Whitney watched Leif out of the corner of her eye while she saddled Allie. This obviously wasn’t his first time. She was impressed. In just a few minutes they were leading the horses out into the sunshine. As she mounted Allie and followed Leif past the garage she took a deep breath, filling herself with the perfection of the moment.
Leif led their ride through the fields and up into the forested hills beyond, much further than Whitney had ever rode with Mable. They followed a narrow, overgrown trail, fighting off branches sporadically as they went.
“Are we going to be shot for trespassing any time soon?” Whitney asked.
Leif met her genuine concern with laughter. “No, Ms. California. You will not be shot for trespassing. This is State land so we are allowed to be on it, and it isn’t hunting season so we should be safe from stray bullets, unless there’s one of those occasional drive-byes in the woods,” he said.
“Stop mocking me. I don’t know these things. I’m not from here, remember!”
“Oh I remember. I thank God for it multiple times a day.”
They climbed steadily for a while before the trail turned and opened up to an open meadow overlooking the valley below. Leif stopped Chunk in the middle of the tall grass and dismounted. Whitney followed suite dropping Allie’s reins and allowing her to munch on the new spring grass and wildflowers below. Leif stood looking out over the fields with a mischievous smile.
“What’s that look for?” Whitney asked nervously.
“Nothing,” Leif said. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder pulling her close to his side. He stood stiffly positioned south forcing Whitney’s gaze in the same direction.
“Is that your house over there?” Whitney asked, spotting it in the distance.
“Yep,” Leif said.
“Your house looks so small,” Whitney said. Leif looked at her and giggled.
“What?” she said pulling away a bit. “You’re acting weird.”
“I am not.” Leif said pulling her back in. “You’re just very focused on my house.”
“Sorry?” Whitney said.
Whitney let her gaze wander from Leif’s house in the distance back towards her own, but before she got there she found Brynley’s house.
“Hey, there’s Brynley’s house. Wow you can see everything from up here!” Whitney said.
Leif shook his head. “You can if you look,” he said.
“What?!?” Whitney said.
“Where’s your own house Whitney?” he asked.
“It’s right there-“ Whitney said stopping mid-sentence.
On the roof of her garage, in bright pink paint, were four giant letters – P R O M and a question mark. Much smaller below it was written L + W.
“My mom is gonna be pissed!” Whitney smiled broadly on her face. “But that is so awesome!” She jumped into his arms and he spun her around.
“Is that a yes?” he asked.
“Yes! Of course!” she said looking at the garage again. “But really, my mom isn’t gonna love that.”
“Eh, I went with the hope that she wouldn’t find out and if she did there might be enough of the wreck card left to play.” He smiled at Whitney and she lost herself in the endlessness of his crystal blue eyes.
“I’m SO excited!” Whitney said.
“Me too,” he said before pulling her close and kissing her.
Chapter 20
The girls FREAKED when they saw the selfie Whitney forced Leif to take with the garage in the background. They started looking for dresses immediately, filling their group chat with picture after picture for everyone to debate.
Whitney’s mom reacted similarly and quickly booked a weekend shopping trip to Portland. Everley, Brynley and Ivy all joined them. On their first night there the girls ordered pizza in ate in their pajamas.
“What do you think would have happened if there hadn’t been the wreck?” Ivy asked randomly, enticing all of the girls to look her way.
“In what context?” Everely asked.
“Just like with us, and everything,” Ivy said.
“You mean with Whitney and Leif and your whole crazy family?” Brynley asked.
Ivy glared at her.
“I was gonna make Whitney chose!” Everley said. “I had a speech prepared. I was gonna say, ‘he can’t jerk you around like this. You aren’t a pair of comfy sweatpants you love at home but are embarrassed to go out in. You’re a pair of designer jeans he should be strutting around in. You don’t hide your designer jeans!”
The girls stared at her trying to hold it in finally giving up and bursting with laughter.
“I love you Evey,” Whitney said.
“What do you think would have happened?” Whitney asked Ivy.
“I don’t know,” Ivy said. “Leif needed something drastic to make him stand up to my dad.” Whitney nodded. She knew it was true.
“And then you would have just hated Whitney forever too?” Brynley said glancing at Ivy with her accusatory expression.
“I didn’t hate Whitney,” Ivy said. “I was just being forced to pick between her and my family, and I had to pick my family.”
“But now you don’t have to pick!” Everely said.
“I don’t know. I’m still not your dad’s favorite person,” Whitney said. The Smyth parents had been civil towards her since the wreck, but she wouldn’t call it welcoming.
“Well I know one thing,” Brynley said, “I wouldn’t have turned into a fat cow if there hadn’t been the wreck.”
“Brynley. Stop,” Everley said.
“You are not a fat cow!” Whitney added. “We’ve all gained weight, but we will run this summer and get it all back off.”
“Maybe you could tell my mom that,” Brynley said.
“Is she bugging you about it?” Everley asked, her protective fire in her eyes.
“Yeah,” Brynley sighed. She’d been different since the wreck. For once she wasn’t perfect, and it was taking a toll on her. “You guys know how she is. There’s a image we must keep up.”
Whitney shook her head and crawled over to her best friend. “Don’t let her get to you. We told Ivy we’d do cross-country in the fall, so we will run all summer and live on watermelon. You were in a cast for six weeks. This isn’t your fault.”
“Besides, you still have the hottest boyfriend in our whole class, so tell your mom to stick it!” Ivy said.
“Yeah! And nobody is perfect Brynley. That’s just silly,” Everley added. “Group hug!”
Everley lunged at them wrapping her arms around her friends against all their fake protests.
◆◆◆
Exactly eight days later Everley, Ivy and Brynley converged upon Whitney’s house at noon to help her get ready for the big night. Ivy curled her hair while Brynley covered her face in just the right amount of her expensive MAC makeup. They laughed until they cried making Ivy extremely uncomfortable by talking about where the night might lead.
“Thank you guys for doing this,” Whitney said when they heard Leif’s car pull up.
“Of course! This is so exciting!” Everley said.
“And thanks for being here for me this year,” Whitney continued.
“You really do complete us,” Ivy said, wrapping Whitney in a hug. Whitney smiled, filled with the warmth they brought.
“Now go! Have fun and we want all the details!” Brynley said, pushing Whitney towards the door.
“No we don’t!” Ivy yelled from behind her.
“You look….” Leif said when Whitney carefully descended the stairs in her long royal blue dress. The sweetheart neckline and bust covered in silver rhinestones had just the affect Everley assured her they would.
“So do you,” Whitney said straightening his matching blue bowtie.
Whitney’s smile didn’t leave throughout the whole night. Leif clung to her like he needed her proximity to breathe and she hated to admit she felt the same way. About an hour into the dance Whitney leaned in close.
“Can we go?” s
he asked.
Leif smiled. “Of course.”
Home, changed and entangled in each other’s arms in her pink chair Leif kissed her gently on the head before asking, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. We could have stayed,” Whitney said.
“No,” he said. “I’m glad you spoke up.”
Whitney smiled at him.
“Plus, while you’re good at a lot of things, dancing definitely isn’t one of them.”
“You’re one to talk!” Whitney said, punching his arm. He grabbed her arm and held it down as he met her lips with his.
“You know over spring break? That night you were drunk and texting me?” Whitney said. Leif’s head fell back lifelessly.
“I thought we talked about this Whit. Nothing happened. And I’m sorry.”
“No.” Whitney said stopping him. “It isn’t about Eva.”
“K, then yes,” he said.
“You text me after I’d fallen asleep,” Whitney said slowly. She didn’t know how to ask, but she knew she wanted to and she was finally at a place where she could.
“Yeah?”
Whitney played with the drawstrings on Leif’s sweatshirt, wondering if it had just been a drunk text with no meaning. He watched her as a knowing grin spread across his face.
“What about it?” he said.
“Well, I was just wondering…” Whitney said
Leif grabbed her hands calming them in his. He looked into her eyes making her heart beat stronger in her throat.
“I meant it Whitney. I meant it then, and I mean it now. I love you.”
Whitney’s insides melted as a smile spread across her face. “I love you too,” she got out just before he enveloped her in kisses.
◆◆◆
Whitney sat on her porch swing long after Leif left. Her whole being still tingling, full of warmth. She traced the small scar on her arm left from the wreck and let her mind wander to that night, to Eva, and basketball, to workouts with Leif and the holiday tournament and the homecoming serenade. She smiled thinking of her first impression of Brynley and how nervous she’d been on her very first day in Millersburg. She’d been so afraid of everything. So worried about being who she thought she needed to be, who her dad wanted her to be, and who she expected herself to become. Her heart filled thinking of Brynley, Everley and even Ivy. She’d finally reached a spot where she felt like one of them, truly. She knew they’d do anything for her, and she’d do anything for them. Then there was Leif. Her smile returned, broader than ever, thinking about how beautiful he was. He’d believed in her before she believed in herself. He’d been the first one to give her a real chance and she loved him for that, and so much more.
As she stared into the darkness she thought about the summer ahead. She was already helping Brynley and Ivy plan a surprise party for Everley’s sixteenth birthday in August, and she looked forward to Leif taking breaks from his combine to jump in her pool. But most of all, she was looking forward to the peace she’d finally found just being Whitney.
The End
Being Whitney (Book one of the Being Series): A Young Adult Novel Page 27