Page 64 of Trading Paint
I just smiled and hung my head.
So far, this was turning out to be the summer from hell.
I couldn’t catch a break for anything.
I sulked by myself in the trailer for a good thirty minutes before I heard Spencer stick his head inside, “Hey dipshit, let’s go. Mom and dad want to take us to dinner.”
Jumping up, I followed. There were two things that would improve my mood right now, food and well, sex. Since I wasn’t getting any sex, I decided food would do.
Sway sat beside me. I jammed my foot pretty good when I smashed into the guardrail so she felt the need to constantly ask me if it was okay. It was annoying but I tolerated it only because it was her.
We also usually shared food so it was easier to sit next to each other anyway.
I groaned when she wasn’t quick enough to take the foods I didn’t like.
“Take the carrots before they mix with the others.”
I hated carrots so Sway usually took the liberty of eating them for me. She detested tomatoes so I retrieved those while she took the last remaining carrots from my plate.
Dad watched in humor from across the table. “You two are something else.” He mused taking a drink of his whiskey.
Never failed, dad always had whiskey around. I wouldn’t say he was an alcoholic but he was surelyborderlineby some standards.
“What are you talking about?” I asked pushing the cucumbers toward Sway’s plate.
“You two...” he motioned with a head nod at Sway and I. “Do you ever eat a meal without eating from each other’s plates?”
Now that I thought about it, no, we didn’t. That was just us.
Sway giggled picking at my plate.
I ordered a steak with steamed vegetables and wild rice to start, then, I had a milkshake, most of Sway’s fries, four glasses of water and well, half of Sway’s hamburger and half of her milkshake. She had a huge eye for food but could never eat everything she wanted. I wasn’t even sure she was a hundred pounds; she was a tiny girl, not as tiny as Emma but small for her height. Emma was just a human version of anumpalumpaand still couldn’t ride on the rides at Disney World.
“Do you guys have enough money for hotels?” Mom asked shuffling money at us. Spencer grabbed the money while I pushed it back toward her.
“Yes mom, we have plenty.”
We didn’t but I was tired of my parents funding everything. I didn’t feel the need to tell her that half the time we were sleeping in the truck but she’d probably have a heart attack if she knew that. I glared in Spencer’s direction when he told them we stayed in the truck a few nights to save money to buy a new set of tires.
Feeling full and having Sway next to me, I felt comfortable and sated. In the booth we were in, she was right against my side, our bodies touching. Feeling every intake of breath she took. My arm was thrown around her pulling her even closer. Every so often I would lean down and whisper something in her ear, usually making fun of Spencer or Emma. She would giggle.
This went on for probably an hour, chatting with my parents and keeping Sway close to me before a few girls that didn’t look much older than me approached our table holding a picture of Jimi.
“Hey Jimi,” a tall blonde said to my dad as she placed her hand softly on his shoulder.
His head whipped around to find the girl leaning against his chair. My mom, always the optimist, smiled at the girls. I’d seen those looks before. They wanted more than talking.
“Hey girls, what can I do for you?” he asked shaking their hands when they held them out for him and introduced themselves.
“Well I’m Cassie and this is my friend Alyssa.” Cassie smiled again at dad. I admit that she was pretty but not something I would ever look at twice. “We were wondering if we could get an autograph from you...and your son Jameson.Maybe a picture too?”
This surprised me for two reasons. They had yet to look my direction and they knew who I was.
Clearing my throat, I nodded when Cassie arched an eyebrow at me.
I felt Sway’s body tense when I untangled myself from her to stand.
Dad and I took a few pictures with the girls and in the end; they stuffed their numbers in our back pockets before disappearing toward the bar.
