Labeled

by Jenni Linn

  "Take a picture, it'll last longer," she quips, her eyes flashing to me, then back to the road. Good idea. I whip out my phone and quickly snap a picture.

  "Seriously? I was joking, you better delete that."

  "No way. This moment is one to remember. I may just hire you to be my chauffeur." I watch her mouth as a smile plays on it. Those lips. I want to taste them so badly. I bet they're like little puffy pillows; soft and inviting. I clear my throat and look out the window. I need to think of something else before I have a noticeable tent in my jeans.

  "Is it good to be home?" she asks quietly. I drum my fingers on my pants, taking in her question. I inhale deeply, then slowly release it. "Yes, it’s good to be home. Sleeping in my bed, and not a cot. It's an adjustment, for sure, but knowing that I won't be shot at while walking around is relieving." I hear her breath hike.

  "You were shot at?" her eyes are big.

  "Well yeah, there's a war going on V," I tell her gently.

  "I mean, I know, but I just didn't realize."

  "I wasn't out in the field much, I'm a tech. We still train for battle, but it doesn't compare to actually being shot at."

  "Jeez. Do you have to go back?"

  "Yes, eventually. I don't know if they'll call me back, or when. It could be a year or a month."

  "A month? Seriously? You just got back."

  I shrug, even though she can't really see me. "It's how it works." She’s gone quiet, chewing her bottom lip, brows furrowed showing her worry. That pulls at my heart. I like that she's worried about me, but I don't want to be that burden on her. I lean over the console, reach out, and pull her bottom lip from her mouth. My hand lingers there, then slowly moves to her chin and down her neck. Her eyes widen. I’ve startled her, or she’s having some kind of reaction to my touch. By the way her breathing has become rapid, that seems like the most plausible possibility. I like that. I reluctantly move my hand to the center console, but I don't move away. I need to change the conversation to something a little lighter.

  "How's your senior year going? Do you have any college plans?" It’s ame, but it’s a safe topic. She clears her throat. "It's going," she says simply. "We plan on going to state."

  "We?"

  "Yeah, Taylor and I."

  "Watch out now, the double trouble on the loose at State. Takin' names and breakin' hearts." I laugh.

  She lightly backhands me on the shoulder. "We are not trouble!"

  "You and Taylor? Oh yes, you are! Walking, talking, double trouble!"

  "Whatever." She shakes her head. "You're one to talk!"

  "OOH! What does that mean?"

  "You and Vance? Takin' names and breakin' hearts."

  "That's all Vance," I say and look out the window.

  "Uh-huh," she hums.

  I decide, ‘fuck it’. I lean back in my seat, "You jealous?"

  She quickly looks at me, then back at the road, "What?"

  "You heard me, sounds like jealousy." I sigh and place my arms behind my head.

  "Jealous of what? The,” she takes her one hand off the wheel to air quote the next word, "'lucky' ladies that get to hook up with you? The same ones you guys don't have the decency to call back?"

  "Ouch." I wince. "I don't care how you view your brother, but you really think that of me?"

  She shrugs.

  "Don't get me wrong, I like women." She makes a face. "What?"

  "Nothing."

  "Why did you make that face then?"

  She sighs, then shifts gears. "You sound like such a womanizer."

  "Just because I like women? It doesn't mean I've slept with as many as you may think. It's the same with your brother."

  "TMI, dude."

  "No, you went there, so we're goin' there. You like men, right?"

  She glances at me and purses her lips.

  "Yes?" I prompt.

  "Yeah."

  "Okay, so just because you like men, doesn't mean you're going to sleep with every one of them,” She says nothing, “right?" Finally, she nods. "That's all I meant by it. I love women. But cut me some slack, I have some standards. When I'm really into someone, that's the only person I see. So whatever prejudice you have of me, forget it, because it's wrong."

  "I'm sorry," she says quietly.

  "It's important you know this."

  "Why?"

  "As I said, when I'm into someone, they're the only person I see."

  She glances at me, the confusion written all over her face. "So you're into someone?" It’s a question.

  "Yes."

  "Okayyy. Well then, I guess it's good that she's all you see, then."

  "You have no idea," I say looking at her. She's completely oblivious as she turns into the parking lot of Victor's Garage. I have no idea what I'm doing here. For the first time, I'm way out of my league. The more time I spend around her, the more attracted I become. This shouldn't come as a surprise; she's absolutely amazing. The smart thing to do would be to keep my distance, but I don't know if I'm smart enough for that anymore. I have to be careful, Vance would kill me, but I'll deal with that when it comes. Veronica pulls into a spot near the front office of the garage, then she pulls the e-brake. She looks at me, giving me a weak smile. "Thanks for letting me drive."

  "No problem. I told you I'd make it up to you." I return her smile. Vance pulls up next to us, and Veronica is out of my car without another word. I take a deep breath, get out, and walk around the back of my car. Wes and Vaughn pull up behind us but remain inside with the windows down. Vance says something to Veronica then jogs over to the tow truck driver, directing him where to put V's car. He unloads it and waves as he drives out of the lot. Veronica gets into the passenger side of Vance's car, and I'm a little bummed. I guess I just assumed we'd ride over to the Field together. Vance walks back to his car, and whirls his finger around. "Let's roll."

  I glance at the passenger side, but the window is up, and I can't see through his tint. So I just get in my car and follow behind everyone to the Field, trying to think where things went wrong in my conversation with Veronica.

  Not into Me

  "What the hell was that?" Vance starts immediately grilling me as soon as we pull out of the garage's lot. I can't help but roll my eyes, "What the hell was what?"

  "You and Chase, what the hell were you driving his car for?"

  "He asked. I think he was trying to cheer me up with my car being down."

  "He didn't try anything, did he?"

  I look at him like he's the one who lost his mind now and laugh. He doesn't say anything, so I have to follow up, "You're serious?"

  "Fuck yeah, I'm serious."

  "No Vance, he didn't try anything."

  "He better fucking not. I'll fucking kill him."

  "Vance, he's your best friend. We've known him forever. I can tell you he thinks of me as a little sister. In fact, he told me he's into someone."

  "He told you that? Who the fuck is he into? He cannot be serious about that chick he hooked up with."

  Whoa. All that crap he was talking in the car makes sense now. He's seeing' this girl, and anything that may have come off as flirting was just the opposite. He was making it clear tonight that he's into her. Ugh. I knew he wasn't into me! How could he be! But why the hell did he touch me like that? That wasn't nothing. I'm getting some serious whiplash on Chase's words and actions.

  "That dog." Vance's whole demeanor has changed now that he knows Chase wasn't trying to put the moves on me. He's visibly relaxed and drops the whole subject. He leans forward and turns up his music. The car becomes engulfed in some techno rap and I can barely hear myself think. This is going to suck. I don't want to see Chase with this girl. Dammit, I should've just told Vance to take me home. Maybe I can find a ride home with someone who's leaving early. I have to get up for work in the morning, anyway, and I need to get a start on finding out what the hell happened to my car. I wonder if I can get Vin to go in early. He shouldn't be out too late because he has to be up, too.
<
br />   I pull out my phone and send him a text. He responds quickly, which surprises me. It's one word. ‘Maybe’.

  Ugh.

  Vance slows as we come to the entrance, his car bouncing because of the dirt road until he finds a place to park. I open my door but don't get out right away. Vance slams his door, "Let's go V, I need to lock it." I stand up and close my door. It beeps, and I walk around, leaning against the back to wait for Taylor. Chase is lingering until Vance calls him over, where they wander off. Taylor's smile is taking over her whole face. I shake my head, and her smile falls. Taylor hangs behind with me, Wes looks back at her. She tells him, "I'm gonna girl talk with V, I'll be up there in a minute." He just nods, he and Vaughn keep walking.

  "What happened?" she asks.

  "We were so far off Tay," I tell her.

  "What? Off about what?"

  "He's not into me. After Vance had a fit, and I told him that Chase told me he's into someone, Vance filled in the pieces a bit."

  "Explain."

  "It was nice. We were just talking. I asked about his deployment, and he asked about my plans for school...he called us trouble." I smiled. Taylor put her hands on her hips, "Double Trouble." She throws me a wink. I laugh, "Yeah, that's what he said."

  "Okay…so..." She waves her hand for me to continue.

  "It somehow got a bit personal. I kind of called him a whore, and he just went off, saying he likes women, but it's not like he sleeps with a ton, though he can't speak for Vance." She makes a face. "I know. I did the same thing. Anyway, I felt like crap for judging him. He said when he's into someone, that's all he sees. He made that specific. I wasn't quite sure how to take it until Vance said he hooked up with this chick."

  She looked taken aback, exactly how I felt. "What?"

  "Yessss."

  "Wait, so he came home, hooked up with some girl, and is now seeing her? I'm not buying it. I see the way he looks at you."

  "Then why tell me all this? I mean he says he doesn't sleep around but did just that?" This is starting to piss me off. I groan. "Yanno what? It doesn't matter. Vance was PISSED that we even drove together. That whole conversation was scary. I can't even imagine how we'd manage to get away with dating. I don't know why I'd think otherwise. Let's go…" I grab her hand and pull her towards the open field.

  A bunch of our classmates greet us as we make our way to our usual spot at the log near the fire. I have to force myself not to look around. Someone takes a seat next to me, wrapping their arm around my shoulder, I startle and look over at the person. "Jerry!" I yell as soon as I see my very good friend. I snake my arm around his waist and squeeze him.

  "Hi, my love!" he says laughing. Seeing Jerry brightens my mood immediately. He is one of the most attractive and charismatic guys I've had the pleasure of knowing. It's a shame for the female population because he does not see us in the same way they see him.

  "How are you, baby?" he asks.

  "Better now." I wink at him.

  "You little flirt." He laughs.

  "Is it working?"

  "Oh baby doll, if I were to try to be straight for any girl, it'd be you." I grab at my chest, above my heart, and I sigh loudly, "If dreams could come true!"

  "Stoppp, you're going to make me blush."

  "Hey, Jer!" Taylor leans over me.

  "Hey Tay Tay, how you doin' love?"

  "Just peachy," she throws back.

  "How was the track?" He asks.

  "Ugh! My car broke."

  "No way!" Jerry shouts.

  "Yes, way."

  "Oh honey, I'm sorry. You want a drink?"

  "Yes, Please!"

  "K, I'll be right back!" He gets up and walks away.

  "He is too hot for his own good," Taylor swoons.

  "Right here," Wes says, staring at her.

  She turns to him, "He's gay baby, it's okay." She kisses his cheek, then pushes his face away. Jerry returns juggling with three plastic cups. He hands one to Taylor, then one to me, and takes his seat next to me. I take a sip of my beer.

  "Giirrrlll. That fine specimen over there is staring at you," he says in my ear, causing me to choke on the beer. I start coughing like crazy. Jerry is patting my back. "Oh my gosh! You okay?"

  I continue hacking up a lung. "I'm good. Wrong tube." I pat my chest.

  "V, It's Chase," Taylor whispers.

  "I can't look," I tell them, finally getting the coughing under control.

  "What is going on?" Jerry asks.

  "Nothing." I give Tay a warning, then glance at Wes.

  "He won't say anything. I'll make him promise." Tay whispers. She moves closer to us,

  "They're hot for each other," Taylor offers. I smack her on the thigh.

  "Ow!" She rubs her leg, "You hoe!"

  "I'd say! Damn, the way he's watching you."

  "How is he watching me?" I question, looking between them.

  “With the way he’s glaring at me...I don't think he knows. That’s jealousy,” He pauses, “Should I be scared?" Jerry's panic makes me laugh.

  "No worries, honey. I will protect you," I tell him. Jerry grabs my thigh, "Good, I can't have him messing up my face. It's too pretty." We're all laughing hard and only when the heat from the fire disappears, my eyes flash open. Chase is hovering over us, forcing me to crane my neck up. His eyes are hard and his arms are crossed over his chest. The laughter dies on my lips.

  "Hey Chase," Taylor says. "What brings you this way?" she asks sweetly.

  "I don't think we've met." He ignores Taylor, lowering into a crouch in front of us. Jerry grips my thigh tighter, and I place my hand on his. Chase doesn't miss it, his eyes move from Jerry’s face to his hand, then glances at me before looking back at Jerry. The hand on my thigh disappears instantly, “Hey, we haven't met, that is. I’m Jerry.”

  "Chase," his response is simple; to the point. He looks at me, and then back at Jerry again. This is weird.

  "Well girlies, it was fun catching up. I see a hottie over there, and my gaydar is going off." He points to the complete opposite side. I smile, "Go get em' tiger."

  "Oh, I will honey." He winks at me and looks at Tay. "Bye love." Then whispers to Chase, "Nice to meet you, handsome." Chase coughs and clears his throat. "Yeah, you too."

  We all watch as Jerry struts off. Chase takes Jerry's place next to me, resting his arms on his knees.

  "He seems...nice."

  "Jerry? Yeah, he's great," I say back. He tips my cup and looks into it. "Brave girl. Your brother's right over there." He nods across the way. I look up, but Vance is too consumed with some girl. A blonde within their group glances our way, crosses her arms, and takes a sip from her cup. She looks back at some guy, and laughs, but focuses her eyes back at us again. I wonder if this girl is who he's seeing. I silently shake my thoughts away. "Yeah, I don't think he cares. His attention is elsewhere."

  Chase laughs, "I guess you're right."

  I take a sip. "I think that girl wants your attention," I bump my shoulder with his. He catches a glimpse of the blonde, and she smiles wide at his attention. He sighs loudly; clearly annoyed, which confuses the heck out of me. Vance has finally noticed that Chase is missing, he's looking around the area but doesn't look this way. He says something to the female companion, who then points our way. I quickly hide my cup, hoping he doesn’t see. He squints, his jaw clenches, then waves Chase over.

  "You're being summoned."

  "I can see." He sighs, "I better go see what he wants."

  "Yeah, you better," I tell him.

  "Have a good night girls," he grunts, and then he’s gone.

  "Giiiirrrllllll," Taylor drags out, "I think the only girl he's into is you."

  I looked at her baffled; silent.

  "He was about to beat up Jerry!"

  “He was not!" I dismiss Chase's odd behavior. "I'm sure he was protecting me like my brothers would."

  She shakes her head violently, "Nope, not buying it."

  "Well,” I clap my hands together,”yo
u don't have to. He has a hot little number over there." I nod to where Chase is standing next to my brother, the blonde now on his right pawing at him. I look away. I feel a little pang in my heart, and I berate myself. This is so stupid. "He clearly could care less. He's barely acknowledging her," Taylor battles. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help but look. He's put some distance between him and the blonde.

  "I need to go for a walk, this is driving me crazy."

  "Want me to come with you?" she yells as I start walking away.

  I just wave my hand at her, and walk towards the isolated area of the lake--away from the noise--away from everyone and, mostly, away from Chase.

  I’ll Break Your Face

  "Dude. What the hell were you doing over there?" Vance grills me as I make my way to him. I shrug. "I saw some dude hitting on V. You were too busy with Brittany to notice."

  "Jerry? He's gay." Vance laughs.

  "Yeah, well, I didn't know that! I never met the dude." He thinks my argument is hilarious.

  "I saw him," He pauses and looks at me, "You sure that's all it was? You into my sister?" He asks, the laughter gone. His mouth is in a tight line. It completely takes me off guard. I'm stunned and silent as he stares me down. Finally, I scoff and laugh nervously. "What? No!"

  He bursts out laughing. "I'm fucking with you dude, you should've seen your face!" He smacks my shoulder and continues talking to me, "V, told me you're into someone." He nods his head to my right, I don't have time to process what Vance just said when I suddenly felt hands on my arm. I look at the delicate fingers with pink nail polish wrapping around my arm, and into blue eyes, "Hey, Chase."

  Great.

  "Hey, Shannon."

  "You never called," she pouts, and it makes her look stupid. I cross my arms over my chest, which causes her to remove her hand from my arm. "I'm sorry, I've been busy." I know. I sound like a jerk; something Veronica called me out on earlier. I guess I am a jerk.