Painting Sky (31 page)

As expected, as soon as I pulled the car into the driveway, my parents came barreling through the front door. It was five in the morning, but I guess Keith’s mother had told them we weren’t home, yet. It really hadn’t been necessary.

“Jane Keaton, what the hell are you doing out at this—” My father stopped talking to glare at my hand. He narrowed his eyes at Keith. I stepped closer to him so I could, somehow, shield him from my father’s rage. “What did you do to my daughter? I’ll kill you, you little punk.”

By the end of the sentence, I was in front of Keith, preparing myself to defend him.

“It was my fault, Dad. I fell on my hand, and we took a long time at the hospital. I guess with the snow, the staff was…” I stopped mumbling, because I realized my father wasn’t listening to me. He was still busy glaring at Keith.

“And what were you doing with my car in the middle of the night?” My mother was hugging her robe tightly around her.

I guess I couldn’t get away with that one. “I took it to go look for Keith. He had an argument with his mother and left. I was worried.” Now it was my turn to hug my jacket against my body.

My father’s murderous glare moved between me and Keith. “You are not going back with him. I won’t have my daughter driving with a reckless punk.”

I was done being the good girl trying to defend myself. I was eighteen and the only wrong thing I had done was take my mother’s car without permission.

“That’s enough, Dad. Keith’s not to blame for my sprained wrist.” The gasp my mother let escape told me I should have kept the extent of my injury to myself. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning with Keith. I’m eighteen, now, and I need to make my own choices.”

“Let’s get inside, David. We’ll talk better without freezing. Keith, go home. I’m sure your mother is worried about you.”

I didn’t want to face my parents alone, but I didn’t want to subject Keith to my father’s scrutiny, either, so I followed my mother. I threw a glance over my shoulder to let Keith know that everything was okay with me and with us.

Of course, as soon as we got inside, the argument started all over again, and I could only sigh and listen to my father. I was tired and the pain killers they’d given me at the hospital were getting to me.

“You’ve changed, Jane, since you went to live there. I don’t like it. Maybe you should come closer to home and go to pre-med, like we talked about.”

I couldn’t take that conversation, anymore. It was as if my father hadn’t listened to a word I’d said.

“I didn’t change,” I lied. “I want to major in art, just like I’ve always wanted. I need to go to sleep, please.”

My mother caressed my father’s shoulders to help him drop the argument. “Maybe it’s better if you sleep here, on the couch.”

Instead of answering, I went to the living room and collapsed on the couch. I was so tired all of a sudden. I didn’t know if it was due to my arm, the drugs, or the argument, but I felt my life turning upside-down.

I’d always had three constants in my life, until now: my family, good grades, and Cody. I’d lost Cody, my grades were just short of failing, and my parents were so disappointed in me that I didn’t know if I could get our relationship back. I fell asleep, plagued by the haunted expression Keith had shown on his face after his mother’s words.

The next morning, I woke up to noise in the house. Sleeping in the living room meant I would have to get up as soon as the house came alive. My grandparents were the first to come downstairs. They tried to stay quiet, but I was a light sleeper. After a couple of minutes, I had to get up to go to the bathroom, anyway.

The pain in my wrist had become a light throbbing, and it was uncomfortable. After washing my face, I joined my grandparents in the kitchen.

“Oh, honey, up so soon? What happen to your arm?” My gram asked, getting up from the kitchen table to inspect my arm. I didn’t want to worry my grandparents with the argument of last night, so I just shrugged.

“It’s nothing, Gram. I fell last night—just a sprain.” I fell on the chair next to my grandfather, who was watching me with knowing eyes. He had the same distaste for Keith as my father and was probably coming to the conclusion that he’d been the one to hurt me. I loved my family, but was so ready to get out of there.

The rest of them woke up within the next twenty minutes, including my sister, and I had to tell the story about my arm several times, leaving Keith and the park out of it. My parents didn’t correct me. Apparently, no one had heard a thing last night when I’d gotten home. If Samantha hadn’t called my mother, my parents wouldn’t have known, either.

I tried to avoid being alone with my parents, but, eventually, my mother cornered me in the kitchen.

“Tell me just one thing, Jane. Are you romantically involved with Keith?”

What? Where had that come from? “You can’t be serious, Mom.” I think she’d gotten her answer from the shocked expression on my face. She finally exhaled and leaned against the kitchen counter.

“Your father’s right: you’ve changed, a little, at least, especially when it comes to Keith. It’s like you are prepared to defend him against the world. Samantha told us what happened yesterday. You turned against her and then your father, for… him. We don’t like it.”

I tried crossing my arms, but it just ended up in an awkward shield. “He’s my friend. You don’t have to have an opinion about all of my friends.”

The frown on my mother’s face told me I should have kept quiet. “At least you’re not cheating on Cody with his brother. That would be disgusting, and I didn’t raise my daughters to be like that.” My mother’s words were like a punch to my gut.

“You can rest, Mom: you raised me right. I’m not going to cheat on anyone.” Before she could continue attacking me, I stepped outside, not bothering with a jacket. I walked into the Hales’ kitchen without knocking. The only one in the kitchen was Samantha, the last person I wanted to see.

“Good morning, honey,” she greeted me. “Do you want something? Tea?” She nodded at the cup in her hands and I shook my head.

I knew I should apologize for last night. It hadn’t been like me to confront people like that. Keith’s face popped into my head just then. The hurt his own mother had put in his eyes kept me from saying anything but a short greeting in response. She didn’t ask about my arm, as she had seen it from her door last night, and had probably grilled Keith about it after.

Keith showed up on the hallway just then. His hair was still wet and falling over his forehead, and he’d barely put his shirt on before he came to a stop in front of me.

“Hi. How’s your arm?” The way he looked, with his tousled hair, faded black shirt, tattoos peeking out from his collar, and the slight guilt I saw in his eyes, turned my stomach. The unexpected feeling was so strong and sudden that I stumbled. Keith jumped to grab my good arm to hold me in place, with worry marring his face.

My heart was all over the place and the shocked expression must’ve been scaring him, too, because he let go of me slowly, as if I was a wild animal. Where the hell had that feeling come from? Butterflies at the sight of Keith? That was what was missing in my crappy life right now.

“It—it’s fine,” I stuttered, stepping away from him to get my sanity back. “When do you want to leave?” I patted my hair and looked away, trying hard to pretend nothing had happened.

Still wearing a frown, he went to the kitchen and faltered when he saw his mother. “’Morning,” he mumbled. From the stern look she gave him, I could tell they’d probably had another argument last night. “I was thinking about leaving before lunch so we can get home early.”

Home. That word had used to mean this place, but when he said it, I felt it was my home, too—which was strange, since I felt alone all the time there.

I went upstairs to Cody’s room to get my backpack and then went back to my house to say goodbye to my family. I would be back in a month for Christmas, so the goodbyes weren’t all that tearful, especially not with the recent fights.

My sister, surprisingly, hugged me tightly and whispered in my ear. “Don’t be afraid to show what you feel for him. He might surprise you.” I jerked away from her, alarmed. Our parents were in the same room, and if they’d heard her, they would never believe I didn’t have feelings for Keith.

He was waiting in the car when I went outside. His father was nowhere I could see, and his mother was at their door, hugging her body. Whether it was against the cold or out of worry for her son, I couldn’t decide.

“Be careful, honey,” my mother warned, hugging me again, while my father walked around the car and tapped Keith’s window. I was so tired of all of this that I just got into the car and pulled the seatbelt over me.

“That’s my daughter, there. If she doesn’t arrive today, in one piece, you’ll have to deal with me. Got it?” Keith stared straight ahead and nodded. As if he wouldn’t be careful—that was the whole purpose of him driving me.

My father rested his forearms on the window to be at Keith’s eye level. “If you so much as touch her with a single finger, I will kill you.” This part was said much more quietly, but I could still hear him. I watched in horror as he uttered such words. My mother was too far to hear, or she would have been shocked, as well.

Keith finally turned to my father, who was relaxing and stepping away from the car. “Don’t worry, sir: I’m not the brother you should be worried about.” His tone had as much venom as my father’s had.

The look on my father’s face told Keith to start the car and drive away before starting another argument. “Cody is the good brother. I trust my daughter to him. You would never be good enough for her.”

Keith’s jaw set and, finally, he started the car. I was worried he would say something back, but he didn’t. We drove away and I had a bitter taste in my mouth. I wanted to say something back. I wanted to defend Keith. I would have, if he’d waited, and I wanted him to know that, but the icy gleam in his eyes suggested that I should keep quiet, for now.

After two hours of silence, I couldn’t take it, anymore. “Can we stop now? I need a restroom and some food.” My stomach was starting to make uncomfortable noises. My mother had packed something for lunch, but I needed to stretch my legs.

We stopped after five minutes and I practically leaped from my seat and ran to the restroom, while Keith got out to get gas.

The small diner had character, but the smell of grease trampled my hunger. When the burgers we’d ordered arrived, however, they were surprisingly tasty.

“So, can we talk, or should we keep silent for the rest of the drive?” I asked between bites.

Keith stared out the window for a while before lowering his burger. “What do you want to talk about?”

I raised an eyebrow. Seriously? “What about the elephant in the room? My father was out of line with everything he said. It’s like he’s a different person.”

He snorted and stopped eating altogether. “That’s because you were always Daddy’s little girl. You have no idea how protective he is of you.”

I was puzzled. Keith had never spent much time in our house. In fact, it was usually the other way round, with my brother going to his. “What do you mean?”

He was suddenly regretful, as if he just noticed what he’d said. He shook his head. “Nothing, just that he loves you and wants to keep you safe.”

I instantly shook my head. “No, don’t do that. Tell me exactly what you mean. Don’t bullshit me.”

“Wow. I am rubbing off on you.” I rolled my eyes at him. Was he? Or was I just letting go, like he’d always suggested? “I just meant that he never liked me and he made sure I knew it.”

My mouth was hanging open. Had I been so blind all these years? My father had a temper I didn’t know about, Cody was actually capable of cheating on me, and Keith, the only person around me who I’d thought wasn’t worthy of my friendship, was the only decent and honest one?

“Even when you were a child?” I asked.

Keith paused. Hurt flickered briefly though his eyes. “I was never a child.”

I refrained from rolling my eyes again, because I could feel he really meant it. “Oh, come on, you were nine when we met.”

“I wasn’t a child, anymore, by that age—not where it counted.” He tapped his temple and drank the rest of the soda. “Your father was right by keeping me away from you. I didn’t deserve you then and I definitely don’t deserve you now. Your friendship, I mean,” he added. I was baffled with everything he was saying. Something or someone had hurt him so much before we’d even met, and then his parents and mine had only made it more unbearable.

I got up from the table—the room was closing in on me. I was mad at everyone, and even at him, for treating me like a child. I wasn’t a porcelain doll who didn’t know what was good for myself; I knew how to defend myself, and I did not need anyone to get in my face and dictate who I should or shouldn’t befriend. I paid the bill on the way out, before he could protest. If he wasn’t good enough to be my friend, he wouldn’t be paying for me.

“That wasn’t cool, Jane,” he stated, when he got back into the car.

“You and my family telling me what I should or shouldn’t do isn’t cool, either, and none of you give a damn about what I feel.” He was definitely rubbing off on me. I couldn’t give a damn.

After another hour of silence, I turned the radio down. “Cody told me he loved me.” I paused when Keith’s relaxed form changed and his fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly. “He also said that I was the only one—that we were forever.” I paused again, taking in Keith’s reaction to my words. It was as if he hadn’t wanted to hear them.

“Then he cheated and lied and kept promising things he had no intention of fulfilling. You were always a jerk to me, true.” He turned to me, briefly, with a frown on his face. “But you never lied to me. You never pretended to be something you’re not. So, on my deserving list, Cody’s way below you, right now.”

I turned to the window again, eying the still-white fields around us. The day was sunny, and the bright light made my eyes hurt. Keith didn’t respond to my confession. I didn’t even know if he believed it, but it was the truth.

I dozed off for a couple of hours, and then we stopped again to eat and use the restroom in silence. I didn’t feel like he was mad at me. He had no reason to be, anyway, but the weekend had given us both some things to think about, and I was actually appreciating the silence after a couple of days of being crowded by people who dictated what I should do with my life.