Young Writers Society

Chapter 3

“Ow, that hurt.” I said and put my thumb in my mouth.

“Cut away from yourself.” Lucy said and took the potato from me. “Go clean it and put a band aid on it.”

I nodded and quickly went to the bathroom down the hall. I came back and took my cat off the neatly set table. “You know better than to be up there when it’s set like this.” I told him and set him on the floor.

My dad came back inside from the wine cellar and set a couple bottles onto the table. My dad’s been seeing this woman he met in California during one of his business trips. She’s been staying in some hotel in New York and is coming over tonight for dinner. My dad went all out and got top quality meat, wine, and picked every veggie and fruit that was ripe in our garden, and even set candles on the table.

“How long do you think their relationship will last?” I asked Lucy as I started helping her peel some veggies.

She glanced over at me and sighed. “Toki, does it really matter?”

I didn’t say anything at first. “If they get married, then you won’t be around anymore.”

“And you’ll have a mother.”

I shook my head. “No, my mother’s dead. You only get one.”

“Only if you allow one mother to come. Toki, if you give her a chance, you may have a family. A chance to experience what a mother really is.” she said and tended to the roast.

“I don’t need a mother, I have you.” I said.

She sighed again. “Go change your clothes dear. She’ll be here any minute.”

“Why can’t you stay if they get married?” I asked.

She looked at me, seeming to want to say something, but couldn’t. “Take a shower and change.” was her answer.

I slowly went up the stairs and into my bathroom. I didn’t take long in the shower and when I went into my room I only put on a pair of my newer jeans and a black tank top since it was warm tonight. I went downstairs and heard chatting in the den.

I combed through my hair quickly and straightened my top. I walked in, hoping my dad won’t send me back to change again.

“Toki, I was wandering when you were going to get down here.” Dad said and motioned for me to come closer to them.

“I was taking a shower.” I said and sat in the leather chair in front of them.

“Toki, this is Jade.” Dad said with a smile, but is seemed so insincere. “Jade, this is my daughter, Toki.”

“Hello,” she said in a sweet, sing-songy voice.

“Hello,” I said and shook her hand.

She was very pretty with black hair, sparkling, olive green eyes. Her skin was a pale, a beautiful contrast to her hair, and it looked so smooth and wrinkle free, I couldn’t place her age. For all I knew, she was in her mid twenties. Then again, she was so elegant she could be in her late thirties. She was wearing a beautiful navy blue dress that was all sparkly. It was a spaghetti strap and showed a bit of cleavage and ended at mid-thigh.

“Here’s some tea and biscuits, dinner will be ready in a few minutes.” Lucy said as she set a tray down on the table.

“Thank you,” Jade said politely. She took one of the cool glasses of tea and sipped delicately from it. “Oh, this is fabulous.”

Dad nodded. “It’s a special recipe that Lucy does. Though, it never comes out the same. This is one of her better batches.”

I took a sip and ate a biscuit. I knew Dad would get angry with me if I ate too much. He always tells me not to eat as much as I usually do when other people are over. He says it’s rude. I never really got it, so Lucy will usually let me snack a bit when I’m helping her prepare for the meals.

“Where do you go to school, Toki?” She asked and took a bite of the fresh bread.

“Milton High,” I said and sipped more of the tea and grabbed one of the hot biscuits.

“I’m thinking of transferring her, though.” Dad said as he sipped from his cup.

I choked on my drink I had been swallowing. I coughed gracelessly for the next five minutes it seemed. “What?”

“Didn’t I tell you?” Dad asked.

I shook my head. “No, and I don’t want to transfer. It’s to late to transfer me now.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “It’s never to late to transfer, and you’ve only been going to school for a couple months now.”

“But Dad, all my friends are there.” I whined.

“We’ll discuss it later, Toki. Right now we have a guest and you’re being very rude by arguing.” He said and I opened my mouth to talk, but found it pointless. I closed my mouth and rested my hands in my lap.

Jade seemed a little uncomfortable being in the middle of our argument. “So, how old are you then?”

“15,” I said quietly, looking down at my lap.

She nodded. “Difficult age. High school can be quite annoying.”

I looked up at her and felt my lips curl into a small smile. “Yeah, it is quite annoying.” I glanced over at Dad as my smile faded. “That’s why you need friends.”

“I told you the conversation has ended.” Dad said.

I looked back down at my lap. “Yes sir,”

Lucy opened the kitchen while combing through her white hair with her fingers. “Dinner’s ready,”

We all stood and went to the kitchen. Dad pulled a chair out and Jade sat in it, smoothing her skirt beneath her butt.

“Oh, this looks wonderful.” Jade said, her eyes sparkling. “Did you make all this?” she asked Lucy.

Lucy giggled, she always loved to hear compliments on her cooking. “Thank you, but it’s just what a maid’s job is.” she said and scurried off, though, not to far in case something was needed.

“Oh my, it all looks so good.” Jade said, and I could swear I saw drool.

Dad chuckled, a very rare occurrence. “Yes, Lucy’s cooking is very good. Eat as much as you like.”

Jade took a little of everything, and took very small, petite bites, though, she seemed very hungry. I tried to eat as politely as her, but whenever I stopped thinking about how I’m eating, I always start eating normal again. When I finished my fourth roll, second slab of meat, and started to grab another potato, my dad glared at me. He thought I was eating to much again.

Instead of the potato I grabbed for the pitcher of water. I poured some more and took a sip, then sat on my hands to keep them from grabbing anymore food.

“Any refills on the wine?” Lucy asked as she walked in.

“Yes, thank you.” Jade said and she automatically filled my father’s.

“May I?” I asked and held my glass out suggestively.

Lucy looked over at my father and he sighed and motioned his consent. I smiled with delight, though it was pretty much only a sip worth, maybe a little more. The rich fruity scent filled my nose as I brought the glass up to my mouth to sip out of it. I set it down gently and grabbed another bun. I noticed Dad glance at me and I looked down at my plate and nibbled it, trying to make it last as long as I could.

“So what do you do around here? It seems like a pretty small town, and you don’t have a car and license yet.” Jade asked conversationally, and took another sip of the dark wine.

I shrugged. “A lot of times I go to the café or bookstore. When I get bored of that then I call one of my friends and they’ll drive me to the mall in the next town or something.”

She nodded and glanced over at Dad. The room fell silent and I looked down at my plate to see that my bun was gone. I looked up and found Dad and Jade staring at each other, as if having a silent conversation.

“I hope you all saved room for desert.” Lucy said, walking in.

“Oh my, I feel I’m going to explode by the end of the day.” Jade said with a little giggle.

Lucy smiled. “It’s waiting for you in the den. I hope you enjoyed dinner.”

“Oh, I did.” she said and we all stood.

Before I left the kitchen, Lucy rested her hand on my shoulder. “Your father asked me to send you to your room after dinner. I left a piece of cake in your room for you.”

I nodded after a short while of thinking. “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow, Lucy.” I said and walked out the kitchen, leaving through the opposite end that Jade and Dad left through.

I slowly made my way up the stairs and down the hall to my room. There were three floors to our house. My room and Lucy’s are both on the third floor and we share the same shower. The door that leads to the attic is also located here. The third floor is actually more of a balcony. It’s just two hallways. If you go to the left you’ll end up on your way to Lucy’s room and the attic doorway. To the right, my room and the bathroom. The main floor, also known as the second, holds the kitchen, den, TV room, another bathroom, a library, and my Father’s study that I’m not allowed in.

Our third floor used to be a basement, but my father remodeled it when I was around three or so, after my mother had died. When he got it remodeled he moved his room down there and had Lucy sleep in his old room. I rarely went down there, but I know there’s another bathroom, another, bigger library, and another study.

I never really understood why I wasn’t allowed to go into his study, but I never really argued with my Father. I just did what he said since he rarely asked things of me.

I sighed and opened the door to my room and quickly threw off my pants and shirt. I hated when I had to try and dress up. Plus, it was hot and I didn’t want to wear pants.

I walked over to my dresser and pulled out a pair of sleepwear. I slid on my light blue ducky shorts and my matching tank top. I plopped down on my bed and stared up at my ceiling. I turned my head and found the piece of cake I was promised on my nightstand. I sighed and sat at the edge of the bed to eat it. In the next minute when I went to take another piece, it was gone.

I sighed and heard a little tune come from my desk. I looked over to it and found my phone vibrating like crazy as a song blasted from its little speakers. I quickly got up and lunged for it. I quickly checked the I.D. and found T’s picture on the screen. I flipped open the top.

“Are you wanting something?” I asked.

“Toke, my mother’s having one of her odd maternal episodes again.” she said and I waited to hear what she wanted me to do. “I want to go over to Max’s house, but she keeps going on about how she doesn’t want me over there.”

“Why?”

“She thinks I’m going to do the deed and become impure.”

I broke out in laughter. “Were you ever pure?” I blurted through my laughter. I heard her grown and I tried to calm down. “What do you want me to do about it?”

“Just pretend I’m over there, okay?”

I thought for a little. Do I really want her to go over to Max’s? Then again, would it really make a difference? I know what her intentions are, but would he let her have her way? He is a guy so…probably.

“Whatever,” I said quietly. Even if she didn’t go I still wouldn’t have much of a chance to be much more than friends with him. Most, if not all, girls are looking at him. I have about as much chance as any of the freshman, and most of them are underdeveloped and he would only go after them if he had a lolita complex or something.

“Thank you so, so, so much. You have no idea how happy I am. I owe you one.” she said and hung up.

“Damn right,” I said as I set the phone down. I walked over and climbed into bed. I glanced over at the clock. 9:14 P.M. “I hope you get an STD.” I said and shut my eyes as jealous tears began to well up.

“How’d it go last night?” Kim asked T the next morning.

A smile snaked across her face and she looked down at the ground. I’ve never seen her look like that before when we were talking about a guy. “We’re going out now.” she said and looked back up at us.

Kim looked up at Matt who was standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist. They both shrugged and she looked back at T. “He must’ve been really good in bed if you’re going to actually have a commitment with him.”

“Actually,” T started, shifting her feet uncomfortably. “We didn’t do it. I was planning on getting him in bed, but instead we started talking.” she shrugged. “It just never happened. We didn’t even kiss until I left.”

I raised my eyebrows at her. “You have to be kidding me.” I said and the bell rang.

She shook her head as we started walking. “Nope, I’m actually willing to wait.”

“That’s a first.” I mumbled and hurried inside the air-conditioned school.



“Achooo!” I did a huge sneeze as dust particles started to gather in my nose to party.

I wiped my eyes and nose on the back of my hand and continued to search the attic. I’m not really sure why I went into the attic in the first place. I just had this urge all of a sudden to get up into the attic. I swallowed hard, this was horrible. It’s way to dusty up here and the air is so thick and heavy I can hardly breath.

I covered my mouth and nose with my hand and continued looking around, reading what was written on the boxes. I walked all the way to the back and looked over all the old, dusty, and almost molding, boxes. I took out my flashlight and looked at the writing. Shante. I felt my eyes widen and I quickly opened the box.

Dust flew everywhere and I began coughing. I couldn’t breath from all the dust and the air being to thick and heavy. When I had finally stopped coughing, I sat down. The room was spinning and I felt so tired. I coughed again and laid down.

“Mom…” I had another coughing attack. I felt clammy and tired. I stared up at the ceiling, but it soon went black, like my world.