Chasing Day Series: Chasing Day & Catching Day (2 page)

Chapter 2

Daylen stood in front of her mirror after she was dressed for school the next morning. She wore her white stirrup leggings, an oversized hot pink t-shirt with ‘Hey Dude’ written in white and tied to the side of her left hip. She put on her matching pink and white slouch socks and Keds. Her hair once again was half up, half down and curled into tight banana curls. A pink clip wrapped around the base of her ponytail to make it stand up high and to the side.

Daylen prayed that she looked cool enough that the other girls didn’t make fun of her again. She also hoped that Chase still thought she looked pretty and remembered to let her sit with him on the bus.

“Daylen! Get some pep in that step and get down here to eat, before the bus gets here.” Her mother shouted up to her.

“Coming, mom!” Daylen yelled back.

She grabbed her NKOTB bookbag, blew her customary goodbye kiss to her Jordan Knight poster, and ran out of her bedroom. Daylen sped down the stairs and around the corner, into the kitchen. On the table were a bowl and a box of raisin bran next to it. Her heart sank at the sight of the healthier cereal choice. She wanted something extra sweet with some food coloring for good measure.

“Don’t give that look. Eat your cereal. You don’t need all that sugar.” Her mother, Pat, scolded, reading her mind.

Daylen collapsed in her chair and slumped down, pouting. It was the only sign of defiance she could get away with and she took it. Her stomach growled, but it took all she had to get the bland cereal down her throat.

“Here is the permission slip and check for you to join orchestra and to get your cello. I’m putting it in your bookbag so you don’t forget. Make sure you give it to Miss Penny.” Pat opened Daylen’s backpack and slid in the two pieces of paper. “Do you hear me?”

“Yes, mom.” Daylen fidgeted in her seat for a moment, building up her bravery. “Do I have to play the cello? It’s
soooo
big! Most of the girls are picking the violin.” Daylen complained.

“You don’t need to be like most girls. Now finish your cereal before you’re late.” Pat said, officially ending the discussion.

“Orchestra is so lame,” Daylen grumbled under her breath.

“What did you just say?” Pat turned and gave her daughter the classic black mom stink-eye.

“Nothing.” Daylen shrunk down in her chair, fearing the wrath of Patricia Daniels.

Pat was a no-nonsense nurse practitioner. She was a recent divorcee, which gave her time to focus solely on her daughter. And she strove for nothing but perfection from Daylen.

“That’s what I thought. Joining the orchestra is for your own good. If you’re busy with after-school activities, you won’t have time to run in the streets. And it’ll give you some culture.” Pat leaned down, putting her at eye level with her daughter. “Now don’t question me again. You understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Daylen said softly. Resolutely.

“Good.” She kissed Daylen’s temple. “Now get going. The bus will be here any minute. I don’t want you to miss it like yesterday. I can’t be late for work today, messing around dropping you off.”

Daylen grabbed her bookbag and headed out the front door. She started down the sidewalk and saw Chase standing at the bus stop. Her stomach flip-flopped at the memory of his kind words. She still couldn’t believe how nice he was when she knew that he was one of the popular boys and in the fifth grade too. The fifth graders ruled the school.

Chase McCoy was the cutest boy Daylen had ever seen. His sandy blond hair had the slightest curl at the ends that fell in his eyes. His lips were unusually full for a boy, though what made her swoon the most was Chase also had the biggest, prettiest light brown eyes. When he’d helped her up off the floor of the bus, Daylen had noticed his long blond-tipped eyelashes and that his amber eyes had flecks of green in them. It wouldn’t be long before he took Jordan Knight’s place in her nine-year-old heart.

As she approached the bus stop, Daylen sighed in relief when Chase looked up and waved happily at her. She smiled brightly at him as she stepped up to him.

“Hey, Daylen!”

“Hi, Chase,” she said softly.

“So do you like it here?” Chase asked curiously.

“I don’t know. I guess it’s alright.” Daylen shrugged.

“Where did you move from?”

“Indianapolis.”

“Why did you move to Illinois?”

“You ask a lot of questions.” Daylen blurted out.

“Sorry. I was just wondering.” Chase said sheepishly.

“My parents got a d-divorce.” Daylen whispered and stuttered out the last word like it was a dirty word.

“Oh…” Chase replied awkwardly. He noted how embarrassed Daylen looked and decided to confess his thoughts to make her feel better. “I wish my parents would get divorced.”

Daylen looked up in shock, always surprised by the honesty of the older boy. “Really?”

“Yeah, my dad’s a jerk.” Chase grumbled and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Daylen blinked at him in disbelief. She had never heard a kid badmouth their parents before.

“Is your dad a jerk too and that’s why they got divorced?” Chase asked.

Daylen shrugged her little round shoulders. “I dunno. I guess. They yelled a lot and my mom said my dad has a new girlfriend.” She confessed sadly.

Chase nodded his head solemnly. “Yeah, my parents yell a lot too. Well, really only my dad.” He kicked a rock as the bus pulled up.

Chase let Daylen step onto the bus first. Since they were one of the first stops, the seats were still relatively empty. Instead of going to the back where she knew those girls would sit, Daylen chose a middle seat. She plopped down and slid over to the window. Chase immediately sat next to her. She looked at him with wide eyes, still amazed that he had kept his word.

The bus made its way around to all the nearby neighborhoods, filling up quickly. Daylen watched as Chase’s friend looked at her in the seat he normally sat in with his buddy. She prayed that he didn’t kick her out, but he just shrugged and sat across the aisle from Chase.

“Hey, dude. This is Daylen. She’s gonna sit with me, so those stupid girls don’t mess with her anymore.” Chase informed his friend nonchalantly.

“Sup, Daylen? I’m Miguel, the coolest kid at
Dick
son.” Miguel put emphasize on the word ‘dick’ and gave her a sly smile.

Daylen slapped a hand over her mouth and giggled happily at him.

“Don’t listen to him, Daylen. He only thinks he’s cool cause his brother teaches him nasty stuff to tell at school.” Chase playfully punched his friend.

“Fine. You’ve got the face. But I’ve got the moves.” Miguel said as he pop-locked from one hand to the other, rolling his shoulders as he went.

Daylen and Chase, both burst into fits of laughter at Miguel’s antics. The bus rolled to a stop and the pack of popular fifth-grade girls piled on. Daylen’s laughter died a quick death in her throat as Whitney shot daggers at her. It was obvious that the popular girl was furious at where and who Daylen was sitting with.

Unable to keep her remarks to herself, even to impress Chase. Whitney stopped and scowled down at Daylen. Her gang of friends, right behind her.

“What are you doing sitting there, Fatso? I said to sit with all the rejects in the front,” Whitney sneered.

“Leave her alone, Whitney. She’s sitting with me now.” Chase defended her.

“Yeah, she’s cool people.” Miguel chimed in.

Whitney smacked her lips and rolled her eyes. “What-
ever
!” She exclaimed as she flipped her hair and proceeded to the back of the bus with her troop of evil minions.

“Sorry about that, Daylen. Don’t even worry about her. They’re just-”

“Stupid?” Daylen used his favorite insult and gave him a small smile.

“Yeah.” Chase grinned.

“So…hey, man. You not interested in Whitney anymore?” Miguel leaned over the aisle to ask quietly.

“Naw, I thought she was cool, but not really anymore,” Chase revealed.

A huge smile spread across Daylen’s face at this revelation, though she remained quiet.

“Rad! Do you mind if I ask her to be my girlfriend? I like girls with attitude. Harder to tame.” Miguel smirked, obviously quoting something is older brother had said.

“Go for it.” Chase shrugged.

They rode the rest of the way to school listening to Miguel regale them with stories about his big brother and how he planned on asking Whitney out. When they got to school and poured off the bus, Whitney and her gang immediately tried to surround Daylen, circling her like a pack of ravenous wolves. Daylen braced herself, ready for a fight though she had never fought in her life. She tried to hold in her fear, as well as her tears. And as was becoming habit, Chase swooped in to save the day.

Chase wrapped an arm around Daylen’s shoulders. “Come on, Daylen. I’ll walk you to your line.”

Whitney saw this and stormed off in a huff. As he walked her over to the fourth-grade line waiting to enter the building, all the little girls in her grade tittered with excitement. Then Chase released her shoulders and she walked to the back of the line. All the girls stared at her in awe.

“Is he your boyfriend?” A girl named Amy, with fiery red curls, asked her and they all listened with bated breath.

“N-No. He’s my friend.” Daylen said softly though she wished that he was her boyfriend.

Daylen watched as Chase walked over to the line next to hers. The older boys started shoving him around good-naturedly.

“Hey, Chase! Is that your new girlfriend?!” One of the boys shouted out.

“Shut up, dude. She’s just my neighbor. Like my little sister or something.” Chase pushed the boy that had asked in embarrassment. His face, beet red.

Daylen’s heart sunk at his words. Little did she know that that statement would set a precedent for their entire relationship.

Chapter 3

Chase and Miguel stood outside of the bus after school, while all the other kids piled on. He was waiting for Daylen, so she didn’t have to get on the bus alone and be bothered by Whitney and her crew. After a while, when all the kids were on and the bus driver was yelling at them to get on, Chase realized she wasn’t coming. He hoped that everything was okay. He didn’t know why, but he felt very protective of the younger girl.

The bus ride home was fairly uneventful. Other than Miguel starting a paper wad fight. Then being forced to sit at the front of the bus right behind the bus driver. At his stop, Chase hopped off the bus and prayed that his father was passed out drunk like he had been the day before.

When he reached his front door, Chase pushed it open quietly. He hoped that he could get past his dad and head straight upstairs to his room. Unfortunately, it was not his lucky day.

“Hey, kid! Go get your dad another beer, would ya?” Ben bellowed from the family room.

Chase sighed and walked into the kitchen. He found his mother there, leaning against the kitchen sink. She stared out the window with damp cheeks.

“Hi, mom,” Chase said softly. “You alright?”

Stephanie quickly wiped at her face with the back of her hands.

“I’m fine, Chase.” She plastered a fake smile on her face, that didn’t come close to reaching her eyes. The same amber and green-flecked eyes as his. “I didn’t realize you were home.”

“Yeah,” Chase said morosely.

He went to the fridge and opened the door.

“Your dad want another beer?” His mom asked.

“Yeah.”

“Alright. I’ll bring it to him. You just go upstairs and do your homework.” Stephanie offered as she took the cold can from his hands.

“Okay.”

And so it went, like most days. Chase didn’t say much, just responding with one-word answers. His mom pretended that she was okay. His dad drank till oblivion. A good day was when he didn’t shout. Today would not be one of those days.

Dinner came too soon and Chase made his way downstairs. He was starving, but dinner was always a tense affair. It could go either way. Either his father would scarf down his food and go back to the family room. Or he’d yell. Chase never knew which it would be and neither did his mother, so they’d sit rigidly in their chairs. While his oblivious father would slouch in his seat like a king on his throne.

Chase helped his mother set the table. Then he quietly sat at the dinner table, while his mother went to get his father. Ben stumbled into the kitchen, pulled out his chair and flopped down, waiting to be served. Stephanie placed a plate of pork chops, mashed potatoes, and peas in front of him.

Ben cut a piece of pork and started to chew. His face turned up in disgust and he threw down his fork and knife.

“What the fuck is this shit?!” Ben growled at his wife.

“Its pork chops like you wanted.” Stephanie’s voice quivered, seeing what was coming.

“I didn’t ask for this shit! If I wanted tasteless rubber, I would’ve went out to the car. Took the goddamn tires off of it and thrown it on the fucking grill!” Ben bellowed and both Chase and Stephanie shrunk back at his wrath.

“What do you want me to do, Ben?” Stephanie asked in frustration.

“I want you to cook my goddamn meals like I like them.” Ben stood up with his plate and threw it into the sink, shattering the plate and sending food flying everywhere.

“Then fucking cook them yourself, you ungrateful bastard!” Stephanie uncharacteristically shouted back.

“You fucking bitch!” Ben raised his hand to hit his wife.

“Leave her alone!” Chase dove in front of her and took the smack directly to the side of his face.

He fell to the floor and Stephanie crouched over him protectively as Ben raised his hand again. His eyes came back into focus as he looked down at his cowering family and he cursed in frustration.

“Fuck this shit! I’m going to the bar. I’d rather eat their slop than your terrible fucking food.” Ben growled.

He ripped his keys off of the hook on the wall and stormed out of the house. The only sounds left in the house were their broken sobs and the TV in the other room.

~~~

Daylen and her mother heard the racket coming from next door as they sat down to dinner. Daylen’s eyes widened with fear at the language and volume of a man’s voice coming from Chase’s house. She remembered what Chase had said earlier that morning.
Yeah, my dad’s a jerk.
She hoped that wasn’t him yelling. Her father may have been a lot of things, namely, never around. But he had never talked to her or her mother like that. Their fights had never reached the level of disrespect like she heard now.

“Daylen…eat your food. That’s none of our business.” Her mother said in warning.

Daylen didn’t agree. She so badly wanted to ask her mother to call for help. That the boy that lived next door had helped her when she was in need. But she didn’t want her mother to know that she was having problems in school. Pat Daniels would either march right down to the school demanding that the girls leave Daylen alone, which would make her look like a big cry baby. Or worse, she’d tell Daylen to fight back. Daylen was terrified to fight one girl, let alone her whole group.

Daylen decided to keep quiet and prayed the fighting would stop. She excused herself after dinner and went up to her bedroom to read one of her new Judy Blume books. It was a beautiful, end of summer evening. A cool breeze blew in from her open window into her room, ruffling her pink curtains. Daylen laid her book down on her lap, closed her eyes, and raised her face to feel the breeze blow over her. Next to cookies and the smell of flowers in the spring; soft, cool breezes were her favorite things.

The soothing air carried with it the sounds of someone crying. Daylen sat up straighter and turned her head to the right, listening closely. Again she heard sniffles coming from outside. Quickly, she placed her bookmark in the book to hold her page and laid the book down on her daybed. Daylen walked over to the window and lifted the screen. She peered out into the night, the sniffling came from the tree next to her window.

When she and her mother first moved into the house, Daylen had noticed that there was a makeshift treehouse in the tree in between her and Chase’s houses. She figured that’s where the crying was coming from.

“Chase?” Daylen called out softly, in the direction of the tree.

The crying suddenly stopped.

“Chase, are you out there?” She tried again.

“G-Go away, Daylen.” His trembling voice reached her.

Daylen looked at the tree limbs right outside her window. They were thick and sturdy, so she figured they should be able to hold her weight. She climbed onto the ledge of her window and gingerly placed one foot on a thick, twisting limb and pushed down to test it. It barely moved. Daylen set her other foot on the branch, reached for the one over her head, and stood up. Slowly, she went hand-over-hand, holding onto the limb above in a death grip and took slow steps towards the treehouse.

Once she reached the tiny house, Daylen tapped gently on one of the wooden slats. She could see Chase huddled in a corner, through a makeshift window. His knees were raised to his chest and his forehead rested on top of them.

“Chase, are you okay?” Daylen asked, startling him.

“What are you doing here? That was dangerous, Daylen!” Chase whispered loudly. “You could’ve fallen or something.”

“I’m okay. It was easy.” Daylen said proudly. “So are you gonna let me in?”

“Go inside, Daylen. I don’t wanna talk.” Chase grumbled.

“That’s okay. You don’t have to. I can just sit with you.” Daylen offered.

“Fine. Come in.” Chase conceded.

Daylen stepped onto the branch in front of the burlap flap that posed as a door. She crouched down and crawled into the treehouse.

“Wow! Who made this treehouse?” Daylen asked in awe of the dilapidated hovel.

“Me and my friends,” Chase said around a couple of sniffles. “You weren’t on the bus home earlier.”

“I know. I had to stay longer and take the late bus because now I have orchestra.” Daylen rolled her eyes.

“Oh…” Chase responded.

“Are you sad?” She asked curiously. She tried to look at his face, but he just kept his head down.

“I thought you said you were just gonna sit with me?” Chase frowned at her.

“I know…but me and my mom heard yelling over here. I wanted her to call the police, but she said it was none of our business. I just wanted to see if you’re okay. You helped me, so I wanted to help you.” Daylen explained.

Slowly, Chase lifted his head off of his knees. Through the slats of the treehouse, the streetlights softly illuminated the inside. Daylen’s eyes were instantly drawn to the huge bruise forming from his cheek to his eye on the left side of his face. Her eyes widened, her mouth fell open, and her breath hitched. She had gotten spankings before, but never anything like that.

Tears glistened in Chase’s eyes. “My dad’s an asshole,” he said matter-of-factly. His weary eyes looked far older than ten.

Daylen nodded her head as if she understood. There was nothing in her innocent mind that could think of the proper thing to say in a situation like this. Instead, she slowly scooted over to sit next to him, shoulder to shoulder. She reached for his small hand that rested at his side and he clutched her even smaller one tightly. For lack of anything better to do, Daylen stretched up and kissed his temple, just above the bruise. She said without words that she was there for him.

At the simple sign of affection, Chase’s head fell back to his knees and let out everything pent up inside him. Daylen remained quiet as he held onto her hand for dear life and cried till there was nothing left.

That night, an impenetrable bond was made.