The Crash Years by Anonymous (manga ereader TXT) 📕

(2 months ago)

ANDIE BARRY @ Anzac Park
The glares and double-takes met with Andromeda’s eyes as she briskly walked through Anzac Park, on her way home. She knew what the people were thinking. As if their eyes didn’t give away the disapproval of the way she appeared, their faces surely did. It wasn’t every day that they had seen a seventeen year old girl walking around by herself, and pregnant.
However, it was one of those times where the most obvious action is to give a whole-hearted smile. It was one of those smiles that cannot be stopped, such as getting a grandiose mark on a test. Andie embraced the tinge of warmness from the springtime sun as pink blossoms swept out of her way so the crisp cool wind could kiss her cheeks. Suddenly her view on life seemed more optimistic.
As a park bench came into view, Andromeda took up the chance and rested her feet for awhile. It was still odd how a couple of blocks could make her short of breath. After sitting awhile, Andie couldn’t help it, and took out the pictures from a big yellow envelope.
“It’s a boy!” Andie excitably whispered to herself. She had been silently whispering this to herself ever since she left from the doctor’s office. Andie traced her finger over where the picture depicted her baby’s feet, hands, and face. She’d have to tell Jackson when she got home.
The past few months hadn’t been as scary as Andie might have guessed. Sure, the night both she and Jackson revealed to her parents about the situation, all was a tad chaotic. Although not even two weeks later did Mrs. Barry start drooling over baby topics, and what the nursery was going to look like. Jackson started to work more hours, and surprisingly Mr. Barry still let Andie and Jackson stay in the guesthouse. Nothing could have been better.
Andie was about to place the photographs back in the envelope when a sharp, quick burst of wind snatched one of the photos from her hand and carried it along the sidewalk. Andie cautiously lifted herself off the bench and half-ran after the photo, begging the wind to give a rest. Suddenly a pair of familiar-looking hands kindly picked up the photo.
“Noah!” Andie gasped as she strained her head up to see whom the person was. Her eyes drilled at the photo her old high school friend held in his hand.
“They say that pregnant women should reduce the amount of stress in their lives, and here you are practically sprinting after a well-replaceable photo. Haha, well you did always need someone to watch over you, Andromeda. Guess nothing has changed,” Noah smiled as he handed the photo back to Andie. His eyes sparkled a little as they scanned the figure in the picture. Andie wiped the hair from her face.
“Noah! How’ve you been?” Andie asked as she struggled to catch her breath that always seemed to disappear. She shifted her weight to the side.
“Charming. Getting stuff ready for my brother actually. He’s supposed to go to some prom next Friday. And how are you? I haven’t seen you in ages,” Noah walked a slow pace past Andie, indicating that he couldn’t talk for long.
“Good,” replied Andie as she held up her returned picture and smiled, “heh.. a boy.”
“He’s going to be a handsome lad,” winked Noah, “who’s your husband?”
Andie freaked. Husband? But the odds were that she wouldn’t see Noah Earnhart in quite some time, so to save the confusion, Andie replied, “Jackson Camden,” and with a smile took off, back to the guest house where her supposed “husband” would be waiting.
ANDIE BARRY and JACK CAMDEN @ the guest house of the Barry residence
Jackson had been staring at the TV screen for quite some time. He probably hadn’t noticed the fly that had landed on his shoulder, or that his fingers were tapping a fast-paced four-count rhythm on his right knee. For although the television displayed a plethora of images and sounds, Jack’s head was that of a television itself. So many thoughts ran through his head nowadays that he felt like a timed bomb about ready to blow. However, he remained in a calm posture… at least until Andromeda came home.
Jack could hear the light steps of Andromeda before he could see her. As she walked past his little white Toyota pickup, Jackson tensed up. He hoped she wouldn’t see what was inside the truck. A suitcase could mean a number of things, and he wanted the absolute chance to explain before that suitcase took him to where he needed to be. A slight spring breeze blew outside the house. A key turned the lock to the front door.
All Andromeda had to say was “Jack” and Jackson could hear her smile as she said his name. A deep pang of guilt stabbed into his chest as he realized he couldn’t say her name with the same fulfilled joy.
“Andie, come here hun.”
In an instant Andromeda was by his side, tightly clutching onto a yellow envelope which he knew would display the gender of his child. More guilt flooded in. He stood up suddenly, looking at Andromeda.
“Look, Jack. Look at-,”
“I can’t do this anymore.”
“What?” Confusion spread all over Andromeda’s face. However, the slight twitch of a smile hung at a corner of her mouth, as if she expected the last part of a joke and an explanation to follow. However, an uncomfortable silence grew. Andie looked at the floor and then back at Jack.
“Jack… what are you talking about?” Jack’s eyes darted everywhere, whether it was the ceiling or the floor, or even the walls. Anywhere but back at Andromeda’s eyes. But somehow he forced himself to look there.
“I mean that I can’t do this anymore, Andie. I’m so stressed out. I work double shifts, I cook dinner sometimes, I do the yard work. I want my life back, Andromeda. I’m too young to be a father. I want out of this.”
“No… no you have to be kidding!” sighed Andie. She needed someone, or something to lean on. Usually that was Jackson, but he was – no he wasn’t – leaving? How could this be possible?
“You HAVE to be kidding, Jack!” Andromeda paced the room, “I mean, it was YOUR idea to keep this baby! And here I am; I have to carry our baby for a whole nine months. And then I have to feed it, and take care of it, Jack.”
“I know, I know…”
“No, Jack! Because I don’t have the option of getting out of this. You can’t just tell me to keep him and then expect to walk out of his life while I’m still standing here, Jack! I still have to be here for him, Jack, and what about me? What about me, Jack?” Heat flooded into Jack’s cheeks. He just wanted out. No more Andromeda, no more stress, and no more…
“We’re having a son?” asked Jack as he looked exhaustingly into Andromeda’s water-filled eyes. Only five minutes ago she would have done anything to be close to him. Now she cringed away from him like a frightened child.
“What does it matter to you, Jack?” Andie looked sharply into Jack’s eyes, which gave a hint of sadness before he quickly composed himself into the serious posture he was in before.
“I’m sorry, Andromeda.” And with that, Jack turned his back on Andie and abruptly walked out of the house. Warm tears flowed out of Andromeda’s numb eyes as her view remained focused on the front door.
“Don’t worry,” Andromeda said as her fingers glided along her stomach, “I’ll never leave you.”
DENVER BARRY @ Nelson Boys’ College – Detention
Denver could have drawn this room perfectly with his eyes closed, that was how many times he had been there. There were always the three posters on the right: one about math, one about the reptiles in New Zealand, and one that displayed the periodic table. On the left were two posters: one displaying the rules of detention, and the other hinting at ideas of what to do in detention. Up front was the whiteboard, which was always blank minus the instructor’s name. And in the back were boarded up windows so that no one could look outside. And Denver was sitting at a desk.
Denver was almost done carving an “R” for yet another “Denver” to be engraved in the desk as someone out of the ordinary entered the room.
Alec Harrison nervously peeked through the doorway, with an ice pack in hand. It wasn’t until he turned his face that Denver noticed a huge bruise forming on Alec’s left cheekbone. That must have hurt.
From Alec’s big bright eyes it was obvious that it had been his first time in a detention hall, but for some reason as he recognized Denver sitting in the corner, a blanket of relief settled his expression as he made his way over towards the back of the room.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” Alec repeatedly whispered as he grabbed the contents from his backpack and placed them orderly on his desk. In the left corner was Alec’s neatly displayed lunch, and next to it were two perfectly laid pencils, and under those a couple pieces of binder paper. Meanwhile he kept the ice pack on his face, which was slowly continuing to swell.
“What are you doing here?” asked Denver, with an expression that would result if someone’s world had turned upside down.
“Huh? Oh…,” Alec squinted as he sat down, “um, I got beat up by some guys at the front of the school so um, they just decided to put us all in here.” Denver cringed. The guys that Alec mentioned were probably some of the people he used to hang out with. That was before he went solo.
Ten uncomfortable minutes passed as the instructor for the hour explained the reasons and rules of the detention hall and passed out the class work that belonged to each of the students. Alec received a small folder and his few textbooks before gladly starting on his work. However, he was distracted when the instructor had to walk back to grab a humungous stack of folders and books before hauling them over to a desk. Denver’s desk. Alec’s eyes widened.
Like usual, Denver shoved his pile of assignments and books to the left corner of his desk, indicating that again, he would not attempt to complete any work. An intricately folded piece of paper flew on his desk. He opened the note, not even bothering to look for the instructor’s matching gaze.
“Why aren’t you starting on your work?” read the note with perfect penmanship. Denver glanced to Alec’s blue-eyed stare. It was obvious where the note came from. Everything about Alec read “perfect” except for the bruise on his cheek. Denver looked back at the note.
Denver wrote, “Because I don’t want to,” and then thought a bit. Perhaps more truthful? It would have been boring to cut off his only source of conversation by a guarded, untruthful reply. He and Alec would be stuck here all day. Denver quickly erased his previous answer and wrote, “Because I don’t know how to.”
“I can show you how.” For some reason shocked, Denver quickly looked back at Alec. Alec mirrored Denver’s shocked expression, but smiled when Denver had nodded his head in agreement.
MILOS BARRY @ Nelson Boys’ College
“Here’s your homework. I did it all, just how you wanted,” said Milos in half whisper as he looked around suspiciously before handing Garrett his