Chapter 4

<Callie Stevens>

The boy had shown up with his guitar, but he didn't seem the same. He was holding his guitar case  in one hand and had a bottle of whiskey grasped tightly in the other. For a second, I thought he was going to drink it all by himself, but then he walked over right near my hiding spot and slammed the glass bottle against the tree-trunk. It shattered and the whiskey trickled down the tree, seeping into the grass. The boy was shaking and breathing heavily as he stared at the broken bottle in his hands. The look of complete hatred in his blue eyes made it seem as if he was looking at the devil himself.

The boy discarded the bottle after a few more seconds of heated glaring and then he picked up his guitar. I watched him tune it and then play a song, but his music was tainted; it didn't have the same captivating air as it did yesterday and that can be deduced to the fact that the boy didn't seem that into it. As I was trying to figure out what could've caused him to change that fast, I realized that the boy had begun to sob. 

His face was buried in his knees and the sounds of his sadness echoed around the silent atmosphere. His crying continued for the next five minutes and throughout that time, all I wanted to do was reach out and comfort him, but I knew better than to do that. So, I just watched, my heart breaking with each passing second, as the boy's tough façade shattered right before my eyes.

After drying his tears, he picked up his guitar and strummed a few chords, but again, his music was tainted by whatever had caused his vulnerable sobbing. Instead of forcing himself to continue, though, he packed up his guitar and walked right pass the tree I was crouching behind on his way back to wherever he lived. I watched him from the safety of my hiding spot as he walked parallel to the train tracks before disappearing around a curve. The minute he was gone, I realized that that was my cue to leave as well.

Currently, I'm on my normal route home, towards a suburb a few minutes outside of town where my modest house sits among others just like it. I sigh as my mind wanders once more to the boy and what happened on the train tracks. I want to know what caused him to be like that; I want to fix it, even though I know he'll never let me, so that it won't taint his beautiful music. Maybe the reasons I want to fix him are selfish, but I hate seeing someone so upset as him; someone so lost and hurt. No one, even a guy who was as rude to me as he was, deserves to feel like that.

I unlock the front door and find my mom in the living room with my baby brother seated on her lap. They're reading a story and my brother is giggling and clapping his little hands together. I smile in spite of myself and watch them for a few minutes.

I'm so lucky to have a happy family like this.

I walk into the living room and my mom looks up at me with a grin. She sets my brother on the couch and stands up to give me a hug.

"You're late, sweetheart. Everything go good at school today?" My mom rubs my shoulder and gives me a kiss on the forehead.

"Yeah, I got a little sidetracked on my way home." I chuckle and lean down to pick up my brother. "Hey, Henry."

He giggles again and wraps his little arms around my neck.

"Callie," He squeals.

"Aw, you got it right, Henry." I kiss him on the cheek and hold him close. "I have to go do some homework now."

Henry frowns as I hand him off to my mom. She kisses his forehead and ruffles his hair affectionately. I smile again and walk towards the stairs, making my way slowly towards my room. I drop my bag on my bed and sit in my spinning desk chair, thoughts of the boy still spinning around in my head.

I wonder if his family's happy...

I stare at the ceiling and bite my lip. I muse for a few minutes and then I start my homework, of which I have a lot more than I thought. My pencil scratches across the paper as I answer some questions about a short story for English. I let out a sigh as I put my English homework away and begin the French conjugations that I barely understand.

C'est la vie.

~~~~~

"Callie, sweetie, it's time for dinner." My mom calls up the stairs as I finally finish my calculus homework.

"Coming, mom." I call back and race down the stairs at rapid speed.

I walk out into the kitchen and inhale the smell of my mom's not so famous beef pot roast. I pick Henry up off the floor and set him in his highchair at the head of the table. He frowns as I buckle him in, but that changes quickly when I place  one of his trains from the floor in front of him. Henry claps his hands together and makes his train move around the tray in front of him as I help my mom dish up dinner. My dad comes into the kitchen and takes a seat next to Henry as I finish pouring milk for everyone.

"What deliciously strained food is Henry going to be forced to eat tonight?" My dad chuckles and watches while I search the cupboard for Henry's baby food.

"C'mon, Paul, he's almost a year old." My mom smirks as I pull out a small jar of strained peas.

"How does peas sound, Henry?" I call to my little brother.

His face contorts in disgust when he sees the slimy green substance in my hand.

"Peaches." Henry sticks his nose up in the air and I can tell he won't eat anything except for what he wants.

"You can have peaches if you eat your strained peas." I state in a commanding tone.

"Okay," He mumbles as I place a kiss on his little head.

"That's more like it." I grin and grab a spoon to serve the strained peas.

"Put it on the plate with his roast beef." My mom says distractedly, pointing towards a plate with finely chopped roast beef.

I unscrew the jar and spoon the disgustingly green substance onto the plate next to the meat, taking extra precaution to make sure the foods don't mix. Oh, Henry, I pity you; vegetables really do suck. I think as I set the plate at my mom's place, just beyond my brother's reach. My mom sets a plate in front of my dad and kisses his cheek as she goes out to get the rest of the plates. Once all of the food has been set out, I take my seat next to my dad and we all join hands to say grace.

"Dear God, thank you for this day. Thank you that we were all brought home safely and that we have this time to be together. Please bless this food and the hands that have prepared it and help us to serve you today and every day. In Jesus name we pray, amen." My dad prays and then gestures for us all to dig in.

Dear God, please bless the boy from the train tracks as well, he seems to be going through a tough spot right now.

I pick up my fork and dig into the pot roast on my plate. I eat slowly and watch my happy family eat their food.

"How was your day at work?" My mom turns towards my dad as she takes a bite of her green beans.

"It was okay; just way too much paperwork." My dad laughs heartily and then shovels a bite of food into his mouth.

My dad works in the human resources department of a law firm, so he deals with paychecks and disputes among coworkers along with plenty of other stuff I can't remember. I didn't really listen when he was telling me about his new job because I was furious that he actually quit his band and was moving us halfway across the country.

"I'm sure it was." My mom shoots him a pitying look and then gives Henry a bite of peas. "I got a few more orders today, which brings my grand total up significantly."

My mom, on the other hand, owns her own online company that makes homemade jewelry and purses. She wanted to take care of Henry and she decided that the only way to do that would be to work from home so, she just started her own company. It was a very clever idea and it's taking off really well. Either way, it's better than my dad's desk job.

"Callie, you still with us?" My dad grins and gives my shoulder a little shove.

"Yeah, sorry, I zoned out a little." I laugh and look at them sheepishly.

"How was your day at school, sweetie?" My mom asks as she gives Henry his last bite of peas.

"It was fine; my math teacher wasn't there so we had a free period and we're writing a speech about ourselves in speech and debate." I say as I push the remainder of rice and beef around on my plate.

"That sounds great!" My mom says with enthusiasm. "I'm sure you'll do amazing."

"I hope." I mumble and eat my last bite of beef.

"Just have confidence." My mom winks and takes Henry's plate out to the kitchen along with her own.

I help her clear the table and load the dishwasher before going back to my room to get ready for bed. I slip into a pair of pajamas and pick out my clothes for the next day. I turn off my bedside lamp and pull the covers up to my chin as I begin to think about the boy for the hundredth time since I saw him this afternoon. 

I crave to know what caused his outburst this afternoon; what caused him to lose control like that. I need to know, but I don't know why exactly. There's just something in my gut that is telling me to figure him out and the first step is apologizing to him tomorrow. I smile to myself and stare out the open window that's letting in a cool September breeze.

"Goodnight," My mom calls as she passes my bedroom to get to hers.

"Night, mama." I call back and settle myself underneath the covers.

I wonder if anyone tells him goodnight...

My eyelids droop closed and soon enough I'm caught in a dreamless, but peaceful sleep.