I arise from the water and enclose my face with my palms.
I have to do something.
I get up from the water and wrap myself in a towel.
I know what I have to do.
I walk back into my room and change quickly into a black hoodie and shorts before leaving the house to join my mother in greeting the neighbors.
"Ma," I call out before she leaves. "I'll go with you."
Her features hold a cheerful expression. She smiles at me warmly and nods. "Let's go, then."
I follow behind her and we walk in total silence.
"It's been a long time since we've walked together," she breaks the silence. It must have been awkward for her.
I nod.
"So is there any reason why you changed your mind?"
I shake my head.
She gives me a weird look as we reach the first house.
This has nothing to do with her.
I take the first step to knock on the house door. I can tell my mom is smiling from behind me.
I roll my eyes and knock a couple more times.
The door clicks from the other side and an old lady reveals herself. She has a smile plastered on her face, somewhat matching my mother's.
I look at her, forcing a smile.
"Good afternoon young lady," she greets me.
"Hello," I say back to her, before my mother steps in.
"Mrs. Carol, how have you been?"
"Oh, Elizabeth! Good to see you again!" The old woman bursts in excitement. "Come inside, dear."
We are welcomed inside the house and the moment I step inside, I begin to wander.
"Jeremy!" the old woman-- Mrs. Carol-- calls. From the stairs, I hear footsteps and a young boy descends from the staircase.
"Grandma, what's wrong?" He quickly runs to Carol to check on her.
My mother smiles.
I roll my eyes.
"Nothing, love," Carol says warmly. "Now, why don't you take this young lady around the neighborhood." She nods toward me.
Jeremy looks at me. I can feel his eyes and frankly, I do not care.
There is nothing I can say, though, so I roll with it and am led out of the room with him.
I just know my mother is beaming at this point.
The embarrassment has disappeared from me. I am led outside to the barn, where we stay.
I sit on a footstool, still astonished that no animals are ever found around this neighborhood.
"My name is Jeremy," the boy introduces himself.
"I know," I say rather bluntly. Silence falls upon us once more and I smile.
I glance at the boy.
He has brown hair and his eyes are alarmingly green. He seems rather uncomfortable.
"You must like your grandmother," I break the silence.
He looks over at me. "Yes, why?"
I smile. "I was just wondering."
We fall back into silence. The wind is rustling and the afternoon is shifting into the evening. The sun's light begins to drift from our sight.
"You know, I used to live here," I say, with my legs and arms crossed.
The boy looks over at me and I face him as well.
"But, last year, my father was murdered." His features shift and I smirk.
"I moved to another state, trying to cope with it, but as you can see, now I'm back." I let that sink in. Not just for him, but myself as well.
"Would you like to know why?"
He nods.
"My mother."
Silence falls once more before I break it in half.
"I asked if you like your grandmother."
I stare into his eyes as silence falls for the last time. Yes, I'm dramatic.
"Stella-Rose!" the silence shatters into pieces.
Mother.
I roll my eyes and get up. His green eyes are piercing through me. I look at him with a smirk playing at my lips.
He gets up as well and we make our way inside the house.
"Let's have dinner," Carol says. We do as suggested. I cannot reject it, of course.
Throughout the meal, I felt Jeremy's eyes on me. I dodged his eyes until the meal finally ended.
I say goodbye to Carol and walk outside on my own.
At this time, the sun has set. I am not alone soon enough.
"Why did you tell me that?" Jeremy questions as I peer at the night sky.
"I'll see you around?" I completely changed the subject.
He stays still. "Oh, and I'm Stella-Rose." I smile at him the best I can and begin to walk with my mother towards our house once she is ready.
"Isn't the night so lovely?" my mother swoons.
I say nothing. I just think of my plan. We reach the door to my house.
"You go ahead inside, ma."
"Why?"
"I have something to take care of."
My mother nods and heads inside.
I sit on the porch, looking up into the night sky.
It's funny.
Thinking of my father is quite humorous. The good times we had, the night outs, and the life we used to live. I don't want to get myself into something that I can't finish, but I was put in this situation for a reason.
I look over to my phone. The time reads 9:00.
I need to go somewhere tomorrow. Somewhere that I haven't been in about a year. This place is the basis of the whole town and the reason why I was forced back to this wretched community.
I have to go see General Jackson. The man of the town. My mother should be happy to see him, like the person she is.
I stand from where I am sitting on the porch and walk inside.
"Welcome back." I received a greeting from my uncle Jerry. I nod at him and walk upstairs to my room.
I take off my shoes, grab my notebook, and have a seat on my bed.
I turn to the first page of the notebook and title it "Dad."
I begin to plan out what I'm gonna do about the situation.
And it all starts tomorrow.