Current Issues From Hell (A/N: HELP with a new title, please!)
Chapter Seven
As we left the restaurant with cheeseburgers and fries in our bellies, we chatted about school and the band.
"I hope I get into photography next semester. I want to take that class so badly!" I said.
"Yeah, that'd be fun. I just hope I get into Wood Tech 2. The first one was so fun…Mr. Kellings is so awesome!" he replied.
"Yeah, I really liked it too. But my footstool somehow turned out looking like a turtle." I laughed.
We reached the car, and Matthias walked over to my door to unlock and open it for me.
"Why, thank you, kind gentleman!" I said, stepping into the car.
"But of course, milady." He replied, playing along.
While he walked back around the car, I played with my earrings. Will he try to kiss me? I wondered. If he does, will I kiss him back? Thoughts flitted across my mind like butterflies in a flowery meadow.
"So." Matthias said as he started the car. "You have fun?"
"Yup." I said.
Conversation was nonexistent as he drove me home. Tension hung in the air like horrible cheap cologne. I could tell he was growing as nervous as I was about the kiss/no kiss situation. Well, I thought, if he doesn't kiss me, I'll kiss him. I decided.
We pulled up to my house. I jumped out of the car, and waited for a minute for Matt to catch up. We slowly clasped hands and walked up the flower-lined sidewalk. After climbing the 3 steps to the front door, I turned to face him. He did the same, and, slowly, we bent our heads in towards each other.
All of a sudden, the front light turned on. We both jerked our heads back. A second later, my mother's voice called out, "Tawnie? Is that you out there?" I dropped my head.
"Yeah, Ma, it's me. I'll be inside in a minute!" I replied. To Matthias I said, "Sorry about that. Um. I guess I'll just see you tomorrow…?" I searched his face for signs of emotion.
He looked down at his feet. "Sure." He replied. "Tomorrow."
He turned and walked back down the sidewalk to his car. Getting in, he gave me a little wave. He turned on the car and sped away, music blasting loudly.
I looked after his car for a minute, before walking inside.
"MOTHER! I was with Matthias out there!" I was indignant.
"Really? Aww, hon, I'm sorry. He's such a cutie!" My mother was embarrassing, I tell you. Sometimes I thought she was more teenager than me…scary thoughts.
I just rolled my eyes at her and grabbed a mountain dew from the fridge.
"I've got homework," I told her.
"But it's Friday! I thought we were gonna watch movies?" she sounded disappointed.
"Well, I'm busy all the rest of the weekend, and I have this huge project due on Monday," I rushed. "Besides, I'm kinda tired right now. I did spend the last 5 hours jumping around on a hot stage, you know." I joked.
"Okay…I'll see you in the morning, then, sweetie."
"Night," I told her as I left the kitchen to walk through the dining room, living room, and finally up the stairs leading to my room. D
I entered my room and tossed my stuff on the floor. Throwing myself on my bed, I sighed. Why did my mother have to interrupt us like that? I was sure he would have kissed me. I groaned and rolled over to grab the phone just after it rang.
"TAWNIE!" Kaelin's shrill voice pierced my ear.
"Ahh!" I screamed. "Tone it down a bit!"
"Sorry…so how was the date?! What are you waiting for? TELL ME!" She wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise.
"Kaelin?"
"Yeah, T?"
"SHUT UP! You won't let me get a word in edgewise." I told her.
-Silence-
"Well? What's up?" I ask her.
-Silence-
"Kae, I didn't mean you couldn't talk at all! You idiot!" And she was one of the least exasperating people I knew.
"Okay, well, how did it go? Did you kiss? OH MY GOSH, YOU GUYS MADE OUT IN THE BACK OF HIS CAR, DIDN'T YOU?!" Told you…"Oh my gosh".
"Kaelin Marie!" I said, annoyed.
"Kidding! So, really, how was it?"
"Well…I had a lot of fun, and I think he did too. We went to the Starlite Room after the gig, and we hung out there for a while. By the way, Dustin told me to tell you to say hi. I think he likes you!" I laughed. "Shoe's on the other foot now, huh?"
"Stop changing the subject!" I could almost hear her blush.
"Okay. So anyway, we just had a great time. But then when he dropped me off at home, he walked me to the door."
"What's so wrong with that? He was just being gentlemanly!"
"I wasn't done! Anyway, I swear to God that-"
"Don't swear to God!"
"Fine. I swear to GOSH that we were going to kiss! But then Ma turned on the porch light and interrupted us! GoSH, I was so pissed at her! Ahh! And after I yelled back at her that I'd be inside in a minute, I told Matthias I'd see him tomorrow, and he just left!"
"Jeez!"
"And then, after I went inside, she was acting all innocent!"
"My gosh, that's bad. I don't really talk to my mom at all, so I don't have that problem!"
"Oh, stop sounding all superior!"
"Yeah." I heard a faint yelling in the background. "What, Meemaw?" Kaelin yelled right into the phone. I winced as I yanked it away. I heard the phone being set down and, after, footsteps. More muffled talking in the background. Then, more footsteps.
"Sorry T, I gotta go. Meemaw wants dinner now."
"'Kay, talk at you later then, chica." I replied.
"OH! Will you remind me to buy some coke when we're out tomorrow? We're out of it."
"Pop, Kae, not coke. Coke is just coke, pop 'covers a wide variety of caffeinated beverages'. Get it right!" I laughed.
"Hey, it's just like eating boiled peanuts, everyone in the south does it! Later."
"Bye." I hung up the phone and fell back onto my bed. All at once, the worries from earlier in the day caught up to me.
I got back off the bed to sit at my pride, a brand new Sony laptop. I'd gotten it with a trust fund that my great-grandma, also known as Mama Lynne, left me when she died. I flicked open the computer, then pressed the on/off switch. I was greeted with the annoying "Ding" sound as entered my password. After logging in, I signed into MSN messenger, AIM, and Yahoo messenger. I was bombarded with IM's for a minute, until I put up away messages. I opened Microsoft Word, and opened the file of a song that I'd been working on. I could use my writing to take my mind off of my troubles.
A/N: Well, that's it for now. Thought I'd finally post something, but I've been editing this chapter for a bit.
Disclaimer: I do not own Coke, Mountain Dew, Sony computers, MSN msgr, AIM, Yahoo msgr, or Microsoft Word.
Will write again soon if 5+ reviews!
~Ave