Chapter Two
* Is it too late tosay…*
I was in a daze,sitting in my stupid bedroom, watching my stupid TV. There wasnothing on cable, and I’d watched nearly everything on Netflix. So,I decided on watching infomercials. More specifically, BodyBeast.
Damn.
All the people on here were hot
I licked my lips and leaned back into mycomforter and crossed my arms behind my head. May as well getcomfortable. My cell rang.
Thank God.
“Hello,” I said, a little tooenergetically.
“Wazzzzzzzz upppppp,” Alexis replied. Shewas laughing, and I could hear Todd in the background, telling herto tell me that I was a loser.
“Tell Todd he’s a loser, too. And, nothing.There’s nothing to do here.”
Alexis laughed. “Yeah, there’s nothing muchto do here either.”
“Hey,” Todd cried from the background.
I rolled my eyes. Those two were even moreso in love than they were back in Ohio. “So, how’s home?”
“Ugh… Mom keeps making me be home by nine,and Todd has to stay in the guest bedroom.”
I grinned, thinking that if only her motherknew all the different bedrooms her daughter had been sleeping inon campus. “I can’t believe she still doesn’t know about our…livingarrangement.”
“Oh,” Alexis said, sighing, “she does, shejust said she can ignore it when I’m miles away. Unlike now, andyou’ll never believe what she said!”
I laughed. Alexis’s attitude was contagious.“What?”
“She called Todd…slurpy!”
I snorted. “Ha! See, Todd, I told you!”
Todd was laughing now, too, and it was likeI never left school. I missed them so much. “I miss you guys.”
“We miss you, too,” Alexis said. “Can youcome here?”
God, how I wished I could. “I really wish Icould, but Mom needs me, and I need to make things right withPayton. I really made an ass out of myself today.”
Alexis sighed and then laughed. “What didyou do?”
“I puked all over myself in the fieldbetween our houses.”
Todd laughed, and Alexis laughed evenharder, and then stopped. “Sorry, why?”
“Because it’s gone.”
“What’s gone?”
I swallowed, thinking that once I said thispart out loud it really meant it was gone, even though I knew itwas already.
“The fort. It’s gone.”
“What do you mean, it’s gone? I thought itwas in the tree?” Alexis asked, confused.
“He burnt it to the ground.”
There, I said it. It was out there, andknowing that didn’t make me feel any better at all.
“Oh my God,” Alexis said. “No wonder youwere sick.”
“Yeah.” I’d told Alexis all about the fort,and Payton, and our history, and us building the place, and how allof our major moments were in there, and how I thought we’deventually have more there, and our kids would. Now, it wasgone.
“Well that’s just…”
“Sucky,” Todd finished. “Damn, Keri, are yousure you don’t want to come out here?”
I blew out a deep breath and closed my eyes.“I really wish I could, but I need to figure out what to do. Whatwould you do?”
“Me?” Todd asked, and I nodded even thoughhe couldn’t see me.
“Yeah.”
“Shit, I don’t know. If we were together andthat was my fort with you, I’d… I guess I’d try to rebuild it.”
As soon as the words left Todd’s mouth, Iknew that that’s exactly what I had to do. “Todd, you’re a fuckinggenius.”
Todd laughed, and so did Alexis. “I’ve beentrying to tell you this,” Todd said, and continued. “So, you wantsome help?”
My eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“Well,” Todd said, and then Alexisinterrupted.
“Yeah, we could… I mean, that’s if your momhas enough room for us…”
“Yes!” I cried, before thinking. “I’m goingto go talk to her. Do you think this could happen?” I asked. Ididn’t want to get too excited, but having my friends here, havingthem be with me this summer, and for them to help me through thisreally shitty time… Well, it would be great.
“Good,” Alexis said, sounding happy, andhopefully she was, because Todd kind of put her in a situation.
“Are you sure it’s okay?” I asked, hopingthat Alexis still sounded like her bubbly self.
“God, yes. Like I said, Mom’s driving menuts, and…”
“I doubt my mom will let you two stay in thesame room together,” I finished, and paused to see If Alexis wouldlose it.
“Well, I didn’t think she would. Besides, atleast we could be roomies again, right?”
I smiled. That would be such a great thing.“Yes, that would be perfect.”
Todd cleared his throat. “I’m stillhere.”
Alexis laughed, and I could just picture herlooking into Todd’s eyes. “And I love you, baby.”
“I love you, too, sweetums.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll talk to my mom; thencall you guys later.”
“Later!” Alexis called out, and thendisconnected the phone.
Payton
“So, you saw her?” I asked, feeling stupid,because duh, I already knew the answer to that.
“Yeah,” Mitch replied, and leaned back inhis chair, ignoring my previous question. “So, Patti, sheseems nice.”
I snorted. “Yeah.”
“You going to go after her?”
I looked at Mitch and shook my head. “What’sthe point?”
Mitch nodded. “She really did seem like shewas telling the truth.”
I smiled. “Who Patti or Keri?”
Mitch laughed. “Keri. And, Patti, really.Are you a fucker, or?”
I leaned forward and swatted Mitch’sshoulder. “I’ve missed you, bro.”
“Yeah, you, too,” Mitch said, and thensighed. “Dad does, too.”
I nodded. “I suppose I should come over andhelp.”
“That would be good. Dad could really usethe help, and Mom… well, she really could use a stress relief.”
“I feel like such an asshole for leaving andfor her and dad getting into it. I’ve never seen them fight.”
Mitch sighed. “Yeah, it’s been bad overthere.”
“How’d she look?” I asked, knowing that nomatter what he told me about her, I’d hate the answer.
“Looks or?”
“I know she looks good, but…”
“She threw up on her shoes when I told herabout Patti.”
My eyes widened, and I felt as if I’d hitMitch right between the eyes. “Why the hell did you tell her aboutPatti?”
“She wanted to know why you haven’t talkedto her, or why there’s still half a tree fort in our yard… What thehell did you want me to say to her? Did you want me to tell her itwas an accident? That you didn’t get drunk and try to offyourself?”
I flinched. I knew my family was stillpissed about the fire, but I had no idea that they’d still be likethis. “I didn’t try to kill myself. I told you that.”
“You
