Soaked

by Courtney Elliott

  He chose that particular moment to look over at us and I could feel my whole face heat. His smile widened as he looked back at me and I was pretty sure my knees grew a little weaker. Then he did the craziest thing. He motioned me to come over. I couldn’t believe it. Even though West had never been rude where I was concerned, he still never acted like we were really friends. The most I ever got was a quick hello or goodbye when I would pass him in the hallways of their house. So, to say I was shocked that he was calling me over then would have been an understatement.

  I hesitated on the sidewalk though. Katie wasn’t moving toward him and surely she noticed him waving us over. So, why wasn’t she going? That’s when the girls next to us that I hadn’t noticed before, made their way straight for West and Sebastian. It quickly became clear that he had in no way been looking at me. I let a sigh escape me before I grabbed the handles of my bike a little tighter and turned around. Katie followed after me.

  “Do you think I’m as pretty as those girls?” She asked me.

  “Of course,” I replied without hesitation.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, you have long blonde hair that any of those girls would die to have without having to use a box or spend a fortune to get. Not to mention those emerald eyes of yours that you continuously call plain.”

  “So, you think I could get a guy like Sebastian if I wanted to?”

  “I think you could have a guy like Sebastian following you around like a puppy dog if you really wanted it.” That brought a large smile to her face which made my exaggeration worth it. It’s not that I didn’t think Katie could get a guy like that. She really was very pretty. We were too young though. We were fourteen and about to be freshmen in high school. Sebastian and West were about to be juniors and only interested in looking at the older girls. So, thinking that they would ever look at us as more than kids was unrealistic. Still, it was nice to pretend.

  “I think you’re really pretty too,” she said and I smiled again. I knew she was only saying that to be nice. My brown hair was too thick to do anything with which is why is spent most of its time in a ponytail. My eyes were covered up by glasses that I couldn’t go without. I had a mouth full of metal that would remain that way until my smile was nice and straight the way it should be. My clothes were too big even though they were the same size as Katie’s. Unfortunately, she actually managed to fill them out. I was what they called a late bloomer. A very late bloomer.

  Plus, I was scrawny as they came. I looked like a stretched out boy with a ponytail and while I wasn’t exactly ugly, I most definitely was not what anyone our age would call pretty. Still, I appreciated the thought behind her comment.

  “Well, I should probably go. Mom said it was supposed to rain and she gets real pissed when I come in dripping,” Katie said with a smile. “I’ll call you later tonight.”

  “Okay, bye.” We gave each other a hug before we went our separate ways. I climbed on my bike and started the long ride home. I hoped I could make it before it started pouring. I hadn’t even thought to look at the weather before I left that afternoon.

  I was still a good five miles from my house when I heard a pop and lost control of my bike. I went falling and had just enough time to block the ground with my hands before hitting. Hard.

  I looked over at my bike and saw that my rear tire was the cause of the pop and it was completely flat. “Oh, fiddlesticks,” I said loudly. I picked myself up off the ground and surveyed the damage to my hand. It wasn’t too bad. There was a cut across my palm and it was bleeding, but it was in no way a life or death situation. So, I picked my bike up off the ground and started walking.

  I made it maybe five feet before the unmistakable rumble of thunder echoed all around me. I tried to pick up my pace, but it was useless. Less than a minute passed before the skies opened up on me. I was drenched before taking another ten steps. I didn’t stop though. Home wasn’t too much further down the road. I’d ridden this path too many times to count. Walking it wouldn’t be so bad.

  Just as I started to shiver from the cold the water on my back was causing, I heard a car slowing. I turned my head and saw a black Chevy pickup that I knew all too well. I stopped walking and he slowed to a stop beside me. West rolled down the passenger window and his face was etched with concern.

  “You need a ride?” He offered. I wanted to scream yes, but I also didn’t want to put him out in any way. His house was on the other side of the woods that separated us. If he took me home, it would take him twice as long to get himself back home.

  “It’s not that far,” I said instead. He frowned at my response and put his truck in park. Before I could stop him, he had his door opened and he was coming toward me. He grabbed my bike and motioned with his head toward the passenger door.

  “Get in, I’ve got this.” I opened my mouth to protest, but stopped myself. He was already soaked and I didn’t want that to have happened all for nothing. I opened the passenger door and climbed inside. I had never been inside West’s truck before. I had seen it several times since he got it the previous August for his sixteenth birthday, but only ever from the outside.

  It was a lot cleaner than I would have thought. He had a lanyard hanging from the rear view mirror that has his student ID and his name badge for Harvey’s attached to it. The radio was too low to hear, but I could see the station and it brought a smile to my face. He liked to listen to the oldies just like I did.

  I turned in my seat and watched as he heaved my bike over the side of the truck and placed it in the bed. Then he walked over to the driver’s door. He climbed in and shook out his hair. A few droplets landed on my already wet arm and I just looked down at them.

  “Sorry,” he said.

  “It’s fine. Thanks for stopping.” He smiled that grin of his and I saw my favorite dimple.

  “Sure thing. It’s not like I could have just driven by you.” He looked over at me with that wide smile. “You know my truck.” It took me a second to realize he just teased me. I laughed out loud and he chuckled too before putting his truck back in gear and heading down the road. In that moment I wished my house had been farther away. Five miles seemed like the shortest possible distance.

  “So, did you get any new books?” He asked after a few seconds of silence. I looked over at him with my brows raised. “I saw you go into the library earlier and something tells me you already read the books on your summer reading list.” I smiled at that. It wasn’t exactly hard to peg me as the nerdy type that finished her assignments much earlier than everyone else, but something about the way he said it made me think that he made that observation because he actually knew something about me rather than just stereotyping.

  “Actually, I got three new ones and yeah, I finished the reading list last month.” He chuckled again and the sound made me forget how cold I was.

  “Katie hasn’t even started yet. I keep telling her she needs to get a move on it, but you know her.”

  “Yeah, I think she’s hoping I’ll just cave and tell her what all the books are about in case she gets asked anything. I’m contemplating making something up.” He looked over at me, surprised.

  “You should do that.” I gave a shrug of my shoulders.

  “I don’t know. I would feel bad if she got in trouble or something.”

  “You shouldn’t. You’re not responsible for my sister doing her own work. I think it would be hilarious. I can just picture her in the class telling the teacher all about how Gatsby fought aliens and zombies before taking over as President of the United States.” He laughed out loud at his own joke and I couldn’t fight the smile that took over my face.

  “That would be pretty funny,” I admitted. West looked over at me and smiled and I think I actually sighed. It shouldn’t be fair for a guy to look as handsome as him and he wasn’t even finished aging yet. He was a boy still on the cusp of becoming a man. I could just imagine how much better he was going to get.

  He pulled his truck into my driveway and put i
t in park. I turned toward him and smiled. “Well, thanks for the ride home.”

  “Sure, do you need me to take a look at your bike? Just to make sure it’s not too messed up.”

  “My dad can fix it,” I said quickly. It was only after the words left my mouth that I realized the opportunity I had just missed.

  “Alright, well I guess I’ll see you around Lennon.” I smiled as wide as I could. My name never sounded as good as it did when he said it. Almost like it was meant for him and him alone.

  “Thanks West. I’ll see you.” I opened the door and climbed out. I had to run to the porch to keep from getting even more wet. When I turned, he was still sitting there looking after me. He held his hand up in a wave the same way he had that day in the woods. I waved back then he turned the truck around and left.

  That time, I did sigh.

  Then I stepped into the house. I could hear my little brother, Jameson from the kitchen. I latched the strap of my purse on one of the hooks by the door and made my way toward the sound. Just before I opened the door, I plastered a wide smile on my face and called out.

  “Is that Jameson I hear?” His giggle could be heard through the door. “Guess who?” Then I opened the door and came in. My brother was sitting in his high chair with food scattered all around him. Mom was sitting across from him holding out a spoon. She looked over and smiled as I stepped further into the kitchen.

  I walked over and gave Jameson an exaggerated smooch on the cheek that made him laugh harder. He really was the most happy of children. I hoped he would always be that way.

  See, when my brother came home from the NICU, he had a severe brain injury. The doctors said that he will never walk. He will never talk. He will never be able to function normally in society. He seemed to be happy for the most part though. I can’t think of a time that I didn’t see him with a large smile on his adorable little face.

  I gave him one more kiss before I walked down the hall toward my room. I dropped my bag on the ground and fell back onto my bed with a smile on my face. West had talked to me. We actually had a conversation, and it was safe to say that my crush on him just went up a few notches. I let out a sigh as I fantasized of the day when I would have the courage to tell him just how I felt.

  Yeah, like that would ever happen.

  Three

  The summer before West’s senior year, Mrs. Blake decided that she wanted to have a special week out at this cabin they used to go to when Katie and West were kids. She claimed it was just a casual thing for West, but I don’t think any of us actually believed that. We knew that it had more to do with the fact that after that year, West would be leaving home and she wasn’t exactly going to handle it all that well. It made me wonder at the time how she was going to react when it came time for Katie to leave three years later.

  Originally it was just supposed to be a family trip for them. I’m not sure exactly what caused the plan to change, but it did. A couple of weeks before they were supposed to leave Katie came up to me in the hallway and practically begged me to join her. Not that she had to, I was all too happy to tag along. It would give me a chance to be in close proximity to West and that was something I never passed up, even though I probably should have.

  My parents weren’t exactly thrilled about the idea of me spending the weekend away. I think even though I had just turned fifteen a couple of months before, they still saw me as their little girl. I was eager for that to change and I had a feeling that if I could do well on this trip then maybe it would. Besides, Mrs. Blake would be there to keep an eye on things so it’s not like I was completely unsupervised.

  “We’re gonna have so much fun, Len,” Katie assured me as I hopped into the back seat with her and Mrs. Blake slowly pulled away from my house. “We’ve each got our own room so we won’t have to worry about them stinking it up.”

  “Where is this place?” I asked. I’d only heard a few details about the cabin since becoming friends with Katie, but none of them had really told me much. I knew it had been in the family for a few generations. I knew that it was where they used to go for family vacations once a year before Mr. Blake had his affair. Other than that, it was a mystery.

  “It’s on the edge of this big lake. We call it Lake Crysnthia. That’s what my granddad used to call it.”

  “He named it after Mom and our aunt,” West added.

  “It’s massive,” Sebastian said. I had figured as much. The Blake’s didn’t seem to own anything small. Mr. Blake apparently had an affinity for showing off his success through his possessions.

  “There are eight rooms; most of them have a bathroom attached except the ones on the lower level. They have to share a bathroom, and then there is a half bathroom in the living room, but no one ever really uses it. The kitchen has a deck attached that leads down to the dock.”

  “Wow,” I replied simply because I couldn’t really think of anything else to add. The place already sounded amazing, and she’d barely told me anything. Sebastian turned around to face us while Katie continued to tell me all about the cabin.

  “There’s a boat house out back. It has the jet skis and anything you might need to spend a day on the lake. Dad had a slide put in and a rope swing a few years ago. The slide is kind of a little busted up, but the rope is still good I think.”

  “It sounds amazing.” Katie nodded her head and beamed at me.

  It was already starting to get dark by the time we pulled up into the driveway of the cabin. Mrs. Blake pulled the SUV under the awning and we all slowly climbed out. After a couple of hours being scrunched in the back row, my legs felt like jelly. So, when I climbed out I immediately lost my balance.

  Luckily, West had been standing close by and he caught me before I actually fell completely. I looked up into those stormy eyes and he smiled down at me. At the sight of that dimple, my legs felt like they might give out again.

  “You okay?” He asked. I simply nodded my head. “You sure?”

  “Yeah, thanks for catching me. That could have been embarrassing.”

  He just grinned. “No problem.” Then he settled me and moved back. He motioned with his head toward the staircase that Mrs. Blake and Katie were currently making their way up. “Why don’t you go on up? I can get your things for you.”

  “You don’t need to do that,” I said simply. “I can get my own things.”

  “It’s fine. You should go check the place out. Pick you out a room before all the good ones are gone.” I wanted to argue with him a little longer. I hated the idea of making him work when I could easily carry my own things. “Go Lennon, it’s fine.”

  “Lennon,” Katie called from behind me. I turned and saw her standing at the top of the stairs. “Come on, I want you to see your room.” I looked back at West.

  “Thank you.”

  He grinned again and I turned around and made my way toward Katie. She looped her arm through mine as she led me into the house. It was just as gorgeous as I’d been picturing.

  The floors were a beautiful cream marble and the walls were a dark shade of mahogany that gave the whole place the feel of an elegant hunting cabin. Katie called out the different rooms as we passed them and I gave each a cursory look before we moved on to the next one. Finally we climbed the stairs that led to the first group of rooms. Katie said her Mom would be staying on the floor and I nodded along.

  Then we climbed the last set of stairs that led to the third and final floor. There were only two rooms up here and I could only assume they were the best in the entire house. Each room not only had it’s own luxurious bathroom, but it also had a small deck space where I could imagine myself sitting in one of the deck chairs and watching the sun come up.

  “My room is right next door,” Katie said while I finished walking around what would be my room for the next week.

  “This is incredible.”

  “I know, right? Seb and West usually get these rooms because he always beat me up the stairs, but this year I finally beat him.” She smiled tr
iumphantly and it caused a smile of my own to spread across my face. I took a peak out the window and since the sun still hadn’t completely set yet, I could still see the massive lake down below.

  “This is so beautiful,” I said more to myself than Katie.

  “We can get a better look tomorrow when the sun is up. The boat house is that little building at the edge of the water. Toward the right.” I looked in the direction she told me, but the only building I could see, very few people would describe as little. It looked like it could easily fit my house in it.

  “Katie? You guys in here?” West’s voice called from the other side of my door. Katie walked over and opened the door. He was holding all of my stuff in his hands and I immediately went over to help him.

  “Thank you,” I told him and he just gave a nod as he carried my things inside and set them down on my bed. Once he disappeared, Katie announced she was going to unpack her things then we would eat.

  I fell back onto my mattress as she walked out my door and relished in the feel of the exquisite comforter beneath me. This weekend was going to be so much fun.

  The next morning, I woke up much earlier than I was used to. I had specifically set my alarm the night before, knowing that I desperately wanted to watch as the sun rose above the lake. I could have watched it from my room, but I had the urge to watch it from the dock for the first time instead. So, I tiptoed out of my room and down the stairs until I reached the first floor. Then I crept out the sliding door in the kitchen and made my way down the stairs.

  I was glad that I had thought ahead enough to bring my comforter with me because it was pretty cold despite the fact that it was mid June in Texas. I took my seat in one of the large deck chairs and wrapped my blanket around me as I focused straight ahead.