Different Roads

by Lori L. Clark

  Shelley slid into the chair across the table from me, “You don’t remember?”

  “After the accident, other than the funeral, I don’t remember much of anything,” I sighed.

  She nodded and tucked a piece of my damp hair behind my ear, “You were pretty fucked up sweetie. We were all worried crazy about you.”

  “We?” I asked.

  “Seth and Damon have both been by to see you every day. So have all the guys from your school.” She chewed on the skin around her thumb in between words. “They’ll all be pretty happy to know you’re feeling better.”

  I stared at my half eaten plate of food and pushed it away from me. “Maybe you should start from the beginning and fill me in on what I don’t remember. Which is pretty much everything.”

  Shelley reached across the table and squeezed my hand, “Okay.”

  Two hours and three Diet Mountain Dews later, I was still trying to wrap my head around everything Shelley had told me. She said that by the time the Air Care ambulance was able to land; emergency responders on the ground had used the Jaws of Life to extract Brad from the wreckage. She’d ridden with Seth to drive me home, and when I woke up in the truck he had to pull off the side of the road to try and restrain me. Apparently, I was hysterical and threatened to jump from the moving truck several times.

  They finally got me calmed enough that they were convinced I wouldn’t leap from the pickup while we drove down the highway. Shelley said I was only semi-rational and rather than drive me straight to the house, she suggested they take me by her parent’s house. Shelley’s dad is a doctor at a local psychiatric hospital and is used to dealing with crazy people who are either trying to hurt themselves or others. She reasoned that since I was as close to crazy as anyone she’d ever seen that maybe her dad could give me something to help calm me down.

  I was given a shot of something pretty strong, and it worked immediately to turn me into an incoherent zombie. He wrote a prescription for a strong sedative and Seth carried me out to his pickup.

  From what I gathered by what she told me, every time I woke up I would either be stoic or I’d throw a fit and beat on anything and everything within reach. I tried more than once to hurt myself and for awhile, Shelley said she wondered if I had become possessed and was going to start spewing pea soup like Linda Blair in the Exorcist.

  “Jaq I was so scared. Once you made it all the way out to the street before we found you walking to who knows where,” she said with a vacant stare. “We had to take turns sitting with you after that.”

  “Seth is probably convinced I’m another psycho woman to steer clear from,” I sighed.

  Shelley snorted, “Please. He’s been here every day to make sure you’re okay. Though I’m sure he wondered after you pounded on him for trying to calm you down. More than once.”

  I felt the blood rush in to paint my cheeks, “Great. Just freaking great.”

  Shelley patted my hand and pushed away from the table. She walked over to the counter and retrieved a small scrap of paper. Handing it to me, she said, “Here, this is for you.”

  There was a phone number written on it and I narrowed my eyes in confusion, “What’s this?”

  “Um? Phone number? Hello?” She laughed and knocked gently on my head. “Anybody home? It’s Seth’s phone number. He wants you to call him when you’re up to it.”

  I chewed on my bottom lip and contemplated the number. She scooted my cell phone across the table under my nose causing me to stare up at her, “I can’t call him. You crazy?”

  I swore her green eyes began to sparkle, “Okay fine.” She snatched the phone and the number away from me. “I’ll call him for you then.”

  My mouth snapped open, “You wouldn’t dare!” But I knew she would and in fact was already pressing in his number.

  “Hey Seth. This is Shelley. Jaq wanted me to call and let you know she’s feeling much better today and would like for you to give her a call sometime. Soon,” she said. She disconnected the call and tossed me the phone with a smug grin on her face, “Here keep this close. You’ll need it.”

  Chapter 12

  With everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks, I hadn’t gotten a chance to unpack all of my things. So I spent what was left of the morning and part of the afternoon doing laundry and emptying boxes. Shelley had managed to get her stuff moved in a little at a time without my even being aware of her doing so.

  While I tried to get my room more organized there were so many different thoughts flashing through my head, things I tried not to focus on for too long. My heart hollowed when I thought about the last words Brad and I had spoken to each other. They were so tense, to say the least. Part of me wanted to hate Damon Blackwell for what had happened, but in reality I knew it wasn’t his fault. I guess I was just looking for someone besides myself to blame.

  Then there was Seth Thomas. It was kind of crazy how meeting Seth caused me to doubt my relationship with Rick. Then the next time we meet, he wound up saving my neck by offering me a ride home. Brad was supposed to have been my ride home from the party that night and by all rights, I could very well have been riding in his truck with him when he crashed. How was it that I’d never even kissed Seth Thomas and yet he’d already managed come to my rescue? Twice?

  “Is there even a floor under there?” Shelley said as she leaned against the door frame and grinned. I frowned and she shoved my cell phone at me. She mouthed the name “Seth.”

  After the call ended I couldn’t remember much of the conversation. To be honest, he lost me at: “Do you want to hang out with me tonight?” I only hoped I hadn’t sounded like a complete moron or worse yet, a love-struck fourteen-year-old. Because, I’m not gonna lie, that’s pretty much how he made me feel.

  “So, I take it that went well?” Shelley beamed when I slid into the kitchen with a mile-wide grin snaking across my face.

  “It was okay,” I feigned nonchalance with a shrug. “We’re going out tonight.”

  Shelley flew off her chair, nearly toppling it over in her excitement and let out a squeal. We hugged and jumped up and down. Okay, that was how love-struck fourteen-year-olds were supposed to act when the hottest guy ever asked them out.

  “Where’s he taking you?” She asked.

  If possible, I smiled even wider, “Hell if I know! Have you seen him? Because I’m pretty sure right now, I don’t care if he buys me a Happy Meal at McDonald’s.” We laughed until tears rolled down our faces — or maybe we finally stopped when Tim walked into the room and shook his head at us as though we had both lost our minds.

  “You better go start getting ready,” she said. She planted her hands on my shoulders and turned me toward my room. “You can’t go out for a Happy Meal looking like that.”

  “It’s not even four o’clock yet, Shell. He’s not coming to pick me up until six,” I protested weakly.

  Going out with Seth would be the first real date I’d been on in a long time. Not to mention it was the first one I ever remembered causing butterflies in my stomach. I tried to keep a handle on my feelings but I wasn’t sure that was possible. I had a feeling that the walls I’d built around my heart were about to crumble into dust and I don’t think I even cared.

  “Let me help you with your makeup,” Shelley offered as she looked over my shoulder in the bathroom mirror. I started to pull my thick hair back into a knot at the base of my neck and she swatted my hands. “Leave your hair down. Trust me on this.”

  I twisted my mouth into a half frown, “Okay. I think.”

  By the time Shelley had worked her magic; she’d managed to erase the dark smudges of purple from beneath my eyes and had given my pale cheeks a boost of color. She’d even been able to coerce my hair into something manageable that we mutually agreed upon. I let her have her way with the makeup and hair, but when she suggested I wear the short jean skirt she held out to me, I crossed my arms in front of me and told her under no uncertain terms would I leave the house wearing that thing. I
brushed past her and slipped into my favorite pair of faded jeans instead. She only pouted for a little while.

  Seth arrived right on time and when I walked into the kitchen where he waited I think I almost swallowed my tongue. Hot didn’t even begin to describe the fine specimen of the male species that he was. His piercing blue eyes widened beneath a fringe of sandy blonde hair when I entered. His mouth tipped into a crooked smile and two deep dimples carved into his cheeks, “Hi Jaq,” he said softly. “You look great.”

  While trying to find my voice, I stared into his eyes. I had never seen two more amazingly expressive eyes in my entire life. They were bright blue and had a dark, nearly black, ring encircling them. His lashes were long and fair, matching the color of his hair. “Hi, thanks,” I managed to say. My inner funny girl wondered: boxers or briefs tonight?

  Our date was completely unconventional. Yes, we did go through a drive -thru to grab something to eat, but I didn’t care because it gave us a chance to talk as we sat in his truck and ate.

  “I have to be honest with you, Jaq. When Shelley called, I’d sort of already promised the guys I’d meet them at Cemetery Hill Road and go four-wheelin’,” he said. Stealing a glance sideways at me, he added, “But if you don’t want to, we can do something else.”

  “Seriously? Cemetery Hill Road is the best place to do it,” I said, immediately feeling my cheeks heat into a nice shade of stop sign red. “I mean the best place to go four-wheelin’.”

  His dimples showed up again and he said, “I knew I liked you. Let’s do it then.”

  We finished the rest of our food and headed south out of the city to meet up with several of Seth’s friends. Cemetery Hill Road was a rutted, low maintenance gravel road that dead ended at the entrance to an old graveyard perched on top of a plateau surrounded by steep hills that just begged to be climbed.

  Chapter 13

  We were behind some guy in a Toyota going up the side of Cemetery Hill when, for some stupid reason, the dumbass decided to stop right in front of us and Seth had to jam on the brakes to keep from rear-ending him.

  “Who is that idiot?” I asked.

  “You mean what we call him or his real name?” Seth answered. Before I could respond, he continued, “His real name is Andy Miller. But everyone calls him Tool. Among other things. For obvious reasons.”

  I snickered, “Apparently he doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing.”

  “That would be Andy. Clueless,” Seth muttered and rolled down the window. He stuck his head out to yell at Andy, who had just hopped out to walk around behind his truck. “What the hell are you doing Tool? Leave it to you to get stuck in two inches of mud.”

  Four-wheelin’ was especially fun if someone got stuck or when something broke. It wasn’t brain surgery: start at the bottom and don’t let off the gas until you hit the plateau at the top. Stopping halfway up was never a good idea, because even with what little mud there was, it was still greasy beneath the tires and getting started again would be tricky.

  Seth muttered a few choice words about Andy’s lack of intelligence and tried to back up his truck so we could get around Tool. The wheels spun as he gunned the engine and the next thing I knew, smoke had started to pour out from under the hood. “Dammit!” Seth scowled and pounded his hand hard against the steering wheel. He peered sideways at me apologetically. “Sorry. This might take awhile.”

  “No problem. I’ll go wait with the other girls,” I told him. I cautiously made my way through the mud to where several others were standing around. We joked about Tool’s total lack of brain matter and waited while the guys tried to figure out what the problem was with Seth’s truck and whether or not he’d be able to drive it back to town.

  While the guys debated the best plan of action, we started to smell gas. A steady stream had begun to pour out the back end of Seth’s pickup. I pointed it out to him and they gave up the idea of trying to get the truck running that night and decided to tow it back to the shop instead.

  When we were all ready to head back to town, Seth walked over to where I’d been waiting with the others and asked, “So are you going to ride back in the truck with me?”

  “Of course,” I said and smiled.

  His blue eyes sparkled and when he reached out to swipe his thumb across my cheek he had to have been deaf not to hear my heart as it hammered against my ribs. “You had a little mud there on your face,” he said.

  I shrugged and said, “A little mud never hurt anyone, it’s all good.”

  On the way back to town he apologized for the way the night had turned out. I smiled at him and let him know that although the apology wasn’t necessary, it was appreciated.

  When he pulled me closer to his side in a one-armed hug and pressed his lips to mine I thought Holy mother of God. The kiss completely took my breath away and erased every coherent thought in my head. As though he somehow managed to read my mind, he grinned down at me while I was momentarily dumbfounded and completely lost in his eyes.

  “I wish I could take credit for the way the night turned out,” he said, leaning in to kiss me again. “The good part, I mean. Like being with you.”

  We got back to the garage and he told the guys not to worry about fixing the truck until the next day. He took my hand and pulled me in the direction of an old white Camaro parked alongside the garage. After he opened the passenger door to let me in, I stared at his ass all the way around the front of the car. I swore he knew I was checking him out and walked slower on purpose to give me an eyeful. The inside of the car reeked of mildew and mothballs, but I didn’t mind. Hell I wouldn’t have minded sitting on an upside down plastic milk crate at that point if it meant breathing the same air as Seth.

  He drove me home and walked me to the house. When we got to the front door, he squeezed my hand and pulled me around to face him. The wall I’d previously built around my heart blasted to smithereens when he put his hands on either side of my face and leaned close for a kiss. My hands clasped behind his neck as I shamelessly pressed the length of my body against him. The sweet, gentle kisses stolen in the pickup earlier gave way to more urgent, passionate ones as we held on to one another.

  Too soon, he pulled away and rested his chin on my head, “You’d better go inside before you make me forget where we are,” he breathed.

  The sex-starved goddess inside of me threw a temper tantrum while the more rational side of my personality agreed. I didn’t want the night to end but reluctantly said goodnight.

  “See ya later, Jaq,” he said. He brushed his lips quickly across mine and winked, “I’ll make it up to you next time. We’ll go on a real date.”

  I laughed and said, “Don’t worry about it.”

  All the while thinking, and if by real date you mean getting naked in my bed, how’s tomorrow night sound?

  Chapter 14

  Sunday I awoke early and in a good mood. I could hardly remember the last time I felt like this. Last night had been good. Four-wheelin’ had been good. Kissing Seth had been a thousand times better than good. I knew I couldn’t wait to see him again and hoped it would be soon. “Way to keep hold of your heart Jaq,” I chastised myself.

  “Must’ve been a good date?” Shelley smiled up at me from the table when I walked through the kitchen with the last of the empty boxes from my move.

  “What makes you say that?” I smirked.

  “Oh I don’t know. Maybe because you’re up before noon? Or because you’re grinning like a lunatic?” She teased.

  I pulled a bottle of soda from the fridge and leaned against the counter. Shelley was right. I couldn’t seem to wipe the stupid grin off my face. “A-maz-ing,” I admitted. “We went to Cemetery Hill Road and his truck broke down. Then we had to be towed back in to town.”

  Shelley rolled her eyes and shook her head, “Sounds like a blast,” she said sarcastically. “Tell me he at least sprang for dinner?”

  I pushed away from the counter and snickered, “Yep. Drive-thru. And he got me my very own
fries. How’s that for consideration?” I said and started to walk back to my room so I could get showered and dressed for the day.

  “Oh, I like that in a man. Big spender, too,” she called after me.

  After my shower, I was looking through some of the school work I’d missed and was answering some of my emails when Seth called. I guess that three day rule didn’t apply to him, and I was glad. I didn’t think I could stand waiting three days before seeing him again considering it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours, and I was already anxious to spend some more quality face time with him.

  He told me he was going to be at the shop working on his truck all day and invited me to come over and hang out with him later if I wanted.

  “Sure,” I said into the phone, hopeful that I didn’t sound as though I’d just been offered an all expense paid cruise to some place tropical. “That sounds fun. I’ll come over later.”

  Once we disconnected the call I did a fist pump in the air and gave a hearty, “Hell yeah!” Shelley walked into the room and cocked an eyebrow at me, “That was Seth I take it?”

  “Yeah, he’s working on his truck and asked me to stop by,” I told her.

  She patted her chest, “Be still my heart. What excitement. How can you even stand it?”

  “Shut up! Don’t piss in my cereal, I like him,” I frowned at her.

  She crossed over to where I stood and hugged me tight, “I’m only giving you a hard time. I know you like him. Just be careful Jaq. You’re vulnerable right now and I don’t want to see you to get hurt.”

  “I know Shell, but there’s just something about this guy, he’s different. There has to be some reason why we keep crossing paths. Something bigger than coincidence, I mean,” I said as I gathered up some clean clothes to wear. “It’s almost like he’s my guardian angel or something.”