Read Online The Wrong Side Of The Tracks (Leighton) by Amanda Austin - Free Book Online
Authors: Amanda Austin
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," a woman called from the living room.
"That's my Mom. I'll be right back," she slipped out her bedroom door leaving it open a crack. Alex felt awkward, she had never been in someone from school's house and not been introduced to her parents. Her Mom was going to think she was a stuck-up bitch.
Alex s tood in the doorway of the half open bedroom door. A heavyset woman was lying on the couch. Her back was towards the doorway, she couldn't see her face just a mess of curly brown hair like Kenzie's, only it was not brushed and snarly. She lay on the couch while Kenzie nuked her some leftovers in the microwave and poured her a glass of store brand soda.
Alexandra's phone started ringing and she fished it out of her back pocket and hit the silent button as quickly as possible. She looked up and Kenzie and her mother had both turned and were looking at her. She felt guilty, as if she had just got caught watching something she wasn't supposed to.
"U gh, sorry. I was just coming out to get a drink."
Kenzie took another glass out of the cupboard and began pouring some soda for her, she stepped the res t of the way out of the room and headed toward the counter. As she got closer she realized Kenzie wasn't angry at her for peeking, she looked embarrassed and uncomfortable. And she still didn't introduce her to her mom. She glanced at Kenzie's mom, she looked groggy and out of it. She kept rubbing her eyes and squinting at Alex.
"Sandra?"
Alex dropped the plastic cup and the dark soda sloshed down the cupboard door and onto the tiled floor. She grabbed a towel off the counter and started soaking it up. Kenzie's Mom knew Alessandra! She wasn't positive but if you took away twenty years and twenty pounds she could easily pass as the other girl in the picture at Lost Creek. Everything Mrs. Raker said came flooding back to her. She couldn't even ask her about Alessandra because then Kenzie and Karter would figure out who her family was.
"Uhh, no Ma, this is my friend Alex."
Kenzie's Mom didn't look like she bought it; she pouted like a little kid and stared hard at Alex.
Kenzie set her plate and glass o n the coffee table, and grabbed Alex's arm. "Come on, let's go back to my room," she hissed. Alex followed obediently and willed her not to look back at her Mom. Kenzie shut her door, and flopped against it sighing loudly.
"I'm sorry; my mom is a mess sometimes. She just gets really faded so she doesn't have to deal with life. I really can't say that I blame her, if I end up going through half of what she's been through, I'll need to self-medicate too."
Alex nodded as if she understood, but she didn't understand. She couldn't imagine what it must be like to have no one to take care of her or to have to take care of her own parents.
"Who is Sandra?"
"Some friend of my Mom's from high-school. I guess she died when she was sixteen, the whole story is super sad. I've seen pictures of her; you guys really do look alike."
Alex was getting really good at lying and deceiving people to get information. She was starting to scare herself a little. "Let me see them!"
"Umm okay, I'll try to find one." She ope ned her closet and started going through the upper shelves. She returned to her spot on the floor next to Alex with a dusty old brown photo album. It had those old cheap adhesive pages that you stuck photos to, and due to the years and dust none of the pages were too sticky anymore. There were random pictures falling out left and right, mostly old Polaroids like the ones in Alessandra's box.
"Here!"
Kenzie handed her a Polaroid with a group of people at Lost Creek holding up their glasses as if they were saying “cheers”. Alessandra was wearing the exact same outfit in the picture Alex seen at her Grandmother’s; it was obviously taken the same night. Maybe even from the same roll of film.
"See? That's the girl that died, and there's my Mom." Her suspic
"That's my Mom. I'll be right back," she slipped out her bedroom door leaving it open a crack. Alex felt awkward, she had never been in someone from school's house and not been introduced to her parents. Her Mom was going to think she was a stuck-up bitch.
Alex s tood in the doorway of the half open bedroom door. A heavyset woman was lying on the couch. Her back was towards the doorway, she couldn't see her face just a mess of curly brown hair like Kenzie's, only it was not brushed and snarly. She lay on the couch while Kenzie nuked her some leftovers in the microwave and poured her a glass of store brand soda.
Alexandra's phone started ringing and she fished it out of her back pocket and hit the silent button as quickly as possible. She looked up and Kenzie and her mother had both turned and were looking at her. She felt guilty, as if she had just got caught watching something she wasn't supposed to.
"U gh, sorry. I was just coming out to get a drink."
Kenzie took another glass out of the cupboard and began pouring some soda for her, she stepped the res t of the way out of the room and headed toward the counter. As she got closer she realized Kenzie wasn't angry at her for peeking, she looked embarrassed and uncomfortable. And she still didn't introduce her to her mom. She glanced at Kenzie's mom, she looked groggy and out of it. She kept rubbing her eyes and squinting at Alex.
"Sandra?"
Alex dropped the plastic cup and the dark soda sloshed down the cupboard door and onto the tiled floor. She grabbed a towel off the counter and started soaking it up. Kenzie's Mom knew Alessandra! She wasn't positive but if you took away twenty years and twenty pounds she could easily pass as the other girl in the picture at Lost Creek. Everything Mrs. Raker said came flooding back to her. She couldn't even ask her about Alessandra because then Kenzie and Karter would figure out who her family was.
"Uhh, no Ma, this is my friend Alex."
Kenzie's Mom didn't look like she bought it; she pouted like a little kid and stared hard at Alex.
Kenzie set her plate and glass o n the coffee table, and grabbed Alex's arm. "Come on, let's go back to my room," she hissed. Alex followed obediently and willed her not to look back at her Mom. Kenzie shut her door, and flopped against it sighing loudly.
"I'm sorry; my mom is a mess sometimes. She just gets really faded so she doesn't have to deal with life. I really can't say that I blame her, if I end up going through half of what she's been through, I'll need to self-medicate too."
Alex nodded as if she understood, but she didn't understand. She couldn't imagine what it must be like to have no one to take care of her or to have to take care of her own parents.
"Who is Sandra?"
"Some friend of my Mom's from high-school. I guess she died when she was sixteen, the whole story is super sad. I've seen pictures of her; you guys really do look alike."
Alex was getting really good at lying and deceiving people to get information. She was starting to scare herself a little. "Let me see them!"
"Umm okay, I'll try to find one." She ope ned her closet and started going through the upper shelves. She returned to her spot on the floor next to Alex with a dusty old brown photo album. It had those old cheap adhesive pages that you stuck photos to, and due to the years and dust none of the pages were too sticky anymore. There were random pictures falling out left and right, mostly old Polaroids like the ones in Alessandra's box.
"Here!"
Kenzie handed her a Polaroid with a group of people at Lost Creek holding up their glasses as if they were saying “cheers”. Alessandra was wearing the exact same outfit in the picture Alex seen at her Grandmother’s; it was obviously taken the same night. Maybe even from the same roll of film.
"See? That's the girl that died, and there's my Mom." Her suspic
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