by Julie Solano
“Now that you’re no longer rookies, go and decorate some cookies! They’re waiting for you at the school. Get there fast! Just past the pool!”
“Which school are they talking about?”
Sandy shrieks, “It’s a clue. Just past the pool! It’s got to be the high school!”
“Well, what are we waiting for? Step on it!”
As I’m slammed into the back of my seat, I realize Tangles’ command to step on it, was completely unnecessary. It seems as though Sandy is working with two speeds tonight. Stop and light speed ahead. The adrenaline begins to pump through my chest as we fly up McCloud Avenue, practically breaking the sound barrier. My lunch has found its way to my throat, and my cheeks begin to quiver as we rush past the long line of parked cars. Wide eyed, I feel my heart catapult as we rapidly approach tail lights on the corner of McCloud and Washington. The excessive speed has my nerves tied up in knots. When we nearly hit the back of the stopped car, I thump the dashboard with my hand and jump back in my seat.
“Shit!” I accidentally blurt out.
Tangles’ giggle floats through the cab, and I swear I hear Danica Patrick’s name being whispered in the back seat. I look up through the rearview mirror to see if the girls are okay. To my surprise, they seem to be rather amused by the driving.
“What’s the matter, Caden? Can’t you handle a little speed?” Tangles jokes.
I feel the heat spread through my cheeks, as I catch a quick glimpse of her laughing at her own wisecrack. I’m embarrassed by my reaction to the near fender bender and find myself a little tongue-tied. She’s right. I’m being a candy-ass. Other people are starting to notice. How am I ever going to get past this? I scratch the back of my head out of nervous habit. I’ve got to come up with a way to mask my fear. Come on, dude, think of a comeback. Say something. Nothing.
When my silence becomes uncomfortable, Avery finally speaks. “You are scared, aren’t you?”
I can’t bring myself to look at her, so I glue my eyes to the road ahead of me. A momentary void fills the cab, until she breaks the thick silence.
“Well, it was a little scary,” she pauses.
Did I hear her right? I glance back to gauge my read on her response. Is she trying to make me feel better? I watch her elbow Jessie May, “Wasn’t it?” She raises her eyebrows and nods toward me.
“Uh, yeah.” Jessie May giggles.
“Not funny,” Tangles growls under her breath.
Jessie May tries to ease the situation. “Sorry, I laugh when I’m nervous.”
While I try to figure out where the new, compassionate side of Tangles came from, Sandy pulls up next to the curb and unlocks the door.
“Well, go on,” she encourages.
I can’t move yet. I need a second to allow my stomach to fall back into place, and let my blurring eyes adjust to the stillness. Rather than get out right away, I roll my head and look at her in disbelief. “What got into you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Last time I rode with you, I could’ve gotten there faster if I’d saddled a turtle.”
I hear Tangles snort-laugh from the back seat.
“What are you laughing at?”
“The turtle thing. It just reminds me of the way you ski,” she giggles again.
I shake my head and huff. I wish she could’ve seen me before the accident. Back when I was fearless. Again, uncomfortable silence fills the cab. I have nothing to say.
“Don’t worry, Cade Monster. You’ll be at the top of your game again in no time,” Sandy reassures me. “It’s only been a month.”
She must remember our conversation from the store, because Tangles leans over the front seat. “I’m just messing with you.” She pats me on the shoulder. “What are we waiting for? Come on. Let’s see if you can get some of your speed back. I’ll race you to the school!”
All of our doors swing open at once.
“I’ll wait here!” I hear Sandy’s voice ring through the air, as I kick it into full speed and race across the lawn. I look over my shoulder as I approach the front door. The girls are a good fifty yards back. Good job, Woodley. What are they gonna say to that? Feeling a little guilty for the ruthless beat down, I run up the steps so I can hold open the front door. I’d better show them that I’m still a gentleman.
Between the two girls, Avery’s much quicker than Jessie May. There’s determination in her eyes, as she lunges into her stride. When she nears, I watch the gap widen between the two girls. She’s a competitor. Her quads pop through her leggings, as she bounds up the sidewalk. Wow, she’s smooth. That face. That look. She reminds me of someone. She’s got to be a racer… and not just a skier. Probably a runner. I’m fixated on her movement. She’s strong. Fast. Gorgeous.
I watch intently as her eyes meet mine. My heart jumps a little as I notice a smile play at the corner of her lips. I can’t look away from her. That smile. It’s rare. I don’t want to miss it. Aw, there it is. Adrenaline washes through me, infusing me with the medication I’ve only found with her. God, she really is beautiful.
We watch each other intently as she moves quickly up the walk. I can’t help but wear victory on my face. Her feet have barely found the steps when she begins to humbly laugh out, “You did it! Got meeeeee!” At the same time, she leaps forward, skipping a step, for an enthusiastic high five.
Unfortunately, we don’t connect. She just misses my hand as her feet come back down onto the icy sidewalk. She’s unprepared for the slick landing. I watch her arms swish through the air, grabbing for anything to steady herself. She comes up empty, as her feet dance below her, trying to gain their footing. There’s nothing she’s going to be able to do to stop herself from falling. Instinctively, I lunge forward, to save her.
In the nick of time, I catch her tiny body before she hits the icy ground. The feeling of holding her in my arms lights me up inside. I can’t hide my smile. Then looking down into her big, brown eyes, I find myself whispering, “I got you alright.”
My eyes are fixed on hers. As I hold her tightly, trying not to drop her, I can feel her quickening pulse beneath my fingertips, and I have to wonder if she can feel mine too. I pause to take her in. Every tiny piece of her. Her face, her feel, her smell. Her smell. There’s that sweet vanilla again. Is it really her? The door to the gym is open, and I can’t help but wonder if maybe it’s the cookies we’re supposed to be decorating. I’ve never smelled such a delicious scent on a girl before. I want to know for sure if it’s her, so I can file it away in my memory as my favorite fragrance. I can’t help myself. I lean forward.
Her response to my closeness catches me off guard. Her eyes grow wide with surprise, as my face nears hers. She swallows loud enough that I can hear her gulp. Then she takes a deep breath. Does she think I’m going to kiss her? I’m amused by the thought. As not to embarrass myself, I decide to run her through a little test. Slowly, I pull her in close until we’re chest to chest. I move my mouth directly toward hers. Pausing, I smile down at her. Momentarily, I watch her eyes question mine. She squints at me, lifting her eyebrows, and pulling her face away. I’m positive she’s warning me to back off.
There’s the feisty Tangles I know. As adorably funny as I think her reaction is, I can’t help but wonder if she’s maybe a little overconfident. If she thinks she can get a kiss out of me this easily, she’s in for a surprise. I’ll show her. I decide to have a little fun with this game. Again, I move in closer, pausing just as my nose slightly touches the tip of hers.
For a brief moment, I think I’m going to fail my own test. I actually want to go through with the kiss. Why does she have to smell like vanilla? Where’s your self control, Woodley? You can’t do this. Not yet. Again, I look her in the eyes and smile. I slowly tilt my head to the side, allowing myself to close the space between us. Then gently brushing past her lips, I slide my cheek down hers and turn away at the last second.
I make an effort to tickle her cheek with a warm trail of breath, as I move across he
r blushing, mocha skin. I brush her hair away from her face and cup my hand around her ear. I feel her body tighten beneath me. It takes every ounce of restraint I’ve got not to kiss her, as I watch her gently bite at her bottom lip. I’m actually making her nervous. I can feel her heartbeat pounding against my cradling arms. I’d better let her off the hook.
Again, I lean into her, pushing my face into her ear. I want her to feel my smile. I wish I could see her face right now. Let the games begin. Again, I pull my face away, letting her watch me lick my lips. Then I look down at her, like I’m going in for the kiss. I have to laugh to myself. I spit my gum over her shoulder, and wipe my mouth on her collar. I know I’m killing the moment, and probably any chance I ever had of a real kiss, but for once, I feel like I have the upper hand.
Disgust covers her face. Her mouth drops. She shakes her head in disbelief.
“Gotcha!” I chuckle, pulling away, and bringing her to her feet.
“Got me? What the hell was that?”
“You thought I was gonna kiss you, and you know it.”
“Whatever! You’re a jackass! I wouldn’t kiss you even if you tried. Especially not with those moves.”
“We’ll see about that. Challenge accepted.”
Tangles doesn’t even have time to react. Jessie May runs up, grabbing her by the arm. “Come on! Do you want to lose? Stop flirting, and let’s go do what we came here to do.”
Silence lingers between us, but I still feel sparks flying from my chest as we run up to the school and find our way to the kitchen. I don’t know why, but I feel bad about what I just did to her. Should I have kissed her? Did I screw up? The look on her face, when I pulled away was something I’ve never seen before. She almost looked … hurt. Did she really want to kiss me? I glance over at her, just to see if she’s okay. No sooner does she catch my glimpse, than she looks the other direction. I want to say something, anything, but when we enter the building we’re met by the principal and a huge pile of undecorated sugar cookies. There’s no time to make things right.
“You kids have some work to do. Two dozen of those have your team’s name on them. They need to be decorated and transported downtown in time for the holiday auction tonight.”
Aside from a tiny frosting fight between Jessie May and me, we make quick work of the task. Tangles barely looks up. She looks flustered. I can tell that the attention I’m giving Jessie May has her on edge. “Let’s do what we came to do, Jessie May,” she barks out. “That’s what you told me, isn’t it?”
Jessie May apologizes, “You’re right. I’m sorry. We’re almost done, and I think we’ve got a good shot at that prize. All that’s left after this is to wrap and deliver toys.” She turns toward me. “Do you think your friend is still waiting for us?”
“I know she is. She’d never let me down,” I say as I plop a bit of frosting on the last cookie. “Done!” I set it gently on the plate. We run to the principal for the check, and to collect our final toy.
He gives us our last task. It’s directions for the toy delivery. “Looks like all you have left is to do is figure out a way to get these gifts wrapped and delivered to the resource center.” He smiles and looks down at his watch. “I think a few stores might still be open. You kids have a real shot. Good luck making it into the top ten. See you at the pole.”
We grab the toy, and run out to the jeep, where Sandy is waiting with a huge smile on her face. “What’s got you so happy?” I ask, opening the door to find a seat full of wrapped gifts.
“Oh, I’ve played this game before. I know how hard it is to try to get the wrapping done, especially if the store is closed. This task could make or break you.”
“But isn’t it cheating?”
“There’s nothing in the rules that says how to get ‘em wrapped. Trust me, I checked into it after it cost me the challenge last year. I ran down to Eleanor’s and wrapped them while you were decorating. Surprise! You can thank me later.” She holds up a square of wrapping paper and some tape. “You can take care of the last one, while I get you back to the resource center.” We barely have the doors shut, when she steps on the gas, racing to our last destination. We arrive in no time and run to the store entrance, delivering the beautifully wrapped presents. We practically throw the gifts at the employee and race back to the jeep.
“Done!” We jump back in the jeep after delivering the bag of toys. I can tell Sandy’s surprised by our speedy return. “Let’s go!”
Within three minutes, Sandy has us to the finish. “Go! Go!” she yells, pushing me out the door. “I’ve got to find a parking spot. Text me so I know how you placed!” She crosses her fingers and takes off, leaving us to run across the street to the pole.
“You got the proof that we finished our tasks?”
“Right here!” Jessie May holds up all the cards.
I grab the girls’ hands so we can run across the line together. To my left, Jessie May wraps her fingers around mine. My right, however, is a different story. Tangles, tries to tug her hand from mine. “Do we really have to hold hands?”
Jessie May, uncharacteristically roars, “You have to be holding hands when you cross, or it doesn’t count!”
“Fine.” Tangles crunches my fingers in her tight grip, as we cross together.
Cheers boom out all around us. I can barely hear the judge over the roar of the crowd. He looks down at us from his riser, and holds out his hand. “May I see your cards?”
Jessie May releases my hand, so she can hand them over. The sudden release, allows me time to focus on my other hand. It still feels like it’s being gripped in a vice. I try to let go, but Tangles won’t release me from her death grip. I work to open and close my fingers. She looks over at me smirking, “What? I thought you wanted to hold hands.”
“Yeah, hold it. Not be eaten by it. Do you mind?” I try again to pull my hand away.
“Fine. But only because I never wanted to hold it in the first place. Not because you told me to let it go.”
Damn, this girl is a firecracker. It’s clear that with Tangles, everything is on her terms. Or, at least it used to be. I smile, and grab her hand again, curling my fingers around hers. I look over, wink, and click my tongue.
“What are you doing?” she whines.
“Seems to me, my hand has a mind of its own. If it was up to me, there’s no way I’d be doing this right now.” Smiling, I hold our locked hands in front of her face.
“Your hand has a mind of its own, huh? Well, so does mine.”
Before I know it, I’m leaping forward in pain. It feels like a fire ant has just bitten me right on my seat. I pull my hand from hers and rub at my bottom. “What was that?”
She holds up her tiny, left claw, pinching her fingers together. “That’ll teach you not to mess with me.”
My bottom is stinging, when I redirect my attention up to the judge. I watch as he flips through the cards, inspecting each signature carefully. “Well, it seems that everything is in order.” He lifts a microphone and turns toward the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen. We have team number three.”
The crowd goes wild. “Yes!” We jump up and down. I grab Jessie May, twirl her around, and set her back down. Then I look at Tangles, silently asking her permission to celebrate with a hug. She shakes her head back and forth, but I grab her up in my arms anyway. As I swing her around, I feel her vibration. She’s literally buzzing underneath me.
“Put me down!” she yells.
Slowly, I slide her down, dangling her feet just above the ground. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” I smile, finally allowing her to step down onto the sidewalk. I don’t want to let her go. For some reason, my hands just can’t make the break. Instead, I hold her shoulders at arm’s length. Looking into her eyes, my heart pops in my chest. I’m going to the New Year’s Party with Tangles and Jessie May? “We won! I’m so excited! Aren’t you?”
I slide my hands down to her waist, still unable to release her. Her breath hitches, as I pull her in tighter. I
s that her pulse? “So you are excited. I can feel your heart beat!”
“You’re kidding me, right? Are all city boys this overconfident?” Her dimple pops, so I know she’s half joking. She must have some idea by now that I’m not a city boy.
“What? That’s not your heart racing at the thought of accompanying me to the New Year’s party?”
“No, silly. It’s my phone!” she laughs out, grabbing it from her pocket. When she looks up, the mocha color has faded from her face. She gently grabs my hand from her waist, giving it a tiny squeeze. She looks at me once more, apologetically. “I’ve got to take this.” She shakes her head. Something seems wrong. I watch intently as she walks away from the crowd.
I watch Tangles huddle in the corner, back by the gift store. Her face twists into a painful looking grimace. Her hand comes to her mouth, as she bobs her head up and down. I watch her slide down the wall into a fetal position. Worry crosses Jessie May’s face.
This doesn’t look good. Tangles looks like she’s just entered her own private hell. “Is everything okay?” I ask.
“I don’t think so. That could be the call she’s been waiting for.”
“Can I help?” I begin walking toward her.
Jessie May stops me. “No. Stay here. I’ve got this. She’s a private person. Wait! There is something you can do. Could you collect the prize and get a hold of us later.”
I nod. “I can do that. How do I get a hold of you?”
“Let me see your phone.”
I pull it out. She takes it from my hand, and turns it on. “Uh, you have a ton of notifications on here. Don’t you ever check your phone?”
I suddenly remember a missed call from Officer Marnia. I’d better take care of that when I get home. “Guess I’ve been a little distracted.”
Before she says another word, Tangles’s panicked voice interrupts. “Jessie May! Hurry!” I glance over to see her, still huddled in the corner by the gift store.
“I’ll check ‘em later. Go ahead and do what you need to do.”
Jessie May clears the screen and starts tapping away. “Here you go.” She hands me my phone. “Our numbers are in there. Don’t forget about us.”