by Lari Smythe
* * *
The burned out strings of lights were still hanging in the tree branches and the ground was as muddy as ever. It really was a stupid place for a surprise date. Take the princess to the ball? More like take the princess muddin'. What kind of guy takes a girl out in the middle of the wilderness and then puts the moves on her? Jeez, I had to be some kind of perv, and Izzy was crazy for going with me—right, like she couldn't take care of herself. She must have been totally embarrassed by the whole thing—I'm such a freakin' idiot.
"Dude?" Someone called from the direction of the road. "That you?"
"Alex!" I said as he came out from behind my Jeep. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard you were back. Your mom said you'd be here."
"Yeah, just got in this morning. It's good to see you."
"Where's Izzy?"
"I dropped her off at home. She had to talk to her parents."
"Dude, I don't envy her that, she must be in so much trouble. We probably won't see her until spring—maybe even summer."
"Nah, her parents are cool." I laughed at the humor in that statement.
"What?"
"Nothin'. I think her mom will understand," I clarified.
"I tell you what—I pulled something like that, I'd be dead."
I chuckled again.
"What?"
"So how are you and Cathy?" I said to change the subject.
Alex shrugged. "We're not."
"Seriously? I thought you two were tight."
"Yeah, me too."
"So what happened, you push the boundaries?" I punched him in the arm.
"Nah, nothing like that. We were just hangin' out, talkin'—you know—and then wham."
"Wham?"
"Yeah, she went all crazy talkin' about monsters and vampires—crazy stuff. She was so whacked Mrs. Hall had to get the neighbor to help us subdue her."
"Whacked? That's harsh."
"I didn't mean it that way. I really like her—thought she liked me—and then, well this."
"I heard she's had some set backs before. Once they get her meds adjusted she'll probably be fine."
"I don't know, it's been a couple of weeks—she's still in the freakin' hospital ward."
"Man, that really sucks—sorry to hear it."
Alex skipped a rock across the creek. "So where'd you find Izzy?"
"Washington."
"Dude, she went all the way to D.C. on her own? She's freakin' crazy, that place is a ghetto."
"State, Washington State," I corrected.
"No way! You drove all the way across country?"
"She had some distant relatives out there—that's where I found her."
Alex punched me in the arm. "That really is freakin' cool. Someone should make it into a movie—hey if they do, I get a cut—it was my idea."
"No ones going to make a movie about me and Izzy I can assure you."
"I bet your mom's relieved," Alex said. "My mom saw her at the grocery store a couple of times and said she looked worried sick."
I kicked a crumpled soda can out into the water. "Yeah, I put her through a lot—I really owe her."
"Hey, that's what moms do, she's probably just glad you're back. So I guess you and Izzy are cool—you're not married are you?"
"Nah, nothing like that, but we're good."
"Doesn't sound like you're good. Used to be when you talked about her you got all worked up."
"I don't know—it's just—I don't know."
"She was okay with you bringing her back and all, wasn't she? I mean she's got to dread seeing her parents—I don't care how cool they are, they are going to kill her."
I shook my head. "Yeah, I guess." I started back toward my Jeep. "You need a lift?"
"Nah, I got my bike."
"Throw it in the back—I'll drop you off."
"Cool, thanks man."
Alex talked about school—a few of the guys from football were on the basketball team now—then there were the rumors about me and Izzy's sudden disappearance. "Some kids said you got her pregnant, some said she was just some psycho that lured you away to hack you to death, others just said you eloped."
"You set them straight, right? I'll pound the first person who says she's pregnant."
"Yeah, I did for the most part, but heck, I didn't really know what happened either." He thought for a second and then added. "Lisa said you guys just had a kind of fatal attraction, like the movie."
I pulled up in front of Alex's house.
"Thanks man." Alex jumped out and grabbed his bike out of the back. "See you in school—man if feels good to say that again."
"See ya." I did a u-turn and headed for home. Fatal attraction? Was that what we had?