He put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. “Honey, I know you’re tired of the same old spiel, but you know, being a prosecutor I’ve come face-to-face with some real dirt-bags. The absolute scum of the earth. The worst part is that there are so many out there who have yet to be caught.” His forehead wrinkled. “I just worry about you.”
“Oh, I’ll be fine,” I replied, smiling up at him. “You know me.”
He released my shoulders. “I know I’d beat the living tar out of anyone that ever hurt you. Anyway, just always be aware of your surroundings and make sure you never run out of gas again.”
I shuddered, remembering that freaky night. “I guarantee- that will never happen again.”
He chuckled. “I bet.”
A year ago, I’d run out of gas around ten o’clock at night, on a deserted freeway. I’d forgotten my cell phone at home, and had ended up walking to the nearest gas station. The road had been dark and spooky, and I’d almost felt like someone had been watching me from the woods. By the time I’d gotten to the station, I’d just called my dad to come and pick me up, too terrified to walk back alone with a canister of gasoline.
“Richard,” said my mother, staring at her watch. “We should get going. I told Jody we’d be there in an hour and… that was over an hour ago.”
“Fine. Can we pick up some tacos along the way?” he asked.
“There’s no time. I can always order a pizza, or something, when we get there.” She turned to me. “Chelsey, have fun tonight, and don’t worry about your cousin.”
“Okay.”
“Maybe I should go with Chelsey and Susan,” said my dad. “Check out the movie theater. Make sure Melody isn’t hiding out there?”
She pushed him towards the door. “Would you just stop, already?” she said, shaking her head. “You’re coming with me.”
He looked at me over his shoulder and smirked. “I had to try.”
“I know.”
“Maybe you should try harder at being more sympathetic,” said mom.
He closed the door before I could hear his response, which I knew would probably make her laugh. I was one of the very few and fortunate who had parents that bickered, but lovingly and forgivingly. I couldn’t say that about many of my friend’s parents or even Aunt Jody. She’d been divorced for ten years after being cheated on, and hadn’t had much luck dating. From what my mom said, her ex-husband had been reckless and out-of-control. He liked to drink, party, and live on the edge, which, obviously, his daughter was hell bent on following in his footsteps.
Chapter Three
Chelsey
After they left, I went upstairs and slipped into a pair of blue jeans, with a thin, cream-colored V-neck sweater. It was near the end of October and the nights were getting frosty. I didn’t mind, though, I loved winter and couldn’t wait for the first big snowfall to hit. My parents owned snowmobiles, and there was nothing better than whipping across freshly powdered fields at night, with the stars twinkling above your helmet. It was such a blast that I’d already decided school wasn’t going to deter me from going out this year. Even if I had to stay up both Friday and Saturday nights, cramming and studying, I’d make time for our Sunday snowmobile excursions. I wouldn’t miss them for anything.
I took out my ponytail, and straightened it with a flat iron. When I was finished, my hair hung just past my shoulders and looked almost as silky as the models did in those hair commercials. Nodding in approval, I grabbed a tube of mascara just as my cell phone rang.
“Hi,” said Susan. “You almost ready?”
“Yeah. What movie should we see?” I asked, leaving the bathroom.
“I was thinking about that new superhero one. That guy is so hot.”
“The blonde guy with the hammer?” I asked, thinking that he could definitely get my mind off of Melody.
“Hell, yeah.”
I laughed. “What time is the movie showing?”
“Seven-twenty. You don’t mind driving over here, do you? My brakes are acting up. I’m going to bring it in tomorrow morning before work and see what’s wrong.”
Susan was my age and used to live across the street. She’d moved to Shore Lake, in the eleventh grade, which was about twenty miles from Beaver Creek, but we’d remained good friends. “That’s fine,” I answered, making a mental note to check my gas situation.
“Cool.” She sighed. “I’m just so glad that someone switched with me tonight. I really didn’t feel like working three late shifts in a row.”