RECYCLED MEMORY Read online

  We waited all morning for the call to come, and when it didn’t by late afternoon, Nan asked if I would run an errand for her. Considering the time difference and the fact we were outside our normal hours of hearing from them, I agreed to run over to Buck’s Junkyard and drop off something for the owner. It was a simple request, one I would regret for the rest of my life. I wasn’t home when the notification came through that my parents had been killed. Nan had told me the minute I’d returned from that godforsaken junkyard that they were never coming back. It was all his fault I hadn’t been there to take the call.

  Buck Calhoun was responsible, and one day I’d make him pay.

  Alone in the school cafeteria during lunch break was not the place for me to have those all-consuming thoughts. I tamped them down as best as I could; my anger threatened to make a sudden appearance, but I couldn’t let it. Not now. The last thing I needed was to blow the fuck up and have that asshole principle calling my grandmother again to complain. Since the incident with the glass figurine, Nan hadn’t been herself, and that was all my fault. She’d laughed that day, the first time in months, since the news of her only child’s death. Her eyes had been crinkled in the corners and she’d gushed with warmth when she’d spoken of my mother to a virtual stranger. Range was a dirty bastard, but he’d managed to do something no one else had, including myself. He’d put joy on her face and in her heart. Not that I’d given it much of a go; our conversations were usually one-sided, where she asked the questions and I gave her one-word answers in return. She wanted me to open up about my feelings, bond with her over our common grief and mourn as a family. No matter how hard she tried, I never gave her an inch. Until that day Range came to visit, I’d never considered her brokenheartedness or that she might’ve needed a friendly shoulder to cry on. Everything was about me.

  I was such a selfish dick.

  Dinner would be promptly served at six, regardless of whether or not I was home to eat it. She’d normally keep it covered in plastic wrap inside the microwave with a little note attached that read “eat me” on it. She would greet me at the door with a warm smile and questions about my day, all of which I never answered, until she’d finally announce she was going to bed for the evening. The day I broke the figurine was the day I broke her heart, at least what was left of it. Now, she stayed locked in her room with the door closed without as much as a single word. She hadn’t tried to make me apologize for acting out and destroying her property like I’d expected her to. She’d finally reached her breaking point and threw in the towel. How could I blame her? I knew it was just a matter of time before she stopped caring.

  A commotion on the far side of the cafeteria shook me from my thoughts of Nan and caught my attention. Someone was screaming their head off, and the entire student body stood witness to the spectacle. Kids were pushing and shoving as they tried to get a better look at who was yelling, and that’s when the chanting started:

  “Raggedy Ann no Andy”

  “Raggedy Ann no Andy”

  “Raggedy Ann no Andy”

  The more people joined in, the louder it got, to the point when I couldn’t ignore it if I tried. I was on my way outside anyway; why not take a quick look? I stood from my chair, grabbed my tray of uneaten food, and shouldered my way through the crowd. It wasn’t hard to spot the ring leader; she was the one who stood quietly while everyone else did the dirty work. The pretty girl with long blond hair was practically glowing with excitement as she stood by and watched while some poor soul was being ridiculed. She knew exactly how to work the crowd to her advantage, even going so far as to waving her hands in the air to promote an increase in the volume of the noise. She had a pretty face but a black soul, and some poor sucker was getting a serious taste of school house bullying.

  The crowd finally began to disburse when Principle Garvey arrived and threatened to hand out detention slips to anyone involved in the chaos. I slipped past him just in time to spot a glimpse of the target and choked on a gasp. There she stood as still as a statue, fingers clinched into fists with a face as red as her fiery hair. She didn’t back down, nor did she cower in front of the raucous crowd. She stood tall and proud and looked them all dead in the eyes. Maribel was a fighter, but she needed a friend on her side if she stood any chance of surviving this spectacle. While Principle Garvey was rounding up the last of the onlookers, I walked over to the little girl and laid my arm across her shoulders. The look she gave me was pure fire, but together, we stared down the enemy as one.

  “Let’s get out of here, Polly Pocket,” I leaned down and whispered in her ear.

  She gave them one last look with clenched teeth and narrowed eyes before she turned and walked away. It was the middle of the school day, and leaving the grounds meant trouble for the both of us, but I couldn’t let her leave alone, so I followed. Her lab coat dragged along the dirt of the road, and still we walked. She never said a word, and neither did I, and still we walked. It wasn’t until I spotted a familiar billboard that I realized where we were going. The No Trespassing sign stood outside the base of the wooded area that led to the backside of the junkyard. It wasn’t lost on me that it was also the same place where Maribel had found herself lost in not too long ago. I had no idea how we ended up there, of all places, but Maribel seemed content with the surroundings. She collected a few of the different-colored leaves that had fallen to the ground as well as acorns and berries from the bushes in the heavy brush. I followed close enough behind yet not enough to trouble her thoughts.

  “Holy shit, look!” she screamed out of the blue. “Ohmygod, it’s amazing. Give me your hand. Come on, tough guy!” she squealed.

  She grabbed my hand and led me to a line of fencing that had been cut or poorly mended to reveal an opening. We crawled through the seam where just on the other side was a small cabin-like structure in the middle of nowhere. It was well built, made of brick, actually, so I wasn’t afraid of it falling in on our heads. The land itself was part of the junkyard, a fact that made this little exploration that much more unappealing. The last thing I needed was for that old fucking biker to find us out here and make a big stink of it. Maribel didn’t seem to care that we were trespassing on private property and being caught could land us in jail; or worse. She tried the door, and as luck would have it, it was open. I grabbed her arm to stop her before she stepped inside to potential danger. She was a girl after all.

  “Hey, wait a minute! Anything could be in there. Are you crazy?”

  “Humph. Don’t be such a pussy, Marcus. Do you want to live forever?”

  She gave me a huge smile that showed both rows of metaled teeth before stepping inside the building into darkness. She was the third person to call me a pussy, yet coming from her it felt like a dagger to my chest. I would never be half the man my father was; even this little girl saw me as weak. What made her so different that I wanted to be looked at as someone stronger, capable of taking care of her? I wasn’t going to find the answer standing outside like an idiot, so I did the only thing I could do. I stepped inside along with her like a hero.

  A real tough guy.

  TEN

  Maribel

  HOW DID I END up here and with him of all people?

  Oh yeah, now I remembered. My asshole sister and her band of cronies had decided today was the day to make my life a living hell. It had been a setup, and I had been stupid enough to fall right into her trap. This morning on our way to school, she’d handed me a note from one of the super cute boys from the football team. She said she hadn’t read it, but according to the “brief” conversation she had with him, he wanted to meet with me during lunch. The note said as much, and it was even signed with his initials and a heart. She gabbed to me during our morning car ride about how she thought he was a perfect match and that she was proud that I was finally going to have my first real date. I was suspicious at first. Let’s face it, we had never been the type of sisters to gossip about cute boys or our tastes in boyfriends. She played the part of the dotin
g older sister to perfection, even going so far as to offering to do my hair when and if this alleged date was to take place. I felt like the biggest idiot walking over to that table of cool kids, smiling like a sap, right before they all laughed in my face and called me Raggedy Ann.

  They’d wanted me to cry, to run out of there screaming like a coward who needed her momma to save her. I couldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing how much they hurt me, so I just stood there, frozen. That’s when I felt him standing beside me, the brawler, ready to fight by my side if need be. He never said he would, but I felt his strength deep in my bones, and I knew Marcus had my back even if I didn’t know why. When we walked out of the school together, I had no intention of coming back to these woods, yet somehow, I was glad that I did. My legs took on a mind of their own and carried me forward to the one spot that was my salvation for a brief moment. I needed to feel that sense of peace I’d felt when I’d been hunting down larvae for my science project. The clean air and tranquil sounds of birds singing were the only thing that could bring me out of the funk I’d suffered at the hands of the golden princess and her merry men. Now, here we were, together, but what did that mean?

  I’d spotted the lowly cabin in the woods and decided to throw all caution to the wind. Call it childishness on my part, but it reminded me of an outdoor playhouse, with its small wooden windows and matching awning. It looked how I felt, lonely and ignored. Somehow, I imagined that it needed me to go inside. I wasn’t afraid when I tried the handle to the door and it opened; it was a sign, a sign that this was a special place. The small windows cast a stream of light that made it easy to see what was inside, and it absolutely took my breath away. Marcus stood behind me in the open doorway poised to strike at the first sign of danger. I almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all. I mean, what was the likelihood of something happening to a young girl in an empty cabin deep in the woods?

  “This place is amazing,” I awed. “I can’t believe all the stuff that’s in here. Why would someone just leave it for anyone to find?”

  The excitement in my voice was unmistakable. The place was loaded with everything imaginable: Bottled water, canned food, sleeping bags, flashlights. You name it, and it was there. The only things it needed were pink curtains and a canopy bed that I could sleep on and enjoy the solitude of my very own playhouse. I picked up one of the canned goods and noticed that the expiration date was still valid, so it was safe to eat. The same with everything else that was stacked on the metal shelves. How odd.

  “Yeah, maybe you shouldn’t touch anything. It could be booby-trapped,” Marcus grumbled.

  “As if, tough guy! Do yourself a favor and stay away from the action movies. You’re just being paranoid,” I scoffed.

  I took a seat on the cot that was pressed against the far wall and relaxed as I thought about everything that had happened. I was embarrassed beyond measure, I skipped school for the first time in my life, and I was out in the middle of nowhere in a deserted cabin with a boy I hardly knew from Adam. I was a bona fide rebel without a cause. The thought made me snicker uncontrollably. Who knew being bad could feel so good?

  “You do know this land is part of the junkyard, right? The owner would not be pleased if he found us out here.” Marcus glanced over his shoulder as if he expected the guy to be standing right behind him. It was the perfect time to satisfy my curiosity and find out what had happened to him in that place.

  “Well, since he’s a friend of yours, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

  “He’s not my fucking friend,” he barked. “Just the asshole who owns the place.”

  “Whoa, take it easy there, big fella. I just thought you were friends since you went to visit a few weeks ago. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed,” I apologized meekly.

  “Damn straight, you shouldn’t have,” he scolded. “Since you seem to enjoy getting into my business, let me ask you something, Polly Pocket.” Geez, I hate that name.

  He folded his arms over his chest and leaned his shoulder against the doorway. The look was so casual, like a male model doing a photo shoot. My cheeks burned as I felt a blush creeping up. Focus, Maribel.

  “What happened in the cafeteria? Did you know those guys, or were you just in the wrong place at the wrong time?” Shit. I should’ve known he would go for the jugular.

  “No.”

  “I’m sorry, what?” He blinked at my clipped response and shook his head as if to clear it. I had no intentions of answering his question.

  “I said no. NO. I don’t want to talk about that. Choose something else.” I waved my hand around in front of my face dismissively.

  “Okay, I’ll give you that one.” He smirked. “How are you so young but go to high school? Are you one of those child prodigies with a photographic memory who plays ten musical instruments? I bet you know the whole dictionary by heart, don’t you?” he jibed.

  “Something like that, silly goose. I know you won’t believe me, but I’m actually not that much younger than you are. I just have a smaller bone structure until I hit my growth spurt.”

  Marcus nodded his head, but he wasn’t really paying attention. Since I refused to answer his first question, the one he really wanted to know, he was just being polite. It was pretty awkward inside that cabin, just the two of us, with very little light. Before long, there was a comfortable silence during which only the birds chirping outside could be heard. I remembered what Mrs. Klein had said about making friends, stepping out of my comfort zone and going for it. As much as I didn’t want to be embarrassed for a second time that day, Marcus had been the only person to show genuine interest in me as a person and not just a star student. Perhaps this could work out. The ball was in my court, and I really wanted this. Maybe if I gave him a little something, he would return the favor. There was only one way to find out.

  “My sister,” I started slowly. “She thought it would be funny to trick me into thinking one of her friends was gonna ask me out on a date. I believed her bullshit like an idiot, and well... You saw how that turned out.” I had his full attention, but it took him a moment to respond. His breathing had picked up, and he was making fists with his hands like he was angry.”

  “You mean to tell me that little blond chick sitting at the table was your sister?”

  Now, it was my turn to be angry. I jumped up from the cot and stood right in his face, ready to scratch his eyes out. He was nothing more than another princess groupie ready to bow at her feet whenever she snapped her little fingers. I was damn sick of it.

  “I know what you’re thinking. How could that be? She’s too beautiful to have an ugly sister like me. Do me a favor and hook me up. How can I get her number? What size underwear does she wear? Is she seeing anyone special?” I was on a roll and refused to stop. “Were you adopted? Abandoned by wolves? Am I being punked? Do you need me to go on, tough guy? ‘Cause there’s a lot more where that came from. Believe me, I’ve heard them all,” I snapped.

  “That wasn’t—” He tried to interrupt me, but it was too late for apologies.

  “Just go fuck yourself. I know I’m ugly, flat chested, and blind as a bat with no chance of ever looking as beautiful as her. But you know what? I’m smart! That’s something she will never be!”

  I turned my back to hide the tears that were streaming down my face. I didn’t intend to go all “hormonal” on his ass, but it couldn’t be helped. My breakdown was the cherry on top of my already shitty day, and unfortunately for Marcus, he happened to be in my line of fire. I could hear him mumbling something under his breath, but I didn’t dare turn around to see the pity in his eyes. Poor Maribel, when are you going to learn?

  “Mean girls suck, Maribel.” Marcus placed his arm around my shoulder, just as he had done when we’d left the cafeteria. It was then I was hit with a stark revelation.

  “Hey,” I sniffed. “You know my name.”

  “Of course, I do, Polly Pocket.” He nudged me with his hip. “Let’s get outa here.”


  We left the lonely playhouse together, but I promised to return as often as possible. It was a place of wonder, of dreams, and where I finally made… a friend.

  ELEVEN

  Marcus

  I WATCHED THE TINY girl walk away toward her home until she disappeared from sight. It was still early afternoon, so I wasn’t concerned for her safety, not in this neighborhood. The things she’d shared with me inside that cabin were so fucked up, it was hard to believe. She thought she was ugly compared to that train wreck she called a sister. Fucking ridiculous. Kid was a goddamn heartbreaker and a genius to boot. Once she was old enough to date, I’d bet my left nut that some poor sucker was gonna fall hard for her. The image brought a sudden burn to the center of my chest, but I chose to ignore it. She wouldn’t be dating anytime soon. I should have chucked my food tray at those assholes for making her cry. Having a few teeth knocked out would’ve shut that shit up quick, fast, and in a hurry. I’d take another three days suspension if it meant payback for Maribel. Bullying strangers was bad enough, but bullying your own flesh and blood? That was just wrong on so many levels, and the worst part about it was that her sister got off on seeing her in pain. What a bitch. No way were they part of the same family.