In the Shadows

Part Thirteen: the Thornes

    Bang bang bang! My brother's fist pounded on the door.

"Anthony, get up! Mom's pissed that you're still in bed."

I groaned, listening to him walking down the hall. My whole body ached from the game, but a little soreness couldn't damper my mood. Things with Stephanie were going so great, and it was only just beginning. It hasn't even been a full day and all I could think about was seeing her again.

I glanced around my messy room. The three narrow windows beside my bed were wide open; the fresh morning breeze was not enough to cool off the heat from the sun that concentrated on my sheets. All my furniture came from the same matching set, one my parents had bought long before I was born. The thick orangish wood was telling of the decade the dresser and bed frame came from. None of my belongings were very new or trendy and I liked it that way. My parents reserved buying the 'newest' things for my little sister. I preferred the nostalgia.

I dug through my disorganized chest of drawers for a clean shirt. I never usually slept without a shirt on, I must have been more tired than I thought.

I wonder what Steph wore to bed.

Going to close the drawer, my hand bumped the corner. A wave of pain shot up my arm and left my hand throbbing. My knuckles were swollen and scabbed. I guess my hand took a beating between the fight and the game.

I should probably ice it. I thought to myself. I probably won't.

Finishing buckling my belt as I jogged down the stairs, I could hear my brother and sister in the first of many arguments of the day. To avoid getting roped into the debate, I decided to skip breakfast. Down the hall, I could see the light on in my dad's office. He was working already, and probably planning a work out for my brother and I. No one had higher expectations for our baseball careers than he did.

I snuck past his door to grab my shoes and keys before rushing out the front door.

"Anthony, get back in here!" I heard my mom yell as the door slammed shut behind me. I laughed, grabbing my longboard from the side of the house and hurrying down the street.

I loved my neighborhood, we all knew each other to the point of being friends. Most of the town was that way, too. Today I was even more grateful it was such a small town. Stephanie still didn't have her phone, so I was going to skate through the subdivisions until I found her.

***

It wasn't too much later that I was skating down the sidewalk that followed the main road. A tall black metal fence stood between the overly manicured trees and several sleepy backyard gardens. I peeked through the fence, hoping to see something familiar as I cruised.

Beep-beep.  A car honked politely as it drove by. I started to wave back politely when I recognized the girl driving. I couldn't remember her name but she was in some of my classes and more importantly she carpooled with Stephanie to school.

I tried to flag her down, "Hey! Wait!"

As luck would have it, she pulled over and rolled the window. I coasted off the sidewalk and ran to the passenger door. "Hey, your name is... uh..."

"Hannah." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "What's up, Anthony?"

"Hannah! I knew that, I promise. You're friends with Stephanie, right?"