Writings and Reflections

Best Friends for Never

by Lloyd B. Abrams

It was a hazy half-moon Saturday night, near closing time. Dust and plastic bags swirled across the almost empty parking lot in front of the Walmart store off exit 17, a mile and a half walk from the trailer park where Ellen Mowbrey and Kati Hatsis lived. The two teens were inside strolling almost side-by-side down the main aisle past Women’s and Hosiery and Exercise & Swim Wear. Kati was half a step ahead, and Ellen hated that. She also hated the way Kati was always showing off her body. Kati was wearing a blue hoodie pulled back over her shoulders, with her breasts pressing out against her chiffon-yellow spaghetti-strap camisole for everyone to see.

Ellen could never do that. Her mother had always warned her against parading her wares like that. Not that anyone would ever give her a second look. Ellen knew she was homely. Ordinary. Even mousy-looking. Worse, she always felt so bland, like tepid, watered-down tea, and she knew that she looked every bit the way she felt.

Ellen slowed to let Kati get two, then three steps ahead. She abruptly stopped and pretended to examine the rack of black workout pants while watching Kati continue on without her. She was chuckling inwardly but soured when Kati turned and gave her a dirty look, and called out, way too loud, “Wouldja come on, already?” then hissed “Stupid bitch” under her breath, which Ellen heard.

It had always been like that, ever since Kati moved into the double-wide next door four years before when Ellen was eleven. Kati dragged her to Walgreens and taught her how to shoplift magazines and lipstick and eye makeup. Made her make nasty phone calls to people Kati hated. Played cards and games and always won. Ellen knew she was cheating but was too chicken to say anything. But without Kati around to boss and belittle her, Ellen would’ve been all alone. Kati was the only friend she had.

Living in Colony Park – A Manufactured Home Community – was a step down from the step-down life she was already living. It was overwhelming when Ellen’s father had taken off, and she and her mother had to leave the house she’d grown up in and move into their own dingy, musty-smelling single-wide, where no amount of Glade could get rid of the cigarette smoke stinking up everything. But at least she didn’t have to listen anymore to the screaming and the cursing and the hitting and the crying and the pleading and the police coming and separating them and the questions and the oh-you’re-such-a-poor-kid looks the officers always gave her.

And Kati, unlike Ellen, was always so sure of herself. Her father was in the military and she was used to moving from here to there, used to making friends and being cute for the adults, used to playing up to people to get what she wanted, especially in school, especially with the boys. Ellen was nothing like her, except when she sat on her uncle’s lap and she felt funny down there when he rubbed his hands all over her and forced garlicky kisses on her lips. She knew he wasn’t supposed to do that – they taught all about that in school – and that she wasn’t supposed to let him – but she liked what she could do to him, the power she felt, and liked getting the cheap perfume and filmy underwear that he brought for her but which she had to throw away because her nasty nosy mother would find them and then accuse her of God knows what.

Ellen noticed the mud-splattered dark-green sedan parked off in a corner when they walked out of the store exit. She couldn’t help it; loud rap music was coming from the car. Sitting in it with the windows rolled down were two boys smoking, watching them. Ellen thought she recognized the driver from Central Valley High. It was Tommy somebody; she couldn’t remember his last name. She couldn’t see the other boy too clearly but she figured it was the big dopey blonde guy named Bobby who Tommy always hung around with. She hadn’t seen either of them this year and figured they’d dropped out, then remembered something about two guys being in jail and then released and then arrested for rape but the case was thrown out because the girl refused to testify and moved away and it was like everybody hushed it up. It was all coming back to her. It probably was these guys. Then she became even more certain about it.

The music was lowered and Tommy called out, “Hey you girls! Wanna ride?” But Ellen could see that Tommy was beckoning to Kati. It seemed like he was looking right through, right past Ellen.

“Kati ... I don’t think we should. It’s not such a good idea.”

“You’re always such a wuss.” Kati pulled back her hoodie and pushed out her chest and strutted right to the car. Ellen hurried to catch up.

“You guys go to Central anymore?” Kati asked through the window.

“Nah. Couldn’t stand it.”

“I know what you mean. The teachers are like dead. It’s a freakin waste of time.”

“So waddya waitin for. You wanna get in?”

“Sure thing,” Kati answered, not waiting for Ellen’s certain warning.

The passenger got out – it was that guy Bobby – and lumbered into the back seat.

Ellen grabbed Kati’s arm to warn her but she brushed it away. She walked around the front of car, slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door.

Tommy reached back and yanked open the rear door. “So you comin or not?”

Rev 3 / June 24, 2010

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June, 2010…Copyright © 2010, Lloyd B. Abrams
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