Dark Realms(16)

She burst out laughing and I smiled, enjoying a sound that was finally finding its way back into our lives again.

“God, you’re awful,” she said, shaking her head in amusement.

I snorted. “Oh, come on. You know I’m right.”

She grabbed her Ray-Bans from the center column and plopped them onto her nose. “Yeah, he’s a little too young to be tied down to just one girl. So if you ask me, this move will be healthy for the both of them.”

“Oh, I’m sure Deanna will find someone else by next week anyway.” I made a face. “She’s so freaken needy.”

“You really don’t like her, do you?”

I shrugged.

Deep down, I knew I wasn’t being totally fair, because the truth was, I was a little jealous. My brother and I had always been very close, especially living in such a dysfunctional family environment. My earliest memories were of my parents screaming and fighting, especially during the holidays. So, we’d weathered the storms together. In fact, for all of our lives, we’d been best friends; sharing and doing everything together. That is, until the tenth grade, when he’d discovered boobs, I mean girls. Of course I’d discovered boys as well; I’d discovered that most of them in my school were crude, boring, or just plain boobs.

“So, mom,” I said, changing a subject in which, I had to admit, left me feeling a little guilty. “What were you saying about this place we’re renting?”

She grinned. “I guess it’s just beautiful. It’s a cabin on Shore Lake that’s been on the market for some time. The owners are related to Ernie, and because of our circumstances; they’re letting us stay there relatively cheap.”

Ernie was my mom’s boss; a really nice old man who’s been very supportive. He’s been like a father-figure to her, which is good because both of her parents passed away several years ago, and aside from us, she doesn’t have anyone else.

“A cabin sounds really cool. Do they happen to have a boat?”

“Yes, actually, and Ernie says he’s caught hundreds of fish on the lake, so we’ve got to check it out. I’m really excited about staying there. Honey, are you okay?”

“Something in my eye,” I muttered as I pulled down the visor. I blinked until I finally got the eyelash out.

I touched my long, unruly hair and frowned. It had been almost six months since I’d last had it cut; now it was down to my lower back and I was constantly fighting snarls. “Jeez, I could really use a haircut.”

She put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “Don’t worry, honey. We’ll get you one before school starts. Once I get some extra money, you know?”

“Sure.”

I bit my lower lip and examined my reflection. Sandy brown hair, light blue eyes, and a pug nose. I’d always considered myself average looking, even though my mom said I looked exactly like her when she was growing up, and she turned out to be attractive. In fact, most of Nathan’s friends said she was a hot MILF, which was pretty gross, but I guess that meant there was still hope for me.

I closed the visor and leaned my head back against the seat. “I wonder what the school is like.”

I was definitely a little nervous about going to a new school, although, truthfully, I knew I wouldn’t particularly miss the old one much. In fact, you could say I was sort of a loner. Sure, there were a couple of girls I’d hung out with back home occasionally, but I preferred to be alone most of the time, or hanging out with Nathan.

“Ernie didn’t say much, but honestly, I don’t expect him to know. He’s in his seventies and never had children.”

“I’m sure it will be fine.”

I really didn’t want my mom to worry about me. She was the one who needed the extra support from us and I wasn’t about to make her feel any more guilty about moving than she already did.

She slapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “Oh, I forgot to tell you, they have a computer, so you can surf the Internet.”

“Really? That’s cool,” I smiled. Although we used computers at school and my mom had her own laptop, I’d been nagging her forever about getting me one of my own.

“Yes, but you’ll have to share it with your brother. I’d let you guys use mine, but…”

I smirked. “I know, you have too many important files and you don’t want anything happening to your computer.”

“Now you have one to use,” she answered. “And I won’t have to listen to you two badger me about it, anymore.”

“At least I can download books from the library,” I replied. “We’ll be in the middle of nowhere out here and I’ll need something to do.”