AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter2
Fallon
Slamming my car door shut, I take in one last deep breath, trying to steady my already shot nerves. I’m exhausted and orphaned, and this woman who is my grandmother can’t even be bothered to come to my car to meet me? To grab her dead son from my passenger seat. Arm too fucking tired to wave?
Damn.
First impressions at this point are not great. I’m not exactly feeling the warm and fuzzies you’d typically expect from grandmothers. This is far from what I’ve seen on television or what my friends have told me.
My friends' grandparents would spoil them. Overwhelm them with attention. They’d text me saying‘save me’, ‘send help’or‘I swear my gramps doesn’t get that I’m a teenager. Kissing on the lips isn't ok anymore.’They would complain about the old person's smell lingering, which always made me laugh too.
Sometimes I wished I had experienced those things, but my dad was always enough for me.
Shaking my head to clear it of the memories, and looking over to the porch again, I find Grandma Joanie is still standing there, watching me. It’s getting creepy and slightly uncomfortable.
Screw it. Let her wait a bit longer.
Miserable old shrew.
Walking to the other side of my car, I open the door, unbuckle my dad, and bring him with me.
With my dad in hand, I close the car door and head up the pathway leading to our new home. I don’t look up the entire time, keeping my eyes lowered to just ahead of me. I refuse to give this woman the satisfaction of looking up to her as I ascend to my new home. Her home. I’m only a guest. This will never be my home.
This entire place is fucking weird. There’s no other way to describe it.
“Come on child, I don’t have all day,” are the first words she utters. It startles me. My eyebrows raise to the sound of her voice. My blue eyes look up at her, the expression on her face remains unchanged, miserable and impatient. Her words tempt me to slow my pace even further. To see how far I can push her until she snaps. I’ve already disturbed her life simply by being here, and I doubt I’ll find a welcome basket waiting for me in my room, if she's even given me a room. Maybe she will shove me in the basement or under the stairs in a closet.
Gripping my dad tighter, I need his strength to get through this. I feel his energy.
Fuck. I miss him.
Tears well in my eyes, but she doesn’t get to see them. They’re not for her. I keep my eyes open, refusing to blink, so the cool air dries them before they are able to stream down my cheek.
She can damn well wait the twenty seconds it takes for me to walk from my car to her.
Both of our faces are still stoic. Neither of us budging as I approach the stairs, and the space between us gets smaller.There are four wooden steps leading to the porch. I place one foot on the first step, and it creaks underneath my weight. Each step that follows creaks in succession.
I stop directly in front of Grandma Joanie and stare at her, expressionless. She smells like a mixture of woodsy pine and flowers, as if she spends a lot of time outside, although you could never tell by just looking at her. She’s as pale as the rest of the townsfolk I saw when driving through. Surrounded by thick forests and mountains, the sun doesn’t seem to shine much here. It’s a little after 6pm and it’s already starting to set, and autumn is just beginning.
We are still in a standoff.
Your move, bitch.
She still says nothing.
Instead, she clears her throat, turns around, opens one of the double doors and walks into the house.
Is this seriously happening?
I’m unable to hold my tongue. “The drive was fine, thank you. And thanks for coming to help when my dad died. You know, your son? No, no. I’ll come back out and grab the rest. It’s heavy and I would hate for you to strain yourself.”
She stops in her tracks.
“Your room is upstairs. Hurry up. I have things to do.”
It’s her only response before proceeding up the staircase, leaving me standing on the porch.
I can’t stay here.
