Alyson stared glumly out the bus window as it clammered to a stop at the corner of her street. Caden was absolutly devastated about Becca's coma. Alyson was sure she loved Caden, and it really affected her to see how much he was beating himself up.
Alyson dragged her feet down the cement street, up the wooden stairs, and into her house.
"Alyson." Said Mrs. Davis, trying to get her attention. Alyson looked up from the staircase she was about to descend. Her mother sat on the couch next to Mr. Davis, who was next to a woman Alyson had never seen before.
"Alyson, this is your father's daughter, Darling Destiny Porter." Said Mrs. Davis. Alyson stared in shock.
"What?" Alyson asked.
"Yeah." Said Mrs. Davis. Alyson glared at her father, and walked off into the kitchen.
"Alyson? Alyson Michele!" Mrs. Davis called after her. In the kitchen, Kevin was eating a peanut butter sandwich, intently staring at nothing.
"Hi." Said Alyson. She opened the fridge and pulled out a lemon.
"What're you mad about?" Asked Kevin. Alyson always made a mug of hot lemon water when she was ukpset.
"The world." Sighed Alyson. That pretty much summed it up. Alyson pulled out a cutting board and angerly chopped the lemon in half. She pulled out the juicer from one of the counter drawers.
"How's Caden doing?" Asked Kevin. Alyson closed her eyes in a meager attempt to escape reality. She turned on the sink and put a mug under the fauset.
"June called. She wants to know if you and her are still going to the mall with Kimberly and Lacy." Said Kevin. Alyson put the mug in the microwave. She also wanted to ask you if you were okay with her boyfriend and his friends coming along." Continued Kevin. The microwave beeped and Alyson pulled the mug out. She drained the lemon juice into it, stirred it with a spoon, and carried it to the kitchen table.
"And she wanted to know your side of the story with the fight you and Kimberly had." Said Kevin. Alyson looked up at her brother with a glare that clearly said; get the hell out of here and leave me alone. Kevin shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and went to his room. Mrs. Davis walked into the kitchen.
"Sweetie, are you okay?" Asked Mrs. Davis, eyeing the mug. Alyson sharply jerked her head toward her mother and exploded.
"Alyson? Alyson Michele!" Mrs. Davis called after her. In the kitchen, Kevin was eating a peanut butter sandwich, intently staring at nothing.
"Hi." Said Alyson. She opened the fridge and pulled out a lemon.
"What're you mad about?" Asked Kevin. Alyson always made a mug of hot lemon water when she was ukpset.
"The world." Sighed Alyson. That pretty much summed it up. Alyson pulled out a cutting board and angerly chopped the lemon in half. She pulled out the juicer from one of the counter drawers.
"How's Caden doing?" Asked Kevin. Alyson closed her eyes in a meager attempt to escape reality. She turned on the sink and put a mug under the fauset.
"June called. She wants to know if you and her are still going to the mall with Kimberly and Lacy." Said Kevin. Alyson put the mug in the microwave.
"She also wanted to ask you if you were okay with her boyfriend and his friends coming along." Continued Kevin. The microwave beeped and Alyson pulled the mug out. She drained the lemon juice into it, stirred it with a spoon, and carried it to the kitchen table.
"And she wanted to know your side of the story with the fight you and Kimberly had." Said Kevin. Alyson looked up at her brother with a glare that clearly said; get the hell out of here and leave me alone. Kevin shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and went to his room. Mrs. Davis walked into the kitchen.
"Sweetie, are you okay?" Asked Mrs. Davis, eyeing the mug. Alyson sharply jerked her head toward her mother and exploded.
"We both spent forever thinking Dad had an affair! But then it ends up that he's got a twenty something year old daughter! Well that's great, because that means he had to have been seventeen when she was born, and then he harps at me about dating! Does he think I'm going to get pregnant? No! He hated Caden just because Caden likes me. But Caden's so upset about what happened to his sister that he'd never eye me twice! And then I find out that he's always been beat by every boyfriend his mom's ever had! That really hurts! Why would anyone do that? And poor little Becca might not make it and it's all my fault! And then there's Kimberly! She hates Caden more than Dad does, and is telling me all these lies to get me to tell Caden I hate him and no longer need to pay him to be Kevin's friend! She can't stand to see any of her friends have a boyfriend after she got dumped last year! She's so judgemental and all I want is to strangle her little neck! I'm sick of the world and I don't want to be a part of it!" Huffed Alyson. She ran to her room.
"Alyson!" Her mother called after her. Alyson slammed her door shut and sat down on her bed, eyes shut. She breathed deeply.
"Alyson!" Said Mrs. Davis, opening the door.
"Go away!" Sobbed Alyson. Mrs. Davis shut the door behind her and sat down on the bed beside her.
"What do you mean by you paying Caden?" Asked Mrs. Davis. Alyson looked up from the floor.
"Did I say that?" She asked. She hadn't even realized all the words that flew out of her tongue encased in emotions.
"Yes, you did. Now why would you do something like that?" Asked Mrs. Davis.
"I was so sick of seeing Kevin so hurt." Said Alyson.
"But don't you think it'd hurt him to find out that his friends are being bought?"
"I didn't think about that until it was too late."
"Alyson, we have a good relationship, right?"
"I used to think so." Said Alyson, turning her head away. Mrs. Davis was hurt.
"What does that mean?"
"Mom, you've kept secrets away from me. I've kept secrets away from you. Dad's kept secrets away from all of us. Kevin's the only good one here."
"What's hurting you, sweetie?" Asked Mrs. Davis, cupping her daughter's face with her hands.
"Caden's hurting."
DREADLOCKS AND THE THREE GUYS
It was Wednesday. Caden had managed to avoid Kyle so far, but he knew it wouldn't last.
"Well. well." Hissed a voice behind him. Caden turned around in the hallway only to find a smirking Kyle. Roughly, Kyle and Drew dragged him outside. They shoved him against the brick wall of the buillding.
"The money." Said Kyle.
"I don't have it all." Said Caden. Unexpectedly, Kyle swiftly punched Caden's jaw. The blow brought a stinging pain.
"I don't like that answer." Growled Kyle.
"I only got two hundred." Said Caden. In the distance, they heard a car. It screeched to a halt in front of them. Kyle's eyes lit up with fear, an emotion Caden had never seen in him. The car door opened, and a man dressed in black got out. He removed his black sunglasses, and placed them on top of his head, covered in greasy, blonde dreadlocks.
"My money, punks." Said the man.
"One minute, Fletcher." Said Kyle. Kyle turned to Caden.
"Where's the money?"
"Don't got it on me." Said Caden.
"Drew, the money." Said Kyle, focasing his attention on Drew and Fletcher. Drew pulled a wrinkled, brown paper sack out of his baggy hoodie. Fletcher grabbed the bag and immedianly started counting cash.
"Nine hundred. You're three hundred dollars short."
"We need a little extention on time." Said Kyle. Fletcher grabbed Kyle by the collar.
"Last weekend I got cheated out of some cash. These people already had two extentions on time. I had to pay them a visit, and things didn't go so smoothly." Said Fletcher, flashing a small gun out of his pocket.
"The three of you, get in the car." Commanded Fletcher. Drew and Kyle locked their arms around Caden and dragged him to the car. They got in. Fletcher started up the car and drove off the grass and back onto the road. Caden's heart was pounding in his chest.