then
mouthed
window
without anyone but me seeing. She then headed
downstairs.

Had Reese seen what it
looks like outside my window? There are bushes, no trees. I'd have
to jump pretty far to get down there. But I'd do it for
her.

Mom smiled proudly. "If she
has nightmares I will go make sure she's alright and if she needs
you, I will come get you."

"Can I go get a movie now
to watch with her or is that not okay?"

Mom nodded and I walked
into my room.

After I got the movie, I
opened my door again.
Beeeeep.
I closed it and grinned. I continued to open and
close it just to annoy mom and dad.

"Havock!" Dad yelled from
downstairs.

I laughed and did it one
more time.

"Are you sure you're almost
eighteen?!" Dad yelled.

I answered by opening the
door and making it beep again.

He started to say something
else when I opened it to interrupt what he was saying.

And I did it
again.

And again.

He came stomping up the
stairs.

"STOP!"

I laughed. "Didn't
completely think that plan through, did ya dad?" I patted his back
and went down to Reese's room to watch the movie.

She smiled at me and shook
her head. "You're a mess." She chuckled and went back to drawing in
her art book.

I set the movie on her
dresser and walked over resting my hands on her desk as I looked
over her to see what she was drawing. She tried to close her book
quickly, but I stopped her.

I moved her hair and kissed
her neck. "What is it?"

"I don't let anyone see in
this one," she whispered quietly.

"Good thing I'm not just
anyone." I held my hand out for her to hand me the book.

She blushed and handed it
to me. I opened the book and had to sit when I made it to the fifth
page.

She groaned and put her
head in her hands. "Maybe you should give that back."

It was me. In the hall when
she ran into me and made my towel fall. I raised both eyebrows. All
of me. I smiled a little and turned to the next page. I grinned
wider when I saw me and her making out in her bed. I turned the
page and burst out laughing when I saw me punching Aiden. I turned
back to the page of me and her. That was my favorite.

"So movie," she said as she
jumped up and went to put it in.

I grabbed the back of her
shirt then got my arm around her waist and pulled her into my lap.
Her face was bright red. I moved her legs so they were straddling
my lap then kissed her.

"I want to show you
something. I'll be right back." I picked her up with her legs still
straddled around my waist then laid her back on the bed. I kissed
her one more time before leaving her room.

I hurried upstairs and went
in my room. I grabbed my book of poems and things I've written and
started to leave then stopped. What was I doing? No one knows about
this. Was I really ready to share this with her? This was every
thought, every tear, every happy and dark moment of my life. Who I
am, my desires, my dreams, fantasies, everything is in these pages.
I couldn't show her this. Not yet. Maybe not ever. It was too
personal. I stuck it back in my drawer and locked it. I went back
to her room empty handed.

"I couldn't find it," I
lied. "Maybe I'll show you later."

She smiled at me. "Movie
time then."

I adjusted her pillows
until I was comfortable then she laid her head on my
chest.

This was the first time
that I've ever just watched a movie with a girl. And I was okay
with it.

Scott started barking from
the floor and he tried to jump up on the bed but couldn't.
She sat up so I could help him up. Once he was up
there, he snuggled in-between us.

"He may be a tad spoiled
already," She said as she chuckled. She kissed me softly then moved
him so she could snuggle next to me, then she put him on her
lap.

I laughed. I needed a
cigarette bad, but I didn't want to ruin what we had going here. My
fingers started drumming on her back.

She tilted her head back
and looked at me. She scrunched her eyebrows together then looked
at Scott.

"I think Scott needs to go
to the bathroom. You want to go outside with me?" she asked as she
gave me a small smile.

"Yeah." I got up and walked
with her to get our jackets. Mom smiled at us from the couch as we
walked out.

I felt in my jacket pocket,
but I was out. I went to my truck and searched my glove
department.
Dammit
. I pulled out my phone to text Jude. He didn't live
far.

Me: Got any
cigarettes?

Jude: Yup

Me: On my way.

I got my keys from my
pocket and looked at Reese. "Want to ride with me to
Jude's?"

She nodded and picked up
Scott. "Can Scott come or do I need to take him back
in?"

“He can come.”

I sent a text to mom to let
her know where I was going then got in the truck. Reese hopped in
and smiled at me.

It only took two right
turns to be at Jude's. I pulled up, and he was already waiting
outside.

"I'll be eighteen in two
months and won't have to worry about being out and not having
anyone to take me to get them anymore. Thanks, man." I lit one
right away. Jude looked in the truck.

"Reese is with
you?"

"Shit. Dude, I forgot to
tell you."

“Tell me what?”

I motioned for Reese to get
out of the truck.

She got out with Scott in
her arms and walked over to us.

"Hey Jude," she said with a
small smile.

I put my arm around
her.

Jude smiled. "Is this
okay?"

I exhaled. "As long as no
one finds out."

Reese's smile faded. "I'd
get taken out of the house if anyone found out."

I took my arm off her and
put a little bit of space between us. But I didn't like it so I
scooted close to her again and put my arm around her. Keeping this
a secret was going to suck.

Jude lit his own cigarette
and offered Reese one.

"No, thank you," she said
sweetly.

He nodded and stuck the
pack in his pocket.

Reese's phone dinged. She
took it out and looked at it. She scrunched her eyebrows and tried
to put her phone away quickly.

"What are you hiding?" I
asked as I reached for her phone.

"I think your mom gave my
number away," she said quietly. "I didn't want you getting angry."
She shrugged. "I'm not planning on answering."

I looked at her phone and
saw Aiden's number. I went into her settings and blocked his number
from her phone. I handed it back to her.

Headlights appeared at the
end of the road and Jude laughed as he flicked ashes.

"You two may want to
leave."

Reese put her phone in her
pocket and looked at me. "What's wrong?"

Jude laughed again when the
car stopped in front of his house.

Oh shit.
Selena.
I stepped away
from Reese because she was the mouth of the school. She'd have it
out before morning that we were together.