K. Randis - Spilled Milk

“I’m not keeping any of the money,” I added.

“Oh? Well, all right. You can make bank selling those though. Your mom need the money?”

“Yea. Hard times.”

“Don’t sound so down, I got you Brooke. We’ll get this.”

Over the next three weeks I made it to cheerleading practice and fought to catch up on all the routines I missed. Work was from nine in the morning until six at night, and then I would go home, shower, and meet Judd to start our evening job. By the end of the month I had given Mom well over two thousand dollars.

“Damn, you sure you’re not keeping any of this?” Judd flipped through a wad of twenty’s after making a drop off.

“Yea, I’m sure. You know this would be a lot easier if we drove, then we wouldn’t have to have people meet us in weird places waiting on our bikes.”

“Yea it’s all right. They don’t care as long as they get their stuff.”

“Who’s left?” I had one more summer reading book to get through before school started the following week. It was a long day and I just wanted to go home.

“James.” Judd looked at his phone. “Should be here in ten minutes.”

The name was not familiar. “He new?”

“Yea. He wanted 40 of them though. He’s giving us a little over a grand. Nicey nice.”

The sun had just set when a black honda rounded onto the street and pulled up in front of us. The back window rolled down and a hand stuck out motioning me over.

“Go get em’, do your thing.” Judd motioned toward the car but didn’t move from his spot on the curb.

I grabbed the baggie of pills and stuffed them in my back pocket like Judd taught me. “Don’t give them the pills until they give you the money,” he had instructed.

“Sup?” A gruff voice met me.

I strained my eyes to see into the dark car. A few pairs of eyes stared out at me.

“Not much. Got 40 Oxy’s.” I pulled the back out of my pocket to show them. “You got the twelve hundred?”

A gun was in my face before I knew what was happening. “This gun says they’re free, give it here,” he shouted. He reached outside the window and grabbed the pill bag.

I was on the ground as Judd pushed me aside. The wind was knocked out of me and I heard tires screeching away while Judd leaned halfway in the car punching the guy in the face.

“Judd! NO!” I screamed.

He let go of the car and rolled onto the ground as the car screamed around the corner and off into the distance. I ran to him.

“Oh my God, Judd, are you okay? Are you okay?”

“Stop screaming, I’m okay, I’m okay. Are YOU okay? Who are they to point a gun in your face. Oh this isn’t over, oh man this isn’t over.”

My hands trembled as we rushed over to our bikes and hopped on. “Brooke, go home, I know where that guy lives.”

“No, Judd. No I’m going with you.”

“Go HOME Brooke.” Judd pointed.

“NO! I’m coming with you.”

He sped off and I followed behind him. The temperature dipped as we pedaled with rampant intensity. I thanked Coach for all the hours of running and jump rope, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with Judd whose adrenaline was taking over.

We must have pedaled for over twenty miles before we laid our bikes down in some bushes outside a trailer home.

“His car isn’t here. That guy thinks he’s just gonna get away with that. Watch this.”

Judd strutted to the front door and I trailed him watching out for the black car. Several hard pounds on the door coaxed an overweight woman in a bathrobe to appear. At first she looked like she was going to call the police, then she spotted me. “What’s this about? Do you know what time it is?”

“Do you know what your son just did? He stuck a gun in my girl’s face.”

His girl?

The woman’s mouth opened and she brought her hand to her face. “What? My James?”

“Yea, your James.” Judd squeezed his hands to control himself.

“I don’t understand.”

“He wanted some Oxy’s, drugs, and he didn’t want to pay for them. You tell him we’ll be looking for him. He stuck a gun in my girl’s face and fled. I’ll be looking for him, tell him that.”

“Oh, oh my.” The look on the woman’s face told me she had no idea her son did drugs. I felt bad for her.

“Oh honey,” she turned to me, “I’m so sorry.”

I stared at her.

“I’ll make it right. Here, I’ll make it right.” She fumbled the pocketbook sitting in the foyer next to her.

“No, no it’s all right,” I said.

Tears ran down the mother’s face as she pried open her wallet.

“Really, it’s okay. Tell him to never call us again.” I took Judd’s hand and led him away from the house.

“Why’d you do that?” Judd pushed out his chest and scanned the neighborhood for the black car. “I’m gonna…”

“Do nothing.” I finished his sentence. “You’re gonna do nothing because we’re better than that. Come on.”

When we reached my house the adrenaline had worn off and we had to walk the bikes up the driveway. I pushed the front door open and Mom was standing in the living room. “What happened?” She hissed. It was after midnight. “I’ve been sitting here waiting.”

Judd told her what happened as I hid my face behind him. I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to hold onto the pills as the car sped away. When Judd finished Mom just looked at me.

“You let him get away with my pills ? You got nothing ? Not one cent?”

She threw her hands up and walked into the kitchen. “Jesus, Brooke. What the hell am I supposed to do now? I don’t get another refill for another two weeks. I needed that money.”

Judd raised an eyebrow at her reaction. Mom didn’t mention the gun that had been thrown in my face. “I’m gonna go,” he whispered. I nodded.

He snuck out the front door and I watched him cruise down the driveway.

“It won’t happen again, Mom. I’m sorry.”

She tapped her foot and looked at the now empty pill bottle in front of her. “It better not, Brooke. If you want to make sure you guys have food to eat, it better not.”

Paul and I started walking to his house to hang out every day after school. It was convenient that he lived so close to where I worked because we could hang out for an hour before I started my shift and I could spend time with Paul without having to tell my parents.

“So what time does your little brother’s bus come?” I poured a glass of orange juice and sat down on the oversized sofa in the living room. Paul’s mom just accepted a job as an ultrasound technician and needed Paul to get his little brother off the bus in the afternoon.

“Around 4:15. You don’t have to go to work until five right?” He plopped down next to me hooking our elbows together. The familiar scent of his skin soaked through my veins as I let his arm melt into mine.

“Maybe,” I smiled.

He set my juice down and grabbed both my sides, tickling me until I begged him to stop. Satisfied that he had won the tickle war he pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Go out with me.” His eyes softened when he was serious. I knew the question had been burning in the back of his head ever since I turned him down at the fair. Curled up on his couch I watched him fidget with a pillow as he waited for an answer. Outside the living room window leaves started to drift to the ground.

“Brooke?” He looked so vulnerable.

I cradled his face in my hands and pulled him closer. I kissed him, lingering on his bottom lip, and pulled away before he could return the favor. “Okay.” I nodded. “I’ll go out with you.”