He took a step toward me. "Can I walk beside you, or do I have to hang back like a creepy stalker?"
I laughed. "You've got the creepy part right. I suppose you can walk beside me."
"So, what are we doing at the library?"
"Looking for books."
"For what?"
"To read."
He stopped. "Are you always this difficult?"
"Are you always so nosy?”
"Yes.” He stared at me expectantly, as if I was going to ask probing questions. I couldn't think of any.
His persistence was debilitating. The last thing that showed any interest in my daily routine was my goldfish, Caesar. And he died – feeding him obviously was not a part of that routine.
As we neared the library, I noticed many kids from my class walking in as well. They apparently wanted to get a good start on the project, too. Some of their eyes met mine on the way in, but mostly they were eyeing the tall stranger walking next to me. I'd forgotten all about my mission earlier to find out more about him via my best detective. He was walking right next to me and the only thing I could think to ask was why he was nosy. I decided to make a point of enhancing my conversational skills.
I lead him up the staircase and into the great hall of the library. This building was by far one of the oldest in town. It was built over a century ago, and was also one of my favorites. I loved the smell of old buildings, a quirk of mine that disgusted Irelynn. “You like the smell of mold spores?” she once asked me.
I turned around to introduce Will to the building, but he was gone. No sign of him anywhere. I looked around, expecting to see curious onlookers that would give his location away. But there were none. Everyone was wrapped up in whatever had brought them there.
I took in a deep breath. I was already here, might as well get started on the dreaded project. I had to transform an excerpt from classic novel into a modern version. And although, reading the novel wouldn't be that hard, crafting my own version of it would. I could have summed any of the classics up rather easily. Boring and unbelievable.
Several obvious titles popped into my head...those I'd already had the pleasure of reading. The Bronte sisters, for example, or anything by Dickens, Verne, or even Tolstoy might work if I could make myself not fall asleep in the middle of each. I wondered if Judy Blume would get me an A for thinking outside the box. Probably not. I wished Poe could have been an option. It would be a very short re-telling, and much more interesting.
"Boo!"
A yelp escaped my throat before I could stifle it, and echoed through the library. The body that belonged to the voice was Shawn Taylor, my best man friend.
"Sorry Cami, I didn't mean to scare you."
"Hence the word, boo?"
He ignored my sarcasm and held up a book.
"Great Expectations." Gross. "I'm impressed."
He lit up. "I know right! I can make a really wicked cake scene!" Shawn was our town's resident rock star. Of all the people I knew, he would be famous some day. He had the look; tall and lean body with a spiky brown fauxhawk, but most importantly, he had the talent.
"Good choice," Will said, from behind me. His apparition from nowhere made me jump...again. I turned to see him eyeing Shawn intently.
“Oh, hey man.” Shawn looked at me in confusion before continuing. “You must be the guy all those chicks were gaggling about earlier.”
I let out a nervous laugh. Duh! Who else could attract the attention of every female within a thirty-mile radius?
“I’m Shawn,” he said, holding out his leather bracelet-covered arm.
Will returned the gesture. “Will Dalca. Gaggling about me, huh?”
Both of them gave me a sideways glance.
I wanted to run away, there was definitely no gaggling on my end. “Who me? No—I wasn’t.” I did, in fact, think about him all day. But I didn’t speak one word about him to anyone. That was Ire’s job. I was more of a behind the scenes gossip.
Shawn laughed at my reaction. “Oh yeah man, apparently slugger here knocked out her best friend over some dude... I‘m assuming that‘s you.”
“What! I did not knock her out. And it certainly wasn’t over him! It was an accident. We were walking and—I.” I wasn’t prepared to give them the full account of exactly how I smashed Irelynn in the face. “It was an accident,” I finished.
Defending myself was of no use. My body was breaking into a full nervous sweat as the two continued to tease me about becoming the next lightweight champion. I could feel my face twist as I looked back and forth between them. What was happening here? Must be a guy thing, bonding over a helpless victim.
I grabbed the closest book I could find and shoved my face in it, trying to cool my cheeks back to a normal temperature. When I was finally able to tune back into the conversation, Shawn was telling Will about the bonfire we were planning. While the sitting in the middle of the forest in the middle of the night wasn’t my favorite thing to do, it was one of the few things that entertained all of my friends at once.
“...so if you’re bored, you should check it out. Cami’s going. Right?”
“Mhmm.”
“Sounds like a good time.” Will smiled his perfect smile.
“Cool. See you later, Camelot.” He threw my fourth grade nickname out and whirled away with a grin. I made a mental note to thank him for that later.
“I don’t think you need me to help you meet people. You seem to do just fine on your own.”
“Do you not want me to go?”
“I don’t care what you do.” That came out a little harsher than I intended.
“Ouch.”
I tried to recover, “That’s not what I meant.”
“What did you mean?” His eyes pierced mine, leaving me feeling even more unsure of what to say next.
“Ugh.” He was so cool, leaning against the bookcase. “I only meant that it isn’t up to me whether you can go or not. I mean, I just met you. I don’t own you.”
He moved away from the bookcase and strolled into the other side of the aisle. “Want to know what I think?” he asked, peeking at me through the books. When I didn’t respond, he said, "I think you want me to go. With you.”
I stared at him in complete disbelief. Did he actually say that? Who says that kind of thing? So far, I realized with great disappointment that my first impression was right. He knew he was pretty. “Arrogant much, aren’t you?”
He pulled out a book and pretended to read through it as a coy smile formed. “Not much. Just observant.”
“Observant of what?”
“People. You. I’m very good at reading people.”
"I have a feeling that you’re also good at making vague, but seemingly intuitive assumptions about people to make yourself seem more interesting.”
I grabbed my bag and stalked off.
Outside, I found a bench under a giant pine tree to sit on and chastise myself for behaving so badly. He really didn’t say anything that I didn’t already know. He’d easily read my mind about wanting him to go with me. I’d acted like such a drooling idiot whenever he was around, anyone could see that much. But I’d never witnessed anyone be so... smug... before. I’m good at reading people. What a jerk. I was fairly certain that my little tirade convinced him that I was completely loony so I could officially put William Dalca out of my mind.
Maybe not. He plopped down next to me. “You, little miss, have anger issues.”
The amusement on his face as I stared up at him broke me. I laughed and shook my head. “I do. And I have a feeling you’re really good at pushing people’s buttons.”
“I am,” he grinned. “But seriously, all I meant was you didn’t look too thrilled about another ordinary night out with the friends. And having me there might change things up a bit for you. Am I right?”
I considered his words for a moment. Maybe he was right, It would be yet another bonfire where we congregated to talk about our futures and whatever local drama was happening. And
without a doubt, there would be drama. Maybe having him there would change things up.
“I guess you’re right,” I finally said. If I stared at him too much longer, I was pretty sure his face would be burned into my eyelids. “I should get going now.”
He nodded toward his truck that was still parked down the street. “Ride?”
I hesitated.
“Oh. Come on. I’m going to start taking your rejection personally,” he pushed.
“Fine.” I got up and grabbed my bag. “God, are you always this pushy?”
He let out a roar of laughter that caught me by surprise.
“Just when it comes to you, apparently.”
3
When I wasn’t thinking about Will over the next few weeks, our paths seemed to cross anyway. Each time he reminded me about the bonfire. Once, I was cramming my face with pizza, a demolition of culinary art, as he described it; a few grocery store run-ins, countless times on the way home from school, all culminating with him nearly driving over me the Friday before the bonfire.
This particular incident caught the attention of Dorothy because, of course, everyone insisted it was my fault. I was the one who tripped stepping off the curb. She decided to grill me first thing the next morning.
“Yes, Grandma, I am in the habit of throwing myself into oncoming traffic just so I can be rescued by the cute driver.”
“You just have to be more careful, Cami.”
“I know. I’m sorry. It was nothing really. Will wasn’t even moving. He wa—.”
“William?”
“Yeah.”
Her lips pursed.
“What? Like I was saying, he was at a stoplight. We were getting ready to cross. I didn’t see him. Shawn was messing around and I tripped and fell onto Will’s truck. No biggie. He was even nice enough to drive me home.”
She thought for a moment. I guessed she was deciding if it really was my inattention or if for some reason Will was trying to mow my friends and me down.
“Drove you home? That’s three times this week.”
She was keeping track? Great. “Yep.” My back was to her. I closed my eyes hoping she wasn’t about to launch into a speech.
“Well, he seems to be somewhat smitten with you. Why?”
I couldn’t decide if I was offended by her comment. After all, I asked myself that question. Well, not smitten with me; that was a funny term. But, I had wondered if would decide that I was too boring and move on to a more interesting girl.
“I dunno Grandma. Why wouldn’t he be?”
“Oh dear,” she said, realizing her offense. “I didn’t mean it like that. Of course he should want to be your friend, Cami. I’m sorry. I didn’t...Oh...”
I had to stop her from fumbling over her words. I knew she didn’t mean anything by it.
“It’s okay,” I laughed. “I don’t really know anyway.”
Her fretting turned to concern. “He just seems to have deposited himself into our lives here rather seamlessly. Yours in particular.”
“Well, of course, I mean. He’s new to the area. How else is he supposed to meet people?”
“You know how people here feel about ‘outsiders.’” She rolled her eyes.
I did know exactly what she meant. Some small towns were meant to stay small. This was one of them. Any influx of people, even just one in this case, caused a stir.
“And,” she continued, “You don’t seem to mind that he’s attached himself to you.”
Her perceptions made me smile. “He’s not attached to me. I’m just not slobbering all over him like everyone else. I think that helps.” Not outwardly anyway.
She snorted in her cup. “Slobbering?”
“He’s a new cute guy and we live in a very small town.”
After wiping the coffee from her face, she became serious. “What about you? Why aren’t you...interested in this boy?”
Crap. The unavoidable was about to be thrown upon me. Having this conversation with her was about as comfortable as sandpaper on my skin. The first “sex talk” with her was in eighth grade after I had gotten my first boyfriend. It was no fun then and the revised edition, I was sure, wouldn’t be either.
“It’s just not like that, Grandma. I don’t really know him. And besides that...he’s too pretty for me.”
She laughed again, the relief on her face couldn’t have been more apparent.
I took advantage of the pause in conversation to excuse myself and gather my things for the "sleepover" at Irelynn's. The bonfire was tonight and although it was still early, I couldn't get to her house fast enough.
Will's face flashed into my mind. Just the thought of him made me smile. This stranger that came out of nowhere was all I could think about. I was thrilled at the possibility of having more than just our normal superficial conversations. I wanted to know more. Where did he come from? What was he going to do when he left? What's his family like? I'd given him enough time to settle into town. Now I could unleash the curiosity that had been caged since the moment I saw him.
Overnight gear in hand, I called out to Dorothy that I'd see her tomorrow.
"Wait," she said, walking out of the kitchen.
I paused at the door, holding my breath. I was always a little edgy at moments like this. I knew that I was on my way to do something against the rules and I was almost sure that she knew what we were up to as well. Tyson always told me that my conscience was guilty about something, that’s why I couldn’t get away with anything. He was right.
“Remember. Brunch tomorrow.”
“But Grandma,” I protested.
“Cami please, the ladies enjoyed your company the last time you went. We are going to be discussing the Ball theme. It wouldn’t kill you to join us again, would it?”
She always had a way of breaking me down. I hated that. “Okay.”
Her voice was pleased. “Thank you.”
I twisted the knob and stepped out.
“And Cami,” she called again.
I peeked back in the door.
“Do be careful tonight.”
“I will.” I rushed out before she could say anything else that would freak me out. Be careful. I was just going to Irelynn’s house for all she knew.
Sneaking out of Irelynn’s house in the middle of the night was far easier than my own. Dorothy had ours locked down like a fortress. I never understood her reasoning. We lived in the valley; not exactly crime capital of the United States. With one easy turn of a squeak-less lock, we were free. Free to roam in the night for no other reason than because we could.
My heart started to pound in my chest the closer we got to where Will would be waiting to drive us to our destination. Tonight he would be officially inducted into our circle of miscreants. There was nothing rebellious about us. In fact, Shawn’s parents owned the land we had our little get-togethers on. It was the sneaking factor that made up most of the excitement. If we ever did get caught, we’d simply be told to go home.
The still night was perfect for a fire. It would be the first bonfire of the season. The first of many I’d hoped, as the same time next year we’d be scattered across the country to different colleges, military, and some of us just roaming.
Will's truck was parked in the shadowy gap between two streetlights. The engine was surprisingly quiet for such an old truck. The driver side window lowered as we neared. The light of the lamps found his face and he flashed his trademark smile when he saw us coming.
"He's freaking glowing," Irelynn whispered. "You're so lucky."
Before I could respond, he was out of the truck, holding the door open.
He was not alone. Shawn had taken residence in the passenger seat.
"Picking up strays?" I asked as Will pushed his seat forward. Irelynn climbed in, sliding over to the passenger side.
Will chuckled. "Yeah. I found him darting in and out of the trees like a ninja.”
Shawn turned to me as I climbed in.
"Hey. Evasive maneuvers never hur
t anyone," he defended.
"No, but being a moron certainly has," Irelynn retorted, smacking the back of his head.
Shawn whipped around and began a slap fight with her.
"God!" She ducked. "You are such..." She popped up, grabbing his hair. "...a dumbass!”
"Not the hair!” he whined, flipping around back in his seat.
"Aww.” She released her grip. "Are you pouting?"
"All right kids, settle down or you will be walking to the fire."
Will's mocking command was enough to end the tiff. The two settled in their seats for the ten-minute drive up the mountain to our destination. Shawn directed Will around the many logging roads until we reached the small lake.
He pulled in alongside several other cars. We made our way through the brush that separated the beach from where we had parked. The bonfire was already blazing, surrounded by a number of our friends. A few tents created a half circle around the fire behind them. As we neared, Tyson sat up and reached in the cooler next to him and tossed a bottle to Will and Shawn. Will caught it with ease and looked at the label.
"Crème Soda?"
Irelynn shot me a nervous look as Tyson tossed two bottles at us.
I shrugged. "Not everyone in the valley drinks alcohol."
He smiled in appreciation. "That's cool. Me either."
I tried with all my strength to twist the cap off, but it wasn't budging. It only chewed the inside of my hand. Will grabbed it from me.
"Wuss.” He twisted the cap off and flicked it into the fire.
A couple of girls behind me giggled.
It was no longer a shock for my friends to see Will "attached" to me. Until now, only Shawn and Irelynn had actually met him. Kelsey Sharp and Anna Rivera were trying not to stare as they began building their s’mores.
"Hey everybody," I announced. All the faces suddenly focused on me were unnerving. Luckily the mixture of darkness and flickering fire masked my reddening complexion. "Um. This is Will. Will, this is ...everybody."
Kelsey jumped up first to shake his hand. "Hi. I'm Kelsey," she cheered. Anna and the rest of the group followed her.
With the attention off of me, I sat beside Irelynn who was resting quietly against a log. She was trying her hardest not to look at Tyson who was now hugging another female friend of ours.
The Valley Page 3