“Why not?” He demanded.
“Because, we're on borrowed time here, Max. Do you know how many times I’ve moved in the last ten years?” I asked
He shook his head.
“Neither do I, I lost count after twenty.”
His eyes opened wide in disbelief.
“It’s my mom. She’s always searching for something that never seems to be there,” I said, trying to offer up an explanation.
“Maybe she found it this time,” he said hopefully.
I shook my head miserably. “I don’t think what she’s looking for even exists,” I said.
“We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, but Katelyn, there was no way we were ever going to be casual,” he said, dropping a soft kiss on my lips before gently trailing his lips across my cheek. “Trust me, okay?”
I nodded, seeing no other way. Hearts would be broken, but I set us on this path and there was no turning back.
Chapter 8
Max dropped me off in front of our trailer after promising to call me the next day. I floated up the stairs, still feeling the kisses he had left on my lips. I peeked in on Kevin and took a moment to pull his comforter up around him. I tucked him in snuggly, shivering in the cold that had settled throughout the trailer. I closed his door quietly before heading to my own room. I could see a light through the cracks in Lucinda and Jim’s door, but was too exhausted to check in with them.
I drifted off to sleep, almost the moment I hit the pillow with images of Max filling my head. The pictures turned to vivid dreams of being locked in his arms while he softly stroked my hair.
My dream world was shocked back into reality by a blow to the side of the head and someone yelling at me. “Katelyn, are you deaf or just stupid? I’ve been calling your name for twenty minutes!” Lucinda yelled, taking another swipe at me. She struck me in the corner off my right eye, making it tear up immediately. Trying to shake off the confusion, I scooted far back on my bed, trying to get out of reach.
“I’m sorry. I guess I was out,” I said, trying to apologize. “What did you need?”
“I needed my goddamn ashtray emptied!” she yelled. “But since you’re a selfish bitch, you decided to sneak in here without taking care of your responsibilities!”
“I’ll do it now,” I said, attempting to stand up, only to be pushed roughly back.
“Don’t do me any favors, I wouldn’t want to interrupt your beauty sleep!” she said sarcastically, stomping down the hallway.
I tried to regain my senses as I cradled my throbbing head in my hands. It was nothing new for Lucinda to wake me up to dump an ashtray or fetch a cup of coffee. Ordinarily, I was a light sleeper and could hear her yelling, but this was the first time I had ever slept through, which explained Lucinda’s rage. She absolutely loathed being ignored.
I could hear her slamming cabinets in the kitchen and cringed, knowing it was going to be a long night.
“What’s wrong?” Jim stumbled out, asking her sleepily.
“Nothing!” she yelled. “I’m just trying to get my ideas on the computer and meanwhile, everyone in this goddamn trailer sleeps like the dead. You with your god-awful snoring that makes concentrating impossible, and Katelyn in her room, blatantly ignoring me. It’s a wonder anything gets done around here,” she said, slamming another cabinet.
I sat on the edge of my bed, wondering what the right move would be. When Lucinda was this far gone it was hard to read what she wanted. Jim must have reached the same conclusion since I could hear him retreating down the hall like a chicken shit.
“That’s it, go back to bed!” Lucinda shrieked from the kitchen.
I stood on spaghetti legs, still feeling the effects of the last blow. Once I felt steady, I left my room and walked quietly down the hall.
She was standing at the counter smoking a cigarette as she roughly washed the few dishes in the sink with one hand.
“Mom, I got that,” I said, staying a safe distance away. “I’ll make you a cup of coffee too,” I said, trying to pacify her.
She whirled around, glaring at me and I braced myself for what might happen next.
“Fine,” she finally said, sick of the few dishes she had already washed.
She stomped past me and I breathed a sigh of relief, glad I had made the right choice to get up.