Things Change, chapter 3
Chapter 3 - Rachel
"Hey Mom," Rachel greeted her mom as she walked in the front door, still smiling from everything that had just happened. She looked at the numbers that had gone from Matt's hand to hers and her grin widened.
"You're pretty happy," Her mom commented. Rachel looked up to see her mom's newest boyfriend, Jesse, sitting at the kitchen table. When Rachel's father left Rachel and her mother, she at first thought there was no one she could hate more than him, even though she was only 2 years old when it happened. Then came Jesse... and the rest of her mom's boyfriends. Every guy was the same: didn't treat Rachel or Rachel's mom right and Rachel's mom ended up heart broken. Apparently, Rachel's mom was blind to that.
"The girl is never happy... or satisfied," Jesse grumbled. Rachel's mom laughed while Rachel frowned. Don't let him ruin your mood, she told herself. Smiling again, Rachel excused herself, heading for her small bedroom down the hall.
She flopped on her bed and took out her CD player. She treasured her Walkman. Something she'd always wanted but her mom never really spent the extra money on. She turned on her CD player and let the sounds of Green Day's Nimrod CD relax her mind.
Should she call him? Not now, obviously, seeing as they'd just met five minutes ago. If she did, what would she say? Normally she didn't have to worry about this type of thing, since it was usually the guy who called the girl... not the other way around.
Rachel wanted to tell someone about him. She couldn't tell her mom... their relationship wasn't that great. Plus, her mom would disapprove of Matt being anything but a middle-class jock. No way could she tell her so-called "friends", they'd also disapprove. Rachel knew they'd all find out eventually, but she decided to cross that bridge when she got there.
In reality, Rachel didn't know anything about Matt. For all she knew, he could be a drug addict or something. He'd seemed real sweet, though, and Rachel had no doubt he'd performed that whole act for her attention.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Jesse and her mom's voices yelling at each other from the kitchen. Suddenly, memories of Rachel's past overtook her mind. She tried to push them back into that dark corner of her brain, but they were too strong...
*Flashback*
A 2 1/2-year-old Rachel sits on the couch, watching the scene unfold in front of her young eyes. Her mommy and daddy are yelling things. Mommy's crying and daddy looks like he's about to. Daddy leaves the room and comes back a few moments later with a suitcase. Mommy's voice becomes quieter, calmer. Daddy sounds mad. Mommy is still crying.
"Daddy!" Rachel says suddenly. Daddy comes up near Rachel. He's saying things, most of which don't stay with her memory. One thing she can distinctly remember is the words, "I'm sorry."
Rachel begins to cry as Daddy walks out the door, never to come back home
***
Tears burned up in Rachel's eyes. She didn't know much about her father, except that she and her parents used to be better off, and then her dad left and things crashed. She also knew her parents were pretty young when Rachel was born.
Suddenly, Rachel's mom came into the room. "Rach, phone for you." Hoping her mom wouldn't notice she was on the verge of tears, Rachel grabbed the phone and mumbled, "H-hello?"
"Guess I have the wrong number, cause this sure as hell doesn't sound like the Rachel I met."
"Matt! Hey!" Rachel smiled. A real smile, this time. "How'd you get my number?"
"Oh, I have my ways... " She could practically see Matt's smile at the other end. "Listen, I have a gig tonight, and... "
"Gig?" Rachel asked curiously.
"Yeah. I'm in the band After School Special... maybe you've heard of them?"
Rachel had. She'd heard they were a local band that was really good. She'd always wanted to see them. "You're in After School Special?"
"Yeah... lead vocals and guitar. Anyways, it's down at Dan's Bar at 8, and I was thinking maybe you could come?"
"Of course!" Rachel said in a heartbeat. They said their goodbyes and Rachel hung up with a shaking hand.
She just couldn't believe her luck.
"Hey Mom," Rachel greeted her mom as she walked in the front door, still smiling from everything that had just happened. She looked at the numbers that had gone from Matt's hand to hers and her grin widened.
"You're pretty happy," Her mom commented. Rachel looked up to see her mom's newest boyfriend, Jesse, sitting at the kitchen table. When Rachel's father left Rachel and her mother, she at first thought there was no one she could hate more than him, even though she was only 2 years old when it happened. Then came Jesse... and the rest of her mom's boyfriends. Every guy was the same: didn't treat Rachel or Rachel's mom right and Rachel's mom ended up heart broken. Apparently, Rachel's mom was blind to that.
"The girl is never happy... or satisfied," Jesse grumbled. Rachel's mom laughed while Rachel frowned. Don't let him ruin your mood, she told herself. Smiling again, Rachel excused herself, heading for her small bedroom down the hall.
She flopped on her bed and took out her CD player. She treasured her Walkman. Something she'd always wanted but her mom never really spent the extra money on. She turned on her CD player and let the sounds of Green Day's Nimrod CD relax her mind.
Should she call him? Not now, obviously, seeing as they'd just met five minutes ago. If she did, what would she say? Normally she didn't have to worry about this type of thing, since it was usually the guy who called the girl... not the other way around.
Rachel wanted to tell someone about him. She couldn't tell her mom... their relationship wasn't that great. Plus, her mom would disapprove of Matt being anything but a middle-class jock. No way could she tell her so-called "friends", they'd also disapprove. Rachel knew they'd all find out eventually, but she decided to cross that bridge when she got there.
In reality, Rachel didn't know anything about Matt. For all she knew, he could be a drug addict or something. He'd seemed real sweet, though, and Rachel had no doubt he'd performed that whole act for her attention.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Jesse and her mom's voices yelling at each other from the kitchen. Suddenly, memories of Rachel's past overtook her mind. She tried to push them back into that dark corner of her brain, but they were too strong...
*Flashback*
A 2 1/2-year-old Rachel sits on the couch, watching the scene unfold in front of her young eyes. Her mommy and daddy are yelling things. Mommy's crying and daddy looks like he's about to. Daddy leaves the room and comes back a few moments later with a suitcase. Mommy's voice becomes quieter, calmer. Daddy sounds mad. Mommy is still crying.
"Daddy!" Rachel says suddenly. Daddy comes up near Rachel. He's saying things, most of which don't stay with her memory. One thing she can distinctly remember is the words, "I'm sorry."
Rachel begins to cry as Daddy walks out the door, never to come back home
***
Tears burned up in Rachel's eyes. She didn't know much about her father, except that she and her parents used to be better off, and then her dad left and things crashed. She also knew her parents were pretty young when Rachel was born.
Suddenly, Rachel's mom came into the room. "Rach, phone for you." Hoping her mom wouldn't notice she was on the verge of tears, Rachel grabbed the phone and mumbled, "H-hello?"
"Guess I have the wrong number, cause this sure as hell doesn't sound like the Rachel I met."
"Matt! Hey!" Rachel smiled. A real smile, this time. "How'd you get my number?"
"Oh, I have my ways... " She could practically see Matt's smile at the other end. "Listen, I have a gig tonight, and... "
"Gig?" Rachel asked curiously.
"Yeah. I'm in the band After School Special... maybe you've heard of them?"
Rachel had. She'd heard they were a local band that was really good. She'd always wanted to see them. "You're in After School Special?"
"Yeah... lead vocals and guitar. Anyways, it's down at Dan's Bar at 8, and I was thinking maybe you could come?"
"Of course!" Rachel said in a heartbeat. They said their goodbyes and Rachel hung up with a shaking hand.
She just couldn't believe her luck.
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