You Promised Me Forever (The Dirty Ankle Series Book 1)

by Lizabeth Scott

  Mr. Montgomery closed the knife and dropped it back in his pocket. “And I assume you’re the tooth fairy?”

  “No. Yes.” Will stood tall and pushed his shoulders back and looked him directly in the eyes. “Sir, it just wasn’t right.”

  Nic’s grandfather looked him in the eyes and squinted. They stood that way for more than a minute. Will was determined he wasn’t going to look away. He didn’t like the way Nic’s grandparents treated her, and it was time somebody told them that. Then Will watched Nic’s grandfather deflate right before his eyes.

  “You’re right. It wasn’t. I didn’t know she’d lost a tooth, or I’d have contacted the tooth fairy myself.”

  Will nodded but didn’t relax his posture. “I’m sure you would have, sir.”

  “You’re good for my granddaughter. I’ve been watching you, you know. You seem to take good care of my Nicole.”

  Mr. Montgomery stopped talking and looked away. Will thought he saw his eyes glittering in the moonlight.

  “She needs someone like you. I wish…” Again, Mr. Montgomery looked away. “You just see that you look out for her on these adventures you go on.”

  Will smiled. “Yes, sir. I surely will.”

  The next morning as Will left his house for the bus stop, he found Nic waiting for him in the bushes.

  Nic, what are you doing out this early? It’s too chilly to be outside in just your pajamas.”

  “Look, Will!” Nicole held up the money proudly. “The tooth fairy came! And look what’s on it. Do you think that’s fairy dust? I woke up and there it was, just lying under my pillow and the tooth was gone.

  Will smiled and listened to her excited rambling. He wondered if his parents felt all gooey inside when they played the tooth fairy. Seeing Nic so happy made him happy.

  After that night, Will made sure the tooth fairy always showed up for Nic.

  That was also when Will began to take his job of looking after Nic seriously.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Will, hold still,” Nicole whispered, as she stood on Will’s shoulders.

  “Here, take my towel.” Nicole passed her towel to Will’s waiting hand. “This is a lot easier now. There’s a lot more of you to hold on to.

  “Come on, Nic, we don’t have all night.”

  Will was big for his age. He was almost as tall as his father, and Nic wasn’t very heavy. Her hair got all in his face as she used his body as her human ladder. What had started out years ago as an innocent way to get her out of the house was beginning to make Will…uncomfortable. And the fact that her chest had begun to grow wasn’t helping as she rubbed all over him, climbing down.

  With Nic’s feet on the ground, Will took her hand and they crept to his yard where they made a mad, but silent dash to his treehouse.

  “You go on up, Nic, and change, and I’ll wait down here.”

  “Why? We always change down here. Come on. I can’t wait to get in the water.”

  Will turned his back when he saw Nic reach for the bottom of her nightgown. Lately he had been having weird feelings about her. His brain knew she was still a little kid, but his body, these days, had a mind of its own. His father had even had “the talk” with him and had given him a box of condoms that he’d been too embarrassed to touch for days after their “lesson.” His dad had even made him practice putting a condom on a cucumber; a tiny little four-inch cucumber. What had his dad been thinking? Will had known a long time ago he was bigger than the other guys in the locker room. But it was kind of insulting his dad thought that was all he had going on. Maybe their talk was the reason he was having different thoughts about Nic.

  “Come on, Will, what is wrong with you? Last one in is a rotten tomato!” she taunted, as she pushed him on the back and ran for the water.

  Will heard her splash before he turned around and joined her. He’d taught her to swim long ago. Since her grandparents didn’t approve of swimming or swim suits, Will bought Nic a bathing suit with the money he was saving for a model plane. They kept it in his treehouse so her grandmother wouldn’t find it. He needed to get her a new one; this one wasn’t fitting so well anymore. There seemed to be more of her sticking out, and the material didn’t cover as much of her pale white skin as it used to.

  “The water feels good doesn’t it, Will?” Nicole asked, as she lay on her back floating.

  “Yeah, it does.” The cool water felt very good on his hot skin. Will floated over. They held hands and looked up at the stars overhead, just like always.

  “Do you ever wonder, Will, what it would have been like if you hadn’t stuck your head through the hedge?” Nicole asked quietly.

  “You would still talk funny, and my life would be a lot easier,” he told her, and he wasn’t sure if he was kidding.

  “Take it back!” Nicole splashed him and then pulled him under. They both came up sputtering and laughing. Nic wrapped her legs around Will so he couldn’t get away from her. Then she could splash him all she wanted and she didn’t have to worry about treading water. Will was strong enough to keep them both up.

  “Cut it out, Nic.” Will unwrapped her legs, pushed her away, and started for the water’s edge.

  “What’s wrong, Will? I didn’t mean it. Why are you mad at me?” Nicole swam after him.

  “Come on, we need to get you back.” Will picked up their towels and handed Nic hers before he began to dry off.

  “Will,” Nicole said almost in tears, “don’t be mad at me.” She stood by the edge of the water, with tears glistening in her eyes.

  “I’m not mad, okay?” Will looked around for anything to distract him. “Just come on. I’ll wait for you by the swing.” He took off down the path. It was going to be a long time before they went swimming again, if ever. If Nicole had seen or felt the tent in his shorts, she wouldn’t have understood.

  Nicole watched him walk away and puckered her brow. She dried off, hung her swim suit on the hook Will had put up for her, pulled back on her nightgown and white cotton panties. She couldn’t figure out what was wrong with Will. He’d been acting very strange lately.

  ***

  It had been seven days without a single visit from Will. Nicole saw him leave for school each morning and return each afternoon. On three of those afternoons, he had friends come over, and they played soccer in the backyard. She even smelled the delicious chocolate chip cookies that his mother made. She waited anxiously for Will to sneak her some through the hedge. He knew they were her favorite, and he always brought her some. She could remember the day when his hand appeared through the hedge holding one still-warm chocolatey cookie. She had never tasted anything so delicious. Grandmother would never allow sweets in the house. But today, the cookies never came. And Will didn’t either.

  Nicole didn’t understand what she had done to make Will mad. He was her only friend. She loved hearing him tell her about his day at school. She knew all about Allen, Charles, Kevin, and Clint who played on the school’s soccer team with Will, and she knew that his friend Payton wanted to be a lawyer like his father when he grew up. She knew that Will thought the girls in his class were pains.

  Of course, she’d never met any of them, but she bet she would recognize them from Will’s descriptions. He did wonderful imitations of them, and they both always ended up laughing like loons, especially when he did an imitation of her grandmother. Nicole knew she shouldn’t laugh. It was disrespectful, but Will was so funny she couldn’t help herself.

  Nicole walked to the window again and looked for Will, resting her hand on the cool glass of the window pane. She needed to talk to him and apologize for whatever it was she did. She missed him terribly. Tonight, she would go talk to him.

  Her grandfather called from the bottom of the stairs. “Nicole, dear, come along, it’s time to go.”

  “Yes, sir.” Nicole finished putting her white cotton gloves on, picked up her books, and walked serenely down the stairs to join her grandparents. There were
exactly three times a week that her grandparents called social times. Church on Sunday mornings, bible study on Monday evenings, and prayer groups on Wednesday evenings. Tonight was bible study night.

  Nicole knew what was expected of her. She was to sit quietly while the adults discussed their lesson. She was allowed to read from her bible, and if anyone asked her a question, she was allowed to speak. Otherwise, “seen and not heard” were her grandmother’s directions.

  Later that night, after her grandparents were asleep, she crept from her house, went through the hedge, and tapped on Will’s window. She waited and finally the window silently opened.

  “What do you want, Nic?” Will asked, sticking his head through.

  She raised her arms and didn’t say a word. After a long pause and a sigh, two other arms reached out to pull her in. This was their routine. Whenever she was sad or had a bad dream, she would come to Will. He would always make things better by pulling her into his room and letting her crawl under the covers with him.

  Standing in Will’s bedroom, seeing him again, she already felt calmer. He was wearing his blue-striped pajama bottoms and a green t-shirt. She liked the red ones best, but the blue were her second favorite.

  ***

  “What’s up, Nic?” Will asked her again. He already regretted pulling her into his room. He could almost see through the thin white cotton nightgown she was wearing. First, her swimsuit was getting too tight and now this. For the first time ever he’d considered not answering her tap on the window pane, but it would have only hurt her feelings. Besides the past week had been hard on him too; he’d missed his girl.

  “Are you mad at me, William?” Nicole asked quietly, and then waited for his answer.

  “No, I’m not mad, Nic. I’ve just been busy this week.” He picked up his soccer ball and tossed it from one hand to the other. Keep your mind on the ball.

  Nicole didn’t sound convinced. “I saw you in the backyard playing soccer with the boys.”

  “Yeah.” Will continued to toss the ball. “We have a really tough game coming up with the Black Hawks, and Coach wanted us to get in extra practice.”

  “You’ll win, Will. I know you will.” Nicole yawned and looked towards the bed. “Will, can we…”

  Will sighed and closed his eyes. He knew what she was asking. “Sure, but just for a little while, and then I’ll walk you back home.” He’d missed her and holding her did feel good. She had been crawling into his bed for a long time. She wouldn’t understand if he told her no, and she really wouldn’t understand if he told her why.

  They both got under the covers, and Nicole snuggled under Will’s chin, resting her head on his chest. Will smelled mint from her toothpaste and felt the chill of her skin through his pajamas.

  “I missed you, Will,” she whispered.

  “I missed you too, Nic,” he admitted, and began to rub her back, trying not to think of her soft breasts mashed up against his chest.

  “I don’t know what I did to make you mad, Will, but I’m sorry.” Nicole’s eyes filled with tears.

  “Nothing, Nic, you didn’t do anything. Now be quiet before you wake my parents.” He tweaked her nose with his finger and smiled when she did that soundless giggle thing that she did.

  “Okay. Will, I love you?”

  “Love you, too.” Will thought about that. When he was younger he loved Nic like a sister. But now, his feelings for her were all confused. He did know that what he felt for Nic was different than what he felt for girls at school. Nic was special. He’d known that from the first moment he saw her and claimed her as his.

  “Nic.” When all he got for a reply was her cute little snort he knew she’d fallen asleep. Softly Will whispered, “Remember you’re my girl.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Will!” Nicole cried out tapping frantically at his window. “Will, please hurry!” She sobbed, as her tapping became louder and more insistent. She knew she needed to be quiet, but since she’d woke up with pains in her stomach and then found…Nicole’s head jerked up at the sound above her.

  Will’s window slowly raised and his head appeared. “What? Nic, be quiet!”

  “I’m dying, Will,” she cried hysterically, and held up her bloody hands. “Look.”

  Will’s heart seemed to stop as he quickly reached down and pulled her through the window. “Did you cut yourself climbing out your window?” Will turned her bloody hands over but couldn’t find any cuts. Her nightgown was covered in blood. Chills went through his body as he pulled her into his arms and felt her trembling body. He tried to stay calm, but his Nic was in pain and bleeding; he needed to save her.

  “No, it’s not from my hands, Will. It’s from inside me. Blood is pouring out of me. I’m dying, Will. Please help me!” She implored him with her eyes and then ducked her head under his chin, into her safe place, as she sobbed into his shirt, her bloody hands gripping his t-shirt.

  “Where’s the blood coming from, Nic?” He turned her around searching her body for gaping wounds but couldn’t find any.

  “Inside me. All my blood is leaking out of me, Will. How long do you think I have to live?” she asked, her voice muffled against his t-shirt.

  “Nicole.” His tone caused her head to bump his chin as she looked up into his eyes. He only ever called her Nicole when he was mad or being serious. “Tell me exactly. Where is the blood coming from?

  Nicole looked down, too embarrassed to admit it. “From…from between my legs.”

  Will shut his eyes tightly and hugged her. That’s what he had been afraid of. How could he help her? “Wait here, Nic. You’re not dying, but just wait here.”

  In only a few moments Will walked back into the room with his mother.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Harrison. How are you this evening?” Nicole sniffled, ever mindful of her manners. No matter how dire the circumstances, she’d been taught to always exhibit good manners.

  “Oh, honey.” Will’s mom gave her a hug. “Come with me. You’re going to be just fine.”

  Nicole looked at Will, doubting her words. They hadn’t seen the amount of blood gushing from her body. “Will?”

  “Go with my mom, Nic. She’ll help you.” Will watched his mom lead a very frightened Nic from his room. He sat on his bed in shock. Nicole was a woman now. She had been so scared. He couldn’t help but be upset with her grandmother for not preparing her for what was going to happen with her body. He had learned in health class years ago what went on in a woman’s body every month. If her grandmother insisted on homeschooling Nic, then she should have taught her about that also. Nic must have been so frightened.

  Will wanted to march over to Nicole’s house and demand that her grandparents treat her like a young woman from this era. She should have friends, and she should listen to music from this era, not Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, and she shouldn’t dress like an old lady, and she should especially never have to eat sissy cucumber sandwiches when she hated cucumbers.

  Someday he would take her away from all of that. They would go to college and get married, and then he would never allow an old-lady dress in the house ever again. Nic would finally be free to be who she was supposed to be, not an imitation of her grandparents. Her grandparents trained her well; she would never disobey or question their authority. But someday she would be his, his girl for real.

  Will heard the backdoor click closed. He ran out of his room and bolted outside. “Nic, wait up.” Nic and his mom were halfway across the backyard before he caught up to them. “Hey, are you okay?” Will was glad to see his mom had loaned her a pair of his brothers sweat pants and t-shirt, and all the blood had been washed away. She looked alright, but he knew she really wasn’t. It was the connection they had to each other. Will knew she was upset because she wouldn’t look at him and she was smoothing down her borrowed t-shirt. She always fidgeted when she was nervous.

  Nicole had spent an hour listening to Will’s mom. She was confused, scared,
and embarrassed that Will knew what was wrong with her, what was happening to her body, when she didn’t have a clue. She gripped the brown paper bag Mrs. Harrison had given her with supplies she would need for the next week and couldn’t look at Will. She nervously shifted from one foot to the other, refusing to meet his eyes. “I…I’m fine Will.” She turned and held out her hand to Will’s mom. “Thank you again, Mrs. Harrison. I am very sorry to have disturbed your sleep. I can make it back from here.” Without another word she turned and went back through the hedge.

  Will felt the loss of their childhood as he watched Nic run back through the hedge. She’d never been embarrassed or nervous around him before. But they weren’t kids anymore, and he knew their lives would have to change. “Thanks, Mom,” he said, his eyes still on the exact spot Nic when through.

  “You’re welcome, honey. It’s always broken my heart, the way her grandparents treat her. She’s been very lucky to have you for a friend all these years.”

  “Mom,” Will asked, as they began walking back towards the house, “you didn’t seem surprised when I told you Nic was in my room.”

  “Oh, honey, we’ve known from the beginning about your forays into the night. Your father and I thought it was the best thing for Nicole, to have you in her life, looking after her, and teaching her how to be a child. It was all innocent friendship, but I’m thinking it’s a bit more now, isn’t it?”

  “I…I don’t know what you mean.” Will felt uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking. Did his mom know how he reacted to Nic lately?

  “You’re both growing up, Will. What was acceptable when you were ten isn’t okay now. Do you understand what I’m saying, honey?”

  “Yeah, we’re too old to sleep together anymore.” He looked down at his bare feet.

  Will’s mom gave him a hug and headed back to bed.

  “Mom,” Will said, and she stopped to looked back. “I love her. Someday I’m going to marry, Nic.”

  His mom smiled and patted his cheek. “I know honey, I know.”