Rayne Chapter 3: Memories

Thursday morning. The images of Devin still float in my mind. I get up and make my bed half passed. I walk towards the shower and I turn on the hot water and let the bathroom steam up the little room. I breath in the stuffiness and step into the shower. After relaxing for a bit I finish up and dry off. I wipe the bathroom mirror free of the condensation and stare at myself. My eye's have dark circles under them, and my face seems tired. My hazel eyes lost their sheen and my hair is limp with excess water. How in the world could a stunning guy like Devin see in me? I'm average. Seventeen, slender body, never been a girly girl type, much less fancy. I continue criticizing myself. Every line, every dimple, it eats at me. I sigh deeply and dry my hair and throw it in a pony tail, and then I head to my closet. I have a ton of clothes, just like every other girl, but today, my friends are coming and I have to look like I'm okay. I throw on a tank top and Capri with strappey sandals. I apply my make up as good as I can to hide the dark circles and sadness, although I know it won't make much of a difference.

I head down the wooden staircase and make a beeline for the fridge. I look and rummage but between all the meats and juices, and whatever Carla thought I liked, I only took out some grapes and a bottle of water. Carla left a note on the counter saying she was going to be home late again and that I should go out and have a good time with Bronx and Raven, and don't worry about her. HAH. I knew she planned it. Oh well, I sigh and crumple up the note and throw it in the trash can. The breakfast nook was bright due to the huge bay windows. I go and sit on the window sill seat and look out into the woods. I can't get Devin out of my head. I don't deserve someone like him. But the more I keep thinking about him, the more it becomes strange that he was watching me. Like he was waiting for me to notice him. Oh boy, and when I did I couldn't take my eyes off him. I lean my head against the window, and Jack crosses my mind.

My little brother, he would have loved it here. He liked quiet places, and the woods. He loved being outside and would often ask me to go on long walks with him in the park or we would drive to the beach and lay there for hours not talking just relishing in the beauty of the water. A tear brims my left eye. I still can see his smile, and hear his laugh. I miss him immensely. My mother would always get on to us about staying out late and worrying about where we had gone. My dad would just be like, " oh just let them be kids Sherryl. They like the outdoors, that is a hell a lot better than being inside playing stupid video games." My mother always tried to protest, but she knew he was right. "Well, I guess that's a good point Nick, but still I have to worry. I'm the mom." A smile cuts across my face at that. All she ever did was worry. That was my mom. Even on her and dads business trips she had to call at least three times to make sure we were ok and behaving. Carla always assured her. Good old Carla, forty-eight and fairly fit woman. She always had a smile on her face no matter how bad something may cross her way. She never got really upset, stern, but never mad. I think that's why my mother trusted her.

When I was little I always thought she was gorgeous, and wondered why she didn't have someone to love. When I got older, I asked her. She looked at me, and gave me a sad look. I apologized if I offended her, but she just smiled like always and told me it was about time she actually talked to someone about it. I was thinking to myself, oh god what did I just get myself into? But it turned out, she did have someone. A high school sweetheart. They married after four years and finished college together. After college they had gotten a place of their own, and decided to start a family. And after a year she had her first child. A little girl named Andra Marie Brohman. The pride of her life and of her husband's.

Everything was coming together for them. Then one night after taking little Andra to a co-worker's child's birthday they were driving home. She started to tear up and take small gasps, trying not to cry in front of me. I felt so sorry for her, I waited patiently for her to continue. They were driving home and only a few blocks from their house, and she was sitting in the passenger seat talking to Gale, her husband, and holding Andra's hand in the back when the truck hit them. Andra was on Gale's side of the car, right where the truck hit them. Carla had woken up in the hospital, screaming for her baby, and Gale. It turned out the driver of the truck was drinking and driving and ran a red light. Carla was the only one who survived.

Her husband and Andra were killed instantly. Carla broke down at this point in the conversation. I hugged her with everything I had in me, but I knew it wasn't enough. A year after the accident she met my mother and became best friends with her and a part of our life since then. It was then I knew why my mother trusted us with her, because she knew she would treat us as her own and wouldn't let anything happen to us. My face is streaked with tears, "great" I think to myself and grab my compact from the table and touch up my make up. I guess that is why Carla is trying so hard to make me feel better, cause she knows what I am feeling and everything. I get up and open up the back door.

I take in the summer breeze and smell the pine scent in the wind. I step down the stairs from the deck, and head to the dirt path. Maybe I'll see Devin again. His face flashes in my mind. I make my way down the path, and eventually make my way to the clearing. I look around, curious to see if he was there waiting for me, to watch me. I look across the tree line and everywhere my eyesight would allow. No Devin. A small part of me pains a bit, but I knew it was too good to be true, I continue across the clearing and into the other side of the treeline and the dirt path continued so I followed it. I carefully made my way through since this part of the path was way overgrown, and the last thing I needed was for me to get poison ivy. The path kept going winding through the trees, and brush.

I stop at a large pine tree that was half dead, and looked old. I reach for my phone and check the time. It is already 3 in the afternoon?? Damn time flys I think and lean against the tree. The water bottle in my head is almost lukewarm but I drink some, any way. Jack would have made a water fight out of it. I laugh to myself and then my phone buzzes. I got a text from Raven, I almost forgot that they were coming tonight. They were only about two hours away. Wow, they must really be excited to see me. I text her back that I would be waiting for them when they got there. I close my phone and push myself off the tree side. When I looked up I thought I saw something move through the trees not to far from where I was at. I keep watching but whatever it was gone. Now I got the goose bumps and my heart rate quickens a bit.

Okay, so now it is time to get back to the house. I'll be just in time to meet Raven and Bronx. I decide to jog my way back. Most the time the thought of something in the trees was watching me lingered in the back of my mind, but I keep myself from freaking out and keep jogging at a normal pace. Devin crosses my mind again. Maybe it was him? Maybe he was looking for me? I dunno what to think. I make it back to the clearing and still no one in sight so I continue jogging home. I reach my house and run up to the back door and check the time. Almost five. I rush upstairs and take a quick shower and redo my make-up and I change clothes. I hate being dirty sometimes, especially when I'm getting ready to see someone. I take a double take in the mirror and determine I look okay and hurry downstairs.

I wait in the parlor room anxiously awaiting the arrival of my friends. Even though a part of me doesn't want to see them, the other part is craving for something from home. I check the time and it's almost six. It figures they would be late. They probably got side tracked at a gas station with all the nick nacks or what not. If Raven was driving they probably got lost. That in turn wouldn't surprise me. Like the time we decided to go to LA for the weekend, and Raven begged us for her to drive. Big mistake. We spent most of our trip asking how to get to the hotel, or to where ever we wanted to go. We had a good time though, we stopped at all the gift shops possible, and took pictures with celebrity look alikes'. Bronx and I made Raven promise she would never drive in a big city again and she regretfully made that promise.

Another time though, Bronx took us off roading in his Chevy and we got stuck in a soft patch of sand. We were stuck for hours until a four-wheeler party just happened to drive by and offer help. I learned how to ride a four-wheeler that day. Even though it kinda sucked, I guess in the end it was fun. I smile through the memories. My memory flashed back to when I first met Bronx. It was first grade and the first day. I was so nervous. The teacher was nice, and let us out early for recess. I was playing on the slide, I was sliding down when a kid climbed on the slide and I hit him head on and not being able to stop myself I hit the ground hard. I tried really hard not to cry when I saw I scraped my elbow and it was bleeding. I remember a hand reaching out and asking me if I needed help up. I looked up and a front toothless boy with blond hair and blue eyes.

I look at him and smile. "What is your name?" The boy asked me. "Rayne, like from the sky just spelled different. And yours?" " My name is Bronx, like NY area. You ok?" " Ya, wanna go play?" I replied and from then on were inseparable. Then in second grade, a new girl came to class in the middle of the year. She was skinny, and she had red hair and freckles. She looked so nervous and she was quiet. Some of the other kids were whispering about her. I felt bad. I looked at Bronx and he just nodded and smiled at me. I walked over to the new girl and stood next to her. The teacher just got done introducing her saying that she was from Texas and just moved here. I smile at the girl and she smiles back. "Rayne, " Mrs. Watson started, "Will you please be Raven's buddy today and show her around and make her comfortable?" "Yes, Mrs, Watson!" I gleamed at the girl and took her hand and led her to Bronx's and my table.

Bronx introduced himself and smiled. Raven looked so cute back then. She was shy, and she warmed up to us quickly. After that day Raven, Bronx and I spent every possible minute together. When we hit high school, we had already knew everything about each other. The good and the bad. Jack was a part of our group too when he was old enough to go with us to places. We always had something to do, whether it was going for a walk around town, or the movies, or just hanging out and playing board games. Raven Willington, Bronx Armstrong, Jack and I. We were a group. A family of our own. The four musketeers. Now there is only three of us. I smile at the memories, and happy tears trickle from my eyes. All of a sudden a car horn comes out of nowhere and I see Bronx pull up in his new Nissan Titan. I jump up and run to open the front door.

Just as the front door opened all I could see was Raven's flaming red hair streak towards me. She nearly knocked me down. "I missed you so much Rayne, you can't believe it!!" Raven was squeezing me as tight as she could. "Rave, come on dude, you're suffocating our best friend before I can get to say hi." Bronx was laughing and trying to pry off Raven. She finally let go and I took in a deep breath, man who girl has got some strength. I laugh and give Bronx a huge hug. I step back and look at them both. It is now that I realize how much we have grown since first and second grade. Raven was tall about my height, long straight red hair, and freckles spotting her face shoulders, and her bright green eyes. She looks so much older than 17.

So elegant and she still has a tint of that Texan class. Oh, and Bronx, the baseball jock, 6'4 and almost white blond hair, and dark blue eyes. He certainly filled out since the last time I could remember. "I'm sorry I never said bye to you both." I look down at the ground, uneasy and guilty. "Dude, we know you better than that , and we understood. No hard feelings." Bronx smiled and lifted my chin up. "Yea, no hard feelings babe. WE love you no matter what and I don't think you could get rid of us even if you tried!!" Raven hugged me again. It felt so good to smell her white lily perfume. "Well guys, welcome to my new home." I open my arms to my new home. They smiled and took me arm in arm and we walk into the house.

I showed them the whole house, and they were in awe. I was like that when I first saw it. I smile and show them their rooms. " You guys both have your own rooms, Aunt Carla already made them up. Sorry if it's a little dusty but, it is an old house." "Raven." Bronx looked at her, "Well do you like your roon?" "Why yes, dear sir I think I do." Raven retorted somewhat snooty, jokingly of course. "You guys are ridiculous sometimes." I chime in. We all laugh and I look at them both. "To be honest with you guys, at first I didn't want you to come." They both just look at me waiting for me to finish."But now that you are here, I honestly think you were right Bronx, I think this would do me some good." I smile the biggest smile I have in such a long time.