Page 24 of Satan's Spawn

All of which I’ve already read on the pamphlet given earlier, so I use this time to examine the hallway until we reach room 402.

My room.

The door is open when we approach, and when I look inside I find two undressed queen sized beds separated by an oval area rug and two night stands. The windows have a really pretty antique stained glass at the center of them, which is casting colorful lights into the room from the sun.

“What do you girls think?” Archer smiles wide as Hendrix and I, followed by our Mom’s, head inside the large room.

“These corner desks are so pretty!” June runs a hand over the antique mahogany, which looks fresh out of a Pottery Barn catalog.

“A hundred of ’em were donated to the school by the Reagan administration in 1985,” Archer explains proudly.

Is there anything he doesn’t know about this damn place?

“Oh, Bex, I can’t wait to go shopping this week!” Mom declares from the other side of the room, taking mental notes on what we’ll need as she looks it over.

“Maybe we can go together?” June suggests, and it looks like Mom is about to explode from excitement. Hendrix looks as though she’d rather stub her toe repeatedly into the wall.

“I’ll leave the shopping to you.” Hendrix grumbles, which takes the wind out of both our parents’ sails.

Not mine, though, my ship is cruising full speed ahead knowing I won’t have to be subjected to two overly enthusiastic mothers.

Mine is already too much to handle.

“What are you doing for the rest of the day?” Hendrix asks as we exit the school, finally done seeing everything.

“Grabbing lunch with my mom. You?”

She pulls a fresh pack of cigarettes out of her messenger bag, slapping it against her palm. “Heading over to the piers. Some pretty decent bands play there for money, wanna come?”

As enticing as it sounds, I feel bad to ditch my mom since I know she’s looking forward to the Thai place.

“Maybe next time.”

“Did somebody say the piers? That’s where I’m headed too.” Archer appears out of nowhere, throwing an arm over my shoulder. It has mom flashing me a hopeful smile from where she’s standing with June a few feet away, planning play dates like Hendrix and I are in elementary school.

“That would be me.” Hendrix rips open her pack, and tosses the plastic into the nearest garbage can. “Bex is going to lunch with her mom.”

“Oh, nonsense,” Mom strides over to us, waving her hand. “We can have lunch any other time, baby. You kids go have fun.”

“Are you sure?” I don’t want her to feel bad, but man can I use a break from all of…well…her.

“Of course!” She insists.

“I’m free for lunch,” June chimes in. “Starving too, if I’m being honest.”

Mom claps her hands. “Well, then it’s settled.”

The excitement emanating off her makes me feel a lot better about going, so I shrug. “Okay, let’s do it.”

Archer squeezes me into him. “Hell yeah, and you already know you got the best tour guide.”

7

CRAYTON

Iblink lazily as I wake, until the sun shining so brightly into my room forces me to cover my eyes.

The stench of vomit slams into me, bringing forward another wave of stomach pain, so I squeeze my eyes shut as I curl into myself.