Chapter 11: Dreamin’ Of The Past

I wiped the sweat off my forehead, the familiar sting in my eyes making me wish I didn't sweat like such a pig. Wait—pigs don't sweat do they? Well, you get what I mean anyway, it was hot as balls outside. The sun beat down on the back of my neck without mercy, and even worse was that there wasn't a shady area in sight. Stupid Summer!

"Here dork." An ice-cold sensation pressed against my neck while I was distracted. A hiss leaked from my lips as I tried backing away from the frigid feeling, my eyes taking in the sight of the culprit. Holding on to an ice-cold can of Dr. Pepper was my arch nemesis, Abby Miller!

"What do you want?" She never came to me with good intentions, the girl was meaner than a rattlesnake. It seems she noticed my glare as a smile spread across her face revealing her gleaming braces.

"I was wanting to know if you'd like to come to Nixon's Creek with us." I casted a glance over at the group behind her. Tanner and James loomed over me, their shadows casting the first bit of reprieve from the sun since I woke up this morning. Rachel stood to the side, her nose buried into her little fliphone as she fired away text after text with precise typing.

"Y-you're askin' me?" The squeak in my voice made me wince, Tanner snickering at the sound. I had just turned 10 and the group in front of me had already finished their second year of middle school. It seemed suspicious that they'd want to hang out with me. My fingers gripped hard at the worn rubber handles of my bike, the feeling of rusted metal underneath greeting my skin through the sun-cracked rubber.

"Yep, Javi bailed on us so we were lookin' for someone else to come with. You look hot out here just sitting in the parking lot so I thought I'd invite you." She grinned at me as she stuck out her hand holding the Dr. Pepper. I gulped hard as I watched the condensation drip down the can. The temptation grew too strong as my chubby hands reached for the apple red can. Just like Eve in the Garden of Eden, I may have bit off more than I could chew.

"Okay, I'll go," I mumbled as I kicked up the stand of my bike, the thing groaning with a rusty hiss. Tanner smirked, a hand running through his flowing blond hair as he walked toward his own bike. It was much nicer and wasn't covered in rust or had faulty brakes. The cherry red paint job gleamed in the noon sun as he straddled the seat, his foot kicking up the stand before settling on one of the pedals.

"Cool little dude, just make sure you can keep up." James spoke as he leaned against the handlebars of his all black bike. The thing looked built for speed, and a sudden nervous feeling grew in my gut. Would chubby ol' me be able to keep up with older kids who had better bikes?

"Don't worry Ethan, you don't have to worry about keeping up with the boys. Me and Rachel don't go nearly as fast as they do." She must've seen the worry on my face because her reassuring words brought relief just like the can of Dr. Pepper did. I had pulled the tab and chugged the thing like I was dying of thirst and considering I had ridden all the way from home down through the valley it might not have been that far off from the truth.

"Uhuh, I'm not going to mess up my hair," Rachel spoke as she clipped her flip phone over the waistband of her green shorts, the pink bedazzled thing hanging on her hip like a gun. Placing her feet on the pedals she began a slow pace as the rest of the teens began moving with her. Me and Abby were in the rear of the pack as Tanner and James popped wheelies in the front and flipped off any passing car they saw.

I could feel myself wheezing, my breath running short as I pedaled for dear life. Abby followed right beside me at a languid pace, her eyes glancing at me and a mischievous grin growing on her lips.

"You been enjoyin' your Summer?" She asked as she looked over at me struggling to not keel over. Sweat streamed down my forehead like a waterfall, drops of the sweaty liquid splashing across the asphalt as I leaned forward to pedal faster. My breath came in wheezing gasps, my fat ass feeling every bump in the road as the crappy seat had no shock absorbers.

"N-no, our AC went out so we've been sleepin' on the front porch at night." I groaned at the memories it brought up, waking up with dew on your back isn't the best feeling in the world. Thank God though for the screened-in porch because with all of the mosquitos buzzing around, I doubt I'd be able to get any sleep if they could get close and bite me.

"Sounds rough…i-is Clar doing okay?" She winced as she saw my face grow grim. I shook my head to clear the curse words filling my brain, the target of my hatred being that woman.

"She's as good as one can be after their Mom leaves them to go do meth under a railroad pass." My words were extra bitter and a little too loud as Rachel glanced over at me with a look of concern. Abby was giving me a sympathetic look while Tanner and James were still acting like Jack asses ahead not paying attention to the conversation behind them. I was thankful they didn't hear.

"Shit, E, I'm sorry—"

"Don't apologize, it ain't your fault that her mom is a shit human being." The conversation died there as my eyes looked further down the old asphalt road we were riding on.

To the left was the Munford Methodist Church, the faded white paint had chipped away in some areas to reveal the wood underneath. The planks themselves were worn and covered in moss, the green scum was particularly prominent toward the foundation of the church. White stone steps that had been painted and repainted to the point where they added a quarter inch to their height in paint alone led toward the entrance to the church. The arched double doors were painted red, the paint fading over time to a more muted color bordering on pink. Despite its wear and tear the bell tower still loomed over the town imposingly, my eyes catching sight of the copper bell covered in green, the thing corroding from its lack of use and care.

The parsonage was an overgrown mess, grass taller than me covered most of the sagging wooden porch. My eyes tried peering past the cracked glass pane windows but all I was greeted with was darkness. The white paint had faded as vines crawled up the wooden slats of the walls, a tree growing right beside the house. Ever since the pastor died and the congregation got older and older the church had fallen to this state. It was sad but it was a normal sight here in Munford.

My eyes looked to the right at the rows of abandoned houses. Blue, red, green, and yellow houses were built on stilts to counteract the sharp slope of the hill they rested on. At one time they would've been beautiful places filled with happy families but now all they are is hang out spots for addicts to get high. One of the houses had collapsed in on itself, the aged wood holding it up in the air giving out after a particularly bad storm a year ago. Sharp jagged splinters jutted out from the rubble like cracked ribs, the busted plaster walls spilling out like blood. It was a dead house, all of them were but this one was deader than dead.

"Me and my family ain't ever escapin' here are we?" I asked as I looked over at Abby, a sad smile spreading across my face. The Langston family had settled in the town before it was even officially a town, and for the past 200 years not a single Langston lived anywhere but here. That would be okay if the town was still thriving but any work dried up when the town's coal mines shut down. All that was left now was the Miller's quarry business and a few mom-and-pop shops that could barely afford to pay themselves let alone anyone else.

"Pssh, don't get so gloomy kid, Abbs here can help you get a job with her Daddy." Rachel's grin was downright malicious as she combed back a shock of her wild pink hair revealing her pale ears studded in piercings. "It's the least she can do for her cru—!"

"Shut up!" Abby screamed, her cheeks growing redder than a tomato. I didn't get why she looked so upset but she seemed relieved to see me tilting my head like an idiot as a sigh leaked from her lips. "Don't pay attention to Rachel, you can get a job wherever you'd like. After all, you've got your whole life ahead of you."

***

I woke up sprawled out over my mattress. The scratchy feeling of those little balls of lint that formed across the sheetless bed made me grimace. The morning sun pouring though my open blinds didn't help either as I grabbed hold of my pillow and threw it over my face. A groan leaked from my lips as the cool side of my pillow smothered my face in its plush comfort. The missing pillow case and the growing stains from last night's sleep on the pillow itself told me Clara didn't do the laundry last night. She had attempted to, the missing blankets and sheets attesting to that but somewhere during that process she stopped.

My mind immediately went back to memories of last night, a groan leaking from my lips. The pillow muffled the groan but not enough as a loud banging sound came from my door.

"Ethan get up breakfast is ready!" Clara screamed, and at that moment my stomach decided to growl louder than it ever had. I guess skipping dinner last night was a bad idea.

"I'm up!" I yelled back as I rolled off of my mattress, my bare feet sinking into the plush carpet covering my bedroom.

Shuffling my feet across the familiar green carpet I reached for the top drawer in my nightstand. Yanking it open I grabbed a pair of boxer briefs and a pair of socks folded into a wad. The next drawer I opened was the one below it as I took out a faded red shirt that had seen better days. Giving it a quick sniff I smelt the familiar smell of detergent as I let out a sigh, at least it was clean.

Instead of reaching for more drawers to look for pants I turned back around and walked toward the edge of my bed. Laying in a small pile were my blue jeans I wore yesterday, my hand grabbing them as I walked out into the hallway. I only owned three pairs of jeans to my name, and because of that, I had to wear them for more than just one day. The first pair would be worn for two days and then I'd switch, the second and third pair would follow the same pattern, and generally, by the end of this cycle, the first pair would be washed by Clara and be ready to be used again. Today was not like that though as she hadn't done the laundry so I had to make due.

Walking past the narrow hallway leading out of our bedrooms I looked at the framed photos dotting the wood-paneled walls. It was mostly school photos, a tapestry of both me and Clar both growing older. The odd picture of Dad was sprinkled in, mostly of his time in the Army. He always looked happy in those photos, my eyes looking at his big grin as he gave a peace sign to the camera. The man was always upbeat in even the most dangerous situations. Entering the living room I tossed the clothes in my hands on the couch before walking over to the kitchen. A shower could wait, I wanted breakfast now!

"What did ya make?" I asked as the sound of something sizzling in the pan hit my ears, and a moment later the smell of sausage filled my nose. The wooden chair scraped across the floor as I pulled it from under the round table, my boxer-covered ass sitting on the cold wood of the seat sent a shudder down my spine.

"Sausage, eggs, and toast." Punctuating her words was the sound of our old toaster dinging. The golden brown bread flew up as her fingers plucked the slices and placed the four of them on two plates. Next came the sausage, the greasy goodness landing on both plates next to the two slices of toast, the uneven patties had been molded by Clar herself. The final piece of breakfast was in the small pan next to the one that had fried up the sausage. Fluffy scrambled eggs filled the pan and when she dumped half of the stuff on my plate I could only lick my lips in anticipation.

"Thank~you!" I went to reach for the delectable meal only to have my hand swatted away.

"Nope, I'm not going to let you eat until I get answers. What're your intentions with Abby?" Her crystal blue eyes narrowed at me, her hands hovering over my plate like a guard dog.

"What do you mean?" I asked as I glared right back at her. I'm too hungry to play these games, woman!

"Are you just thinking of foolin' around with her or—"

"I want it to be serious, she's fun to hang around and I've known her since we were little so I want it to be serious." I reiterated, my hands reaching for my plate as Clar reluctantly moved her hands away.

"What about Else?" Clara untied her apron cinched around her waist. Once she had that folded up she reached toward the ponytail holder keeping her long blond hair away from the stove. Pulling it off of her hair she shook her head letting her long mane of golden hair fall freely down her back.

"Ugh, look I know she likes me, and I know that you have some type of feelings for me too."

"You're wrong, I—"

"Don't deny it, both of you were acting like love-sick puppies last night. What I'm trying to say is I don't want to open this can of worms with you two. I don't want to lose my little sister and a friend I've known since elementary school." I sighed as I used the back of my hands to rub at my eyes, a painful ache throbbing right behind them.

"So you're scared?" She sniped at me, her fork scraping against her plate as she scooped up some scrambled eggs.

"Yes, Clar, I'm scared. If I lose you like I've lost the rest of my family I can promise it won't end well. Elsie is in the same boat, the girl is practically a little sister to me." I snapped back, my teeth tearing into my toast with a crunch.

"Remember Pastor Reeves?" She asked our of the blue, her mouth wrapping around her fork after she finished speaking.

"Yeah, why are you bringing him up?" Pastor Reeves was the young new pastor who took control of the old Munford Methodist Church. The place really cleaned up after he got there and me and Clara would attend VBS (Vacation Bible School) during the summer because they provided free food.

"Remember when he read us the Book of Job?" She asked as her teeth sunk into her own toast, her blue eyes looking at me with an unreadable gaze.

"No, not really, I was too busy filling my face with pizza." I chuckled at the memory, the other kids watching in horror as I downed almost an entire large pizza by myself. When someone offers free food you make the most of it. That's one of Dad's life lessons and something I took to heart.

"Well I'll give you a refresher then—"

"Pass, I don't need it."

"Oh, come on it's just one Scripture."

"Ugh, fine."

"Thank you, the scripture is Job 3:25, and all it says is 'What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.' If you ignore Elsie and her feelings and pretend like it isn't happening you will lose the family you're fighting so desperately to keep." Her words were ominous, all of the fire and brimstone messages I heard as a kid laying under the pews were channeled into her warning. I gulped, the breakfast on my plate suddenly looked much more important than the conversation we were having. Out of sight out of mind is what I thought as I bit into the sausage patty Clar made.