A Proscriptive Relationship (7 page)

When my water was gone I sighed and threw the bottle into the recycling. I stooped down and picked up my school bag, lingering. I pretended to be interested in a poster on the wall. After a few minutes I heard the jingle of car keys. I turned to see Mr. Heywood holding them out to me.

“Want a ride home?”

I smiled. “Sure.”

It was sort of awkward sitting in Mr. Heywood’s car. He had a pretty fancy BMW. It made me wonder how he could afford it. I didn’t say anything though. I knew better than that. I sat in the passenger seat with my hands in my lap, staring straight ahead.

“Do you mind if I stop for gas?” he asked, quickly glancing at me.

“No,” I responded quickly.

He looked over at me suspiciously. I regretted answering so quickly. He probably thought I liked him or something now.

“I, er, don’t really want to go home yet,” I explained, fiddling with my fingers. “No one is ever home, so it’s boring, you know?”

“I see,” Mr. Heywood responded, his eyes on the road again. “Where are your parents?”

“My dad died about two years ago,” I said, looking out the window. “Some car hit and killed him.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. What about your mom?”

“She’s alive,” I told him. “And she works her butt off to support the two of us. She’s got this crazy idea in her head that I need to live in a big house and wear brand name clothing like all the kids at school. But I don’t really like taking money from my mom. It feels weird.”

“I know what you mean,” Mr. Heywood responded.

I stared curiously at him. “You do?”

He nodded. “I never had a good relationship with my parents. It was always weird asking them for money. I felt like a moocher or something since I never really saw them.”

I realized he was speaking in past tense. “They’re dead?”

He nodded. “Both of them died in a car crash . . . about two years ago,” he started slowly. “They hit a man in the street, and my dad, who was driving, veered to the right, straight into a telephone pole which killed them both.”

My mouth went dry. I remembered my mom telling me that the couple in the car that had hit my dad had died as well. I swallowed, licking my lips. Did this mean what I thought it meant? “April,” I started, my voice coming out quiet and unsure.

“Eleventh? Yeah,” he responded, confirming my thoughts.

His parents really did kill my dad.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized out loud, hanging my head in shame. “I’m sorry, Mr. Heywood, I just thought something really bad.”

He chuckled. “I said call me Chris. And I’m sure I just had the same thought as you.”

“Your parents killed my dad?” I whispered, staring at him.

“Your dad killed my parents,” he responded, rolling his eyes. “But I promise you that’s not what I think. The thought just popped into my head.”

“Same with me!” I told him quickly. “I couldn’t help it.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s weird though,” I said, looking out the window again. “When I thought about the other two people in the car crash, I never thought about if they had a kid or anything. I just thought ‘those people killed my dad.’”

“That is what’s normal to think,” Mr. Heywood responded. “I thought the same thing. I never thought about you or your mom. It’s in the human nature only to think of yourself.”

“I still feel guilty.”

Mr. Heywood raised an eyebrow at me. “You’re an interesting person, you know?”

“Why do you think that?” I responded, staring at him.

He chuckled. “No reason.”

“Okay . . .”

“
It’s a small world, no?” he suddenly said, his lips twitching.

For some reason, it sounded like Mr. Heywood had a double meaning to his words. Some kind of inside joke only he got. I pushed the thought aside and nodded in agreement, glad for the change of subject. “Yeah.”

I stared at him thoughtfully. So he had gone through the same grievance as I did as the same time I did. Except while I only lost one parent, he had lost both of his. I couldn’t imagine what I had gone through being doubled. The thought of losing my mom was horrible. But losing both my parents at the same time? I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Mr. Heywood had been through. To my surprise, tears were starting to form in my eyes. I tired to subtly wipe them away.

“What’s wrong?” Mr. Heywood asked, glancing over at me.

I blushed, embarrassed I had been caught. “Nothing, I was just thinking . . .”

He smiled gently at me. “It’s all in the past now, so don’t worry, okay?”

What was that a real smile? I took a mental picture of it, because I doubted I would ever see it again. Mr. Heywood noticed me gawking and smirked.

“Ah, I knew you would fall for my good looks.”

“Who did?” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

He pulled into the gas station and pulled up next to a pump. He turned off the car and waited, staring at me expectedly. I returned his gaze with a confused look.

“What?” I finally asked.

“Go pump my gas.”

“What? No!”

A minute later I was out of the car and pumping the gas while rubbing at my arm, where a bruise was sure to appear later. That guy was pushy. But somehow I was relieved that we had managed to stray away from the awkwardness of finding out how our parents were connected. If it was anyone else, I’m sure it would have been awkward. But I was very glad it was Mr. Heywood.

When I finished pumping the gas I got back into the car and Mr. Heywood pulled out of the station. We were silent on the way back, arguing slightly at a dumb comment every now and again. When we pulled up at my house I got out of the car and leaned over before shutting door.

“Well, it’s been fun working for you after school,” I said, trying to sound sarcastic, even though it was the truth for me. “I might even miss it.”

“What are you talking about?” he replied, leaning over the seat to look at me. “This is just the beginning.”

With that, he shut the door and with a small wave, began driving away from me. I waved after him for a moment, a smile slowly spreading onto my face. He was right. It was just the beginning.

LESSON SIX

“
That’s intense,” Lance commented the next day, sitting on my computer chair, mindlessly tapping a pen against his shoe after I’d told both him and Casey about how my parents and Mr. Heywood’s parents were related.

“You and Mr. Heywood meeting is like, fate, Holly!” Casey cried, staring at me with wide eyes. “You being the daughter of the man his parents killed and everything. It’s like a movie! He’ll feel like he has to take care of you because he’s a man while you’re only just a young lady. A romance will bud!”

“You’re reading into this way too much, Casey,” I responded, grinning at her crazy idea. “But it is a coincidence.”

“I’ll say,” she said, nearly shaking with excitement.

“Why exactly were you alone in his car with him again?” Lance asked, frowning at me.

I sighed. “It’s not what you think, Lance. He was just bringing me home because I helped him after school as my punishment for being late.”

“But it was the second day of school! Why should you be punished for being late?”

“Calm down, Lance,” Casey responded before I could. “This is a good thing for Holly. He’s an attractive, experienced young man, and she’s a cute, young lady who is still a virgin. He could help her.”

“Casey!” I cried, my face growing red.

“You—” Lance growled, scowling at her.

Casey laughed. “Chill guys, I was just joking.”

I shook my head, but couldn’t help a smile from slipping onto my lips. Casey grinned at me shamelessly.

“I still don’t think it’s fair he is punishing you,” Lance stated stubbornly, crossing his arms.

I shrugged. “Well, it’s over now.”

“
I just don’t like how you had to help that guy after school,” Lance continued, still looking irritated. “He was using you.”

“
Are you jealous?” Casey teased.

“
No,” Lance snapped, “but what if Holly wants to hang out with friends?”

“
I’m sure he’d have let me hang out with friends,” I told Lance.

“
Still . . .”

“
It doesn’t matter!” Casey chirped, getting off my bed. “The fair is today, so let’s look forward to that! And who knows, maybe Mr. Heywood will be there, Holly.”

I rolled my eyes. “Why does that matter?”

“
Romance,” she said with a fake French accent.

“He’s too old,” Lance stated.

“
You never know,” Casey huffed. “Something might happen.”

I laughed. “Casey, he’s a teacher. I’m a student. That wouldn’t work out. In fact, it’s illegal. And kind of gross.”

“
It’s only, what? A four-year difference? My parents are ten years apart,” she responded defensively.

“
Still, he’s a teacher,” Lance interjected. “And she’s a student.”

“
That’s doesn’t matter either.”

I sighed and flopped onto my back on the bed, hoping for the subject to drop. The fair started in only an hour. I still had to get ready. Casey scooted Lance out of my computer chair, spun herself around, and logged onto Facebook. Lance started tinkering with things on my desk and I watched Casey with a bored expression. After about half an hour I went to the bathroom. When I got back I sat down on the bed and stared at Lance, who was coloring on my binder now.

“
Oh my God!” Casey gasped suddenly.

“
What?” Lance and I responded simultaneously.

“
Sadie is in a relationship with Sam!”

“
No way!” I cried, standing up and going over to the computer.

Sure enough, on Facebook, Sadie’s relationship status went from “single” to “in a relationship with Sam.” I stared at the screen in shock. Mr. Heywood was right!

“
I thought she liked him,” Lance commented, also coming over and taking a look. “Kind of sudden, though.”

“
Now I can go on double dates with her!” Casey said, grinning. “You two really need to find someone to go out with.”

“
I don’t like anyone,” I responded with a shrug. “And I wouldn’t go out with someone I didn’t like.”

“
What about you, Lance?” Casey asked, turning to him.

He blushed immediately. Casey and I exchanged glances.

“
Aw, Lance has got a crush!” I cooed, elbowing him. “Who is it, huh?”

“
I’m not telling you!” Lance responded, shaking his head. “No way.”

“
Aw, come on!” Casey interjected. “You have to tell us now!”

“
No I don’t,” Lance responded, his mouth in a straight line. “And you won’t ever know.”

“
Why don’t you ask her out?” I asked him.

Lance snorted. “She wouldn’t go out with me.”

“
What are you talking about? Everyone wants to go out with you!” I responded and Casey nodded in agreement.

“
Not this person. She’s different.”

“
Who is she?” Casey and I demanded together.

“
I won’t tell you guys.”

“
Come on! Please!” I begged, putting on my best puppy-dog look.

Lance shook his head. “No. Now I’m leaving to get ready for the fair, you should too, Casey.”

Casey nodded, logging out of Facebook. “I probably should.”

I frowned. My puppy-dog look never worked. I needed to practice it.

Lance and Casey left and I went to take a shower. When I was done I blow dried my hair and went to my room to start straightening it. The phone rang halfway through the process and I set the straightener down for a second, walking over to the phone in my room and picking it up.

“
Hello?”

“
Hi honey, it’s Mom.”

“
Hi,” I said, going back to my hair straightener.

“
Work’s going to go really late tonight. I’m just going to stay at a friend’s so I don’t have to drive all the way back home,” she informed me and I heard something fall in the background. “Shoot,” she muttered. “Is that okay with you? What are your plans for tonight?”

“
That’s fine,” I responded, shutting off my straightener. “I’m going to the fair with Lance and Casey in a little bit.”

“
Why don’t you invite Casey to sleep over then? I feel bad leaving you alone.”

I rolled my eyes. “Mom. I’m a senior. Pretty soon I’ll be living by myself anyways.”

“
Not too soon,” she responded, sounding a little sad.

“
Okay, let me rephrase that. In a little while I could be living by myself, but probably won’t be.”

She laughed. “Sounds better. My break’s almost over though, so I have to go.”

“
Okay mom, I love you.”

“
Love you too,” she responded. “Bye.”

“
See ya.”

I clicked the end button and set the phone down. I glanced at the clock. Seven o’clock. That meant I’d have to leave in about five minutes to make it to the fair grounds for half past. I went to my closet and threw on a pair of jean skinny jeans and a Glamour Kills tank. Slipping on my shoes and grabbing my wallet and iPod, I went out the door, locking it behind me.

I stuck my headphones into my ears and set it on shuffle. Music blasted from them as I started down the street in the direction of the fair grounds. It was starting to get dark, which was the perfect time for going to a fair. The millions of lights that came off every ride was a stunning sight. As I grew closer, more people were walking on the sidewalks. I maneuvered around an old couple that was walking slowly and finally made it to the gate where I was meeting the others.

In a little while Sadie and Sam showed up. And then Casey, and finally Lance. We bought our tickets and entered the area where the fair was. There were gaggles of people. Little kids were running around everywhere, teenagers walked around in groups, and couples were holding hands. Vendors called out to us as we walked by them, offering one dart for two dollars and three darts for five.