The Long Way

A Story by smarvin45

The Long Way

He woke up late. The first day of school, and James was already late. In a frenzy, he threw off the covers and grabbed the closest shorts he could find. Yesterday's basketball shorts would have to do. Snatching an old Duke t-shirt from the top of his dresser, James waded through piles of dirty laundry and empty pizza boxes to get to his door. Sliding on a pair of black flip flops, James walked down the hall by instinct, to his brother's room. He opened the door, half-expecting to see Tanner staring back at him, wearing his new back to school clothes and a smile. But, the room was empty. The Duke basketball posters were taken down, the furniture was moved out, the carpet was torn up. It was a shell of the room his twin brother had called home. Stacks of condolence letters and hallmark cards were displayed prominently in the trashcan off in the corner of the room. James couldn't bear it much longer. He walked out, and slowly closed the door behind him. James would be starting his senior year in high school, very much alone.

The cool Wisconsin air greeted his toes first. He felt the morning chill settle in, as he walked toward the old pickup truck he and his brother had once shared. It didn't have all the bells and whistles, but it had character and charm. A faded blue paint job, a few missing screws, and a lifetime of memories (and maintenance headaches) were the main components of the truck's composition. Tanner usually drove to school in the morning, he liked driving. And besides, James could always use the extra 15 minutes of sleep along the way there. James unlocked the car door, hurled his backpack in the passenger seat, and stuck his key in the ignition. The engine whined and whistled with disgruntlement. James had to coax the old machine, like a lethargic farm animal, to move. James backed out of the long driveway, gripped the steering wheel tight enough to turn his knuckles white, and inched slowly along the dirt road leading out of the country backwoods he called home. Even though he didn't have time, he would take the long way around the lake on the way to school.

Tanner loved the long way. A short detour from the highly trafficked county road led to a quaint vista. The lake wasn't much to look at. Scarcely more than a mile wide at any point, it was often overrun by a thick layer of lily pads. But, it was a pleasant break from the bumper to bumper back to school rush hour. At first, The Long Way annoyed James. He just wanted to get to school and get the day over with. But, Tanner insisted. Every day, the two made a lap around the less than spectacular lake, before heading off to class. A few times, they had come after class and drank a few stolen beers on the short beach. But mostly, the lake was a short moment of peace in their lives. The dust trailed on behind James's truck, as he rode around the lake.

Even though they were twins, James and Tanner were nothing alike. Tanner was, by all means and measures, the better version of James. Smarter, more athletic, more motivated, and more charismatic, James couldn't help but feel like he lived in his twin's shadow. Tanner was an honor roll student, captain of two varsity sports teams, and president of the National Honor Society at school. James didn't even compare in a regular school setting. Unlike his brother, he couldn't stay focused or interested in his studies, and couldn't see how a lesson in polar bonds would help him in the future. James skated by on mediocre grades. James had contemplating dropping out, and working construction full time. He had done it during the summer. It was hard work, but he liked the pay. He brought up the idea last October. Riding around the lake, the trees were barren, and the air was crisper than ever. Tanner listened reverently as James described the reasons he wanted to drop out of school, and work instead. Then, the moment after James stopped talking, Tanner slammed on the brakes, put the truck in park, and slapped James hard, across the face. Tanner waited two seconds, locked eyes with James, and kept driving. The slap stung the whole rest of the ride to school. James looked out the window, watching the dust churn underneath the tires.

Tanner was planning on going to Duke. He loved the school, everything about it. He even painted the car royal blue. He did a half-a*s job with cheap paint, but it did the job. After Duke basketball games, Tanner would drone on about Duke's performance on the court. James would pretend to listen, nod in agreement from time to time. He could sense his brother's love for the school, his passion to be a Blue Devil. James even watched a few games with Tanner. The basketball season would be starting soon, and James hadn't decided whether he would watch this year or not. He wasn't sure he could follow the fast-paced action without his brother's commentary, live analysis, and zeal for the game. He had the type of enthusiasm a whole room could feed off of. The truck felt empty as he completed the circle around the lake.

James's phone rang. He reached for it, and answered. One hand placed the phone to his ear, while the other steered the car. James headed back on to the county road toward the high school. It was his boss. He wanted to know if James would help him finish remodeling a shower that afternoon. James reluctantly told his boss about class, and his boss laughed. You're only wasting your time there, his boss chuckled on the other end of the line. James hung up, and kept driving.

He pulled in to the school parking lot, and glanced at the time. He was already 20 minutes late for class. He let the engine sit in idle, and just sat. He closed his eyes, and sat. James wasn't thinking about anything in particular. He was trying to draw up the courage to get out of the car, and return to class for another year of boredom, mediocrity, and novel loneliness. While his brother's companionship had made school at least bearable for James, the thought of starting school without him was jarring. He felt so out of place, so useless and below average. The car sat in idle, as James thought about taking his boss up on that opportunity. He glanced down at his shirt, it was his brother's. He could picture Tanner wearing it, while watching last year's Duke/UNC basketball matchup. He could see Tanner's smile after the win now, as he looked off into the sea of cars. His brother would have urged him to enter, and at least finish up his final year. Yet, it was hard to go back. It was hard to go back to where he didn't belong. The car sat in idle. James thinks about the lake. The lily pads covering the surface. The bumpy dirt road, and the dust swirling underneath the car tires. He could feel his brother's slap on his cheek. He could see his brother's gaze, and feel the moment of intense silence. He needed his brother to slap him again, to urge him forward, to accompany him into his last year. Above all, he wanted his best friend. James sat in the front seat, silent tears rolling into his lap, landing on his basketball shorts

© 2015 smarvin45

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Reviews

Sesame

Hello Smarvin45,

Thanks for entering the competition. Alas not a winner this time. I do not have the time to provide a detailed critique on all the submissions, but a few remarks:

- "Above all, he wanted his best friend. James sat in the front seat, silent tears rolling into his lap, landing on his basketball shorts" -> This is it, the reason he does not want to go. Felt it coming a long time, even so much that the other reasons did not seem valid.
- In your writing there are some occurances of repetition, which harm your style: "late" and "did" for example, but also "the whole rest"
- "James had to coax the old machine, like a lethargic farm animal" -> How does one coax an animal exactly? Especially a strange choice of words because of the machine that is mentioned earlier in the sentence.

I did enjoyed reading this. Good job.

Regards,

Sesame

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