John Reynolds sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he tightened his tie. He was standing in front of the mirror in Rebecca Little's bedroom, and as his eyes drifted to the corner of the mirror, he could see her pulling a dress up around her waist. He smiled at the sight of her beautiful back, her curved shoulders and her lovely hair as she pulled it out of the way with one hand, pulling the dress fully up with the other. After a moment, he looked back at himself in the mirror, then felt a hand on his back as she approached him from behind.
"Nervous?" she asked, and he opened his mouth to reply, then shut it again, shrugging; she chuckled and nodded, saying, "it's fine, it's normal to be nervous." Together they gathered their coats, just in case, and John got his keys. They headed out to the driveway and climbed into his parked car. John slipped the key into the ignition, took one more deep breath and started the car. He backed out, and sped down the road. *** Earlier that day, The Sixxers had celebrated a huge win. They'd somehow managed to beat the team from another local school who'd been on a hot streak and not lost a game in the past 3 months. Somehow, however, The Sixxers managed to do it. Afterwards, while everyone else was celebrating, Hawley helped Reynolds pick up all the equipment, as usual, but she couldn't help but notice Gorey wasn't there. As she stood up from the grass, her arms full of bats, she looked around, then looked at Reynolds. "This isn't normal. She's usually here," Hawley said. "Maybe she had something to do," Reynolds said, shrugging, "Maybe she had a doctors appointment. Dump those in the wheelbarrow." Hawley let go of the bats into the wheelbarrow and then stood there, hands on her hips. She grimaced, then reached up and rubbed at a scar on her head, making Reynolds shake his head. He took her by the wrist and pulled her to the bench, then handed her a cold drink from the nearby cooler. Hawley thanked him, taking the drink and putting it against her head. "Um...I wanted to ask you," Reynolds said, "You know, after what happened at the show, and how your father has behaved, I was...well, I was curious if maybe you'd feel more comfortable, safer, living with me at my apartment. I know it's a lot to ask, and...and I understand if you are uncomfortable with it, if you feel like I'm overstepping my boundaries, but I just-" "Can I...can I really do that?" Hawley asked, staring up at him as he sat beside her and smiled, nodding. "Yeah, you can," he said, "For sure." "...you're not just making a joke or, like, saying something that can't happen, are you?" Hawley asked. "Nah. I got a two bedroom apartment but the other one's been filled up with crap til now. We could empty it out, get some furniture, you know, decorate it. You could dress however you wanted all the time, decorate the room any way you want. I just want you to be safe and comfortable." Hawley threw the drink on the ground and threw her arms around Reynolds, surprising him, making him laugh as he patted her on the back. From nearby - far enough away that they wouldn't see her - Gorey was standing in her jumpsuit and watching. She heard a car door shut and heard the sound of shoes clicking on the sidewalk as someone approached her. She turned to see Delilah coming up, smiling politely. "Didn't know janitorial duties consisted of cleaning the parking lot," Delilah said. "Hah," Gorey replied flatly, "They don't. I just don't wanna be over there." "Bad day?" Delilah asked, and Gorey shrugged. "Bad life," she said quietly. "You know," Delilah said, "When I feel this bad, I like to get out of my own head by partaking in a hobby." "Partaking?" Gorey asked, raising an eyebrow, making Delilah laugh. "Seriously, try it, find something you enjoy that'll distract you. I have this team," Delilah said, "It's done wonders for me." As she watched Delilah walk away, Gorey couldn't help but feel like she was right. She should find something to do outside of the school, away from her 'friends'. Maybe she'd volunteer at the local community theater. She was sure she could easily relearn all that stuff, maybe? She was unsure of her abilities, honestly, and she was scared of trying and finding out she was incapable of doing anything anymore. She blew her bangs from her eyes and went back to sweeping the nothing off the ground. Janice Gorey felt like she was about to throw up. Being sick was becoming her new hobby. *** Hawley changed in her girls locker room, then headed out. As she passed by the boys locker room, the door opened up and Tyler, along with some of the other kids, came out behind her. She turned and waved at them, as Tyler came jogging up to her briskly. "You're not leaving yet, right?" he asked. "Uh," she said, tugging at her bag strap on her shoulder, "...I...I was gonna go somewhere, yeah, why?" "Could you come into the locker room for a minute?" he asked, "Just come with me, trust me, it's worth it." Hawley shrugged and followed Tyler and the others back into the boys locker room, and was shocked upon entering, when the door shut behind her and her eyes adjusted to the low lighting in the room, seeing a large banner hanging from the ceiling that simply read "HELL YEAH HAWLEY". She looked at Tyler as everyone clapped for her, and walked towards him. "What is this?" she asked quietly. "You aren't the best player, and you didn't even play much this season," Tyler said, "but you were the strongest person on this team and you taught us that we don't have to be ashamed of ourselves. That alone wins you the honor of being the most important player on this team, so we made this for you." "...I...I can't...this is..." "It's okay to cry," Tyler said, making Hawley giggle a little and wipe at her eyes. "I'm sorry, this was just so unexpected," she said. "Reynolds told us about what happened, about the girls who attacked you, and we want you to know that, from now on, if anyone gives you any crap - including anyone who winds up on this team - we'll kick their asses outright. You just come and tell us, okay?" Tyler said, putting his hands on her shoulders and adding, "You're not just our teammate, you're our friend." "thank you," Hawley whispered, trying hard not to cry, as she leaned in and hugged him. As they hugged, the entire team came in and hugged them both. Turns out Hawley's dad was right after all. Sports teaches you cooperation and teamwork, and usually not in the ways one would expect. *** Reynolds sighed as he pulled up to a red light and stopped the car. He felt a hand on his thigh and looked over at Little, sitting in the passenger seat, smiling at him as she patted his leg. "Just try to relax," she said, "I know it's nervy, but try. Just think about how happy this'll make you, alright? This is all you've wanted, you told me that yourself. It's gonna go fine." "I know it'll go fine, I'm just...I don't know that I'll be as good as I was before," Reynolds said, "and that scares me. I don't wanna falter. I wanna be as good as I ever was." "Trust me, after seeing you with Hawley this year, you're good," Little said, laughing, which in turn made Reynolds laugh a little. The light turned green and he started driving forward again. He wanted to be happy. He wanted to feel good. But he'd have to wait until he was there to see for certain. He was done getting his hopes up, only for them to fall once more. *** Reynolds picked up his briefcase and headed out of his office, but as soon as he was in the hallway, ready to head to the parking lot, he was surprised to find Gorey standing there, staring him down. He smiled upon seeing her, tossing his jacket over his shoulder. "Heya!" he said, "Where were you today?" "...I'm sorry," she said quietly as Reynolds pulled his office key from his pocket and locked the door. "What for? Being absent? It's cool. People got shit to do," Reynolds said. "For that night. In the car," Gorey said, which caught his attention. He stood back up and looked at her. "You don't have to apologize for that." "No, I really do. I...I'm not good at...you know...feelings, and like, stuff with people." "Or grammar, apparently," Reynolds said with a smirk, making her blush. "Shut up," she said playfully before adding, "You know what I mean. I just...it's easy for me to become attached to people who don't feel the same way, or...or maybe imagine something being there that isn't there. I think I took advantage of you in your moment of weakness, and I feel gross because of it, and I'm sorry." Reynolds shrugged as they walked down the hall. "You didn't take advantage of shit," he said, "and you're not imagining something that isn't there. There's plenty there. It's just...everything is all mixed up and weird right now. My life fell apart and this past year has been strange as hell as I try to readjust to living a new life. I also...I never really had any female friends, outside my sister I guess, so it's weird for me. But I wasn't in a good headspace that night and I..." He stopped and looked at her, reaching behind himself and scratching the back of his head. "Oof," he said, "I...I like you, I do. And that's hard to admit. It's hard to admit because I'm afraid of hurting someone else I care about. That's why it's easier to keep you at arms length, as a friend. I think, if I do that long enough, if I date Rebecca for a while, that feeling will dissipate." "...oh..." Gorey looked at her feet and sighed. "I'm sorry," Reynolds said quietly, "But you're still my best friend, for what it's worth. I'm about to take Hawley to my apartment and then we're gonna figure out how to decorate her room and order pizza. You wanna come help with that?" Gorey didn't answer. She just continued to stare at her feet. Reynolds sighed and continued walking away, until finally she spoke and he had to turn back to her. "Just...I hope you know that it isn't easy for me," Gorey said, "to, you know, just ignore things. To push them down. I feel everything way too deeply. Way too much." "And that's fine, that's who you are," Reynolds said, walking back to her and setting his briefcase down for a moment, continuing, "in fact, that's part of what I like about you, is how very...ALIVE you are. Even after what you've been through, you're not letting it ruin you. You're still more fun than most people who've never been through a traumatic event. That's endearing as hell. Come get pizza with us. Hawley could use a girls touch on her bedroom." "That's nice of you," Gorey said, smiling weakly, "but I still have some cleaning to do here. Why not ask Rebecca?" "Well, can we hang out sometime? Maybe this weekend? We could hit the arcade!" "Sure. Call me," Gorey said, dragging her mop and bucket away as Reynolds sighed, picked his briefcase back up and headed to his car. Once and Hawley got pizza, he did exactly as Gorey recommended, and he invited Rebecca over. The three of them ate pizza, watched TV and then planned out Hawley's future bedroom. As Reynolds stood in the doorway, watching Hawley and Little measure walls and a closet, he couldn't help but smile at it all. It finally felt like he had a family of sorts once again. His cell phone rang, and he dug it from his pocket, heading into the hallway, away from the room before answering. "Hello?" he asked, "...seriously? Okay, yeah, sure, yeah! Okay yes, I'll be there! Great!" That evening, once Hawley was asleep, Reynolds and Little headed back to her apartment so they wouldn't disturb her. Following a rousing bit of sex, Reynolds told Little about the phone calls, and asked her if she'd come with him, and she happily agreed to. The following morning, they got dressed, got into his car and headed downtown. *** Reynolds hit the machine a few times, finally sending his purchased 100 Grands to the bottom, where he knelt down and fished them out from. Little watched with much amusement from nearby, as Reynolds stood back up and put the candy bars into his pocket. "You have a bad sweet tooth," she said. "I can't believe they even have a candy machine at the train station," Reynolds said, "and yes, I do have an awful sweet tooth. But candy is one of the few things that makes life bearable, I think, so it all evens out. I may not be alive for long if I continue to eat all this sugar, but at least the amount of time I'll be here will be enjoyable by consuming it." "Such a philosopher," Little said, both of them chuckling as she leaned up on her toes and kissed his cheek as they walked to the bench near the tracks. They sat down and he exhaled, running his hands through his hair again, nervous as all hell. "What if..." he said, "what if, like, this is the wrong thing to do?" he asked, "What if I've forgotten everything and I'm bad at it and-" "You have every right to feel awkward," Little said, "but trust me when I say you're not bad at it. Having watched you this past year since I've come to this school, you're nothing but nurturing and helpful and loving. Hawley sees you as her own dad now, and that girl, Janice, she's really come into her own by being your friend. You bring out the best in people. You saw me, someone new in town and alone and sort of afraid, and you took it upon yourself to make me feel not so alone or scared." "Actually I was just trying to get in your pants, but please, continue praising me," he replied, making her laugh loudly as she rested her head on his arm and patted him on the chest. "You're gonna do fine," she said. A train came into the station and slowly came to a stop. Reynolds straightened up, then stood up. He licked his fingers and fixed his hair, then adjusted his tie once more. The doors to the train opened up and a small trickle of people exited. Then after a minute or two of people disembarking, there she was. She stepped off and onto the landing, then turned and saw him, bursting into that smile he'd always loved. "Dad!" she said, running towards him. "Clarissa," he said, opening his arms to hug her. The team may have won their biggest game that day, but this was the real victory. *** The night Clarissa and her dad had chosen his next profession at the baseball field, they went out to eat afterwards. Sitting in the chinese restaurant, in a booth - each seated across from one another - Reynolds couldn't shake this feeling that this was the last time he'd ever see his daughter. As he watched her wrap noodles around her chopsticks and bring them to her lips, she couldn't help but glance up at him and furrow her brow, which made him laugh a little. "What?" she asked. "Nothing. I just...I'm scared to be without you," he said, "You're the best part of my life. You're the only thing I've done right." "Awww, dad, that's SO cheesy," Clarissa said, making him laugh again as she picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth then added, "How about this? How about, as soon as I'm able, I'll surprise you. I'll just show up at a train station, barely announced, like the end of some stupid romance movie. Except, ya know, not romantic cause you're my dad and that's creepy." "Sounds like a date, my love," Reynolds said, the both of them laughing as they grabbed their drinks and clinked them together as he added, "Here's to seeing you soon." "Right back atcha," Clarissa replied.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
About
GRAVE INNINGS is about A funeral home that has sponsored a local little league, the coach who is a disgraced reality show host, a young transgirl and the odd family they create for one another. Archives
May 2024
Categories |