That boy on a Bike

chapter one

I woke up that Saturday morning to the rain. I layed in my bed watching the grey raindrops fall like teardrops one after another, until it poured. Unlike most, that summer had been filled with rain and grey which made my summer spirits die. I dozed back off to sleep only to be woken up ten minutes later by my dad. His eyes had dark circles under them and his brown hair showed more grey than I had ever seen before. He was in my closet throwing things onto the floor as he got deeper and deeper into it.

"What...? What are you doing?" I asked groggily as I sat up and let my head rest on the iron headboard. He seemed jumpier than normal, so when he didn't answer, I asked again.

"Dad...what is going on...is everthing alright?" I asked paying more attention to the wild man in my closet. He was wearing his jet black business suit with a dark blue tie with faded silver circles on it, which I bought for him on Father's Day.

"Is there something you need for work in my closet?" I asked combing my fingers through my tangled brown hair. As I was about to ask again, he threw two suitcases onto my white shaggy carpet.

"Dad...what's going on!?" I was more awake and he was beginning to scare me. He turned to me with a face as pale as snow, and his brown eyes were wide open.

"I need to leave. You need to stay with Aunt Camille and Uncle Bernie while I'm gone." He said moving on to my drawers throwing out everything that was in them and tossing them rapidly into the suitcases.

"Where are you going?! For how long!? Dad, I don't even know Aunt Camille and Uncle Bernie!! What's going on?! Why do you need to leave?!" The questions came pouring out as I jumped from my waterbed to the carpet which my feet seemed to sink into. He froze when he got to the second drawer, dropped to the floor and started to cry. I had never seen my dad cry. Ever. His large hands had cradled his head while his back was begining to shake with his sobbing. I walked toward him slowly with my plaid pink pajama pants brushing the floor. I layed my small hand on his shoulder as I stroked his thick brown and grey hair.

"Daddy...are you alright?" I asked softly. I sat next to him. We were silent for a few minutes and then he finally said to me,

"Daddy...what did you do?" I asked. He grabbed me and pulled me into his lap.

"I just..." He started to sniffle, "I just need to...go away for a little bit. You're going to need to stay with your aunt and uncle because they're all you have." He pushed me up gently and stood up.

"Dad...tell me." I said standing up by him. He always looked tall and muscular...like a man. But right then, I saw something I had never seen in my dad. I saw fear. He looked small and helpless...like a little child.

"I need to get away." He sniffled some more and walked to my doorway. "You leave in a few hours for Texas...so...get packing." He said as he combed his long fingers through his full head of hair while leaning on the side of the doorway. Without saying another word, he walked like a ghost out of the door. I pulled the suitcases toward me and touched the leather on them and began to cry. What was going on? What had he done. Thoughts were piling up in my mind. Why would he do that to me? He knew I was only 15 and couldn't bear this load that he just put on me. Suddenly, my compassion for him turned to anger. I packed my bags and took a shower. I got out and turned to the mirror.That girl with curly brown hair ,brown eyes and tan skin that was staring back at me was a girl who grew up without a mother, but was still strong...how come that right then and there I looked helpless? I put on my black jeans and my white "DANCE" tank top and combed through my tough, curly hair. I began to put on my make-up which covered up all the hurt that was inside of me. My dad slowly walked in the room, this time with his hair combed and his shoes on and was less jumpy in his movements.

"Are you ready?" He asked grabbing my luggage and dragging them lazily into the hallway.

"No." I said firmly walking right past him.

"Well, Im sorry...but you have to go, Dani." He said walking through the tan hallway and opening up the glass front door. I said nothing as I walked past him quickly, through the front door and all the way to the red lexes on our stone driveway. The ride was silent the whole way to the Sea-Tac Airport. When we got there, everything seemed to be moving in fast motion. A kid was screaming and running around the front of the airport, while the mother left her flowerly luggage with the guy at the ticket stand while she chased him around. A couple was kissing passionatley against a lambergini. A family was saying their goodbyes as 3 of the party of 5 walked into the automatic doors. While I stood on the sidewalk watching and observing, my dad was getting my luggage out of the trunk of his car. He checked the bags and the man at the stand took them and put them in a pile of checked bags behind his silver, metal desk. My dad walked over to me... and gave me my boarding pass but then grabbed me an covered me tight in his huge loving arms. I wish I had said goodbye...but I didn't. Without looking into his eyes...or saying anything to his face, I turned and walked into the big airport, leaving him with his big arms wide open. I wish I had said goodbye. I wish so badly.

I walked through the airport with my green duffle bag, since my luggage had been checked already. I got to the first security line. I took off my red converse shoes and my silver charm bracelet with a heart on it which my dad got me for my 15th birthday, and placed them gently into the dull grey basket handed to me by the man operating the x-ray like machine. I put my duffle bag onto the moving conveyer belt and watched my duffle bag go deeper into the darkness of the machine.

"Walk through." A grey haired man in an officer's uniform told me firmly as he motioned me to walk through somewhat of bridge like metal detector. I held my breath praying I didn't have any forgotten metal on me. It was only 2 seconds but it seemed like 45 minutes walking through that small detector. It was over and I saw the basket come out of the darkness following a lady's brown briefcase. Once she moved out of the way, I took my basket, put on my shoes and my bracelet and waited for my duffle bag. It came out along with another basket beside it with a white Apple laptop in it. I took my duffle and walked into the other side of the airport. I took out my cell phone that was in the smaller pocket of my duffle and looked at the time. It was 12:30 and my plane boarded at 1:45. I put my cell phone into my pants pocket, but right as I did so, I got a text message. It said: I LOVE YOU. B SAFE...DAD. I began to tear up, but stopped myself and rememberd that I had done nothing wrong. He was the one who abandoned me. I looked up and examined the places in the food court. I walked over to the lighted blue sign that said "CINNABON" and stood in the line of 4 people. I was standing behind a chubby, bald man that was taller than me, but not very tall for a man. He was talking on his cell phone and quickly walked out of line pushing me as he brushed pass. Soon, I was next. I orderd my food and ate it at a silver table big enough for two people. Once I was done I wiped my hands on my jeans and took my cell phone out of my pocket. It was1:35. I decided I would text my best friend Jill Scott. I texted "HAD 2 GO 2 TEXAS...GOT 2 MISS UR B-DAY.SORRI.XOXO-DANI. I turned my phone off and headed to my gate. The gate was crowded and filled with all kinds of people. Out of all of them, my name was called. On the intercom I heard a lady's voice say "DANIELLA RYANS...PLEASE COME TO THE FRONT." My heart skipped a beat. I cautiously went to the lady in the front, holding my duffle bag tightly. She had wild, poofy red hair that was flattend by a blue flight attendants hat.

"You...called my name?" I asked nervously.

"Yes, you're flying alone today, is that right?" She asked with a wide mouth, bright eyed smile.

"Yeah...um." I was thinking of what to say, when another flight attendant came beside her.

"My name is Ella Freeman. I'll help you if you need anything. Okay, sweetheart?" She said as if I were a little kid, patting me on the back. She had blonde hair and had clear braces that made it look like her teeth were buldging out. She wore a red scarf around her neck that was comming undone.

"Thanks." I said just staring at the two of them. "Can...I go back to my seat now?"

"Well, actually its 1:45 and I can get you on the plane now, hon." She said motioning me to come with her.

"Thanks." I said as I followed her into the plane. As I walked down the narrow aisle with my duffle bag hitting my leg as I walked, the air smelled recycled and too clean.

"What seat are you in, sweetie?" Ella asked me with her bright eyed smile. She kept calling me pet names...I was just waiting for her to call me cuddlebumpkins.

"Um..it says 15E." I said looking at my folded plane ticket.

"Alright, follow me this way." She went to almost the back of the plane and pointed to a seat by the window. Instead of pouring, it was now drizzling and the sun was trying to break thru the black rain clouds. As I sat down into the blue stiff seat, people started to board the plane. One by one they put their luggage in the compartments above their heads. A lady came with her little boy and I realized that it was the mother that was checking her bags at the same time as me with the flowery suitcase. I knew this would be an interesting ride.

"...Aiden...this is your seat. Go sit by the lady by the window, sweetie." The mom gave her son a little push. She had a black ponytail and stray hairs all over her head. She had bags under her eyes and looked like she was about to break out in tears.

"Mommy! She's a stranger!!" He whined as he turn, ran and hid behind his mothers legs.

"Honey...mommy needs the aisle seat so you need to sit there." She said moving aside shoving the little boy a little harder. He moved cautiously to the seat next to me and sat down. The mother sat down quickly after and I think, was glad to buckle him into his seat so he couldnt move. The kid smelled like Apple juice and Teddy Grahms which made me gag to myself. I was looking out the window but I could feel him staring at me.

OoOoOoOoOoO

After a plane ride of yelling, screaming, a fat guy kicking my seat, crying, a little boy spilling apple juice on my bag, and an old man snoring...I finally got off. I got my stained duffle bag from under the seat in front of me and stood in the long line of people trying to get off the plane. I got of and the heat quickly rushed onto my skin. I was glad I had a tank top on, but the jeans weren't doing much help.

I went to the baggage claim and I saw a couple that looked familiar. It was my aunt and uncle. I had never met them before, but I had seen them in Christmas cards and what not. My aunt had huge brown frizzy hair, bright red lipstick on, and was a bit chubby. She had on blue tapered pants on and a pink t-shirt. My uncle had on a horrible blue and yellow Hawaiian flower shirt on, a tan safari hat that let his blonde thin hair stick out, and grey shorts that showed his hairy, skinny legs. They both had a wide smile and ran up to me.

" Daniella! My goodness, I haven't seen you since forever!" Aunt Camille said in her heavy twang as she embraced me in a teddy bear hug. The hug would have been pleasent if she hadn't smelled of lemons and moth balls.

"Hi...Aunt Camille...Actually, though, I go by Dani." I said smiling awkwardly.

"Oh, well then." She said smiling and staring at me with her big grey eyes.

"Hey, Dani." Uncle Bernie said giving me less of a hug, but it still seemed to last for a long time. I could tell he had been working because he smelled musty and stale. His twang wasn't as great as hers but still, I could tell he had one.

"Hi." I said awkwardly rocking back and forth on my feet as my red converse high tops squeaked on the dirty, white airport floor.

"Do you have your stuff, then?" She asked looking at my duffle bag.

"Um, no acutally. I have two more suitcases..." I said making my way to the silver conveyer belt. They were both quiet as the baggage went round and round. A huge, pink suitcase passed 2 times, a green one with flowers on it passed us 3 and a sliver locked one that looked like it would be on a spy movie passed a few times too. We seemed to be waiting forever as I stood there trying to spot my black, red and orange polka dotted luggage. After what seemed like hours, I saw the two suitcases coming to me.

"Here, let me get those." my uncle stood in front of me and pulled both suitcases off of the moving conveyer belt.

"Thanks."

We walked to the exit of the airport through the sliding doors and I walked into the blasting heat. We walked to the purple mini van in the airport parking lot and drove away. Since I didn't know these people, the whole ride was awkward and silent so I tried to make it more enjoyable.

"So...I hope this is okay. Me, staying with you guys." I said from the backseat scooching forward on the squeaky pale leather.

"Oh, sweetheart it's perfectly fine! Make yourself at home." Camille turned around from the passanger's seat looking campassionate.

"Ah, thanks. So do you know why...my dad left?"

"No...I don't." Camille turned back around with a blank look on her face. The car ride was silent until we reached their house which was a tiny house in the middle of nowhere. It was white with the paint peeling off of it and a dark wooden front porch with a red door that had a screen behind it, and all around their house was tall grass that was beginning to turn yellow. We walked up to the front porch with the suitcases, climbing the old creeky wooden stairs. and opened the screen door that was partially ripped.

"Children!" Camille yelled into the living room. A boy and a girl came running into the yellow hallway. The girl was very small, had red hair that stood up and frizzed from the heat, grey eyes and had a gap between her two front teeth.

"Hi there! Are you Daniella?Im Terri! Well if you are...we are going to have the best summer in the world!! You'll be my big sister...or we can pretend! Im so excited!" She squealed in her heavy twang as she showed her gap in the front of her mouth with a smile.

"Yeah, Im Dani. And yeah, it's gonna be loads of fun." I said smiling back at her. She seemed to be very outgoing, but the boy on the other hand, stood in the hallway with the yellow walls and looked down at his bare feet. I moved closer to him and said,

" Hi! Im Dani...you must be...?" I said smiling at him and kneeling down so I could be at his height.

"I'm decklan." He said quietly in a light twang. The boy looked older than the girl, but still young. He had brown hair, had a side part and his hair was slicked over. He looked at me with his blue eyes and then quickly looked away.

"Nice to meet you, Decklan." I said turning back around to stand by Camille.

"Decklan is 12 and terri is 7." Camille said at an attempt to make things less awkward. She sighed, "Well, lets show you your room then." She said walking down the hallway and into a room with blush pink walls as Bernie and the children followed.

"This is a very cute room." I said examining the flowers on the bottom of the wall going in a line across the room. The bed had a green flower pattern on it and was by a window with a yellow curtain over it, other than that, it had a plain old brown wardrobe and a wooden bed table with a lamp and clock but nothing else.

"The bathroom is down the hall and to the left!" Terri said quickly comming over to me and holding my hand.

"Thanks." I said as Bernie came in and put my suitcases by the wardrobe.

"Um, Bernie and I both work from 10 to 7 at night, but the kids know how to take care of themselves if you want to go somewhere."

'Where the heck would I go?' i thought but said, "Oh, alright. Cool." and looked down at my feet.

"Your curfew is at 11." Bernie said sternly looking me straight in the eye. Again I thought, 'well, where would I go' but instead said, " Oh, alright. Im sure that won't be any trouble." Bernie and Camille left my room but the children stayed in the doorway.

"Do you want to play a game?" Terri asked me looking hopeful with her big eyes.

"Actually, Im kinda tired...so maybe later?" I said hoping they would leave.

"Oh...okay. Well, dinner is at 7:30. After dinner?" Terri said stepping out of the doorway with Decklan beside her.

"After dinner...what?" I asked confused rubbing my heavy eyelids.

"Play a game?!" She yelled.

"Oh! Right. Sure, if your parents say its okay." I said begining to close the door.

"Wait! Dani?" She said putting her hand in so that I wouldn't close it.

"Hmm?"

"We're really glad you're here."

I gently closed the door and looked at the clock that was on the wooden bed table. The time was 6:30. I lay flat on my bed kicking my shoes onto the dark green carpet. I pulled out my cell phone and turned it on. I had another text from Jill which had a sad face on it, but nothing else so I closed it and dozed off for awhile. When I woke up it was 7:30 so I ran into the dining room. The table had a light blue table cloth over it and checker blue and white placemats. Decklan was setting the table and looked up at me while he was putting a silver fork down.

"Would you like some help?" I asked stepping closer to him. He said nothing but continued to set the table so I walked into the kitchen.

"We're having chilli and cornbread. Is that okay?" Camille asked as she was putting the steaming brown and red chilli in a big glass serving bowl.

"Yeah. Perfect! Would you like some help?" I asked going behind the counter.

"No, no. No need." She said taking the chilli into the dining room and setting it in the middle of the bare table. Terri was coming up behind her with the steaming hot golden cornbread. She set it beside the chilli and sat down next to Decklan on the right side of the rectangular table.

"Bernie!" Camille yelled as Bernie came into the room slowly.

"We all ready?" He asked sitting down at the head of the table. I seemed to be the only one not sitting , so I sat in a seat on the right side of the table and sank into the wooden chair with a light blue velvet seat cushion.

"Let's say grace." Bernie said as he bowed his small head. I never really said grace at Dads. He wasnt all that religious but we made our way to church every Sunday. After Bernie was done, they passed the chilli along the table and everyone put some in their yellow oversized bowls.

"So, are you in highschool?" Terri asked as she slurped some of her chilli.

"Yah...I just finished my freshman year." I said taking a spoonful of chilli and shoving it into my mouth.

"Cool! Do you have a boyfriend?" She asked excitedly as she ripped off the top of her square of cornbread and began to chew it violently.

"Not really." I said looking down into my chilli. I'd never really had a boyfriend...I only went out on a date with a guy named Luke Grimmans which went horribly wrong.

"Oh. Im not allowed to date. Not until Im sixteen." She said rolling her eyes and slurping another spoonfull of chilli.

"That's reasonable." I said with a mouthfull of more chilli.

"Hm. So, Daniella--Dani, you play any sports?" Camille said dabbing her mouth with the corner of a folded up white napkin.

"Im a dancer." I said proudly.

"Oh! That's wonderful! What type of dance?" She asked taking part of her square of cornbread and dunking it in her chilli.

"I can do anything, really. I perfer Lyrical and Hip hop, though." I said finishing my chilli and moving on to my cornbread.

"COOL!" Terri exclaimed after taking a sip of her milk.

"Do you guys play sports?" I asked wondering if the kids even went out of the house.

"No." Terri said disapointedly.

"No." Decklan said quietly stirring his chilli and looking deep into his bowl.

"We play games." Terri said trying to make the best out of her situation.

"That's cool." I said finishing my cornbread and pushing the white saucer closer to the yellow bowl.

"So what do you guys watch on TV?" I asked sitting back in my chair. Everyone fell silent and looked at me.

"We don't have one." Terri said sadly.

"Oh. That's good...you don't want your brain to turn like mush like mine has." I smiled at them and they laughed at my joke.

"Is everyone ready for dessert?" Camille asked as she was gathering the dirty dishes from the table.

"YA!!!" Terri practically jumped out of her seat.

"What's for dessert?" Bernie asked rubbing his buldging stomach.

"Dark Chocolate Cake with Coffee Ice cream on top." She said going back into the kitchen. I actually think my mouth started to water when she brought in the cake.

"Do you like coffee ice cream, Dani?" She asked while she was cutting five pieces of the cake and putting them onto freshly new white plates.

"Yeah, it's actually my favorite." I told her as I refilled my cup of milk with the pitcher that she had put in the middle of the table.

"Wonderful." She said handing me a piece. We all ate it in silence.

"You done, Dani!?" Terri looked up at me and had a chocolate mustache. I tried to keep myself from laughing.

"Yea." I said pushing my plate forward and wiping my mouth with the white, clean napkin on my lap.

"Do you want to play a game now!?" Terri asked scooting back in her seat and getting up.

"Sure." I got up and took my dishes into the kitchen as Decklan followed us.

"We have, Clue, Monopoly, Sorry, and Scrabble." She said looking at what seemed to be their game cabinet but what I saw to be quite bare.

"Hmm..you choose." I said taking a seat on their tan leather couch in the living room.

"CLUE!!" she yelled as Bernie and Camille walked into the room. They looked at eachother sorrowfully and walked slowly into the living room and took a seat next to me.

"She always cheats in that game..." Decklan whispered in my ear. I chuckled and replied, "She's seven...she'll get over it." We watched her as she set out the pieces on the worn out game board. We all sat around the glass cocktail table in fron of the couch and played clue. After Terri obviously cheated, and won, we all went to bed. I went into the bathroom with the light blue tile on the floor and looked around for a shower, but came to realize they only had an old fashioned bath. I filled it up with steaming water and stepped into it. I got out after a while and started combing my wet brown hair and put on my pink crop top and plaid pink pajama pants. I got into the freshly made bed and fell asleep in the dark, warm summer night.

OoOoOoO

"Don't wake her up!" Decklan whispered.

"But it's time for breakfast!" Terri whined as she took a seat on my bed, bouncing me as I layed half awake.

"Dani, it's breakfast time!" Terri yelled in my ear. I got grumpy when I was woken up and I just wanted to take her and hurl her across the room but instead got up lazily. They were both already dressed in their jean shorts and their pink and yellow t-shirts. I shuffled my tired feet to the bathroom, brushed my waxy feeling teeth, and combed tangled hair as the children were watching me. I walked down the hall into the dining room with my dark tatterd jean short shorts on and a red sort of cropped tank top. Uncle Bernie and Aunt Camille looked disturbed but didnt say anything as they were starting to set the table with pancakes on a yellow plate, orange juice in a glass pitcher, fruit in one of the yellow oversized bowls, and sizzling bacon on a grease splattered white plate. The children followed me into the dining room and took a seat opposite of me. We all started eating but this time, there was no conversation.

"Do you want to play a game?" Terri asked as she scooted back in her chair.

"Maybe later..." I asked getting up and taking my plate to the kitchen and again, Decklan followed. We stood there in the kitchen for a while and then:

"Terri, do you want me to paint your nails?" I asked bringing her and Decklan into my room and shuffling through an orange make-up bag with at least 5 different colors of nail polish in it.

"Yah!!" Terri squealed as she left Decklan to stand in the doorway by himself.

"Mmkay. Which color do you want?" I asked laying out the 'Purple Plumb', the 'Cotton Candy Blue', the 'Princess Pink', the 'Florida Orange', and the 'Passionate Red' onto the floor.

"This one...Oooh and this one! This one too!" She squealed picking up the blue and the orange and pink and soon was skipping to the door. I got the remaining colors and put them back in the orange bag which I layed gentley into my still unpacked suitcase.

"Okay...cool." I walked with them to the living room and layed out a lot of paper towels over the glass table. I started to paint her nails as she was instructing me on which color to put on which nail. Soon, we were done and she examined the back of her hand waving it back and forth in front of her face like she had just gotten a diamond ring.

"So...Do you guys have a radio?" I asked going into the bright green kitchen and making my way to the white fridge with magnents and kids drawings on it. I opened it and grabbed three cherry cokes.

"Here's one." Decklan handed me a black radio with an antennae on the side of it and a tuning dial on the end side of the speaker.

"Thanks. It's a beautiful day...do you guys want to go out and sit on the porch with me?" I said handing them their cokes and making my way to the broken screen door.

"Sure." They said as they shrugged and followed me outside.

We sat down on the porch while drinking our cherry cokes and watching the sun beam onto the grass. We turned the station many times until we got to a country station that the kids seemed to like, and I didnt like so I just tuned out...and that's when I saw him. The boy on the worn out blue bike.

Chapter two