“I’ll follow you home to make sure you get there safely. I’m parked just over there,” he advised and pointed. I could see his BMW SUV since the parking lot was about empty.
I gave him a few moments to make it over to his car before I backed out, and then I waited a few parking spots away for him. Once he was out of his spot, I proceeded to make my usual route home. Elijah followed me the whole way, and he came to a stop at the end of our driveway as I pulled into the garage. I parked and hopped out, and as I started out of the garage to go toward his SUV, he rolled the window down and held his hand up.
“Don’t come out in the rain,” he hollered from his SUV.
“Okay!” I yelled back. “Thank you for the pizza and Coke!”
“You’re welcome, Brandon! See you next week!” Elijah waved and drove away. I headed inside and finished eating the pizza and drank the rest of the Coke. I was really looking forward to seeing him next week.
4
Brandon
Seventeen-Years-Old
After I postedthe picture of my red and white taco man socks to my Instagram account, I hurried downstairs and tossed my gym bag at the bottom of the stairs with my backpack and hurried into the kitchen. My mom was on the phone talking to her agent, as usual, as I gathered breakfast and stuff for my lunch.
“Don’t forget, Mom, 4:30,” I said on my way out of the kitchen.
“4:30 for what?” she hollered after me. I walked back into the kitchen, and she still held the cell phone, but it was away from her. She looked at me like I had grown two heads and was clueless.
“The track meet, Mom. You said you would come to one this year. You promised me.”
“Is the year over with?” she asked, and sarcasm dripped in her tone. When she realized that I wasn’t going to yell or argue, her tone changed. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I can’t make the one today. I’m meeting with my agent and some Hollywood guy about a possible Revlon ad.”
Unbelievable. I was so irate, but I shoved my fists in my pocket, remembering all Elijah had talked to me about during the past year. Calmly express my feelings and walk away.
“Okay, maybe the next one,” I grumbled and walked out of the room before she started talking. I grabbed my bags while she was mumbling about coming to the next one, and I let the garage door to slam shut, drowning out her voice.
On my drive to school, I reflected on the stuff Elijah and I had spoken about regarding my reactions to disappointment. I’d been actively trying hard to not lash out and to calmly let her know I was disappointed, but then to leave it at that. I didn’t always succeed, and we still argued from time to time, but there were times like this when I would walk away angry because it was like she wasn’t even trying to meet me in the middle.
I was angry all morning during my classes about the lack of her trying to put forth some effort. She wasn’t going to change, but fuck it. I didn’t care anymore. I ate lunch with the guys on the track team and some girls that flocked over, but really, I wasn’t interested in anything they had to say. While I was messing around on Instagram posting a carrot stick character with large Oreo cookie eyes that I made, Elijah sent me a text.
Elijah: You’re very creative with your lunch, Brandon. Make sure you eat your lunch so you’re ready for your track meet.
I was excited to see his text, and it made me feel good that he had been paying attention to my Instagram account. After I ate the legs of the carrot stick creature, I began my reply.
Brandon: I’ve already eaten the legs, lol. You’ll be proud of me. I walked away from a possible argument with my mom this morning.
Elijah: What happened?
Brandon: I was leaving for school and reminded her about the track meet. You know she’s been promising me that she’d come to one before the end of the school year. I pointed that out to her, and she threw back at me that the school year wasn’t over yet. I got really frustrated, but I left without starting an argument.
Elijah: Perhaps she had something scheduled already.
Brandon: Yep, just like every other time.
The bell rang, and I tossed my phone in my backpack. By the time I got to the track meet, I had successfully pushed my mom out of my mind … until all the other kids' parents began arriving. Our team came in second place, which wasn’t terrible, but I wasn’t thrilled by our performance overall.
As I was walking across the track after the team meeting on the infield, I saw someone familiar in the stands. I stopped and stared in disbelief as Elijah waved at me as he walked down the steps from the metal stands. I sidestepped some students and their families and was waiting for him near the steps by the time he got to the bottom.
“Hi!” I greeted.
“You looked great out there on the track, Brandon. You look so determined when you run,” he commented.
“Thank you. I enjoy running.”
“You probably channel a lot of your frustrations into pounding the track,” he suggested.
