Giving me a quick glance, she looks back at the road. “I was finished. I want you to tell me.”
My hair must be messed up because she runs her hand through it, then leaves her hand on the headrest next to my head. I can smell the lavender scent lingering on her skin.
“I’m sorry, Ally. I should never have told you what I did. I know I can’t take the words or the hurt back but if I could, I would.”
Her knuckles graze my face, lightly as she smiles at me. “I forgive you, Kyle. So you really care for Laura. I can see it. She has issues with men you know. You may get hurt.”
She can see it? I didn’t realize I was wearing an, ‘I’m falling for Laura,’ expression!
“That’s a chance I’m willing to take. She’s great, Ally. You know that already. I knew a version of Laura, the person she is in front of others. I’m getting to know the real Laura, the one with insecurities about love and faithfulness,” I say as we drive down main street, and people openly point at us as if we’re from somewhere else. “This car gets a lot of attention. Do you see how people point and stare?”
“The car is beautiful, and should be appreciated. I’m sure the handsome young man in the passenger seat is also a bit intriguing to people as well,” she says with a wicked grin on her angelic face.
What has happened to her? She seems almost like a different person. So confident, and she was anything but that.
I have to laugh. “Who are you, girl?”
“Still just me, Kyle. Anyway, I wanted you to know I’m cool with you both. I’m not mad. I was at first but not anymore. Now that I know you didn’t use her to hurt me, I feel even better about you two.”
Damn! She’s taking this a lot better than I thought she would. Maybe she didn’t really love me after all.
She pulls into the parking lot of Trixie’s and parks, then looks over at me, and runs her hand through my hair. “I still love you, Kyle. I always will. My heart will hold you in it forever. I must have you in my life in some capacity. You and whoever comes along with you will always have a place in my life, no matter what.”
Pushing a curl off her face, I fight the urge to kiss her. “Ally, what do you mean?”
She pulls her sunglasses off, and places them on top of her head. “I mean, I never want us to stop being friends. Just because we can’t be together in a romantic way doesn’t mean we can’t be close.”
“Does your guy know you’re with me?”
“Of course he does,” she says as she opens her door to get out. “You should text Laura to meet us here. We can all hang out like we used to.”
Only this time Laura will be on my arm! Awkward!
I get out of the car and follow Ally. “I don’t know about that, Al. Don’t you think it’ll be awkward?”
She looks over her shoulder at me. “I know you do but we need to get past that. Tell her to come, Kyle, please.”
I walk a little more quickly to get to the door before she does. Opening it for her to go through first. I resist the urge to drape my arm around her like I’ve done for what seems like forever.
“Let’s get a booth,” she says as she moves fluidly through the dark bar.
Ally slides in, and I take the seat across from her. Sitting next to her would be too hard. “There’s something different about you, Al. I can’t pin point it yet but there’s definitely something.”
Bonnie comes to take our order, and she’s wearing a smile as she looks back and forth between Ally and me. “Well looky here, if it ain’t the perfect couple back together,” she says.
Ally reaches across the table and takes my hand as she looks up at the red-headed waitress. “Not like that we’re not. But nothing can ever break us apart, completely. Isn’t that right, Kyle?”
Intertwining our fingers I smile at her. “Guess not.”
Bonnie looks confused, and I have to say I am too. “Okay then, what can I get you guys?”
“The usual will be fine,” Alyssa says, then smiles a little. “And bring Kyle a beer. He’ll need to take the edge off. It won’t be easy on him once Laura joins us.”
“Sure thing, Ally,” Bonnie says then leaves the table.
My jaw drops. “How the hell did you get her to do that?”
Ally giggles and leans in to whisper. “Eden and I came here a few days ago. She was all flirty with him and offered him one even though he told her he was only eighteen, but she said she wouldn’t tell.”
“So, Prince Valiant, drinks beer?”
“No! He turned it down, of course. You know if you can put all the jealousy behind you we can all be friends. It would mean a lot to me if you could,” she says as she wiggles her fingers which are tangled with mine.
Can I really do that? I’m fine with her now but to see her with him, I just don’t know.
“I’m not over you,” I say as I lean in, our faces so close we could kiss. The sweet smell of citrus and flowers wells up around her. “Is that a new perfume I smell?”
Ally pulls back a little. “I would love to have my cake and eat it too but I can’t, nor can you.”
“Rhyming now, Al?”
“I guess. I know you want to kiss me but those days are over. We need to make a new and very different relationship,” she says as she sits back, unjoining our hands. “I suppose the physical contact needs to stop as well. Since it gives you a problem.”
Problem? It’s no problem, I love it.
“So do I,” she mumbles.
“What did you say, Al?” I ask because I’ve just realized she has commented on several of my thoughts. We were close but never so close we could finish each other’s sentences or know what the other was thinking.
She averts her eyes as the waitress comes back with her chocolate shake and my beer.
Christ! I can’t believe she really brought me one!
Placing a bowl of chips and salsa between us, Bonnie says, “This is on the house. A graduation present from me.”
“Thank you, how nice of you,” Ally says as she looks Bonnie right in the eye.
Another thing so different about her. She was chronically shy, suddenly that’s gone.
“Thanks, Bonnie,” I add.
Ally pops a dipped chip in her mouth, and I do the same. “You have to come see me in New Orleans. We have a chef who cooks like he came straight from Heaven,” she says.
“Oh yeah? So tell me about your new home, Al,” I say but I’m not sure if I’m ready to know.
“There’s better things to talk about. Like the small graduation party my family’s throwing at our house tonight. Wanna come?” she asks.
“He’s going to be there, isn’t he?”
She nods and eats another chip.
Can I do this? Can I put jealousy out of my mind, and do this?
I take my cell out, and text Laura. (Meet me at Trixie’s when you get back to town. I have a surprise for you.)
“You finally asking Laura to join us?” Al asks.
“Yeah. If she says she’ll go to your party then I will too.”
A smile breaks across Ally’s face, and it makes me so damn happy in an instant. “Damn girl, I missed that smile. It’s crazy how much I missed it.”
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed seeing your face every day, Kyle. I can’t give you up completely. Try to look at me in a new way. I’m someone you’ve grown up with. Can’t you look at me like you look at any of the other girls in our class?” she asks. Then places the straw in between her red, plump lips, unaware of how beautiful she is.
I lean in and pull the straw from her mouth. “Can you look at me like you look at all the rest of the boys in our class, Ally?” I ask, then pull the tall glass of chocolate liquid to my mouth as she still holds it in her hand. Placing the straw between my lips, I take a sip.
Her eyes go to my lips, and she licks hers. “Guess not.” Her eyes travel back to mine, and she says, “We have a lot to work through, don’t we?”
That we do!
Chapter 30
ALYSSA
How can it be possible to love two completely different people at once, and to know it will be this way forever?
What was Our Creator thinking to let this happen?
I sit across from Kyle and Laura at Trixie’s café. They hold hands, and every so often share a private whisper and giggle with each other. Cody has joined us, and he sits next to me. Never have I felt more comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.
I’ve known these people for as long as I can remember. They’re my closest friends, yet they seem almost like strangers as I sit and watch my Kyle look at and touch my best friend.
“How ya doing, Al?” Cody whispers in my ear as Kyle and Laura whisper to each other about something they’re leaving us out of.
I pat Cody’s knee under the table. “I’m fine.” I whisper back, but I’m not fine.
Who could be fine knowing they can never have someone they love the way they want to? Who can be fine watching the one they love, fall in love with another?
Kyle is falling for Laura. I can read his thoughts as well as I can read Eden’s. When Laura had not joined us yet he thought little of her. But what he did think about her was nice.
I could see he’s really coming to care for her. Then when she walked in, he lit up like a Christmas tree, and he thought about how sexy and hot she looked in her new green dress. He thought about how perky her boobs were, and how he wanted to suck them later on tonight.
Yeah, it made me sick, too!
As she hesitantly came towards us he worried about her, and how she was feeling seeing me and him together. When she and I hugged he felt relief. When she hugged him, he got a boner.
It was gross!
It’s obvious to me, at least for now, their relationship is highly sexual. Something I assume is natural in some relationships. I worry for them both though as I know Laura.
I can’t read her yet. Perhaps after I change I’ll be able to. For now it’s just Eden and Kyle. I assume because they each have a solid place in my heart.
Bonnie brings us a round of beers as a graduation gift. Something my parents would have never tolerated.
After being enlightened about what I really am I trust my own judgement. One beer will not hurt me. I’m not even all human.
I could smoke if I wanted to, and it would never hurt me or give me cancer. I don’t like the smell though, so I doubt I’ll ever even pick one up.
Cancer will never be a battle I’ll have to fight. Sickness of any kind will not take me from this world. Very few things can kill this body. One of the oddest things I was shown by Grace and Rodney was that milk in large amounts can kill us.
How crazy, right?
I suppose that’s why my parents always told me I was lactose intolerant. I never remember ever drinking milk to have a reaction to it. Odd though it seems now as we had milk in the house. Scotty drinks it as does Mom and Dad.
Kyle reaches across the table and takes my hand which I’ve absentmindedly been tracing patterns on the table with. “Ally, Laura said we can go to your party after graduation.”
I look up at him and then over to Laura, who’s smiling. “Good! I’m glad you decided to join me,” I say then turn to Cody. “You’re invited too, Cody.”
Cody slips his arm around my shoulders. “You gonna be my date, Al?”
I laugh. “No, but you can bring one. If you can find one.”
Kyle still has my hand in his, he threads his fingers through mine. Both of us are on the inside part of the booth. Our hands, up against the wall, are in plain view but it still feels secretive to me. Something like that is never good.
I pull my hand away, and Kyle looks over at me with a frown. “You and I have more to discuss later, Ally.”
I nod and look away. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever dealt with. The knowledge Kyle will always be in my life does battle with the knowledge he and I will never be anything more than friends.
I look at Laura and try hard to get into her mind to see how she feels about him. She may be my best friend but if she hurts him it will destroy our friendship forever.
Kyle looks at Laura, and says, “Ally invited me to visit her in New Orleans. Maybe this summer you and I can go together.”
Laura smiles enthusiastically at me. “Can we, Ally? That would be great.”
“Of course you can. Anytime you want. You come too, if you want to, Cody. There’s an enormous game room, and swimming pool, all sorts of things.”
Cody still has his arm around my shoulders and he gives them a squeeze. “Does your man have a hot sister I can borrow while I’m there?”
“You hound!” I say as I slap his thigh, “He’s an only child but New Orleans is a big town. Even you should be able to find someone who can put up with your antics, Cody.”
“Hell yeah, we can all drive down in my truck. It’ll be a blast,” Kyle says, then kisses Laura on the side of the head, just like he used to do to me.
I take in a deep breath to steady my increased heartbeats, then say, “If you want to I could send our jet to bring you. The drive is very far.”
Cody gasps. “You have a jet?”
“We do,” I answer. “Get along with Eden, and you can come visit us often.”
Cody laughs. “Hell, me and Eden will get along just fine. I like the guy already.”
“He really is very sweet,” Laura says, then looks up at Kyle. “I know you’ll like him if you give him a chance.”
He takes in a deep breath, and sighs as he looks at her. “I’ll get along with him. I can swallow my pride for Ally’s sake.”
For my sake? How can I do this to him?
Suddenly I feel selfish. He just thought about how hard it will be to see us together and do nothing about it. Just how I’m feeling right now about how he has his arm around Laura’s neck, holding her to his chest.
I hate it!
Light fills the dark café for a second as a police officer strolls through the door. The mugs of beer sit in front of each one of us.
Cody panics and drinks his until it’s gone. I see the officer watching him. “Stay cool,” I whisper.
“Way to go numb-nuts,” Kyle hisses at Cody. “Could you possibly draw any more attention to the fact?”
Cody hiccups once. “At least he can’t find any proof I’ve had any beer. My glass is empty.”
Laura rolls her eyes, and Kyle kicks him under the table. The officer is one of the ones who hurt Kyle the night he came to my house.
Suddenly I’m furious. He’s walking over to us, and I push at Cody. “Let me out. I have something to say to the prick.”
Cody stands up as Kyle says, “No, dude! Don’t let her out!”
It’s too late, and I’m in the cops face before he can make it all the way to the table. “Nice to see you again, sir,” I say, although it’s not.
He looks surprised. “I know you, don’t I?”
“You should remember me. How is it you’re still wearing that uniform?” I ask.
The frown he forms makes his already saggy jowls drop even lower. “I got three days suspension because of you.”
Kyle is at my side without me realizing he’s gotten up, I’m glaring so hard at the officer.
“Ally, let it go,” he says, his hand around my waist. He tries to pull me back with him.
He still has a spot on his lip where the man busted it as he threw him up against my bedroom wall. I can see the whole scene in my head as it replays in Kyle’s mind.
“You threw him around like a rag doll, you jerk. How’d you like to be handled in such a manner?” I growl at him, furious at what I saw.
“Look here, girl,” the officer says.
I interrupt him as I step forward another step, despite Kyle’s efforts to move me backward.
“Don’t you girl me, Officer Koenig. I’ll be keeping an eye on you. You seem to feel it’s just fine to toss innocent people about. I’ll make sure you know what it feels like. You need to learn how to treat peopl
e. That uniform is not meant to make you feel superior to others. The badge you wear is but a token to let others know you should be respected. Guess what, Koenig, you have to give respect to get it. You disrespected my friend. I want you to apologize to him now.”
I motion to Kyle who I see has turned one shade more pale than his usual tan color. “Ally, what the hell are you doing?”
The officer stands in front of us, defiantly. I level my eyes on his then he turns and walks away, turning his head back, he says, “I don’t apologize.”
TRIP!
Just like that the man finds himself face first on the floor. He scrambles to his feet and turns to see us all smiling.
He walks faster towards the door, then shouts back, “Watch your selves. I saw you drinking.”
I shout, “Apologize!”
He shoots the finger at me as he reaches for the door.
DOOR OPEN!
The door opens as if a gust of wind blew it, knocking the cop down. As he sits up, I see his lip has been busted. Bonnie runs to help him up, dabbing at the blood with a dirty, bar rag.
Yeah, I think he’s had enough.
Kyle looks down at me with a giggle to his words, “Looks like he’s had a series of unfortunate events.”
“Karma’s a bitch,” I say.
Chapter 31
LAURA
Ally’s backyard looks beautiful. The stars fill the night sky, lending a light to the dim surroundings. Ally and Eden almost glow with happiness. I can’t believe they’ll be married by this time tomorrow. I can’t believe I won’t be a part of it.
Graduation went well, we all cried when Tammy gave her Valedictorian speech.
Damn sappy girl!
Ally and Eden are leaving Eden’s mother and appear to be coming towards me. Kyle is making a plate, he loves how Ally’s dad makes a brisket. I love her mother’s apple pie.
Ally takes the chair next to mine, and Eden sits across from me. It comes to my attention once Kyle sits down it’ll be the first time he and Eden will have been anywhere near civil to each other.
The touch of Ally’s hand on mine draws my attention to her. “Laura, I know this is sudden but I have something I want to ask you before Kyle comes back.”
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