by Cait Marie
Lila ended up staying to watch several episodes of Parks and Recreation. By the time she left, he could see the exhaustion as he walked her home. But he also saw the smile lingering on her lips when they said their goodbyes and he told her he’d see her in the morning.
Lila’s Summer Bucket List
Sleep under the stars
Attend a party
Get a tattoo
Use fake ID to sing karaoke in a bar
Stand under the lights on the football field
Go on a date
Sneak out of the house
Visit the baby goat farm
Go to Chicago
Midnight swim
Spend a day in bed watching movies
Stay up to watch the sunrise
Be kissed in the rain
Run through the halls of the high school
Conquer a fear
Paintball
Try something new
Dye hair pink
Sneak into movie theater
Climb water tower
6
Wednesday
Gavin grabbed Lila’s hand and pulled her out of the ticket line. Her plan was to buy tickets before sneaking into the movie, just in case they were caught. He, apparently, had other ideas and led her into the small arcade off the side of the main lobby. Games dinged and buzzed behind them as they stood near the wall of the open doorway. A couple kids fought over who got to play next at a game while another ran past them to show her parents the stuffed animal she’d won.
Lila smiled at the excitement in the young girl. Looking up at Gavin, she raised a brow.
“What?” he asked.
“You should win me a bear.”
“We need to be ready to go in when they open the doors for the next showing.” He looked at the claw game despite his words.
Lila stayed quiet. She crossed her arms, knowing he couldn’t back down from the challenge. As he bounced on the balls of his feet, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. The kids in the corner stopped arguing and ran out to the lobby with their prizes in tow.
“Fine.” He rolled his eyes then moved to the machine, fishing a dollar out of his wallet with his pink hand. “One bear, Weston. Then we’re going in. No more stalling.”
The one bear, as it turned out, was a lot more difficult to get than either anticipated. Gavin blew through the cash he had on him, and then he went to the small ATM in the corner to get more. She laughed while he twisted and turned his body, as if that would help.
When he cursed a little too loudly, she smacked his arm. “Shh! There are children around…”
The last word trailed off as they looked around the empty room and out to the quiet lobby. She started laughing again, holding her sides. It had been too long since she felt that happy, which surprised her. She’d agreed to his truce and insistence in helping with her list, but she hadn’t expected things to fall back in place so easily.
“We missed our opening,” she managed to get out between breaths.
Gavin shook his head with a smile and an unfamiliar look in his eyes. “Nah, I have another idea. Come on.”
“Wait,” she called as he started walking away. She opened her purse and pulled out her own dollar. Feeding it into the machine, she tilted her head from side to side, rotated her shoulders, and pretended to crack her knuckles.
The claw moved to its center starting position, and she readied herself. With one hand on the joystick and the other hovering over the release button, she eased the metal contraption to the far-left corner. She stopped over a small blue bunny with ears longer than its body.
“No, that’s cheating!” Gavin moved to stand behind her. “You said a bear.”
Lila shrugged one shoulder then hit the button. She held her breath as the claw hooked around one of the bunny’s legs, lifted it in the air swinging, and dropped it into the prize chute only a couple inches away.
“Yes!” She reached down and pulled out the bunny. Jumping around, she turned to face Gavin, who, despite his complaining, still smiled down at her.
“You’re ridiculous,” he said, echoing her words from the night before.
“You’re just jealous I actually know how to win this game.”
“No one wins this game,” he muttered while looking back to the lobby.
“I do.” She lifted the stuffed animal in front of his face. “For you.”
Gavin took the bunny. Tilting his head, he said, “Follow me.”
They walked through the lobby without anyone paying them any attention, but Lila’s breathing became labored. She stared at the checkered floor, refusing to make eye contact.
“Act natural,” Gavin whispered as he laced his fingers with hers. He leaned in close enough for her to smell his soap. His breath stirred her hair. “We’re just a couple watching a movie. Pretend we already have tickets and were in there before.”
She gripped his hand tighter but raised her head. The few visible workers stood behind the snack counter. No one stopped them as they slipped into the hallway and down to a theater.
“Where are we going?” Lila asked for the third time as they walked farther and farther from the small movie theater.
Gavin laughed, swinging the blue bunny between them. He didn’t know what he was going to do with a stuffed animal—he hadn’t kept one since he was a kid—but he sure wasn’t going to leave it behind. Regardless of what happened at the end of the two weeks, he’d have it to remember the happy evening they spent together.
He hadn’t thought she’d give in to him helping with the list. But more than that, it felt like they were truly friends again. “Will you relax and trust me?”
She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk for just a second. If he hadn’t been watching her, he wouldn’t have seen the hesitation. Or the flash of hurt in her eyes. He didn’t know why she didn’t trust him—why she’d pushed him away for so long—but he was determined to get his best friend back.
“Hey.” He nudged her with an elbow. “We didn’t get caught at the movies, right?”
“Right,” she mumbled.
“Come on, Weston,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and shaking her lightly. “This is going to be fun. I promise.”
Her subdued smile tore at his heart, and he let her go. More than anything, he wanted to hear her laugh again. That honest, uncontrollable joy she let out in the arcade was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. It warmed him to the bones. Before the previous night with the hair dying fiasco, he hadn’t seen her so free and happy since they were children.
He quickened their pace, eager to get to the water tower on the edge of their small town. They left work just before the evening rush, his mom and Kaley replacing them. It gave them plenty of time to sneak in to see a movie and check off one more thing from the list.
They turned onto a quiet street with lights interspersed far enough apart to send them into darkness. The tree-lined avenue blocked out any light from the moon and stars. Lila gasped beside him. He handed her the stuffed animal as he put an arm back around her, tucking her into his side. To his surprise, she didn’t fight him. In fact, she leaned into him.
“We’re almost there,” he said, pulling out his phone and turning on the flashlight. The years apart hadn’t changed her fear of the dark or anxiety. If anything, it almost seemed worse. “Focus on the light up ahead.”
She nodded against his shoulder. When they reached the streetlamp at the end of the road, he felt the tension leave her body. A dog barked in the distance, but the sleepy town was otherwise quiet. The sound of cars hummed from the highway outside Summersville.
“Over here.” Gavin pointed to a fenced-in area just off the road. He watched recognition light her eyes as she looked up and up to the tall water tower.
“How are we going to get to the ladder?” she asked, walking closer.
The chain link fence stood taller than either of them. Gavin took the bunny and sat it on the ground. He squatted, clasp
ing his hands together to make a step for her. She didn’t hesitate, which he counted as a small victory. She pulled herself up while he lifted, then she swung a leg over to straddle the fence.
“What about you?”
Gavin smirked. He tossed the stuffed animal to the other side before he took a running start toward the fence and propelled himself up and over. After landing back on his feet, he looked up to find Lila slowly lowering herself. She clung to the metal so tight, her knuckles whitened in the faint light of the moon. Her foot slipped, and he moved forward to grab her.
“I’ve got you,” he said, holding her with a hand on each of her sides. He ignored the feel of her in his hands and the sight of her dress rising as she brushed against him. As soon as her feet hit the gravel, she stepped away, mumbling a thank you.
She stared at the tall ladder before them and visibly paled. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Take off your shoes,” he said, looking down to her feet.
“What?”
“It will be easier to climb barefoot than in those heels.”
“They’re wedges,” she corrected but bent to unstrap them.
“Whatever. Just take them off.”
She did, then she pointed to the bunny lying in the gravel. “What about him?”
“I’m sure he won’t mind waiting down here for us.” He winked before moving to the ladder. “You go first.”
Lila narrowed her eyes. “I’m wearing a dress. You go first.”
He sighed. “Fine, but I can’t catch you if you’re below me.”
She didn’t move. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her toes against the small stones. The impatient glare was a welcome one. Even as children, Lila was stubborn. Gavin loved seeing the pieces of her that hadn’t changed.
The ladder creaked and groaned as they made their way up to the top of the water tower. He pulled himself onto the platform before turning to reach down a hand. Lila took it, and he helped her up. He didn’t let go as they crept around to the other side of the tower.
They sat down with their legs dangling beneath the rail, and Lila gasped. “You can see for miles!”
Summersville spread out to the left, with fields and trees on their right. In the distance, they could see faint lights from the nearest city. They sat high enough that most of Summersville’s lights were blocked out, giving a clear view of the stars and moon above.
“It’s beautiful,” Lila said.
She looked to the sky, but he watched her. “So beautiful.”
Lila’s Summer Bucket List
Sleep under the stars
Attend a party
Get a tattoo
Use fake ID to sing karaoke in a bar
Stand under the lights on the football field
Go on a date
Sneak out of the house
Visit the baby goat farm
Go to Chicago
Midnight swim
Spend a day in bed watching movies
Stay up to watch the sunrise
Be kissed in the rain
Run through the halls of the high school
Conquer a fear
Paintball
Try something new
Dye hair pink
Sneak into movie theater
Climb water tower
7
Thursday
A clattering noise startled Lila awake. She rubbed her eyes before looking around her dark room. She’d had a long day at the Scoop. With all the schools officially out for the summer, kids and teenagers flocked to the beach-side ice cream shop. Even with Mrs. Miller training Kaley, the four of them had trouble keeping up at times. Lila had fallen asleep early—as soon as she made it home after Mrs. Miller said she would close up. Between work and checking off items on the bucket list at night, she was exhausted.
The noise caught her attention again. Something small hit the window, and she reluctantly got out of bed. A beam of light shot into her room from outside. Lila shielded her eyes as she approached.
Shaking her head, she lifted the window open. “What are you doing?”
Gavin stood on the ground below, moving the flashlight his own direction so she could see his face. He tossed what she assumed were pebbles back to the flower bed along the side of the house. He whisper-yelled up to her, “Checking something off your list.”
“By throwing rocks at my window?” She tucked a piece of hair back, suddenly conscious of how disheveled she must look. “It’s almost midnight.”
“Exactly.” He grinned while she waited for further explanation. When she didn’t say anything, he disappeared and came back carrying a ladder. “Does your screen just pop out?”
“My screen?” she asked as he began to climb.
He reached her second-story window and used the flashlight to look closer. Tucking the light under his chin, Gavin used both hands to unlatch the screen and drop it to the ground. Lila held her breath as his hands left the ladder.
“What are you doing?” She stepped back as he climbed into her room.
“Sneaking you out.” He looked at her with a raised brow, as if it was obvious. He turned on her bedside lamp and switched off the flashlight before moving to her dresser.
Lila ran over, trying to keep quiet. “Gavin.”
He stood upright with a t-shirt in hand. “Weston.”
She took the shirt, grabbed a pair of leggings, and told him to turn around. As she changed, she said, “You know, we could’ve just used the front door. My parents are asleep.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
Lila let out a soft chuckle. “Okay, I’m dressed.”
He turned to lounge against the dresser while she grabbed her flip-flops. “Oh no, you don’t.” He snatched them away and tossed them out the window. When she gasped, he added, “Not until you get down the ladder.”
She nodded and pointed to the window. “After you.”
Without an argument, he obeyed.
Lila felt ridiculous climbing down the ladder, but she smiled. “How are you going to get the screen back in?”
His hand went to her back as she moved down the last few rungs. The cool grass met her feet, and she looked for her shoes.
“Um…” he started as he turned on the flashlight to help.
She laughed again—something she seemed to do more often than usual around him with the truce in place. She slid her feet into the flip-flops and looked back up to him.
“I didn’t think about that,” he said.
“See, it would’ve been much simpler using the door.”
He took a step forward and bent down to her level. “Yes, but then it wouldn’t really be sneaking out.”
“It would’ve if we used the back door or the garage,” she said.
His eyes narrowed before spinning and walking toward his house. “My way is still better.”
She ran after him. “Where are we going?”
Gavin froze mid-step. He held the flashlight out to her without needing to be asked, and her stomach fluttered. He turned with a grin. “How do you feel about going for a swim?”
“There they are,” Dylan shouted as they walked through the gate. He sat in a hot tub with his arms casually draped over the sides.
Upbeat music played from a nearby speaker, and laughter caught Lila’s attention. Three others sat in the hot tub while a few lounged in chairs near the pool. Kaley waved and hopped up from her seat on the ground.
“I’m so glad you guys could make it,” she said.
The sweet smile geared toward Gavin didn’t sit well with Lila. Her hands turned to fists at her sides, and she quickly crossed her arms to hide the reaction. She wasn’t supposed to care who he spent time with, but as he gave Kaley a quick hug, Lila looked away. She walked over to Dylan and rested her forearms on the raised hot tub.
“Love the hair.” He reached up and tugged a red strand.
She laughed, swatting his hand away. They had never been close, but Dylan was easy to be
around. She lifted a hand to wave to the couple across from him, Justin and Sarah. Justin was in several of her classes the past couple years, but like everyone else, she didn’t know him well.
“What’s up?” Lila asked the group, trying to hide the uncomfortable twisting in her chest.
“Pool party, of course.” Dylan splashed her with water. “Get in.”
“I don’t have a swimsuit.”
“You didn’t bring a swimsuit to your own party?” Sarah asked.
“I... What?” Lila glanced at Dylan.
“Yeah, my parents are up in Michigan for the week,” Kaley said as she and Gavin joined them. “When Gavin said you were looking for a pool, I told him to just come hang out here.”
“You told them?” Lila whispered to Gavin.
He stepped closer. “That you’ve been dying to get in a pool. It’s your favorite part of summer, and you didn’t know when you’d get another chance.”
His quiet words were just for her. The others had gone back to their conversations.
Except Dylan, who asked, “Seriously, where’s your swimsuit?”
“Seriously, I don’t have one.” Lila narrowed her eyes at Gavin in an overly dramatic expression. “Someone failed to mention this is where we were coming.”
“Wait, then where did you think you were going in the middle of the night?” Dylan asked, raising his eyebrows twice.
Her breath caught as her face heated with embarrassment. Before Lila could respond, Kaley leaned across Gavin to grab her arm. “Come with me. I have one you can borrow.”
Grateful for the distraction, Lila followed her inside. Kaley’s ranch-style home was sleek and modern. The kitchen had all the latest appliances and gadgets displayed; the living room had a flat screen that took up most of one wall. Lila looked around in wonder as she was led to a bedroom on the far end of the house.