Caledonia slept more soundly than she had in weeks, dreaming of woodlands that smelled of bay trees and damp earth. Birds chattered in the branches, the creek sang its watery song, and colorful salamanders crawled across mossy rocks. She meandered down the path that led her home, fully expecting to see Mama and Papa waiting there for her. She was finally at peace, content in the feeling that everything was going to be all right.
When she opened her eyes, the smell of leaves and wood smoke still lingered in her nostrils. She was confused, disoriented, and ultimately mortified when she realized where she was. She couldn’t believe that she had fallen asleep on his bed, like she was auditioning to join the ranks of the stupid girls that followed him around and hung on him at school.
Like she didn’t want to leave or something.
She looked over to see Calvin peacefully sleeping, and studied his face for a moment, trying to figure out what made him so attractive. Without his smiling eyes to distract her, she could focus on his beautiful bone structure, his careless hair, the sensuous curve of his lips. She suddenly understood what all the other girls were after. They wanted to possess him and keep him all for themselves. They wanted him to feel the same way about them.
She panicked, afraid he’d wake up before she could get away. He must think I’m ridiculous, she thought, or even worse, feel sorry for me because of what happened to my parents. She slithered off the bed as smoothly as possible, tiptoeing down the hall to slip out the front door and hurry back to her aunt’s in the early morning light.
She walked in the door to find Phil up earlier than usual, sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper.
“Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in,” he smirked.
Angie looked around the corner, shocked. “Cal? Were you out all night?”
She started up the stairs, calling back, “I fell asleep at a friend’s house.”
“A likely story,” Phil snorted, casting Angie a sarcastic look.
Caledonia kept moving, heading for the uncertain sanctuary of her room.
“Cal!” her aunt called after her harshly. She paused at the top of the stairs without turning.
“Phil was right about you! If you go and get yourself in trouble, I won’t be held responsible. I have enough to deal with without taking on a pregnant teenager!”
Stunned, Cal rushed off to her room. Phil was telling Angie lies about her, and her aunt had chosen to believe him. Her eyes filled with tears as she considered her options. School would be over in less than two weeks, taking away her one safe place and only reliable meal. She had a little over a hundred dollars left, and as much as everything cost, she knew it wouldn’t last very long.
She thought about her parents, striking out on their own without a thing to their names. She knew how hard they had worked to escape from their past, and she wondered how she could manage to do it all alone. She was going to have to formulate a plan and try. She grabbed her last pile of clean clothes with determination, hurrying to get a shower in before her aunt left for the lunch shift.