Page 5 of Spike

It was then Irealized that the band had switched from playing laid back twangy surf musicand was now singing a song about Jesus. But even more importantly, Trixie wasbeing led away from me, and into the kitchen.

I understood. Shewas a good girl and I was a piece of shit jailbird. If I was a church dancechaperone, I’d steer her away from a guy like me too, but I had to talk to heragain before the night was over. I walked back to the table feelingsimultaneously like I was floating and had been gut punched.

“What the hell,bro?” Screek asked as I sat down. “What’s up with the disappearing act. Ithought you came here to chow down. You’d better hurry before dinner time isover.”

I pushed my plateaway. “It’s okay. I’m not really that hungry anymore.”

“Have you lostyour mind?” Screek asked mid-bite of his burger.

“I was just overthere talking to this girl, Trixie.”

“I noticed. Lookslike the pastor’s wife noticed too.”

“I’ve gotta talkto her again, man. She’s fucking perfect.”

“She’s pretty hot,for sure.”

“No. She’sperfect.” I flopped back in the metal chair. “Funny, smart, beautiful…”

“No girl isperfect, bro.”

“Joe Versus theVolcano is her favorite movie,” I replied.

“No fucking way.”

I nodded. Havingjust proved my point, Screek went back to his food, leaving me to my thoughts,which consumed me for the rest of the night.

CHAPTERTWO

Spike

THE BAND PLAYED foranother half hour or so. It was hard to tell, as every song sounded pretty muchlike the last one and they all used words I didn’t quite understand like‘sanctified’ and ‘redeemed.’ Plus, I never knew if they were supposed to besinging for us, to God, to Jesus or to some chick named Hosannah. I wasrelieved when they stopped playing, but only briefly, because after the musiccame the preaching.

I had become aguest of theLakewoodYouth Correctional Center two days after my fourteenth birthday and over thepast four years, I’d heard a thousand sermons delivered by a hundred differentpreachers. Some talked about love and forgiveness, others about heaven andhell, but it always boiled down to believing in something that I couldn’t see.Therefore, the very notion of God was a hard no from me, but I knew how tosmile and nod enough during a sermon to keep the attention off of me.

As a young child,I’d learned the skill of looking like I was paying attention while letting mymind go to a completely different place. A skill I was currently trying butfailing to employ.All I could think about was Trixie and when I’d get to talk to her again. Bythe time the preacher was delivering the obligatoryaltar callI was crawling outof my skin.When he asked us all to close our eyes and bow our heads, I made a break forthe kitchen. I knew from experience that every preacher would begin his prayerwith his eyes closed but would ultimately open them to count the hands of thosewho wanted to be ‘saved from eternal damnation.’ I had a very brief window oftime, and I wasn’t about to waste it.

I stayed low,moving as quickly as I could in the sand. As difficult as it was to walk in, Iwas thankful for its sound deadening properties. I stayed hidden in theshadows, finally making my way to the makeshift kitchen. I slowly poked my headthrough the thick black curtain to find Sherri Mitchell standing, arms foldedand high-heel-shoed foot tapping on the vinyl flooring. With her bottle dyedred hair, and pearl necklace, all she needed was rolling pin to complete thelook of a nineteen fifty’s housewife waiting at home for her drunken husband towalk through the door.

** *

Trixie

“What exactly doyou think you’re doing?” my mother screeched at a startled Spike, interruptingPastor Marty’s prayer.

“I…I’m sorry, Iwas just looking for the… men’s room,” he said with a smile, his head, stillthe only thing poking through the makeshift pipe and drape wall.

Spike’s smile wasthe most adorable thing I’d ever seen in my life. It was a crooked sort of grinthat pulled up and to the right. Too me it felt like a window into a sweetsoul, wrapped in an otherwise tough exterior.

“Get in here,right now,” my mother ordered, and Spike complied.

“I apologize,ma’am, I—”

“The restrooms arethrough the double doors and down the hall, but I believe you knew thatalready.” She narrowed her eyes and gave him her signature death glare. “Didn’tyou?”

“Yes, ma’am. Ididn’t mean to cause any trouble. Really, I was, just—”

“Sneaking in hereto bother my—”

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