by C. S. Moore
She smiled at me. “A little of both I guess, it’s hard for me to know what to do when it comes to this next phase of your life,” she said biting her lip. “I’m responsible for your safety and happiness, but I am unsure as to what that means in regards to boys…I just wish I could talk to your mother. She always knew what the right path was.” She looked at me holding back tears and threw her arms around my neck. “Most of the time, with you around, it’s like I never lost her. You are alike in so many ways. But now, I just feel so lost without her.”
“It’s okay,” I said hugging her tightly. “I feel that way too sometimes, but we have each other and Dylan, and we should just be thankful for that. So many people don’t even have that much.” She pulled away and I tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
“Just tell me that you will be careful and won’t do anything stupid, like run off to Vegas with this boy or something equally stupid,” she said straight faced.
“Are you serious?” I laughed, though the thought of doing anything like that with Jaron was a welcomed fantasy.
“Yes I’m serious, teenagers are scary!” she said.
“Yes, we’re terrifying, if you feed us after midnight or get us wet.” I laughed, thinking of gremlins. Sylvia’s eyes grew as wide as tea saucers and I spoke quickly. “No, I won’t run to Vegas or anything equally as insane.”
“All right.” Sylvia let out a breath. “I guess I’ll try to get used to the idea of you dating… Responsibly,” she added.
The curtain to the dressing room swung open. “Ka-Pow! Right?” Clarissa said ,making her way to the platform surrounded by mirrors. The bodice was tight and covered with silver sequins that trickled down the full skirt. The silver against the blue was striking and reminded me of stars in the night’s sky.
“I don’t know about Ka-Pow, but wow is accurate,” I said, standing up. “You look so gorgeous girl!” I felt bad that Clarissa’s mom wasn’t there, but she was absent at all of Clarissa‘s other activities, so I shouldn‘t have been surprised. She was always at a salon or luncheon or some other completely self-involved activity. But the debutant ball was something that Clarissa’s mom had insisted on, so I thought this would be different. Then she didn’t even want to come and help her daughter pick out a dress.
Whenever I glimpsed their relationship, I felt lucky. I thought it would be worse to have a mom who didn’t care to be around me than it was having a mom who was dead and had no other choice. That woman had no idea what she was choosing to go without. Clarissa was honest and loved deep. I hoped my friend realized her mom was the one missing out, not the other way around. Luckily she had her father and she was a Daddy’s girl through and through.
“Oh, Clarissa,” Sylvia said, coming up behind me. “I have never seen you look so beautiful; you have to let me buy the dress!” She ran her hand down the skirt.
“No, it’s okay. Mom gave me a credit card,” Clarissa said looking down.
“No, I insist. It’s not every day Maribel’s best friend becomes a debutant,” she said, walking to the attendant. “Not another word, it’s on us.”
Clarissa laughed as the attendant took Sylvia to the cash register. “You want to help me get out of this thing?” she asked me.
“Sure.” I said following her into the room.
“Blue is like the opposite of pink, right?” she asked me as I fastened the curtain.
“Uh…I guess. Why?” I asked undoing the buttons that ran down the back.
“Oh, I’m sure you could guess.” She laughed, but it almost sounded like a cry.
I pursed my lips, oh jeez. This was the hair all over again. Clarissa’s mother had told her to wear her thick long hair in tight ringlets like she had at her own ball, and like ever debutant should. Clarissa agreed and her mom set up an appointment at the nicest salon in town so they could go over different styles, but when she didn’t show up after two hours of waiting, Clarissa had them bleach her hair and chop it off into a pixie cut. “Your mom wanted you to wear pink?” I asked.
“Yes,” she sniffled. “But if she really cared she would have come here with me.” She slipped out of the dress and pulled her, well my, silk blouse back on. “I don’t really care, I like blue better anyway.”
“Me too.” I smiled. “The blue was pretty on your skin.”
“What do you think, Mom?” she asked pulling the credit card out of her purse and holding it up. “No objections here,” she said laughing.
“Good, we’d need to have a talk if you heard voices coming from your credit cards.”
“What? I hear them all the time.” Clarissa held the credit card to her ear and whispered in a funny voice. “Buy things, buy things.”
I laughed out loud and hung the dress back up on the hanger. “Well since Sylvia is getting your dress we should use that to go get you some jewelry or a pair of new shoes.”
“Why not both? A girl only has one eighteenth birthday party slash debutant ball,” she said as she stashed the card back in her purse. “You still haven’t told me what happened with Jaron. How did he know you were here, anyway?”
I thought about our last meeting and my cheeks warmed.
“Holy Hannah, something happened, tell me!”
I cursed myself for being so easily read and reminded myself that I had wanted to tell her. “Well the house that he is staying at is pretty close to ours, and I saw him jump into the lake from his deck, but I didn’t know it was him. When I didn’t see the person come out of the water, I was going to jump in to rescue him, but he popped out of the water right in front of me. And it was Jaron,” I said, shrugging.
“And… I know there’s more. You wouldn’t have turned bright red if that was all there was to it,” she prodded, and I sighed. She always had to know everything.
“Well I took off my shoes and my shirt to dive into the water and still had them both off when he decided to make an appearance.” I cringed at the memory, but knew that wasn’t at all why I blushed when Clarissa prodded. I realized I didn’t want to tell her about the sweet stolen kisses that Jaron and I had shared. They were a secret that only he and I knew about, and it was nice having something that was just ours, even if it was just the memory of a fleeting moment.
“Did you at least have a bra on?” Clarissa said too loudly and clasped her hand over her mouth.
“Yes!” I whispered, hoping that Sylvia hadn’t heard.
“That’s good, I would have thought that Jaron had even more magic than I realized if he could see you topless that quickly,” she teased.
I laughed. “What do you mean even more magic?”
“Well he has to have some to have you notice him doesn‘t he. I mean, you’ve never paid attention to any of the other hotties at school,” she said.
I thought about last night and how I'd felt drawn to him like a magnet, and how his lips had felt on mine. Just the memory had all of my nerves standing at attention.
“Maybe he has some,” I allowed as we stepped out of the dressing room.
Sylvia was waiting for us by the door. “Hey, girls,” she said as we approached. “I have the dress ordered in your size. It will make it to your house before the ball.”
“That’s lucky. I’ve put it off so long waiting for… I’m just glad that I’ll have a dress to wear. My ball is so soon.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. I can tailor it so it fits perfect!” Sylvia assured.
Clarissa eyes glistened for a moment before she shook off the emotion. “Thanks, Sylvia, you always do too much for me.” She cleared her throat a few times.
“Well I love that Mari has such a spunky friend to watch out for her when I‘m not around.” Sylvia gave Clarissa a hug. “Now let’s go find those boys!”
I tensed up and opened my phone to re-read the text Jaron had sent me after I messaged him my uncle’s plan. My phone dinged and I read his text.
If I don’t show up with him, form a search party ;)
I knew he was just joking, but I was still
nervous about the thought of him with Dylan.
***
We showed up at Johnny’s before Jaron and Dylan, and he told us to wait out front while he closed up shop. He came out with a little white box in his hand.
“This is for you Maribel,” he said with a grin.
I looked up at Sylvia, but she shrugged. Apparently she wasn’t any more clued in than me. The box was about three inches square and took up my whole hand. I lifted the lid off and drew in a breath. Nestled in a layer of cotton laid a beautiful charm bracelet. It was made of the gold and coral beads that had caught my eye the day before. It had three charms hanging from it. I took the first one I recognized in my fingers. It was a small golden book. I didn’t know how Johnny knew of my love for reading, but the charm suited me well. The second had an uneven circular shape, and when I inspected it closer, I realized that it looked like an island of some sort. The third charm was a bit larger than the others, and at first glance, I thought it was the letter S. But when I brought it up to my eyes, I jumped. It was a snake, no not a snake; the creature was more human looking than a snake. The small figurine was very detailed. I could see every scale along its body, and its life-like arms seemed to be reaching out as if to grab me.
“Maribel?” Sylvia said, shaking me out of my daze.
I cleared my throat and looked up. I would have to take that creepy charm off, but other than that, it was my new favorite piece of jewelry.
“Thank you, Johnny, I love it.” I smiled at him, hoping that my obvious distaste for the weird snake charm didn’t make him feel bad.
“You’re welcome, our dear Maribel.” He returned my smile.
“Hello, ladies,” Dylan said.
I turned to see him standing next to Jaron, who was wearing a huge grin stretched across his handsome face. “Maribel, Clarissa,” he said, nodding to us formally.
“This is Jaron?” Sylvia said in a rush.
“Yes,” I said, my eyes pleading, trying to convey the message, Don’t embarrass me!
“Yes. You must be Sylvia.” He extended his hand. “You’ve raised a pretty amazing girl.”
“Oh…” she said, taking his hand and looking at him closely. Peering at Dylan she raised her eyebrows questioningly, he shook his head slightly.
“Okay, you’ve met. We’re outta here.” I pulled Clarissa with me over to Jaron. “Have a good dinner!” I waved to them as I grabbed Jaron by the elbow. He gave them an apologetic look over his shoulder as I tugged him away.
When we were out of embarrassment range, I slowed my pace. “Dylan wasn’t too bad, was he?” I asked.
“Well, I would say what’s with the twenty questions, but it was more like one hundred.” He grinned.
I stopped walking, too mortified to continue.
“It wasn’t that bad, kind of educational.”
“Educational? What did you learn?” I asked.
“Mostly I learned things about you. The game of twenty question tells as much about the asker as the ask-y.”
“Ask-y, reall-y?” Clarissa said, bringing us out of our bubble. “Where are we eating, anyway?”
“I don’t know. What do you ladies feel like eating?” he asked.
“Well Maribel’s favorite is seafood, and I eat anything,” Clarissa said matter of factly.
“Seafood it is,” he said, taking my hand and breath away with it.
8
We decided to give a restaurant off of Main Street called Shells a try. None of us had eaten there, and I was pretty sure it was new. We were seated toward the back of the restaurant at a round table with a crisp white tablecloth over it. The utensils were wrapped in sea foam green cloth napkins, and the rest of the place was scattered with over-the-top plastic ocean themed decorations. I hoped the food was better than the décor and service.
The waitress ogled Jaron while she poured us water, making me shift uncomfortably. He didn’t seem to notice. “Do you want anything to drink besides water?” he asked me.
“Umm… sure. I’ll take a Shirley Temple,” I mumbled to the waitress, who ignored me completely. I hadn’t brought my purse and fumbled with the box that contained my bracelet, deciding that my lap would have to do.
“Yeah, I’ll have a diet Coke, hold the diet,” Clarissa said from behind a menu.
Jaron laughed and I looked up from the menu, not wanting to miss a moment of it. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and he didn’t try to stifle his laughter like so many people did.
“Why don’t you just ask for a regular Coke so that… Carries? ” He paused and re-read the waitresses name tag. “Doesn’t have to worry about getting it wrong.”
“It’s pronounced care-is rhymes with Paris, but you can call me whatever you want.” she said with a sigh.
“Man, I am parched,” Clarissa said, peeking around her menu and shooting a dirty look at the waitress.
Carys turned on her heel and went to get the drinks. I smiled at Clarissa, who rolled her eyes.
I tried to read the menu, but I couldn’t really concentrate. Jaron wasn’t looking at the menu. He was looking at me. I took the box out of my lap, set in on the table, and replaced it with one of the napkins.
“Do you mind?” Jaron pointed to the box.
“Not at all.”
He stretched across the table, and I pushed the box toward him. His long index finger brushed my hand as he took it from me, leaving my skin tingling with sensation in its wake.
Jaron opened the lid and gently pulled the bracelet out. “It’s beautiful…give me your hand.”
I leaned over and gave him my hand without hesitation. His warm touch was only there for a second, and when he let go, the bracelet was dangling from my wrist.
“There,” he said. “Now you don’t need to worry about what to do with the box.” He smiled at me. “The colors suit you.”
“My aunt and uncle’s friend Johnny made it, not just the bracelet but the beads too. Can you believe how beautiful it is?” I asked him.
“No, I can’t…”he said, gazing at me.
“You had the Coke, right?” the waitress said, setting it in front of me before I could answer and putting my Shirley Temple by Clarissa. “You ready to order?” she asked, turning to Jaron.
“Yes I’ll have the seared scallops. Do you guys want an appetizer?” he asked.
I looked at the menu, not sure what appetizers they had, or entrées…
“We’ll have an order of crab cakes, as well,” Jaron said, handing the waitress the menu.
“I’ll get that out as quickly as humanly possible,” she gushed, then turned to me.
“I’ll have the snow crab basket.”
“Spiced or regular?” she asked as she chewed her gum.
“Regular.”
“I’ll have the Maine lobster tail,” Clarissa said before she was asked.
The waitress walked away without telling me and Clarissa how quickly she’d get our orders out.
“So what brings you here anyway, Jaron?” Clarissa asked, fixing her eyes on him.
He leaned back in his chair and smiled. “Another round of twenty questions?”
“Clarissa—” I began, but he interrupted me.
“It’s all right. You’re worth crossing a little red tape,” he said and then his face dropped. “Why are we at such a big table?” he asked as he stood and swiftly moved his chair next to me with one foot. “I’m here because my family owns a house on the lake, and I needed a little getaway after last week’s family emergency.”
Clarissa arched an eyebrow. “And what sort of emergency was this, death in the family?” she asked as she slid me my drink and snatched hers.
Jaron’s face turned gray for a moment and he took a deep breath. “No, thank God, nothing like that.”
Clarissa must have seen the same emotional reaction as I did and let it drop, satisfied that he actually had to attend to a family emergency of some sort. Although I wished he would just say what had happened instead of being so tight-lipped a
bout it.
“How many girlfriends have you had?” Clarissa asked after a sip of Coke.
I coughed, almost choking on my Shirley Temple. “You don’t—" Cough, cough. "—have to answer—" Cough. "—that.”
He put an arm around my shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine… embarrassed by my friends and family, but fine.” I straighten up.
“Don’t worry about it.” He squeezed me with the arm he had around my shoulder. “I’ve never had a girlfriend.”
I looked over at him. He was the finest specimen of man that I had ever seen. There was no way he hadn’t ever had a girlfriend. “Really? But you’re so hot—” I said before I could stop myself.
“You think so?” he asked, with excitement dancing in his eyes. He was as close as he was last night when we kissed. I wanted to lean in and taste his lips again, I didn’t care that we were in the middle of a packed restaurant, or that Clarissa was sitting across from us. My heart fluttered and spread warmth through my chest.
“A crush,” Clarissa said. “Have you ever even had a crush, like when you were little?”
He sat back in his chair, and the warmth in my chest cooled. “No I’ve never had a crush.”
“Hmm, well maybe you and Mari are a good match. I have been her BFF for… well, see second F, and she has never noticed a guy before you.”
“Really?” he said with curiosity in his voice. He peered at me sideways. “She has noticed me, huh? Good to know.”
“Oh shut up, like you didn’t know that,” Clarissa said with a smile.
“Well, I might have barely noticed you, but that’s only because you wouldn’t stop staring at me.” I nudged him with my shoulder just as our appetizer was brought to the table.
He whispered in my ear. “I won‘t deny it. I noticed you like a boat out on the water notices a hurricane. You were a force of nature pulling me in.”
His breath tickled my neck in the most distracting way. “Force of nature or freak of nature?”