Part One, here we go.
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She was back.
Such a strange feeling it was, to be back.
Kalli walked down the familiar, house lined streets. Old Victorians sat nestled against craftsman and 50's ranch-style homes. In this part of town, yards were manicured, bikes tucked into garages and swings or bistro sets set out on the porches. In this small town, it was the norm to look put together, inside and out.
Scabbed hands were shoved into the pockets of her low-rise jeans, tensing her arms to hug the scarred leather jacket closer to her body. Her left knee stretched a hole in the denim while the fingers of her right hand had to curl to keep from slipping through the torn seam of her pocket. Her shoes were amazing, though, double laced, steel toed and flat black, gripping the concrete sidewalk powerfully.
Each step she took came down hard and purposeful, echoing the beat of the music in her ears. The bass pounded through her head, drowning out the music of the track. Eyes half closed, she let the weight of her boots and the boom of the music carry her through the manicured street.
"Kalliope Elizabeth Johnson." Her earbuds were ripped from her ears, hitting her shoulders. Kalli spun on her standing leg, catching the escaping wires that slipped from the other's hand as the last syllable of her name was spoken.
Kalli's dark eyes stopped in surprise at the girl behind her. The girls were similar in size, both petite, both with brown hair, though Kalli's was darker, shorter and the other girl's was as manicured as the lawns on this street, as put together as her pristine, fashion-inspired outfit.
"Jenae," she recognized, a relieved and welcome smile blossoming on her lips. Jenae's make-up smoothed face was warm and familiar. Seeing her reminded Kalli of late night camp fires and smores, giggling together in the back of the movie theater, moaning about riding the bus to school, crying when they lost State volleyball finals. It reminded her of normal.
"What the heck are you wearing? Who butchered your hair? Are those combat boots?" Jenae demanded, eyes flashing against Kalli's changed appearance. Blinking away from memories, Kalli finally managed to see her old friend, hearing her heated words echoing through her mind. Why is she angry? "You know what? Never mind all that. What I really want to know is why the heck didn't you call?"
Ah, Kalli thought, her narrow shoulders rolling back with eased tension. "I'm sorry," she answered. "I couldn't call. I didn't know we were coming back until ..." Until last night. "There wasn't much time to do anything once I found out."
“So what? Did your dad have another crazy get-rich inspiration? Or did your mom finally put her foot down and demand to come home? Why did you even leave in the first place?”
Kalli looked down at her hand, slightly surprised to see the little stings she felt came from having started spinning her buds around. She curled the wires up and shoved them in her back pocket next to her phone. The bass could still be heard as a soft, far-away heartbeat.
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Stay tuned for part two, coming next Thursday. I'll post the link to the next author's blog here and you can begin the journey.
Remember to comment here at Chasing Revery for a chance to win an Amazon or B&N gift card.
Great beginning...so many ideas are coming up for next week! Mwuahahahahaha....
ReplyDeleteThank you. I can't wait to see what you cook up. :)
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