There was nothing else to say about it.
This was survival.
And I did survive.
The fight was over.
I won.
I had cash in my back pocket.
I could eat tonight and tomorrow.
But again… none of it mattered.
I finally see her.
Standing in a sea of people, hugging herself, looking around, looking lost, lonely and confused.
I walk faster, bumping into anyone in my way.
Anyone who sees me and saw the way I looked knows I was a fighter and knows to back off.
All these rich assholes throwing cash at poor guys like me looking for a cheeseburger and a beer…
I shove it away.
I move toward her.
I wave but she doesn’t see me.
So I stick my fingers into my mouth and whistle.
When she sees me, her eyes go wide. She gasps even though I can’t hear her gasping. Her cheeks go from calm to red.
The second I step up to her, someone backs into me.
He turns and smiles. “Julia, there you are. Shit. I thought I lost you.”
He wraps an arm around the girl - Julia - and pulls her close for a hug.
He kisses her head and then her cheek.
The jealousy that fills my body…
Julia keeps looking at me and the guy looks at me too.
“Shit. It’s you, man.”
I look at him. Kinney. I remember the name. The asshole boyfriend who thinks he can tell Julia what to do.
“You really took it out there, man,” Kinney says. He throws his hand out at me. “Won me a few bucks. Thanks.”
I look at his hand.
Then at him.
“Sure thing,” I say.
“Oh. Sorry.” He takes his hand back. “I’ve never been to one of these before. Not sure-”
“Hey, yo, K-Pussy, get over here!” someone bellows.
“Shit, fuck you, homeslice!” Kinney yells.
And just like that he takes off, leaving Julia behind.
I watch where he goes, jumping on the back of some big goon looking dude.
I slowly look at Julia again.
I get close to her.
Really fucking close to her.
I put my lips down near her ear. “Are you sure he’s your boyfriend and not that guy’s?”
Julia giggles and pushes at my chest. “Shut up.”
I playfully stumble back and quickly grab her hand.
She gasps again.
I pull and nod for the woods.
Julia looks in the direction of Kinney.
Then to me.
She bites her bottom lip and nods at me.
We run away together into the woods.
Not too far though.
We still need the light from where the fights are held.
But we’re deep enough that nobody can see us.
I find a spot with a couple trees and that’s where we stand.
I can’t help myself but feel the need to be close to her. I try to fight some of the feeling off, not wanting to worry her. I’m not some asshole that’s going to try and make a move she didn’t want.
‘Do you want to know why they call him K-Pussy?’
‘No,’ I say. ‘I don’t give a fuck about that guy, sweetheart.’
She smiles. ‘Why are you like nobody I ever met before?’
‘Because we just met. And everything we’re thinking and feeling is probably wrong. And you’re not the type to act this way. And in a way, neither am I.’
‘So you’ve never snuck a girl into the woods before? One with a boyfriend?’
I grin. ‘I’ve done it a million times, Julia. But with you, I think I’d rather talk and have a smoke with you… instead of doing the obvious.’
‘You know my name.’
‘I heard your boyfriend say it.’
She rolls her eyes. ‘You don’t have to…’
‘How about a smoke, sweetheart?’ I ask.
‘Sure.’
Her hands are shaking as she gets out her cigarettes.
She hands me one. And a lighter.
I light my cigarette and then hers.
She’s cute the way she smokes these minty tasting things.
‘Why do you do this?’ she asks me.
‘Just part of life,’ I say.
‘You have to do this?’
‘Nobody has to do a thing. But life throws shit at you and you deal with it.’
‘Does it hurt to get hit in the face?’
I laugh. ‘No. It feels great.’
‘Sorry.’ She shakes her head. ‘That was stupid to ask. Of course it hurts. But… you keep coming back…’
‘I keep winning.’ I wink at her.
She steps toward me. ‘Can I touch…’
Her fingers wiggle.
I moved toward her. ‘Touch anything you want, sweetheart.’
She slowly reaches up and pushes her fingers to the bump next to my eye.
‘Ow!’ I yell.
‘Fuck. Sorry.’
I laugh.
Julia punches my arm. ‘You jerk.’
‘What? I was messing with you. It hurts, but you saw what I did to the other guy.’
‘Yeah. I know. I saw.’
‘So you watched the entire fight?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Will you be back again?’
‘I don’t know, Jett. This is kind of extreme for me. And it’s obvious Kinney thinks I’m not even here. I could have been kidnapped and he wouldn’t know. I mean, anything could happen to me right now and he’d-’
I have to kiss her.
I steal the rest of her words with my lips to hers. Knowing I just put her in a terrible position. Something that could mess up her life. And I know nothing about her or her life. And yet I don’t care. Because if she’s half as amazing as she’s been in the four minutes I’ve known her, then she’s worth anything that happens next.
Which is fucking insanity.
I step back and take one last drag of the cigarette before dropping it and stepping on it.
Julia finishes hers and reaches for her bag.
I step forward again and touch her wrist.
‘I meant what I said before, sweetheart. You should make yourself happy. Not this. Sneaking around for a cigarette. Chugging mouthwash and mints like you’re trying to hide it from your parents.’
‘He’s got a point though. It is nasty. And really unhealthy.’
‘Everything fun is unhealthy. And everyone needs something to keep them on the edge.’
‘I’m not sure I like the edge, Jett.’
‘I’m pretty sure you’re lying to me right now.’
I inch closer to her. I lower my lips down again.
But I don’t kiss her.
‘This is the edge, sweetheart,’ I whisper. ‘You can either push me away or jump with me.’
Julia exhales a shaky breath.
She doesn’t close her eyes when she jumps up and kisses me.
I know right then this girl is going to fuck with my heart… and then she’s going to turn into a woman and break my heart… and I can’t wait for it all to happen.
* * *
I opened the door and pointed to the little bell, knowing when it would ring, what the ring sounded like, and how long it would ring for. I also learned to keep my hand on the door for an extra second because sometimes the breeze would slam the door hard.
Not that it mattered, I just didn’t want anyone looking at me.
Except one person.
As I walked to the counter, Whitney put her hands on it as though she were protecting it. Like I was going to rip the counter right out of the floor and walk off with it.
“She’s not here,” Whitney said.
My heart twisted.
Where is she? Is she okay? Is she sick? Or did she take a day off?
I nodded. “Good to know.”
I put money
on the counter.
Whitney tilted her head. “Seriously?”
“What?” I asked. “Want me to take my business somewhere else?”
“Actually… I don’t think that would be such a bad thing.”
“You’re a good friend to her,” I said. “She needs that.”
“Which is why-”
“But you’re far out in the water with me,” I said. “And that’s not a threat or anything like that. It’s just the truth. Imagine a leak in the ceiling, Whitney. And you’re here to put your finger against the leak to stop it. Me? I’m a hurricane. You don’t stand a chance.”
Whitney’s cheeks flushed.
She slapped her hand to the money on the counter.
She didn’t say a word as she got my order.
I pointed to the two cookies and smirked. “One needs to be oatmeal.”
“Of course,” she said through gritted teeth.
She exchanged one of the cookies for me.
I just smiled the entire time.
I knew what it looked like.
I was not their kind of customer.
A guy like me buying a fucking cookie was weird in itself.
But it was my excuse to hang around and see the owner of the place.
She was fucking beautiful.
Beyond beautiful.
She was worth sitting there and hearing the mindless chatter of everyone who passed through, gossiping about the latest Hidden Creek High drama. And the stupid coffeehouse music with twangy guitars and no lyrics and weird thumping sounds. I half expected everyone to put their coffees down and start doing some yoga.
I’d gladly do yoga with the owner of the place.
Preferably in my bed.
Thinking that made me grit my teeth.
I sat there, remembering that I had Julia not that long ago.
In my arms. In my hands. With the touch of my fingertips…
I waited a little bit and it seemed Julia wasn’t going to show up.
An idea came to me and I grabbed a napkin and walked to the counter.
“Excuse me, miss?” I asked Whitney.
She turned, laughing. “What?”
“Can I borrow a pen?”
Whitney put a pen on the counter.
I started to write on the napkin.
“If you leave that on the table I’ll just throw it out,” she said. “Actually, no matter where you leave it, I’m going to throw it out.”
I lifted my gaze to hers. “Hurricane, Whitney.”
She leaned toward me. “I just boarded up the windows, Jett.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“So why are you even doing this?”
“Because the night I met her, I fell in love with her. And I’ve loved her every single day of my life since then. And no matter the shit that’s been thrown our way, that love has never wavered for a second. Even if we’re not together. And I can’t sleep at night thinking that someone hasn’t told her she’s beautiful.”
“I can tell her that myself.”
I slid the pen across the counter. “Or just not throw out my note to her.”
“I have to clean the table,” Whitney said.
I winked at her. “That’s even more of a reason to come back tomorrow.”
As I passed by the table, I dropped the napkin down to it. I put the oatmeal cookie on top of the note and I left.
I had the sudden urge to smoke one of those stupid minty tasting cigarettes from all those years ago.
Chapter 20
NOW
Julia
I couldn’t believe what I was about to do.
I kept myself distracted the entire drive by singing the worst songs ever. Every cheesy, one-hit-wonder that I could find on my phone, I blared it through the speakers and sang the lyrics like I was the last person alive across the world.
In a way, it felt that way.
There was no use in trying to figure out how long it had been since I’d been there.
That didn’t really matter so much.
What did matter was why I was there now.
It was just me being me.
Julia being Julia.
I pictured myself the way I used to be.
I was a badass.
Or at least I looked the part.
The black streaks in my hair. The nose ring. Smoking cigarettes. Some tattoos.
But inside I was the same person I was now.
I still had the tattoos.
The black streaks in my hair were long gone.
The nose ring too.
I touched my nose and bit my lip.
‘You’re not going to wear that thing, right?’
‘What?’
‘Your booger thing.’
He laughs.
I touch my nose and my cheeks burn hot.
‘Why does it matter?’
‘Really? You want the pictures of us on our wedding day having you look like that?’
Like that…
I chased away the memory and got out of my car.
I walked the stone pathway and took a deep breath, so desperate to calm my nerves.
When I saw the old house, I kind of smiled. But kind of frowned too.
‘This is crazy.’
‘No it’s not, sweetheart. It’s a nose ring. It’s not like getting a giant bar through your head.’
‘That would kill me, Jett.’
‘And that would be really sad.’
He leans down and kisses me.
I lick my lips.
I’m so nervous, which is stupid.
It’s a nose ring, right? Who cares?
It’s cool.
I’ve always wanted one.
When I’m asked if I’m ready, I nod.
I grab Jett’s hand.
He smiles at me.
It’s kind of an annoying pinch feeling.
I have it so built up in my head that it’s going to hurt so bad…
And then it’s over.
It’s done.
I suck in a breath and look at Jett.
‘How do I look?’
Jett exhales and shakes his head. ‘Just when I think you can’t get any more beautiful, sweetheart…’ He lowers his mouth down to mine. ‘You’re going to make me explode someday for real.’
I swallowed hard to chase away that memory too.
Then I knocked on the door and stepped back.
The seconds of waiting were the worst part.
When the door opened, I hurried to smile.
“Julia…”
“Hey, Cherry…”
* * *
The thing about Cherry… no matter who you were or what you have ever done in life… she would pull you into her house like you were her own child.
When she hugged me, I teared up.
She smelled like spaghetti sauce and cheap perfume.
“Coffee?” she asked without asking why I was even there.
“Yes, please,” I said.
In the kitchen, she pointed to a clock above the kitchen sink. “I would assume you’d be working right now.”
“I actually have someone there,” I said. “She’s great. I still can’t figure out what she’s really doing here. But she’s smart, perfect for the place, and she works.”
“That’s a good thing,” Cherry said. “You’ve been running that place all by yourself for far too long, Julia.”
“Well, let’s be fair, there was a time in between…”
Cherry nodded. “True. I hated seeing that place close down. Everyone was so worried the rest of the building was going to go too. You know, there was some developer from San Diego looking at it? It got a little tense. That would have changed the entire town.”
I touched the old countertop. “More guilt.”
“Guilt? Why guilt?”
“I lost the bakery,” I said. “I lost myself. I lost everything. I lost everyone. And what you just said. That’s a lot of guilt to carry. Stress. Worry. Doubt. Maybe feeling
forced into opening it back up.”
Cherry put her hand on mine. “Is that why you’re here? Is that what you’re really thinking right now?”
I stared into Cherry’s eyes. “I’ll eat all the black pepper you want… but I have to say something.”
“Say it.”
“Fucking Jett.”
Cherry laughed. “I’ll give you a pass. Only because he was here too.”
“What? Here? Today?”
“No,” Cherry said. “Not today. But for the same reason you are. Sit down. I’ll pour some coffee and you can pour your heart out.”
I sat down at Cherry’s table.
It was weird to think it but Cherry’s house was almost like a church. It was like coming to find religion. Or having confession. And then you get some kind of advice that was always right, even if it made you mad.
And I had only met Cherry a handful of times too.
Sometimes it was just Jett and I with her. Playing cards. Talking about life. Jett acting stupid and Cherry smacking him upside the head. Other times she would cook big meals and have everyone there. I’m talking me, Jett, Pop, Carolyn, and even Wes and his cousins. They were obviously much younger at the time, but just as wild and always in trouble, just like they were now.
Cherry sat down with two coffees.
“I’m so sorry I showed up like this,” I said.
“Don’t be.”
“When everything went wrong…”
“Shh…”
“No, Cherry. I have no idea what you think. It all looked so bad. When Jett and I fell apart. And then I got married. I never showed up here again. I wasn’t sure if I was welcome.”
“You’re always welcome here,” Cherry said. “Nothing’s going to come through that front door that will shock me. There’s only a few people I would slam the door on. And I promise you, those people have earned it. But you’re not one of those people.”
“He’s suddenly back again,” I said. “Jett, I mean.”
“Oh, Julia. He never left. Neither did you.”
“But how can it just go back there?” I asked. “We talk and next thing you know it’s like we were never apart. And you just fall into that old routine…”
Cherry cocked her head to the side. “I assume you mean the bedroom.”
My cheeks turned red. “Cherry…”
“I get it,” she said. She showed her hands. “I may have some age in the world but I’m still human. And a woman.”
HIDDEN CREEK THEN: a hidden creek high novel Page 17