Lacy had run downstairs and into the kitchen. She was crying. Ronnie came into the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” Ronnie asked her. “I was going to make dinner, but what are you doing?”
“I’m doing nothing!” Lacy snaps at him. Ronnie saw tears in her eyes.
“Lacy, you’re crying? Why? What’s the matter?” Ronnie asked and pushes Lacy to the wall. She felt nervous but still sad. Tears just kept coming down her face.
“Because!” Lacy hugs Ronnie. He stared at her. “I keep thinking of what Steven did to me!” Lacy admits. She began to cry on Ronnie.
“Lacy…” Ronnie hugs Lacy also.
“He won’t touch me again right?! I keep getting scared and wondering if he will break out and get me! Touch me again! I don’t want that!” Lacy cries. Ronnie felt bad for her.
“If he does break out, I won’t’ let him touch you. I promise. I’ll protect you. He won’t touch you no more.” Ronnie says trying to calm Lacy down. He began to rub the back of her head. Lacy felt a little calm from Ronnie’s words, but still felt scared and worried.
“Please… Don’t let him touch me.” Lacy says as she had her face on Ronnie’s shoulder.
“I promise. He won’t.” Ronnie said in a calm voice. Robert got out of the attic.
“Why did Lacy run off? I tried talking to her to make her feel better?” Robert thought to himself. He made it down the steps and into the kitchen where he saw Lacy hugging Ronnie. He glares and opened the fridge and got a soda out. Lacy lets go of Ronnie.
“I think I might lay down. Or try to.” Lacy tells him and left the kitchen.
“Do you think that Lacy girl likes me?” Ronnie asks Robert.
“Like I care.” Robert rudely responds and opens his soda. He then left the kitchen and went to the living room to watch TV. “Why does it seem like Lacy likes Ronnie more than me?” Robert thought to himself. He wasn’t sure what he was thinking about and how he was feeling about the girl. “I don’t even know how I feel about this girl, and yet I slept with her. Love doesn’t exist.” Ronnie came into the living room.
“Watching TV? Can I watch?” Ronnie sits down on the sofa by Robert.
Craig and Max were together in the living room of Max’s grandpa’s house. “My grandpa works too much. He should retire. He’s getting old.”
“I agree.” Craig said. He was spending the night again at Max’s home. He hasn’t been sleeping over his dad’s parents’ home.
“You went through a lot. I did too. I mean I don’t even know my mom or dad really. I wished I did though.” Max gets up from the sofa and went to his grandpa’s bedroom. Craig got up and followed him.
“Should you be in here?”
“I just want to see if he has any photos of my dad at least.” Max answers and went snooping around in his grandpa’s bedroom. Max opened the closet and discovered a photo album. “Bingo.” He took it out and sat on his grandpa’s bed. He opened the photo album. Craig came over and sits on the bed by him.
“Can I see?” Craig asks. Max showed the photo album to Craig. They both were looking at it. Max seen photos of his grandpa younger in it.
“Heh, you can tell I’m related to him.” Max joked a little. He turned the page in the photo album and came across another photo. The photo had Max’s grandpa on it younger, but also showed a baby. A baby boy. “Hey, is this my dad as a baby?” Max asked.
“It might be.” Craig responds. Max turned to the next page and saw another photo. There was a description at the bottom of the photo.
It said: Harlan at age 14
“Who’s Harlan?” Craig asked.
“Might be my father.” Max said looking at the photo. The guy in the photo did look like Max, but not entirely. Max closes the photo album and puts it back into his grandpa’s closet.
“Are you done?” Craig asked getting up from the bed.
“Nah. I’m still snooping around. It just doesn’t seem right. Why would my mom and dad happen to pass away like that?”
“Like what?” Craig asked. “Can you refresh my memory about it?”
“My grandpa told me that my mom died first and then my dad was so upset he killed himself. Claimed they were crazy teenagers and did silly stuff. But… I don’t know if that seems right. It sounds weird and off to me.” Max said and went searching more in his grandpa’s closet.
“That does sound weird to me too. I guess your parents might’ve been like that, but it just seems weird.” Craig said and just watched Max digging in his grandpa’s closet. Max came across some letters.
“Hmm? Someone sent my grandpa letters?” Max noticed they were already opened before. He took the letter out of the envelope and began to read it.
“Who wrote your grandpa a letter? Does he have a girlfriend?” Craig laughed a little. “There is an old lady that lives across the street with all them cats, is it her?”
“Dear dad. Huh? Dad? Who wrote this?” Max was feeling weird as he continued to read the letter that his grandpa had received. The letter was written exactly six months ago, according to the letter. “Craig…”
“What?” Craig asked.
“This letter is written by my father. If my father died a long time ago, how could he write this letter to my grandpa? This letter was written six months ago!” Max was surprised as he told Craig about it. He couldn’t believe it.
“Let me see.” Craig takes the letter from Max and has a look at it. “You’re right. So that means your grandpa lied to you. Why would he do that?” Craig asks confused.
“I am not sure.” Max took the letter back and places it back into the envelope and puts it back where it was. He found other letters that were mailed to his grandpa. “I think my dad keeps writing my grandpa, but my grandpa has been ignoring him. Why would he do this?” Max picked up another letter and read it. Reading it brought tears in his eyes.
“Why are you crying?” Craig asks his friend.
“This letter… This letter from my dad says he wants to see me.”
“Why won’t your grandpa let him see you? I don’t understand.” Craig was confused about Max’s grandpa. Just as much Max was. Max wipes his tears.
“I am not sure. But this isn’t right.” Max said and looked at the return address on the envelope.
“I need to go looking for my dad. There’s an address on here. I’ll take it with me. Want to come?”
“Now? You want to look for your dad now?” Craig asked surprised.
“Yes! I want to see him! He’s alive!”
“Alright. Let’s go.” Craig agrees.
Lacy was sitting upstairs in the attic. “I don’t even know what I am doing with my life right now. I hate it. I hate the fact of what that Steven did to me. I hate that my dad left my mom. Man, I miss him so much. I wish I can talk to my mom about it, but she doesn’t want to talk about it.” Lacy laid down and puts her blanket on her. “I feel terrible. I can’t be pregnant can I? I don’t even know. I don’t want any kids.”
Robert gets up from the sofa. “Where are you going?” Ronnie asks his older brother.
“Just upstairs.” Robert responds and left.
“He seems kind of mad at me. Oh well.” Ronnie went to the kitchen and was getting in his dad’s beer. Robert went upstairs and then went up to the attic. He saw Lacy lying on her bed covering up with her blanket. He goes over to her.
“Hey. Robert said and sits down on the bed by her. She sits up.
“What do you want?” Lacy glares at him.
“Why did you left from me earlier and went to Ronnie? Do you like him?” Robert asks. Lacy just blushes a little.
“Why do you care? Do you like me?”
“No.” Robert pushes her down on the bed and was laying on her. “I don’t.”
“Then get off of me!” Lacy snaps at him. She seemed like she was in a bad mood, but Robert didn’t care.
“When you act like that…” Robert blushes a little as he stared at her.
“I don’t want it! Stop it!” Lacy pushes him off of her. Robert just glares at her. “I had enough! You just want me for sex too like Steven looked at me for?!” Lacy asked.
“No.” Robert answered. Lacy stares at him.
“I haven’t been feeling right lately. You don’t think Steven… you know?” Lacy turned her head.
“Steven what?” Robert asks.
“I don’t want to be…pregnant by him.” Lacy mumbles but Robert heard her.
“You don’t think you are, do you?” Robert asks.
“I am not sure. I might have to have a talk with my mom about it to buy me a pregnancy test.”
“Oh.” Robert looked at Lacy. She seemed to look upset now. Looking down. “Lacy…”
“I don’t want no kids!” Lacy said about to cry, but she didn’t. “I don’t even like kids!”
“You are still young.” Robert said. After dinner, Lacy was with her mom in the attic and was having a talk with her.
“Mom, I’ve been feeling weird lately. You don’t think…” Lacy felt embarrassed to discuss this with her mother.
“I don’t think what? You need to tell me.” Abbilynn says to her daughter. Lacy didn’t respond.
“Lacy, tell me what is going on and on your mind.”
“I don’t want to have a baby. I am…I…” Lacy looks down.
“You’re worried about being pregnant by Steven? Didn’t we already checked this and you wasn’t?” Abbilynn asked her daughter. She felt weird talking about it with her mom. She didn’t look at her now. “Alright, do you want a pregnancy test or doctor’s appointment?”
“Test.” Lacy didn’t want to go to the doctors. She felt that would be more embarrassing.
“Alright. Tomorrow, I’ll get it on my way home from work.” Lacy left the bedroom. She went down the stairs and even out of the house. She saw Robert outside smoking a cigarette.
“My mom is going to get a test on her way home from work. I hope I’m not.” Lacy sits down on the porch by Robert. “If I am, would you hate me?”
“Why would I hate you for something that isn’t your fault?” Robert asks. Lacy didn’t answer. She blushes a little as she stared at Robert smoking.
“When did you started smoking? Lacy asks him curiously.
“When I was twelve.” Robert answered honestly. “I got in my dad’s cigarettes one day and got addicted. My dad wasn’t happy with me, but I can’t stop.”
“Oh. What about Ronnie?”
“He got hooked on them last year. I gave him a cigarette when he was stressed out one day, and then he got addicted. Dad was mad at me for that too. I won’t give none to Bryan. He doesn’t need to get addicted.”
“Bryan looks young. How old is he? Eight?”
“No. He’s ten.” Robert responds. Ronnie opened the front door.
“Give me a cigarette.” Ronnie said and Robert hands him one. Ronnie pulled a lighter out of his pocket and lights his cigarette. He puts his lighter in his pocket and began to smoke. “What are you two doing out here?” Ronnie asks.
“Just talking.” Robert answers.