Lacey: romantic Read online

  Lacey

  EdaLisa L Corrales

  Lacey

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright © 2016 EdaLisa L Corrales

  All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Chapter one

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter one

  I grew up in a three-bedroom trailer in the small town of Sperry, Oklahoma. It was just my mother and me.

  I have no memory of my father. He ran out on us soon after my first birthday. When I would ask my mother about him, she would look at me with a smirk and say,

  “You are better off never knowing him, she would go on to say, He always drank too much and became very violent when he did.”

  I didn’t have much growing up, and my mother worked hard for what we did have. We tried to make the best out of things, and we had a good relationship. It was the kind a mother and daughter should have. At night, we would sit out on the porch for hours talking about all the things that she wished she could give me. She’d tell me, “One day you will have it all.”

  I would laugh.

  “Yeah right mom.”

  “You watch and see Lacey.” She would say in a serious voice. “You will have it all. You are a very smart girl and I know you will make the right choices in life.”

  Every morning I would wake up to clean clothes laid a crossed my chair and the smell of coffee pouring in through the cracks around my door. I would get dressed and come down the hall to the kitchen where my mother would be sitting with breakfast on the table waiting for me. We would eat together and leave together; getting her to work and me to school.

  “You know mother, I can get the stuff that I need to ready for school buy myself.” I would joke at her in the car. She would smile.

  “I know, but I love doing things for you honey.”

  And I knew she meant it.

  When I was twelve, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. I could not have been less prepared for the struggles that would follow.

  For the first two years, everything seemed fine. We went about our every day as if nothing had changed. Life seemed it was going to continue exactly the way it had been, with which I was perfectly content. And then it happened.

  It was just going into the second week of August and I was excited for school to be starting back up. It was only a month and a half before my fourteenth birthday, and I was so ready. I had been looking forward to seeing Miranda. She has been my best friend since first grade. She had gone for the summer to Spain with her family. I was waiting for her usual. I’m two weeks older; therefore, I’m the boss, jokes! I loved that girl. I couldn’t wait to see her again.

  I was sound asleep in my warm bed when I heard a faint sound. I lifted my head, opened my eyes a bit, and listened. It was silent. I thought, “I must have been dreaming.” I laid my head back down and relaxed. Then I heard it again. I stood up and wobbled to my door. I could see the bathroom light on. I could hear my mom sort of whimpering.

  “Lacey,” she called in a strained, quiet voice, “Lacey help.”

  I ran down the hall to the bathroom. My mom was slouched over with her back against the tub. There was what appeared to be blood all around the toilet seat.

  “Mom, what’s wrong? Are you alright?”

  She slowly lifted her head.

  “I need to get to the hospital,” she practically whispered, “get the phone. Call 911.”

  I raced to the phone, tears swelling in my eyes. I dialed 911 and told the respondent what had happened through my sobs.

  “Calm down,” the respondent insisted. I took a deep, quivering breath and repeated the story quickly, but in a much more understandable way. When the conversation ended, I went and sat with my mother, waiting for the ambulance.

  When the ambulance arrived, everything turned into a blur. The next thing I knew I was waking up in the chair in my mother’s hospital room. She told me she had taken a turn for the worst and would need to start dialysis immediately.

  Things just became harder from there. Her treatments made her weak, so there was no more waking up to the smell of breakfast. Instead, I cooked her breakfast and got her medication to her every morning. I had to start taking the bus to school. I had to do all that she used to do for me, plus take care of her. I became really frustrated with the whole situation. If it wasn’t for my best friend, Miranda helping me out every day after school, I probably would have lost my mind.

  Miranda came from a wealthy family. She was extremely popular in school. She was so outgoing and always had a big smile on her face. She was beautiful; her perfect figure, her long and gorgeous, wavy brown hair, and her big sparkly blue eyes. I wonder why she picked someone like me to be her best friend when she could be friends with one of the more popular girls. She came from one of the wealthiest families in town. Her parents owned Maxwell’s Market, the most popular chain of grocery stores in Oklahoma.

  Many people thought of Miranda as this materialistic girl, who got whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Even though she had many friends, I sometimes wondered if they only saw her money and her perfect figure. It seemed nobody cared what was on the inside. I was one of the few people who knew the real Miranda Maxwell. I knew beyond all the jewelry and expensive clothing was a heart of gold. She was my biggest support system through my mother’s sickness.

  After about a year on dialysis, my mother finally appeared to be improving. She began moving around the house more and more. Eventually, she was up and running errands as if she was a brand-new person. She started doing things for me again and taking me to school. I was so happy. I thought everything was going to go back to the way it was.

  My ninth-grade year seemed so perfect. My mother was better. School seemed to be a breeze. I still quite often stayed at home. I always had this sick feeling that I’d come home to my mother lying on the floor or something. I tried not to let the thought get to me, but I still stuck around just in case.

  The summer after ninth grade was even more amazing.

  My mother and I started doing things together again. Whether it was getting in a water-fight, going for a ride, or just kicking back on the couch watching a movie or some cartoons, we always had a good time together.

  Just after school started, Miranda’s mother threw her a huge “Sweet sixteen” party. The day of the party as I ran out the door I yelled to my mother, “I’ll be back in two hours mom. Call Miranda’s house if you need me.” I rushed off to Miranda’s.

  As I was walking up the driveway, Miranda came running up to me all giggly and happy. “You’ll never guess who’s here!” she said excitedly as we came through the gate to her backyard, “Do you see them?”

  I looked around. It looked like half of the high school was in her backyard. Finally, my eyes came to a stop by the grill. I rolled my eyes. There was Bradley Peterson grilling burgers, and his fraternal twin brother Braxton leaning against the table watching him. They were both seniors.

  Bradley and Braxton were the most popular guy's in school. Bradley was captain of the football team and Braxton was the quarterback. They had amazing f
igures; perfectly toned muscles, tan as you can get and still look good, and of course there was Bradley's trademark “sexiest smile in the school” smile. Bradley and Miranda could be one of those couples you see in the movies; the ones who just seem perfect for each other. They seriously needed to grow up and admit they liked each other.

  Braxton was more on the mysterious side. He was sort-of the bad ass you’d be afraid of. He always had the most unreadable looks on his face. It was the kind of look that makes you go insane wondering what they could be thinking. When he smiled, though it was rare, it was even more amazing than Bradley’s perfect smile.

  The party consisted of music, dancing, swimming, and of course, cake, punch, and presents. I was having a blast. I didn’t want it to end. As most people in touch with reality, know though, all good things come to an end. It seemed in the blink of an eye, everyone had gone home.

  Just after all the kid’s left, we were in the kitchen helping Miranda's mother clean up when we heard Miranda’s father holler from the front door for her to come outside because he had a surprise for her.

  “Come on,” she said, “let’s go outside!” She took off for the front door, me not far behind. When she got to the front, she stopped in her tracks. I, still running, ran right into her. We tumbled out the front door, giggling all the way to the ground. When I stood up, I realized what had made her stop. There was a blue BMW convertible sitting in the drive way with a big red bow on it. “Oh, daddy is that for me?!” she shouted in an excited voice.

  “Of course, it’s for you sweetie.” He grinned at his daughter, obviously feeling accomplished.

  “Can Lacey and I take it for a ride?” she asked.

  “Of course, honey, it is your car,” he said, “just be careful…”

  Before he could finish his sentence, Miranda had grabbed the keys he had dangling from his hand, kissed him on the cheek, and hopped in the driver’s seat, and started the engine. I, still standing on the porch, grinned and raced down the stairs after her. As soon as I jumped in, she shouted, “Thanks daddy!” and started down the driveway.

  “Oh, and don’t go to fast.” he called after us. I’m not sure Miranda even heard him. She seemed to be stuck on examining every detail of her new car. The interior was beautiful. Hot pink and blue vinyl covered everything.

  “Isn’t it amazing?” Miranda said happily.

  “I love it,” I said, “and it rides smooth too.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?” she said, the followed with “I can drive you to school in the mornings, if you want.”

  “I’d really like that,” I replied, “sound's great to me.”

  We drove around until it got dark. “It’s getting late; I should probably be getting home soon. I can drive you.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed, “I need to get home and check on my mom.” I hadn’t realized how late it was getting. I started to get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I hoped my mom was okay.

  “I will drive you to school and from school every day for as long as you want me to.”

  “Okay, that will be nice that way I won’t have to ride the bus, I hate riding the bus.”

  “Yeah, me to it stinks and the boys fight too much.”

  I looked down at the clock that was on the radio and told Miranda that is really getting late let’s start heading for my house I need to check on my mother.

  “Yeah, okay we will start heading to your house now.”

  When we got there, she told me not to forget that she would pick me up in the morning for school.

  “Okay I will see you in the morning, have a good night.”

  “Thank you I will see you in the morning.”

  The next day at school all our friends gathered around Miranda’s new car to telling her how much they liked it and if she would give them a ride in it after school.

  My birthday was two weeks after Miranda’s. My mother and Miranda spent a week making plans for my birthday party. It was the biggest birthday party I had ever had. I do not know how they did it without me finding out about it, but they did. Miranda had invited all our friends from school.

  The day of my birthday party Miranda told me that she had to make a few stops on the way home. That gave all are friends time to get to my house, and help my mother get everything setup. After the second stop, I told her that it was getting late and that I needed to get home to check on my mother.

  “I know we are going to your house after I run into this last store for one more thing.”

  When we got there, I looked at her and said it looks dark I hope that my mother is okay?

  “Don’t worry she probably just fell asleep in front of the TV again.”

  “Yeah you are probably right she does do that a lot.”

  When I walk through the door, I did not see her at first, just as I went too called for her, everyone jumped up and yield surprise. I about had a heart attack. I turned to Miranda and my mother and asked them when they did all this. They just looked at me and laughed. My mother said don’t worry let’s just go and have some fun.

  The twin Bradley and Braxton were out back grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. After we ate, we played all kinds of games it was a lot of fun.

  Chapter Two

  My mother was hospitalized two weeks after my birthday. I was so scared I have never been away from my mother for more than a couple of nights, and I didn’t know what was going to happen to her. Miranda’s parent said that I could stay with them and tell my mother got better and was able to come home. The next day after school Miranda and I went to my house and packed some things that I would need to stay at her house.

  Miranda and I were talking about how much she like Bradley and how she wishes that he would ask her to the prom, when the phone rang. It was my mother’s sister Linda. I knew that my mother had a sister, but I didn’t know a lot about her because my mother did not talk about her that much. My mother had a bad child hood her father my grandfather was a drunk and very abusive to her and my Aunt Linda. From what my mother has told me, my Aunt Linda got the worst of it so when she was sixteen, she ran away with her boyfriend. She would call my mother and send her letters from time to time saying that she was okay, but after a few years, they stopped.

  She was calling to talk to my mother. I told her that my mother was not here that she was in the hospital.

  “How long has your mother been in the hospital for and what is wrong with her?” she asked.

  “She has lung cancer and she has been in the hospital sense last night.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that your mother is sick. I am calling because I want to let your mother know that I am going to come out there to see her. Will you let her know that I am come?”

  “Yes, I will let her know when I go to the hospital later tonight.”

  “Thank you Lacey I will be there next Monday.”

  “Okay I will see you then.”

  After I got off the phone, I went back into my bedroom. Before I even walked through the door Miranda, ask who that was on the phone.

  “That was my mother’s sister Linda she said that she is come out here.”

  “I didn’t know that your mother had a sister.”

  “Yeah, I know she doesn’t talk about her that much, so I do not know a lot about her myself. My mother hasn’t seen or heard from her in twenty years she left when my mother was fourteen. My mother said that she ran away with her boyfriend when she was sixteen because my grandparents wouldn’t let her see him, which is all my mother would tell me about it.”

  “That's too bad. I think we have all the stuff you need to stay at my house.”

  “Yeah I do to.”

  “Are you ready to go then?”

  “Yeah let's go.” And we were off to Miranda’s house, her house is one of the largest homes and oldest in are town, it is a two-story Victorian home.

  There is a large fountain with an angel shooting water out of her mouth just before you get to the end of the drive way. It has one of those porches
that raps all the way around the house. When you walk in the front door, there is a long hall to one side and the staircase on the other. To the right is the living room, to the left is her father’s office, and a little further down the hall are the library and the guest bathroom and at the end of the hall is the kitchen. All the bedrooms are upstairs. Miranda’s room is the first room to the right at the top of the stairs, the next two rooms are for guest, and the bedroom at the end of the hall belongs to her parent.

  Miranda’s room is twice as big as my room. She has a king size canopy bed that is big enough to fit five people in it. A walk-in closet that is the same size as my bedroom just left of her bed, and to the right of the closet is her bathroom every her bathroom is as big as my bedroom, the bathtub is one of those big garden tubs with the jets in it, the shower is separate from the tub it is really nice.

  As we were walking up the stairs, she told me that I was going to stay in the room next to hers.

  “It is not quit as big as my room, but it does have a walk-in closet and its own bathroom, so you don’t have to share one.”

  As soon as we got all my stuff unpack, we went downstairs to join her mother and father for dinner. Her mother asked me how my mother was doing and if the doctors know how long that she was going to be in the hospital for. I told her that she is doing better but the doctors don’t know how long before she would be able to go home.

  “Well I hope that she gets better soon.”

  “Thank you.”

  We ate in quiet after that. After dinner, Miranda took me to the hospital and dropped me off; she told me that she would be back in two hours to pick me up. I got out of the car and told her thank you for the ride and that I would see her when she got back.

  When I got to my mother’s room she was sleeping, so I quietly went in and sat in one of the chairs, to wait for her to wake up. I must have fallen asleep myself because the next thing I remember was my mother calling my name to wake me up. I look at her and said oh sorry mother I must have fallen asleep, are you okay?

  “Yes, I’m fine, so did you get all your stuff over to Miranda’s house?”