Teej

Thank you, all of you. That means a lot.
Sorry it took so long to get this one up. It's a little slow, so just be patient. I will get things moving a little more soon! ;)

When we got to the house, TJ was still mute as she grabbed her stuff. Then she disappeared to her room. Mom and I took our time gathering up the rest of the things as we talked.
“What happened? In the attic, I mean,” I asked as I took hold of my icky green duffel and reached for a pillow with my free hand.
“Well… TJ’s going to need some space tonight, sweetheart,” Mom told me as she grabbed a sleeping bag and heaved it out of the trunk. She set it on the ground. “Let’s just leave it at that for now.”
We continued to make small talk as we brought the things up to the house. “I think I’ll lie down for a while before supper,” I told Mom as I climbed up the stairs. It was now 6:30 and she was heading to the kitchen.
“Good idea. You must be tired.”
I slowly made my way up the rest of the steps with my stuff and nudged my unlatched bedroom door open. Not caring where it landed, I dropped my armload on the floor and flopped on my bed, thinking of how good it felt to just lie there. I closed my eyes and allowed my body to relax, my mind to unwind. I told myself I wasn’t going to fall asleep- supper would be soon, anyway. But the command disappeared in the fog of my brain as I drifted off.
When I awoke, sunlight was streaming in through my window and birds were chirping outside. Slowly I sat up, finding that I was covered with a blanket. Glancing around, I saw my things in a neat stack by my closet and my door closed. Mom must’ve been here.
I blinked a few times, trying to acclimate to the bright lighting. I was home? Oh, yeah, we’d gotten back last night. Suddenly, everything from the past few days came rushing at me. The nightmare, the storm, the prayer, the trip home, the song in the sanctuary… I groaned and fell back on my bed, but the memories at breakneck speed didn’t stop there. The disappearance of TJ, the apology to God, finding TJ, loading the car and waiting for them to come out, getting home, crashing on my bed… My stomach growled and I recalled the fact that I had skipped supper last night.
Slowly I rolled out of bed, making the mattress creak on its springs. I padded over to my door and poked my head into the hall. No one around, but there was movement downstairs. I glanced at my clock and grimaced. It was 10:30- I never slept this late. I must’ve been really tired. Looking back to the hall, I saw that TJ’s door was closed; maybe she was still sleeping too. Suddenly I didn’t feel so bad.
I quietly made my way to the bathroom. My teeth felt gritty and I really needed a shower. I slipped inside and closed the door. Turning on the sink faucet, I adjusted it so it would be warm. Then I stood, finger under the stream of water, waiting for it to get warmed up. It never did. I clucked my tongue, slightly disgusted. Blake had gotten here first and the hot water was long gone.
Opening the bathroom door again, I started for the stairs.
 
*Sigh* Okay, guys. You've gotta tell me: does this all make sense? Or am I just messing my words up?

The smell of bacon teased my senses as I neared the kitchen. How nice of Mom, I thought, making a big breakfast and all. I could picture my family; sitting around the table, having a nonchalant brunch, waiting for the last of us to get up. Strangely, though, I wasn’t hearing any sounds rounding the corner of the foyer into the living room. There had been movement down here when I had started for the bathroom, hadn’t there? Puzzled, I pushed my way through the swinging door to the kitchen.
The room was empty.
Startled at first, I slowly ventured further into the kitchen. The table was set with three plates, all covered. I peeked under the paper towels to find one of bacon, one of eggs, and one of French toast.
But there were no people.
As I glanced around, a note on the refrigerator caught my attention. Coming closer, I read:
Jen- Went to visit Grandma M. Be back later. Food’s on the table. Get some rest. Love, Mom, Dad, and Blake
So that’s where they were. Grandma Matthews lived in a nursing home about an hour and a half away. We went to visit her once a month, and usually stayed all day. But this time, my parents had decided to let me sleep, and I was thankful. I realized the must have just been leaving when I got up.
The food was lukewarm now, but I ate some anyway; I knew that after skipping supper last night, I needed some protein. There was still no sign of TJ as I started to put the leftovers away. For a while, I simply sat at the island facing the kitchen door, remembering last Wednesday morning when the two of us kept falling asleep in our cereal. I didn’t really expect to see her much today; after all, Mom had said she would need space. She would probably just lock herself in her room again. I stared blankly at the marble countertop and traced my finger in a nonexistent pattern.
When I looked up, I saw only the white swinging door to the living room. I knew what lay beyond it, but I felt a sudden urge to go look, just one more time. After all, I had nothing better to do. My legs straightened seemingly on their own, and before I realized it, I was standing in the living room.
I was facing the Landon wall.
This was the place where Landon’s memory lived, besides in our hearts. The wall was graced with pictures of him, perhaps so we would never forget, or maybe so we could feel him with us as we gathered as a family. I wasn’t sure what my parents’ motive was with the Landon wall, to be honest, but I had mixed feelings towards it. Sometimes it brought about the familiar--but painful--ache of missing him, other times I was glad for the chance to see his face. Now I stood before it, scanning the photos, not sure what I felt.
There was a soft cough behind me, and I turned to see TJ. Timidly she stepped forward a few paces.
“Do you miss him?” she asked quietly after a few moments.
Startled, I looked at her. “Landon?” How does she know about-?
“Yes. Landon. Do you miss him?”
“Yes,” I answered, turning back to the wall. “Every day.”
Silence. Finally, TJ spoke again. “C…can you tell me about him?”
 
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Thanks, guys! The next part is coming... slowly but surely. It should be up by the end of the weekend... hopefully!
Hey (hehe), if anyone who reads this is in the habit of reccomending stories in their sigs and happens to like this...feel free! ;) :D
 
Agh! Finally! Sorry it took so long, guys. Hope your Thanksgiving was great!

Studying the pictures, I tried to collect myself. Why did Teej want to know? Why was she suddenly talking to me? How did she know about Landon? As far as I knew, no one had told her that she was staying in my brother’s room. How much did she know? What should I say? I took a deep breath. “Landon was my older brother…”
And, just like that, the story began to unfold once again. Every detail of the first 12 years of my life was presenting itself in my memory, yet staying only long enough for me to describe it in all its vividness before moving to the next scene. Time and dimension faded as I let the tale tumble out of me, occasionally pointing at pictures on the wall and explaining the stories behind them. Tears without end streamed down my face but I kept going, my voice not wavering. TJ was an attentive listener, never asking questions though it probably didn’t all make sense.
For a long while, we stood before the wall; her listening to me talk. I closed my eyes as I spoke, allowing the memories to play out across my closed eyelids. There was no stopping them. I knew I probably looked silly. Standing there, in the middle of the living room in my pajamas, fat teardrops rolling down my cheeks without any attempt to wipe them away, I must have been quite a sight. But it was like reliving every day with Landon, and I couldn’t stop, the story kept right on spilling.
The story was winding down to his death, and my throat began to constrict. It was getting harder to speak with each word.
“The tournament was in across the border, in South Dakota. They made it there perfectly fine; competed, placed, and started heading back.” I was fighting off sobs now, but willed myself to finish. “They were crossing an intersection on a yellow light, and an over-eager truck driver started through and didn’t see them. The car… rolled.”
I was full out weeping now, and TJ made a hesitant attempt to comfort me. She timidly came closer and started to gently rub my back, letting me cry.
“I’m so sorry,” she murmured, the first thing she had said since the story began. “I… I had no idea.”
We stood like that for a while, until I finally pushed the sobs aside to finish the story.
“Cameron made it out pretty banged up, but Landon… didn’t make it out at all. The paramedics did… everything they could.” I took a deep breath, trying to be strong. “But it didn’t do any good. He… he died at the scene,” I finished quietly, directing my gaze to the floor. Should I tell her the entire story? I paused, then decided to leave out the part where my name was the last thing Landon said, but TJ didn’t notice my hesitance. She led me over to the couch and we sat in silence for a long moment.
“Why did you want to know about Landon?” I finally whispered, studying her face.
TJ closed her eyes and tipped her head back, as if contemplating what to say. She looked back at me and opened her mouth to speak, just as the front door opened.
 
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