Mollie
Renshaw
Chapter
1
The iPad played “The
Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” on repeat for hours, before
Mollie woke up. James Renshaw, her father, had been in the kitchen
all night alternating shots of whisky and hits of cocaine, alone. He
was passed out now, a Bud Light bottle lay spilt on the floor under
his chair.
No one knew why
James did this, but it happened frequently. He’d just sit his
chair, stare, and play a song on repeat. Mollie figured he was sad,
so she left him alone. James loved her, she knew that, he always
said, “You’re my baby girl, Daddy loves you.” But he hit her
too, from time to time.
“God, dammit
Mollie, why’d you turn the fukin music off,” James said as he
slapped the right, backside of her head. Mollie began to tremble.
She’d turned her back to him looking to switch off the iPlayer.
The music was so loud in the kitchen when she turned it off, the
silence woke him up. “Daddy, I’m sorry, it’s just that it was
so loud in here, I turned the music off,” Mollie said. She never
turned back to look at him, just cowered a bit as she walked to her
room with wet eyes. This wasn’t her Daddy, her Daddy was somewhere
else, Daddy never hit her. As long as she didn’t look at him, she
could lie and believe it.
James took another
bump. He’d been feeling sorry for himself for the last 10 years,
since Mollie’s mom disappeared. She’d been raped by one the
Bandito gang members. James didn’t stand up for her. James never
wanted to join the Banditos, but he got forced into it. He didn’t
do too much. He’d just make a run of heroin and coke out of
Monterrey to Houston, twice a month.
Life started out
promising for him. He joined the Army at 17, with a waiver from his
dad. Just before the 1st Gulf War. He bragged about
being in the Battle of Wadi Al-Batin with 1st Cav, but
really just drove a truck around to stirr up clouds of dust in a
deception movement. The real action was from the northwest. However,
it didn’t stop him from getting what the VA called, “Gulf War
Syndrome.” Alot of folks just thought he was lazy. And I guess you
could say so. However, James suffered from fatigue, headaches,
memory problems, and broke into hives quite often.
He left the Army
soon after Marlon was born, his son from his first wife. Marlon had
black hair, just like his mother. He met Marlon’s mom in Killeen,
after he came back from Iraq. She was what they called a
dependapotamus, one of those women that hung around base, mooching
off soldiers. She was about 10 years older than James when they met.
He never really liked her, but he slept with her a lot. So did some
of the other guys in his unit. James was never sure Marlon was his,
but he married her, when he found out she was pregnant. With his
dishonorable discharge for cocaine, Marlon’s mom ran off to find
another sucker.
Marlon lived in the
house with James and Mollie. He had a part time job at Kutzer Body
shop, but made good side money selling meth. Marlon was smart
enough, but apathetic. They’d lived in the house for about two
years. James’ grandmother left him the house when she died,
because he had the two kids. The house was a welcome change from the
little travel trailer they lived in before, out at his uncles place.
After two years, however, the house was just as filthy. If James’
grandmother were still alive, she’d have a foot in his ass, about
how they lived, White trash Appalachia style.
“Mollie, get your
ass in here,” James yelled. Mollie complied. “Hey baby girl,
why don’t you let daddy take you to school, its 7:30 you know.”
Mollie always liked it when her dad took her to school. He never
made her wear a helmet on the back of the Harley, which meant she
could wear her hair in a ponytail and not have to waste a bunch of
time fixing it. She had red hair. It wasn’t crazy red, but more
like a red-blonde. She had green eyes too. She always loved her
green eyes. Her daddy said those eyes were green like her mammas,
and her mammas mamma. James pulled up in front of the school and
revved the motor rapidly, over and over, making the exhaust scream.
Mollie always like that motor revving thing too. “I love you
Daddy, see you after school.” “I love you too, baby girl,”
James said as he sped away, squealing the tire.
Mollie was born as
Margret Jean Renshaw in Nov of 2002, in Austin. She was a Scorpio.
Daddy always told her she was named after his grandmother, Margret
Jean Mc Laine. MeMe McLaine was feisty, and drank whisky every day,
but she worked hard as a house cleaning lady. She died of a heart
attack at 78. Mollie took after her great-grandmother in some ways,
but mostly she was like her mom. Mollie’s mom was smart enough to
know how to manage her temper and easily acted cynically,
manipulating others to get what she wanted. That’s why she pissed
off the Bandito, who raped her out of spite.
Ding, clickity,
cling, was the notification sound Mollie set for Facebook messenger,
but in school she just set visual notifications on. She didn’t
notice the message from Joel about the dime bag he scored. Joel was
her guy friend. He hooked her up with weed sometimes. Joel’s
older brother had a friend named Miguel. One time, Joel walked in on
his brother and Miguel making out so Miguel always gave Joel some
weed, so he wouldn’t say anything to Joel’s parents.
In first period
Mollie was in Texas History class. All seventh graders in Texas have
to take Texas history. Her teacher was Amy Whitecotton. Ms.
Whitecotton was 5’3. A heavy set brunette. She didn’t like kids
or teaching. She taught for five years at Bruce Elementary in
Houston’s 5th Ward. Under Bush’s No Child Left Behind,
she was able to apply to the inner city program and the federal
government paid off her school loans. On the condition she worked in
the inner city for five years. Her husband worked for KBR (Kellog
Brown and Root) and made the real money. With the no-bid government
contracts and the 2nd Iraq War, he cleaned house. But KBR
close up its offices in the 5th ward in 2010 and he was
laid off.
Hayden dropped a
note off at Mollie’s desk, just as the bell rang. It was folded up
in the normal fashion of a young boy who’d never gift wrapped any
boxes for Christmas. Hayden had a big crush on Mollie, but felt
stupid and inadequate. He finally got the courage to tell her, but
since he didn’t know her Snapchat name, he went old school with the
note. His mom suggested the note. She’d come in from her shift at
“The Office”. The Office was the name of the bar where she
worked. The local guys bought her drinks and shots, most nights. On
the night she suggested to Hayden to write the note, she was extra
drunk. Her “love”, unrequited love, stopped in earlier that day,
on his way back from the sale barn. That’s what sent her in the
downward spiral that night. Every night she had a different excuse
for getting drunk.
“Hayden, if you
like this girl Mollie, you need to tell her. You don’t know, she
probably likes you too,” his mom told him as she took a long drag
from her Marlboro light. “Just write her a note, boy.” “But
Mom, that’s not how it works these days,” Hayden tried to
explain. His mom quit listening. Her eyes light up when she’d
received a text from Jake. Jake was at the bar earlier and wanted to
stop by later to “hook up”. Hayden walked down the hall of the
trailer to his room. He knew his mom met guys at night, while he was
sleeping. Hayden’s dad hadn’t been around for about five years.
Note since the night when the cops came. Hayden was scared that
night with everyone screaming, so he just quit remembering exactly
what happened.
Hayden didn’t know
it, but Cooper saw him drop of the note to Mollie. Cooper was
instantly furious, an almost uncontrollable rage. He wanted to jump
right out of his chair and whip Hayden’s ass, but Ms. Whitecotton
called the class to attention. Ms. Whitecotton took attendance, so
the State could get paid. When she called out Cooper’s name he was
so mad he couldn’t talk. “Cooper, Cooper,” she said. “Hey
boy, you got wax in your ears,” she said, looking at him with those
squinty eyes and fat face. Cooper threw his books on the floor and
jumped up, flipping over his desk. One of the kids in the back of
the room pulled out is iPhone and started filming. “Get your ass
out of my class you little shit head,” Ms. Whitecotton yelled.
She’d gotten in trouble for cussing at kids before, but didn’t
care. Ms. Whitecotton was having an affair with the PE coach, whose
brother was the Superintendent, so she never got into any real
trouble.
She grabbed Cooper
and drug him out of the classroom, as he tried to take a swing at
her. “Fuck you, I hate you,” Cooper yelled while being drug down
the hall. The principal was in awe. He was standing in the hallway,
watching the action. He’d just texted Ms. Billings about a lunch
date. “I’ll be having you for lunch,” he texted, smiling as he
pushed send. “Hey, boy, what the hell is wrong with you?” the
principal yelled. Ms. Whitecotton handed Cooper off to the principal
and began walking back to her class. Cooper got drug all the way
into the principal’s office.
The principal, Mr.
McGrath had recently been promoted to principal of Clinton Junior
High. He’d always lusted after power but lacked real ambition. He
only took the job to increase his status in the community. He cared
about kids, but was more interested in using his position to
influence single moms to sleep with him. He had always lusted after
women. Mr. McGrath didn’t really understand how to deal with kids
like Cooper.
Cooper could have
been a good kid. He was smart, but angry. He lived out at the youth
home on the edge of town. Cooper didn’t know much about his real
parents. He’d been in a few foster homes, the type of foster homes
that just foster kids to get income from the State. Every time
things seemed to be working out, he’d get put in a new foster home.
For some reason, it was always around his birthday. Finally when he
was eleven, he ended up at the youth home. The older kids he roomed
with took the little things he really cared about. The signed rookie
card from Matt Harrison, who pitched for the Texas Rangers in 2011
World Series, they took that. He got that card when he lived in the
foster home up in Colleyville. Some business men sent local kids to
the game and he got selected. They also took his Tony Romo bobble
head. He always liked that thing. Probably because it was given to
him by Aunt Julie’s brother Michael.
Cooper always called
his foster moms, Aunt. Michael took him cruising around in his truck
some times. He was always throwing beer bottles at signs, on the
backroads around Weatherford, just west of Fort Worth, blaring Pat
Green on the CD changer. Micheal picked up the bobble head at the
Pilot truck stop on I-30, along with two, twelve packs of Bud Light
bottles.
Mr. McGrath hung up
the phone with the house parents from the youth home. He wanted to
see what should to be done with Cooper. They really didn’t know
either, but gave McGrath permission to give Cooper swats. “Cooper,
I’m going to swat you three times bud, so get ready to take what
you got coming,” McGrath said. Getting swats wasn’t nothing to
Cooper. He was used to it. He reveled in the pain. It wasn’t real
pain. Not like the time when Aunt Christi’s boyfriend beat him
with a 2x4 in Midlothian, because he didn’t fill up the ice trays.
He was nine then. Cooper still had a scar on his forehead from that
whippin.
“Okay, Mr.
McGrath, do what you got to do, I’m ready,” Cooper said as he
bent over the desk. Mr. McGrath swatted him three times. Cooper
laughed a little inside, but mad a sad face when he turned to face
McGrath. “Copper, you can’t be acting like this! Now get on down
to the cafeteria for lunch.” McGrath said.
Mollie and Joel were
sitting at the lunch table. “Mollie, did you get my message?”
Joel said. “Nah, what you talking bout?” Mollie replied. “I
scored some weed from Miguel, wanta go smoke after school?” he
said. “Sounds good to me, I’m pretty stressed. Something was
wrong with Dad this morning,” she said as her voice drifted away.
Joel gave her his extra peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Mollie
never really ate lunch, or brought one. James never had money to
give her, so someone always brought extra. Today it was Joel.
Mollie was looking
across at the commotion on the other side of the cafeteria. She
wasn’t sure what was going on, but a group of kids had gathered
around Hayden and Cooper. The kids were yelling and cheering. She
never read the note that Hayden had left at her desk. The note that
told her how much he liked her and how beautiful he thought she was.
She intended to, but with Cooper throwing his desk upside down, she
got side tracked. And, she couldn’t read it now, because she
couldn’t find it.
“Hayden, after
school, I’m going to kick your ass!” Cooper said as he glared.
Hayden was shocked. He couldn’t figure out why Cooper was so
pissed off. “Hey man, what the hell are you talking about?”
Hayden replied, somewhat taken aback. “Mollie is my girl bro, I
saw you drop off that note, with the little heart on it.” Cooper
said. Hayden was pissed. He didn’t think anyone saw him drop off
the note. He was probably more embarrassed, but he didn’t have a
way to distinguish the difference. “Alright, bro, where you wanta
get your whippin?” Hayden asked. “Across the street from school,
over on those hay bales, by the tractor, I’ll see you.” Cooper
responded.
Cooper didn’t have
any “claim” on Mollie. He’d never even told her he liked her.
He just decided he did, and figured she knew it. Mollie didn’t
really know who Cooper was, except that he was the weird kid, who was
mad a lot. Mollie was at that age where, she knew boys were
interested in her, but she wasn’t sure just why. She viewed all
boys as just any other person, just like her friend Joel or her
girlfriend Hannah. Hannah and Mollie were in the Girl Scouts about
two years ago. But Mollie didn’t come back to the meetings last
year, after Marlon’s girlfriend died.
Through the rest of
the afternoon at school, there were whispers of the big fight that
was supposed to happen between Hayden and Cooper. It spread through
the seventh grade like wildfire, and even the eighth graders caught
wind of it: a big fight across the street from school, on the
property owned by the PE coach’s dad, Mr. Trevino. Mr. Trevino had
baled hay on the 100 acres across the street from the new school
since he was a young kid. He father and his father before him did
the same. Actually the land the school was built on, and most of
where the town was built had at one time been owned by the Trevino
family. As far as Mr. Trevino could remember and the family lore
said that “The Trevino Family” owned that land, since the time of
the Spanish. The “lore” was probably made up, but the Trevino’s
had a lot of land, so it could have been true.
The last bell rang
at 15:45 on Wednesday November 25th, 2015, for Clinton
Junior High. It was time for Thanksgiving break.