ooooooooo
It only took me a few minutes to close everything up for the day. Like I said, we hadn’t been busy. The heat had been keeping everyone away. I called Mama to ask her if Nora could stay a little longer, and then I started walking toward the path the led to the pond. Mama hadn’t minded keeping Nora; she often begged me to stop by so she could babysit, and I needed to talk to Max whether I was ready to or not.
When I reached the clearing where the pond was located, I stopped short. There he was, floating on his back in the middle of the pond. His arms were gently cutting through the water, making soft ripples that glistened in the afternoon sun. I stood there, just staring at him. He looked peaceful, and the longer I watched, the hotter the sun felt on my skin.
I glanced to my right where the tree that we used to hang our clothes on still stood. Max’s things were there just like they’d always been, only his boxers were there too. Growing up, we always swam in our underwear. Apparently, that was no longer the case.
I swallowed as I turned my back to the pond, and lifted my shirt over my head. I wasn’t listening to the sounds behind me, or I would have heard the splashing of Max walking up on the shore. I shimmied out of my shorts, and hung them by my shirt. I stood there a moment debating on whether I was going to lose the bra and panties too.
“You gonna join me? I thought you were just here to watch.” His voice was low, almost a whisper beside my ear.
“You were never second,” I whispered back. “I’ve loved you since I was a kid; I loved Jared too. It was a different kind of love, and I need you to know that even though a part of me will always love him, I love you too. You’re not in second place.” I released a deep breath as the stress I’d been holding on to for days seemed to seep out of me. I glanced back over my shoulder to see remorse fill his eyes.
“I was an ass, Hails. You don’t owe me anything.” His eyes dropped to stare at the ground. He looked like a little boy who had been scolded by his mother, and was trying to apologize. “I’m sorry.”
I nodded in acceptance. “You have to understand that there will be times when I need to be alone, Max. You can’t flip out when things don’t go your way. I know it seems like it’s been a long time to you, but there are days that Jared’s death seems like it just happened to me. I can’t always be the happy go lucky Hailey that you want, and some of this I have to go through without you.”
“Can you just promise me one thing?” He placed his palm on my shoulder, cupping it and squeezed gently.
“What’s that?” I sighed.
“Promise me that you won’t shut me out anymore. If you need space, just tell me you need space; don’t shut me out with no explanation.” As I turned in his arms, he wrapped me in a hug.
“I’ll try. That’s all I can give you right now,” I murmured against his chest. His skin was damp from the water, and cool to the touch. His hair was still dripping, and every few seconds I got pelted with a droplet.
“Wanna go cool off?” He pulled back, and grinned down at me. “I kinda need it.” He chuckled.
I glanced down to see his cock pointing straight at me. “Thought the cold water would have taken care of that,” I mused.
“When you’re around, nothing takes care of that. You have no idea how attracted I am to you. There’s nothing you could do that would make me not want you. Now lose the bra and panties so we can swim, and maybe you can help me out.” He chuckled as I shoved my panties down.
“Race ya!” I shouted as I pushed against his chest, and made a mad dash for the water.
When the cool liquid splashed against my thighs, I fell to my knees and sunk below the surface. It felt so good, and for a few moments I was able to escape the noise of reality. When I broke the surface, he was standing there mere inches from me.
“Are we going to be ok now?” His eyes held uncertainty as his words tried to convey confidence.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “We’re going to be ok.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, and pulled him lower in the water with me. “What happened here?” I ran my fingers lightly across the bruise under his eye. He winced as he pulled back slightly.
“You’re just now noticing that?” He chuckled. “That’s from a few days ago.”
“You didn’t go looking for a fight, did you?” I loosened my grip, but he tightened his.
“No.” He trailed his wet fingers down the side of my face, pushing my hair back. “I don’t get into fights with many people, but when I do, they look as bad as me.” He laughed. “This little gift came from my brother.” He chuckled. “I’m pretty sure he got it worse though.”
“You’re the one who broke his nose?” I gasped.
“Is that what he’s telling people?” He roared with laughter. “I did not break it. I taught him a lesson.”
“And what was that?” My head dipped to the side as I peered up at him.
“That he should never hide things from me about my girlfriend.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. “I love you, Hails and the not knowing was killing me. I get that you need time to do things on your own. I understand that now, but I need to know what’s happening when you pull away. I’ve waited too long for this chance to lose it now.”
“I’ve waited too long for you too,” I murmured as I tightened my arms around his neck, and pressed myself as close as I could get to him. “Hey, Max,” I whispered as I pulled back and let my forehead rest against his.
“What, baby?” He sighed.
“You got a towel or a blanket or something?” I grinned.
“I figured I’d drip dry. I didn’t really plan on coming here until the last minute. Didn’t grab a towel.” He chuckled. “Why?”
“I don’t really want grass stains on my ass.” I grinned.
“Guess you get to be on top this time then.” He snickered as he entwined our fingers and began leading me to the shoreline.
Chapter 28
Hailey
It’s been three months since Max and I made up at the pond. Things have been going well, but we’ve been really busy. Fall is in the air, and the stand has been abuzz with pumpkin and corn talk. This year, the Stantons planted a corn field so they could have a corn maze for the kids. The thing is massive, and I’m not afraid to admit that I’ve gotten lost in it a time or two. There was one day last week that Max challenged me to a race through it. When I finally reached the end, he was standing there with a hot cider grinning like a fool.
After that day, I stopped taking challenges from him. He made me wear a shirt that read “directionally challenged” across the chest. Micha got a good laugh out of it. It was so good, that he took my picture. I thought it was for his amusement, but it turns out that I’m on the Stantons’ website now beside an ad for the corn maze. Max apologized for that one, but I told him not to worry, I’d get him back… I always do. He then reminded me that it was Micha who made me Internet famous. Micha would get his, but Max was guilty by association.
Today was a different story though. Max had convinced me to let him babysit. After some begging on his part, I agreed. Micha had needed me to come in for a short shift today, and then everything was closing early. It was homecoming tonight, and all the local businesses closed early so they could go to the game. I figured after I finished up, I’d grab some movies and Max and I would have an evening in.
It was busy for a Friday morning, but the weather was absolutely beautiful. The leaves were almost at peak, and there was a cool breeze in the air. The sun was high in the sky, and you could smell wood smoke in the distance. I sighed as I locked up for the day and made my way to my car. The drive to Max’s house was short, and when I pulled in the driveway, I was surprised he wasn’t outside. He’d asked me to pack Nora’s coat so I assumed he wanted to take her out.
I climbed from of my car, and made my way up to the door. I’d only been here a handful times since we’d started dating. Max usually came to my place because all of Nora’s things were there. He’d collected a few baby i
tems over the last several months for when we were here, but it wasn’t a lot.
I lifted my hand to knock on the door, and I could hear the roar of a crowd coming from inside. They must be watching TV, but Nora was usually only interested in SpongeBob at the moment. I tapped lightly, and waited.
“It’s open!” Max’s voice boomed through the wood.
I turned the knob, and slowly pushed it open. What I found nearly brought me to my knees. Max was sitting on the couch with Nora in his lap. She was dressed in a child’s Dalton High t-shirt. It looked like a dress on her. Max was pointing at the TV a few feet in front of them. “Hey, babe.” He smiled quickly in my direction before going back to pointing at the screen and talking to Nora. There on the TV was a Dalton High football game; a football game from when we were students there. “See?” Max tickled Nora. “That’s Daddy.” He glanced at me again before turning his attention to her once more.
An eighteen-year-old Max and Jared were congratulating each other on the screen after a play that gave Dalton the win. I remember that game. I remember the dance that night too. Nora didn’t understand what she was watching yet, but Max looked so proud of himself. “That’s your Daddy.” He kept hugging her, and she clapped her hands together along with the crowd on the screen.
I stood there completely frozen in place as the memories came rushing back from that time. Jared was just a guy I knew back then. He was a teammate of Max’s, and I’d met him a few times at parties and such. Max was dating Melody at the time, and she soon made an appearance on the screen in her cheer uniform. They all looked so young, and I yearned for the carefree feeling I had back then.
When my feet finally were able to move, I made my way over to the couch, and sat down beside him. “Was this ok?” He clicked the remote to silence the movie. “I don’t want to overstep with her. I know she’s not mine.”
The words felt like a knife to the heart. I’d thrown them at him in anger, months ago, and he still hadn’t forgotten. We’d never talked about it then, but now it was as if he was asking for permission to be that figure for her. “This is more than ok, Max.” The words came out choked, and I tried to hold back the tears.
“Oh baby, don’t cry.” He reached around my shoulders and pulled me closer. “I didn’t do this to make you cry.”
“I know.” I nodded against his shoulder. “I can’t believe you have this.”
“My mom has a bunch of these. I found a whole box of them when I was in the house last week. I’ve been watching them at night, looking for Jared. I wanna help you. I know you want her to know her daddy, and I know that I’m not him.”
“I’m sorry. I should have never said that to you.” I sobbed as I wiped at my eyes with the back of my hand.
“It’s ok.” He hugged me tighter.
“No, it’s not,” I cried. “I want him to be part of her life, but I want you to be part of it too.”
“And that’s what we’re doing.” He smiled as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head.
“Mama, Mama, Mama.” Nora clapped as she grinned at me, confusion spread across her face.
“Hey, sweetie.” I smiled back through the tears.
“I’m gonna make sure that she knows her daddy loved her, wanted her, and is with her every day. No matter what happens here,” he motioned between us, “I’ll always be there for her.”
And just like that I started bawling again. “I love you, Max,” I kissed his cheek, “but you gotta stop now before I run out of tears.”
“How about we go to the game?” he grinned. “I already got her a jersey.” I nodded as I looked at Nora. On closer inspection, the tee wasn’t just a regular tee, it was a jersey… a number seventy-two jersey… Jared’s number.
ooooooooo
Max
The stadium was packed when we arrived. Green and white streamers were decorating some of the players’ cars in the parking lot. I couldn’t believe that they still did that, but it was tradition after all. The last time I’d been to this field, I was running from the end zone. I didn’t know back then how much I would miss it, or what it truly meant to me. My years playing football were some of the best of my childhood. The only thing missing back then was what I had now. I kick myself almost every day for not having the guts back then to tell Hailey how I felt.
We made our way through the lot hand in hand. I had Nora in this backpack thing that Hailey used sometimes. I’d volunteered to carry her, and she seemed happy about it. She was currently twisting her little fingers in my hair, and pulling. I’d be lucky if I didn’t have a bald spot by the end of the night. The other important girl in my life was currently fulfilling one of my fantasies. She was wearing an old Dalton football shirt that I still owned, and leaning into my side as we walked to the ticket window.
“Two, please.” I reached in my back pocket to grab my wallet as Hailey rocked on the balls of her feet. The woman behind the window smiled when Nora began babbling and pushed the tickets toward me.
“Enjoy the game.” She waved at Nora.
“Thanks.” I waved back before wrapping Hailey’s hand back in mine and making my way to the gate. “You wanna find seats, or get food first?”
Before Hailey could answer, a woman came bounding up to us. “Max? Max Stanton?” She grinned at me.
“Yes?” She looked familiar, and based on the way Hailey was glaring, I should know who this was. “Do I know you?”
Her head snapped back, “You should. We dated almost a year.” She laughed.
“Melody? Wow. I didn’t even know it was you.” I wrapped my arm around Hailey to pull her closer, but she backed away.
“Well, I’m off to work the concession stand. It’s was great seeing you.” She waved as she turned and blended into the crowd.
“You too,” I yelled before glancing down at Hailey. “What?”
“You look great.” She mocked me and then glared. “I think we should find our seats.”
“So, no to the food.” I smirked. She was jealous. I sighed as I grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd. We made our way down the bleachers, and found an empty spot right on the forty-yard line. “These are pretty good, right?” I slipped the backpack off, and placed Nora on my lap.
“Yeah, they’re great,” she mumbled as she scanned the crowd.
“You looking for someone?” I chuckled.
“Trying to see if there are any more exes that I need to be prepared for,” she grumbled.
“You know, Hails,” I leaned closer, “it’s ok to be jealous.” I pressed a quick kiss to her temple.
Her head whipped in my direction. “I am not jealous.”
“Un huh.” I laughed even harder. “I’m here with you, ya know?”
She turned to grin at me. “And I’m leaving with you too.”
“Yep.” I kissed her again, this time on the cheek. “Game’s starting.” I motioned to the field just as the ball flew in the air from kick off.
We never did go to the concession stand for food. We stayed in our seats until right before the game ended. Dalton won 17-7 over Newbury. The students rushed the field when the clock ran down, but Hailey and I had already made our way out of the stands. We were standing behind the press box talking to a few of the faculty that remembered us from when we were students. One of the teachers said the homecoming dance was moved to a local VFW last year because there just wasn’t enough room at the school anymore. I got an idea, and now Hailey and I are walking up to campus, only she doesn’t know that.
“Where are we going?” She tugged on my hand as I pulled her alongside me.
“You’ll see.” I shrugged. Nora was fast asleep in the backpack, and I planned to keep it that way.
“Max.” she tugged again. “The school’s gonna be locked.” She tried to stop moving, but I ignored her.
“Not for us,” I whispered as I stopped by the gym door. Mr. Adams, my gym teacher, was one of the faculty members we’d seen tonight. I’d bargained with him to borrow his key in exch
ange for a few free pumpkins for his kids.
“What?” Hailey did stop this time, and I released her hand.
I pushed the key into the lock, and turned the knob. When the door gave way, I stepped in, and motioned for Hailey to follow. “I know you were there that night.” I stood behind her, the darkness of the gym making me brave. “I found out the next day. Jimmy had seen you. He told me that you showed up all dressed up without a date. He said he saw you leave, crying. I was an idiot back then, Hails. I’d known that you had some sort of feelings for me, but I didn’t know that they were as strong as they were. I wish it had been you, and not Melody that came to the dance with me.” Her shoulders shook, and I couldn’t tell if it was from crying or if she was cold. “Wait right here.” I stepped around her, and fished my phone out of my pocket. I opened up my iTunes account and scrolled through a playlist I’d made right after we’d gotten together. After clicking on my newest addition, Rise Again, I set my phone on one of the bleachers.
I turned, and stopped in front of her. “Dance with me?” I held my hand out and waited for her to grasp it. When she stepped forward and nodded, I wrapped her in my arms and began to move us around. Nora stayed quiet; I think my swaying acted as a rocking chair of sorts for her.
Hailey’s face turned up to mine, and I could just make it out from the moonlight shining through the gym windows. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I watched as she leaned in and placed her head on my chest.
“For everything. For being you. For loving me. For loving her.” Her eyes lifted in Nora’s direction. “There are times I think about what might have been if we’d just said our piece back then, but then I think about how different things might be now. I wouldn’t have her, and we might have not even survived. We might have hated each other by now. We were kids then. As much as I yearned for you back then, I think I needed you as a friend more.”
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