Her Miracle

CHAPTER 11

The lamppost right above him illuminated him. Does he also walk at night? Why isn’t he home? Maybe he finds comfort in the dark. Some people do. And sometimes it scares me. There are times it's like an ex-best friend that crept behind you. Sometimes it does give you goosebumps that you feel someone has their eyes on you and you end up gripping at your shirt because it gives you that uneasy feeling.

“Hey, what’s up? You live near here?” I made my voice louder for him to hear me audibly.

“Sort of. A couple of blocks away…” He answered in a low tone, with confusion on his face. “Where are you going?”

I walked closer to him in order to hear him better.  “I was supposed to go home... but...”

“But?” He raised his brow at me. Sometimes his demeanor changes from being the soft boy to the curious one that I'm pressured to face.

“That noisy house filled with people?” I told him, pointing at my house. 

He nodded at me. I trailed, “That’s my house. My dearest brothers are partying.”

The music was blaring so loud. People who were drunk have been walking home. Cars of the Willoughby students lined up in the road leading to our house. Drunken people have been sprawled on our driveway. Colorful disco lights have been reflecting from our windows.

This party is what Izzy was talking about. She also wasn’t informed it was my house they were talking about. Once the address is sent to her, she’ll have her mouth hanging in shock. In that case, she’ll have her first date with her crush inside my house. 

What if I call Kai's dad? His dad was the local sheriff. The best and famous sheriff in town. He has his ways of taking everything into order. He did live off based on his family values. Sheriff Waters cared about everyone's safety. He knew my dad since they were classmates in Highschool. They go way back. I've always wondered how a blonde woman reached the small town in Washington. Why did it feel like my mom was deported? She could've settled for a city, knowing she's well-off. 

The neighbors didn’t seem to mind. Our walls weren’t soundproof. The music did echo in all directions. It didn’t disturb, most especially the neighbors right next to us.  Maybe they didn’t want to complain and didn’t want to be trashed by Willoughby students for being a party pooper. They didn't want to be the talk of the town...like me. Nobody does. 

“Hey,” He called out to me with a hint of concern in his tone. 

I stare at the mess these random people were making. Some students had their bodies entwined with each other. Some were making out at the back of the car. In a small town, I couldn't believe that there are still wild kids. I know city kids have worse but... really? They enjoyed the chaos they've made. The cold night didn’t stop them. What more the neighbors right next to us? They’ve been done dealing with us, I guess. A bunch of yelling and whistling could be heard. Surely, they were playing in the living room with beer pong. s**t. They're all a mess.

I turned my head facing Titus, giving him my full attention. “Yeah, want to go grab ice cream? There’s a convenience store near Eleanor’s.”

“It’s okay. I don’t need one. You do. I’ll come with if that makes you feel better than going to eat one alone.” He said gently.

His words do make me feel better. He waited for my response. I startled myself as my head floated not internalizing what he just said, “Pardon me?”

“I don’t need ice cream… You do. I’ll come with you in buying one.” He repeated. The fog came out as he spoke. You’ll want ice cream nonetheless. Most especially when you want to calm yourself down.

“Okay… Thank you...Titus.” I answered with shyness. He always does save the day lately. His approach made everything bearable.

I held onto my jacket and bag. It was chilly. Titus and I walk side by side back to where I came from. The silence filled at the moment we were farther away from our house.

I tilt my head to give him a glance. “Where do you live?”

“The blue house.”

The Blue House was the house with a pool- as far as I know- here in Castle Rock. Nobody stays there for a long time due to its expensive mortgage and the pool is useless when it's cold. The owner sold it off and transferred to another place. I think they never liked the rain. The maintenance was hard. The Blue House was also situated on the corner of the street we were in. In fact, he lived nearer to me than Izzy.

I stopped in my tracks, to point out the house from a distance. “That Blue house?”

“There’s no other Blue house in town isn’t there?”

I laughed at his comment. “Yeah, right!”

We proceed to walk at an unhurried pace, absorbing the stillness of the night. The moon shines above giving a little light to our path, other than the lampposts. The silence was unwavering. It was comforting walking with someone who feels you and your sentiments. It wasn’t the deafening kind because it’s with someone who had that mental connection with you. Odd but the good kind of odd.

Finally, We reached the convenience store. Waltermart is its name. Compared to Eleanor’s, it was open 24/7. They had all necessities for those who pass by town by road trip or like those truck drivers delivering things who go town to town.

If Eleanor’s had iced coffee for people to satisfy their thirst during the heat of the sun, this Waltermart had their vanilla soft serve. It would be cool to combine them though. Coffee float doesn't sound so bad and I think it’d taste good. The creamy flavor of the soft serve would make the coffee float be thicker in volume and would go with the coffee. I’d like to experiment on that one day if Chester gave me the chance.

We opened the entrance, as the bell attached to the door rang. Announcing our arrival. Titus just followed my lead as I went to the counter. It was a woman. She had her brown hair tied into a messy bun, and worn her uniform in completion of her job. Waltermart wouldn’t be a convenience store without her uniform. She had a red and yellow uniform which I think is really cute.

I turned to Titus. “Are you sure you don’t want ice cream?”

“No… really, I’m fine. Go have some for yourself.”

I go near the counter and looked at the menu which was behind the woman. Her name tag says ‘Georgina’. I gave her a smile as if I finalized my order. “Hi, I’d like to have one soft serve.”

“Oh, you’re Kendra’s kid.”

Kid? They should stop calling me kid. I’m so done with it. Instead, I just fished out my wallet and pulled a bill that would pay for the ice cream. I managed to give her a fake smile and I hope she doesn’t notice it is fake.

I’m making it as natural and genuine as possible. “Yeah, Kendra is my mother.”

“So you’re Anna? Andrea? I forgot the name that was involved in the accident.” She also smiled sweetly like her words didn’t cut me like a knife. It was more than a slap in the face.

“Andrea, yes.” I clarified, still smiling.

She managed to chat while she was fixing me my soft serve with the ice cream machine. “That'll be 5 dollars.” She held her hand out to me with her palms open waiting for me to give her my payment.

I gave her the hard-earned money I got this week. It was a 10 dollar bill. To shut her up, I held my head up high. “Keep the change.”

She then gave me my soft serve in a waffle cone. Titus just stood beside me, glaring at her, waiting for me to sass her out, I guess. I grab my ice cream from her hand. This was a test of patience with this woman.

“Let’s go, Titus,” I tell him.

We made our way out when the woman whispered to herself, thinking she’s the only one who could hear it. “Oh, weirdo.”

Titus placed his hand on my arm, as a gesture for support as we completely got out of the convenience store. I wanted to clench my fist but I had my ice cream. I took a deep breath instead to calm these raging nerves. People are just testing me these days. 

“I was praying internally you wouldn’t talk back and do something she’d lash out to you.” He shrugged.

“It was a test of patience. She had this b***h aura. I knew it.” I trailed.

“Felt that too. She doesn’t have the right to do that. She should be grateful you didn’t scream at her. But she still called you a weirdo.”

“Nah, this town is just crazy.” I shrugged as well.

We looked around. Eleanor’s was closed. There was a small park across Eleanor’s and Waltermart and a gasoline station filled with huge trucks in the corner. Their engine annoyingly blared together with its alarming horn that startled me and Titus.

“Since you don’t want to go home… want to watch a movie at my house?”

“Yeah, sure. I can stay as long as the party is still going on. Won’t your parents be mad?”

“No problem. My parents are out of town for the weekend since they have businesses to attend to in Lockeswood and Sandy Hill.”

Sandy Hill. That town. It will haunt me forever. How could a word bring back feeling? I don’t know who to blame. It crept like the darkness, consuming, and evil.

“You’re not scared that you’re alone for the weekend?”

“No.” He placed his hands on his pockets as soon as he finished rubbing his palms together.

I continued licking my ice cream. “Why not?

“I have relatives who are a phone call away and…”

“And what?”

“You’re with me.”  He answered straightly with confidence and a huge grin on his face with a small dimple showing.