Poison -21- by Melanie Brown

Poison

By

Melanie Brown

Copyright © 2024

Part 21

“Hey, Mom.”

“Honey, we’re headed your way. We should be there in about ten minutes,” said Mom, obviously from inside a car.

We? Is she coming here with her boyfriend? Really? Is that kosher? I’d ask Siri, but she apparently hates me. “There’s no need to rush, Mom. The party ends at one anyway. I was going to ride home with Karen and Corey.”

I heard Mom sigh. “You’re already way past your curfew. We’re close by, so I thought we’d go ahead and pick you up.”

“What about Corey?” I tried to find a place where I could hear the phone better.

“He’s not past his curfew. See you in about ten minutes.” She clicked off before I could lodge a protest. We’re the same age. Why is his curfew different? It’s probably some bullshit about him being a boy.

“Diane! I’ve been looking for you.” I turned to the sound of the voice to see Brian standing next to me.

“Hey, Brian,” I cooed.

“Did you want a rematch?” asked Brian as she pointed to where the arcade games were. “It looks like the game is open.”

I felt like I took a kick to the balls if I had any. Frowning, I said, “I can’t. My mom is about to pick me up.”

With a look of disappointment, Brian said, “Seriously? Stewie’s won’t kick us out for at least another hour. Are you sure you can’t stay longer?”

I shook my head. “I’d love to, but you don’t know my mom.”

Brian grinned. “She probably wants to protect you from people like me!” He waggled his eyebrows.

I laughed. I briefly wondered what gestures people would use if Groucho Marx had never been born. Did cavemen waggle their brows and act like they held a cigar? And what did a caveman with Tourette’s say? And…

I heard a finger snap, and Brian laugh. “Earth to Diane! Still there?”

I blurted an embarrassed laugh. “Sorry. I got lost in thought.”

“You really have to go?”

I nodded. “The warden has so declared.”

He gently pulled me to one side so we wouldn’t get stepped on by people dancing. “Will I see you again?”

I looked into his deep blue eyes and sighed. “At least when school starts back up. You’re going to the same school as me. Right?”

He nodded. “I’ll be on the Ranger’s football team. Are you going to try out for cheerleader?”

I shrugged. “I dunno. Jumping around and squealing isn’t really my bag.”

Grinning, he said, “That’d be so cool if you did. At least try out. You’re friends with Karen, right? She’s practically a shoe-in for cheerleader. Think about it?”

I smiled at him. “I’ll consider it.” My phone buzzed. I looked at it. “That’s my mom. She’s here to pick me up.”

“Can I call you?”

My smile got bigger. “Sure!” We exchanged phone numbers. What in hell was I doing?

A mischievous expression flashed on his face. Before I could react, he bent down and kissed me. I didn’t pull back. His soft, warm lips pressed into mine, and I closed my eyes. A tingle shot down my spine. His kiss was so much more exciting than Gene’s And… and… dare I say it? It was so much more wonderful than any kiss I’d gotten from Sandra, even back in our college days.

I felt breathless when we pulled away. My phone buzzed again.

“I gotta go.”

Brian nodded. “I’ll call you.”

With a sappy grin on my face, I turned to leave Stewie’s.

                    *

Mom wasn’t hard to find. The Cadillac Escalade she said she was in was parked in a handicap space near the door. Mom waved.

I walked up to Mom’s window. “Hi Honey. I hope you had a good time. Hop in the back.”

“Can’t I stay a little longer?” I pleaded. “Please? Just a little? You’re letting Corey stay!” Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned Corey.

Mom frowned. “Honey, he has a different curfew. He’s a boy. You should have been home over an hour ago, but I’m cutting you some slack tonight. It’s time to go, so get in the car.”

“But Mooommm!”

“Get in the car!’ said Mom with a frown.

I heaved a sigh and opened the back door of the SUV. This stupid thing dwarfs our Dodge. I really didn’t like having to climb up to get inside.

Mom turned towards the backseat and, with a smile, said, “Honey, I’d like you to meet Lucas Campbell.”

I looked over at the driver. He rotated slightly to face me, and I was taken aback. He was a strikingly handsome man in his late forties. He had a full head of salt-and-pepper hair and deep brown eyes. He smiled at me with sparkling white teeth. David would have felt like Marty Feldman sitting next to this guy.

I leaned in close and whispered to Mom, “I thought his name was Tony.”

Mom shook her head vigorously. She whispered back, “Oh good heavens no. His aunt used to call him that.”

“Nice to meet you, Diane. You may call me Mr. Campbell.” Oh, may I?

I knew I would have to be polite, so I leaned forward and said, “Nice to meet you too, sir.”

“Your mother has told me a lot about you,” he said, still smiling.

“And you still wanted to meet me?” Mom frowned at me. “Are you sure I can’t stay, Mom?”

Shaking her head, Mom said, “I’ve given you my answer, honey.”

Lucas…or er um, Mr. Campbell said matter-of-factly, “You should consider yourself lucky young lady. When my daughter was a teen, she had to be home by nine-thirty, ten on weekends.” I wanted to say how glad I was to not be his daughter, but I figured I’d just get into trouble.

Mom said, “Luke has a son about your age.” Oh, it’s ‘Luke’ now, is it?

Luke… I’m not calling him Mr. Campbell in my head… said, “You might have seen him tonight. He’s at the party as well. I’m letting him hire an Uber when he needs to come home. His name is Brian. Do you know him from school?”

Brian? Brian! Oh fuck no. This can’t be Brian’s dad. Life can’t possibly be this unfair.

“I don’t know. Is he gorgeous, deep blue eyes, really, really smart and a totally mass gamer?” Why did I describe him like that? It sounds like something a silly teen girl would say. Mom grinned at me.

Luke said with a chuckle, “I think that’s him.”

Mom asked knowingly, “Did you meet him tonight?”

“Maybe.”

Luke, the man, the legend, my wife’s date for the night, put the Escalade in gear and drove out of the parking lot. “I have to put up with him for another week, and then he gets shipped off for the summer to live with his mother.”

“N…noooooo…” I fell back against the seat, folded my arms and pouted. Well, that’s just peachy keen. It’s going to be a cold, lonely summer.

End of Part 21