THE RESEMBLANCE

The clouds were getting gloomy and I knew the night was near, somewhere, but I didn't care, you know why? Of course you don't but I'd sure help to inform- I had a friend to make this eve.

"Hey." Her dulcet tones replied and a smile painted her face.

I looked down at the children and grinned at them as they cringed back to the girl, sensitive kids, I thought. Used to be like that though.

"Hi," I said again and smiled.

"Hello." A hint of impatience crossed her voice and I let out a heavy sigh.

"Sorry, novice here, I'm Jason Stark." I stretched my hand towards hers'.

She received it with a smile, "Welcome Jason." She disengaged her hand from mine.

I expected a continuation, maybe something like, Welcome Jason, I'm Ariana Grande, nice to meet you.

I sighed when no more words proceeded from her lips.

"And you are?" I asked finally.

"Britney, Britney Dawson." She cooed.

"Britney," I repeated with nods, "like Britney Spears?" I laughed at my words but she didn't find it funny; she just blankly gazed at me.

"I'm anti-Spears." She deadpanned and turned to the boy by her right, "Wanna see momma now?"

My toes curled literally, "Oh! Never knew," I chuckled and she didn't even care to look at me, "nice to meet you Britney." I quickly added and turned away but turned back immediately.

"Do you live here?" I asked and scratched the back of my neck.

"Yeah." She said and finally looked up to me, "See you later Jackson, lil' bro's hungry." She said and smiled weakly.

"Oh okay, and it's Jason." I smiled sheepishly.

She stifled a laugh with her hand clapped over her mouth, "Sorry, Jason." She said and with that turned away and disappeared behind the big gate.

She obviously didn't care.

"That surely didn't end well." I whispered beneath my breath and continued my walk but didn't last long before I hurried back home, having a very strong, submerging nyctophobia and also for fear of getting lost.

I was still embarrassed when I walked into the parlor and my parents weren't there, I felt a sensation of racing foreboding at that cognition but was later distracted by the vibration in my back pocket, I hastily withdrew my phone to a text message, from an unknown number- heard u came, comin' o'er😘

I scoffed at the message in ignorance and dialed the number but to no response, I dialed it again and there still wasn't any response.

I sighed and walked upstairs with heavy steps as I went over my earlier encounter with Britney, that was a very clear message that we weren't going to work and a lucid disclosure that this summer would be the worst so far, I sighed sharply at that as I emerged in the hallway, there were surreptitious noises from the first room; the master bedroom that was silenced immediately my feet squeaked the tiles, they were the voices of my mother and father but why they spoke so lowly came to me as a surprise, it looked so conspirative and suspicious...

My phone rang loudly, interrupting the silence of the house.

"Shit." I mumbled as I answered the call, it was from Trevor Jones, he just called at the perfect time.

I sighed and stomped to my room.

"What is it?" I asked with feigned annoyance.

"Hey, chillax dude, you called me."

"Yeah, well I don't wanna talk to you no more."

"Okay." He drawled.

"Wait, wait, wait," I laughed, "was just kidding bro, chill."

"Okay, gotten to Avalon?"

"Yeah, here's so dead man." I heaved deeply.

"What about me, I didn't even get a change of location or something, just seated here and re-living the same monotonous routine." He hissed.

"One man's food is another's poison," I sighed, "I'd give up anything to be in the city right now."

Then I remembered it- school, he would know eventually and the sooner the better.

"Um Trevor, I wanna say something to you," I cleared my throat.

"You need a go-ahead?" He snickered.

"Shut your mouth," I chuckled, "man, there's been changes about school," I huffed.

"Changes, what d'you mean?" His voice bubbled with raptness as he spoke and I knew I was definitely going to hurt him.

"I'm sorry bro but I can't stay away from my mother for five years man, I'm sorry."

"Get to the point buster; hit the nail on the ham-"

We laughed,

"hit the hammer on the nail head." He added with a subtle laugh.

"I'm not going to Harvard!" I said quickly with tightly closed eyes.

I heard him gasp, "Where?" he quietly asked.

"University of Ohio." I announced.

"Holy sh-!" He exclaimed.

His voice drifted away but I could hear sounds from the background- euphoric sounds and if I was right then it just didn't add up- why would he be happy that I wasn't going to Harvard? That I wasn't going to be with him?

"Hey, bro!" I shouted at the phone.

"Yes- yes- yaar?" he panted heavily.

"What's going on?"

"I've got something to say to you too fella." He shuddered heavy breaths.

"Very well, blast me."

"I may not have been all echt with you from the beginning," he puffed, "I might have masqueraded my whole school stuff, err, I never was going to Harvard ab initio and I saw how obsessed and insane you were about going there so I had to convince you that we'd go and all that but actually my pops said I couldn't move that far, it would be inconvenient for the family and you know, I reasoned with him and found reason to apply for Ohio University, but right now I can't express my happiness really..."

His words slowly erred away and I couldn't help the overwhelming impulse that forced me to turn the bed to a trampoline as I jumped ecstatically on it and shouted excitedly.

"Bro, hey, hey, Jason." Trevor said from the phone.

"Jason!" my mother shouted from downstairs.

"Coming!" I yelled back at her and grabbed my phone.

"Trevor, as much as I am super-duper excited now, I gotta go, catch ya." I said quickly and hurried off downstairs.

My mother welcomed me from the stairs with a grin and an outstretched hand,

"Hey, that was pretty alarming right there, you seem totally fine." I smiled and took her hand.

She drew her head to my ear and whispered, "You've got a visitor."

She held my hand to the living room and I could notice the step-up in someones there; my father was seated on a recliner and then there was a woman that looked pointedly at me with a broad smile; her face was familiar and if my brain was working as well as I hoped then I was staring directly at Mrs. Bethany with a shaky smile but she wasn't alone, my eyes could tell, they weren't as deceptive as certain exes, LOL.

A girl stood by her side, a girl with a straight slender nose, thick dark eyebrows, grey eyes, whitish visage and a beauteous smile, I knew who she was, she resembled a girl I knew as Cas...

Two arms engulfed me tightly in a bearhug; a tight embrace.

"I missed you." The words were pointed into my ears in whispers and the voice was of a familiar kind... Casey actually came!