Fiction Friday

I know you've been waiting anxiously for this... Sorry it's taken almost a month to post chapter two, December was super crazy for me! So without further ado... Chapter 2 of The Quartet ~ Seara's Story

 

Chapter 2

 

“Seara?” Brian asked. “Is that you?” Brian came down the steps of the porch and closed the distance between them.

Seara flattened her hair. “Hey, I didn’t know you were home.”

“Yeah, I got in last night. I surprised my parents. I’m on leave for the week.” Brian said, his smile reaching his eyes. “My parents told me about your dad’s heart attack. But I hear he’s doing better.”

“Yeah.” Seara sighed, and looked toward the woods.

“Sea, what’s the matter? Isn’t your dad doing better?” Brian asked concern lacing his voice.

Tears formed in Seara’s eyes out of nowhere. Blinking quickly to try and stop them, Seara took a deep breath to steady her voice. As she tried to answer her voice cracked.

“Oh Sea.” Brian reached out and touched her arm, “Come sit, what’s going on?”

Seara walked with Brian to the porch steps. They sat down, Seara on the second step, and Brian on the third. Seara sat staring at the horizon. The sky was turning brilliant shades of pink and orange, but Seara failed to notice. This was normally her favorite time of day. Seara sighed. What was she going to do? When she had gotten the call about her father, she had made the decision to return home. But now what was she going to do?

“Sea?” Brian said gently using her nickname. Brian saw Seara jump.

“I’m sorry. It just hasn’t been an easy week. And Lyss and Mikey will be coming home tomorrow, and I have to try and find out if dad qualifies for a home health aid, and I don’t know what we need for Thanksgiving. It’ll be okay. It has to be. I’m going to make it all work. I don’t know how, but it’s going to.” Seara rambled on in normal fashion, forgetting that Brian was there. Suddenly Seara stood, “I’ve got to go, I’ve got so much to do. Gram will be up soon and wondering where I am.”

“Sea... Sea... Seara!” Brian said reaching out to touch her arm. “Let me drive you home.”

“No, no. I’ll be okay. I was going to cut through the woods.”

     Brian followed along. “I’ll walk with you.”

Seara knew better than to refuse. Brian had been stubborn before entering the military, there was no way she’d get him to change his mind now. Seara’s stomach fluttered rebelliously as they walked along. She could kick herself, at least if they had driven it wouldn’t have taken as long.

As the silence lengthened Seara’s mind began to wander of its own accord.

*       *       *

By Seara’s junior year of High School she had her driver’s license and a beat up Chevy Lumina that she shared with her sister. Alyssa had begun the habit of driving them all to school the year before.

The girls had started a club when they were in sixth grade. They had named themselves The Quartet. The girls had begun meeting every Thursday night for a couple hours. Just before the girls all entered High School they decided to change their meetings. Now instead of going to the old tree house the girls would go to a movie, or dinner, or to the mall – Seara did this last one with extreme reservation.

On one such Thursday on a rainy fall night, Seara was driving the girls home in the car she shared with her sister. The sister’s took the car a week at a time. If it was Seara’s week she was responsible for gas. The girls were singing at the top of their lungs on their drive home from the movies, when the car sputtered and stalled. Seara carefully navigated the car to the side of the road, her eyes jumping to the gas gauge that read below E.

Her parents had needed the car the previous day and had given her money to put in the gas.  Seara honestly believing she would have enough until the next day had drove right past the gas station.

Alyssa was the most vocal about their situation. She couldn’t believe Seara hadn’t put gas in the car.

As the girls were deciding to walk the two miles to the gas station – seeing it was closer than any of their homes – the skies opened and the rain began to pour. The girls decided to wait it out.

Living in “the middle of nowhere” had it’s distinct disadvantages; however, this night they were in luck. After only five minutes of sitting in the car on the side of the road, a truck drove past them. The girls watched as the brake lights lit up and the truck turned around.

“I think that’s my brother.” Talli said from the front seat. Talli and her twin brother Brian had moved to the area the summer before they entered Middle School. Brian and Talli were as different as they were alike. Brian and Talli shared dark hair, but Brian had blue eyes while Talli sported chocolate brown eyes. Brian was studious and while Talli, by no means dumb, had less interest in academia. Brian was optimistic and tended to be introverted; Talli was more pessimistic in some situations, but made friends easily, even if she tended to be bossy at times.

Seara wanted to melt into the seat, How could this be happening?

Brian stepped out of the truck and came up to Seara’s window, “Are you guys alright?”  He asked when Seara’s window was open.

“Bry, we ran out of gas. Can you take us to go get some?” Talli asked, leaning over to see her brother.

Brian agreed and the girls, none of them wanting to wait in the car on the deserted road, went with him. It was a set-up from the time the girls got out of the car. Talli pushed Seara into the front, then climbed into the back of the cab with Tria and Alyssa.

The three in the back whispered softly as Brian tried to engage Seara in conversation. Brian had been pursuing Seara since their eighth grade year. Any other guy would have given up by now. Seara couldn’t understand why he hadn’t.

 “Oh shoot.” Seara whispered as they pulled into the gas station.

“What’s up?” Brian asked.

“I forgot my wallet.” Seara didn’t carry a purse except to church.

“Me too,” this came from the three girls in the back after checking for their bags. The girls had been in such a rush not to get wet, they had run to Brian’s truck without getting their purses.

“Could you please take us back so I can get my wallet?” Seara asked.

“No don’t worry about it; I’ll just pay for the gas.”

“Okay. I’ll give you the money when we get back to the car.”

Brian didn’t argue, a small smile coming to his lips as he got out. Thankfully Seara hadn’t seen it, otherwise he would’ve gotten an earful. He almost wished she had, that would be better than her silence.

The next few minutes went by without incident. Before they knew it they here back to the car, Seara jumping out nearly before the truck had come to a complete stop. Seara dashed to the car and searched for her wallet, as Brian put the gas in. She had tried to tell him he didn’t need to she could do it, but he hadn’t listened. Seara’s eyes looked beseechingly to her sister who was in the front seat of the car.

“What?” Alyssa whispered.

“Do you have any money? I can’t find the twenty mom gave me.”

“Sea.” Alyssa sighed dramatically as she opened her purse. “Nope.”

Seara looked to the back seat where Tria was sitting. Tria’s long blonde hair fell over her shoulder as she peeked through her purse. Shaking her head.

“Brian.” Seara’s voice was most contrite. “I am so sorry, but can I give you the money tomorrow at school?”

“No, don’t worry about it. It’s on me.”

“No I’ll pay you back.” Seara insisted.

“Fine. If you’re so insistent, you can pay me back by going to the movies with me Saturday night.”

Seara’s face flamed, why hadn’t she just let him pay for the gas. Seeing no way around it with everyone watching, she suddenly had an idea, “Fine, but you have to ask my dad’s permission.”

“Not a problem,” Brian said smiling, “Your dad loves me.”

Seara sighed knowing he was right.

Friday went by much too fast. And all too soon it was Saturday. Tria and Talli were spending the night so that way they could hear all about Seara’s date as soon as it was over. The girls spent the day shopping. Talli insisted that Seara needed a new outfit. Seara had given up saying, “it’s not a date,” because no one seemed to be listening to her anyway.

An hour before Seara’s date, the other girls were chatting in Alyssa’s room, Seara plopped down on the couch next to her dad. Her dad was her rock. He was the one she was able to bare her soul to and never had to worry about him using the information to hurt her.

“You okay peanut.” Her father asked still using her childhood nickname. Seara had been his peanut since coming to live with Richard and Elizabeth at the age of two as a foster child. It had taken three long years before the adoption was finally finalized.

“Yeah. Just tired. I didn’t sleep well.”

“I could’ve told him no.” Richard said deciding not to tease his daughter.

“No, it’s okay. At least he agreed to let me pay for myself.”

“Sea!” Talli yelled down the stairs. “Get up here so we can do your hair!”

Richard patted his daughter’s leg, letting her know with that gesture it was all going to be okay. Seara wasn’t so sure, but after one more call of her name, she rose and walked up the stairs to her fate. At least she had been able to convince them to allow her to wear pants since it had been threatening to snow.

Five minutes before he was supposed to be there Brian showed up at her door. Seara had tried convinced the girls to go too, but sit in the back so Brian wouldn’t know, but they shot her down. Alyssa’s looked extremely protective as the doorbell sounded. Seara smiled reassuringly at her sister letting her know it was going to be okay.

All too soon Seara was at the movies with Brian. She was a ball of nerves and ended up missing the first half of the movie. Seara, she spoke to herself, you used to be friends. You played basketball with him, and told him things you didn’t even share with The Quartet. What’s the problem? Seara knew the problem; it had changed when he announced at youth camp ‘God told me I’m going to marry you.’ Seara had freaked out and decided then and there she had somehow led him on and could no longer be his friend. Seara finally allowed herself to calm down, when she did she found herself enjoying the end of the movie.

The snow was falling mercilessly as they left the movie theater. Seara was quiet admiring the snow. She always enjoyed the first snow of the season. As they headed out of town, the wind picked up and Brian ever cautious had to slow down as it was getting hard to see. On the drive home it was Brian to break the silence.

“Sea, we used to be friends. Can’t we be friends again?”

Seara sighed. She didn’t know what to say to him. She’d spent most of the last three years avoiding him. Not that it worked very well, they ended up having a lot of the same classes, and in fact he was her physics lab partner. The teacher had told the students at the beginning of the year he would be dividing them up alphabetically. Brian Kingsley just happened to be right next to Seara Lee in the order.

“Brian, I just don’t know. I just can’t. There’s so much you don’t know. And I just can’t date you.”

“Seara, what if we just go back to how we were before?” There was no need saying before what they both knew. “At least can we try?” Brian was looking at her. She could feel his eyes on her.

“Brian!” She yelled.

Brian jerked the steering wheel; the tires slipped, grabbed the gravel, and the truck was slung across the road. The whole truck tipped up on two wheels, landed on the drivers side, and spun around. Finally coming to an abrupt stop as the back end slammed into a tree. Seara hung suspended above Brian. She shook herself trying to reorient herself.

“Bry. Bry. Brian!” Seara screamed it did no good. Seara braced her feet on the dash, unbuckled herself, and then scooted herself toward Brian careful not to fall on him. Seara’s first aid skills came to the front carefully she gave him a little shake once again calling his name. When he didn’t respond she felt for a pulse. She sighed with relief when she felt his pulse. Next she checked his breathing, again she was happy. She needed to think. Wait, hadn’t Talli said they had gotten phones for their birthday yesterday. Seara felt Brian’s coat pocket, it was there. Seara began to feel weak and her legs began to give out. Feeling dizzy she just needed to complete the call.

“Hello.” Richard answered the phone on the second ring.

“Dad, help.” Seara got out before the world went black.

Seara awoke to find herself in a bed a bright light on above her head. Turning her head slowly she was aware of the sharp pain and a bandage along the right side. Her mother rushed to the bed, grabbing her hand. Anything she was going to say died in her throat as the ER doctor came into the room.

“I’m glad you’re awake.” The Doctor spoke. “Do you know where you are?”

Seara started to shake her head, but spoke instead. “The hospital.”

“Good. Do you know what happened?”

Seara was able to remember everything up until she called her dad. The doctor happy with her answers told her that she would be able to go home that night. She had a mild concussion, but should be okay as long as she took it easy. When the doctor left Seara found her father’s eyes and asked about Brian.

*       *       *

Seara reached up and fingered the scar on the right side of her temple where her head had slammed off the top of the seat belt and cut her head open. Everything had changed for them after that, they were able to become friends again. In some ways they had grown closer than ever; and then, Seara’s mother had died and he had left her too.

They were at her front porch, Seara turned to thank him for walking her home. But the look of compassion on Brian’s face stopped her.

“I’m here for the week. If you need help with anything call me.” Brian reached out and moved the hair from the right side of her face tracing the small scar with his finger.