MAKESHiFT WiNGS, CHAPTER 1           I typed relentlessly at my typewriter, listening to my parents argue. I grumbled and turned up my Walkman, listening to the local college radio station. The Clash was playing and I hummed along softly, pounding out the last few sentences of my first novel. A grin broke out on my face as I ended the work. I removed the page from the confines of the ancient machine and slipped it into a purple folder. The folder bulged with endless pages containing the story of a down-and-out girl who found all her dreams come true when she took a different road home. I took off my headphones and hid the folder under a loose floorboard in my room. I shut my door and the angry words seemed to muffle slightly. I stood in front of my mirror and smiled a little.
          I, Haley Matthews, was going to be that girl. I was going to get out of Waldorf, Maryland. I was going to break the bonds of society and rise up. I should begin by saying that my father is a drunkard who has been unemployed since before I was born. My mother works three jobs and gets paid less than minimum wage at each. We've lived in this shack ever since my parents were married. I was an accident, apparently. They were in high school, fooling around, and boom, I was conceived. My mom dropped out of school to care for me and my father went on to graduate last in his class. As soon as they could, they got married and my mother's had about five other children, all of whom were left on the street. What's become of them, I'll never know. I've been writing short stories for the Waldorf-Naptown Gazette since freshman year, earning me a sum of fifty to a hundred dollars weekly. I go to La Plata High School where I don't stand out, but I don't fit in, either. Which brings me to the second joy of my life: my friends. Joel, Benji, Billy, Paul, and Aaron..the best friends I could ever ask for. We're all similar, we're all nonconformists. I met Billy when an old boyfriend of mine was playing a gig with his band. Billy and I ended up becoming friends and dated and I grew to be friends with all of the guys. Billy and I have since broken up, but we'll be friends until the day we die.
          My window opened suddenly and Benji slid in, being careful not to creak the floorboards to cause suspicion from my vigilant mother. I smiled and grabbed a navy blue jacket from my bed. I put it on, admiring the band patches I had meticulously sewn all over it. He grinned at me as I locked my door. He helped me outside and shut the window after him. We walked across my overgrown lawn to the 1980s Buick parked down the street. "Thanks for coming," I said to him when we were out of earshot of my house.
          "Don't worry about it; Mom loves you. You can come over when you want to," he replied, putting an arm around my shoulders.
          Benji and Joel were identical twins. Their father left them on Christmas Eve two years ago and they haven't seen him since. Their mother has raised them, along with their younger sister Sarah and younger brother Josh, and has done a wonderful job. They were evicted from their grandeur house when their dad left and now live in a small, sort-of picturesque house down the street from me. They know what it's like to be at the bottom of the barrel.
          Benji opened the back door of the Buick for me and got into the passenger seat, himself. I shut the door after me and Joel turned back to look at me. "Hey Haley," he greeted, winking at me. I smiled and blushed, looking at my paint-splattered combat boots. Joel sped down the road, driving towards his own house. "We've got a gig tomorrow night..you comin'?" he asked, looking at me via the rearview mirror.
          "Of course! I wouldn't miss it," I replied, tucking my black hair behind my ears.
          "Cool." Within a few short minutes, we were at their house. The porch lights were on and Mrs. Combs was waiting outside. "Hey Mom!" Joel called as he got out of the car. She waved and came down the steps.
          "She's in bed already..just don't make too much noise," Mrs. Combs warned, kissing both Joel and Benji on their cheeks. "Hello, Haley," she said, giving me a hug.
          "Hello, Mrs. Combs," I replied, hugging her back. She got into the Buick and left. "So what's for tonight?" I asked, shoving my hands in the pockets of my faded jeans.
          "Uhm..will you help me with my geometry homework?" Joel asked, walking up the front steps and onto his porch.
          "Sure," I answered, smiling a little. He went inside and Benji and I followed. They led me up to their room and I cleared a spot for myself on their floor. A small boombox sat on top of a pile of ancient books in the corner. Benji pressed play and flopped onto his unmade bed. Joel grabbed his backpack and took out his math book. I cleared magazines, guitar strings, and dirty clothes out of the way so he could sit beside me. He dropped down next to me and opened to his homework. "What's the trouble this week?" I inquired, peering at the page.
          "Triangles," he muttered, searching through the mess for a pencil. He found one and handed it to me, scouring for a piece of paper. I bit my lip and examined the chapter. He produced a notebook and opened to a clean page. "Explain it all. I fell asleep in class." He grinned sheepishly and I smacked his arm.
          "Joel!" I yelped, scowling. "You can't fall asleep in class and expect me to help you."
          "You do it anyway, Hale.." Benji said, thumbing lazily through a magazine. I blushed and threw a very dirty sock at his face. He laughed hysterically and I emitted a low growl.
          "So back to triangles.." I sighed and began to explain them to Joel. It took a full fifteen minutes for him to understand supplementary and complementary angles. I looked up into his brown eyes. "You get it?" I asked, arching a brow.
          "Yeah, kinda.."
          "Ready to try that homework?" He nodded and emerged himself in his homework, pacing himself.
          "I ain't gonna need math when we get famous," Benji mumbled dreamily, leaning back on his bed and staring at the ceiling. "I know how to add and subtract. That's all I need.."
          "What about figuring out how many records you sold? Or how much profit you made?" I asked, looking up at him.
          "No, I'll get people to take care of that. What I'll need math for is to add how many girls are in my bed and how to subtract their clothes." He snickered and winked at me. "And of course you'll among my throng of rabid fans, right?"
          "Not in a million years," I shot back, smiling smugly at him.
          "Awww, come on! I'll treat you extra specialllll," he said, smiling very cheesily at me.
          "Done," Joel said with a hint of uncertainty. I looked over his paper and smiled. "Pretty good?"
          "You got them all right!" I smiled and he cheered softly. "Miss Hawkins will be proud."
          "Damn straight," he shouted, hugging me tightly. I hugged back and smiled. "Now we can get down to business." Benji hopped off the bed and picked up his guitar from the corner. The fading blue paint gleamed under the dimming lights. He grabbed a pic off the floor and sat cross-legged on the bed again. Joel sat beside him and cleared his throat. I smiled up at him and Benji began to play a few chords before looking at Joel. "One..two.." Benji began to play a ballad-like song. I smiled and hugged my knees to my chest. Joel began to sing:

I am lost in the see-through
I think you lost yourself too
Throughout all of this confusion
I hope I somehow get to you
I practiced all the things I'd say
To tell you how I feel
And when I finally get my chance
It all seems so surreal
'Cause from the first time I saw you
I only thought about you
I didn't know you
I wanted to hold onto
The things you'd never say to me

          They ended and I clapped, grinning from ear to ear. "Whadja think?" Joel asked, running a hand through his jet-black hair.
          "That..was a GREAT song," I replied, resting my chin on my knees.
          "We wrote it last night with Paul," Benji explained, resting his guitar on the floor.
          "It's really great," I said again, tilting my head to the side. The phone rang and Benji sprang for it.
          "'Lo?" he asked, hanging halfway off the bed. He paused and a smiled inked across his face. "Yeah, hang on. Lemme go grab the cordless.." He handed the receiver to Joel and went down the hall to his mother's room. He got the phone and Joel hung up. I stared at the floor and lost myself in thought. Before I knew it, Joel was kneeling in front of me, waving his hands.
          "Haaaaaley..you alive in there?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and passing a hand in front of my eyes. I blinked and my eyes focused on him. He smiled and sat back. "Glad to see you're with us again." I blushed and tucked my hair behind my ears again. He laughed and sat cross-legged before me. "You're too quiet tonight."
          "Just thinkin'.." I hugged my knees tighter and examined the hazardous rug. Several silent moments passed before either of us moved. Joel looked up at the door and I assumed Benji had returned. Joel stirred and moved closer to me.
          "Hale?" he asked, right beside me. I looked at him, staring into his big brown eyes. "Have you ever been in love?"
          "Can't say so..why do you ask?" He looked at his carpet and sighed.
          "I've got a..sort of problem."
          "You can talk to me, Joely, you know I'm here for you.."
          "Well..I'm friends with this girl. And she's amazing. She's into all the same stuff I am, she's funny and smart and beautiful and she doesn't care about anything at all." I nodded, smiling. "I'm afraid to tell her how I feel."
          "Well, what kind of a girl is she?"
          "She's..she's like you and I..a normal, average kid."
          "How long have you known her?"
          "Since forever."
          "So this shouldn't be a problem.."
          "But it is. I mean, I can't just TELL her. I'd be too embarrassed."
          "Write her a note?" He shook his head. "Sing her that song you just sang me?"
          "I wrote that for her."
          "I liked it. I thought it was really sweet. Maybe she'll like it, too." He shifted nervously and looked back up at me.
          "Haley..I think I love you." I blinked at him, searching his eyes for some kind of laughter. His brow tensed and his eyes remained locked on mine.
          "Joel.."
          "I knew it..I just knew it. You don't like me at all. We're just friends and that's how it has to be, right?" He stood and paced the floor angrily. I stood slowly and put a hand gingerly on his shoulder.
          "No..not at all." I whispered as he turned to face me. "It's just the opposite." He gave me a quizzical look and I brushed his cheek with my hand. "Joel..I love you, too." His eyes grew wide and the laughter returned to them. He pulled me into a tight hug, holding me for what seemed like forever. I inhaled the smell of his skin, the gel in his hair, the detergent on his shirt. All of it was just so Joel. All of it was that perfect night.


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