by C. M. Boers
“Yeah, something like that,” I answered sarcastically as I shot a glare in Eli’s direction.
“I’m Bailey.”
She tossed back her brown hair and held out her hand for me to shake; I took it.
“Abby.”
She smiled.
The bell rang and I turned around to face the front. I was glad to have met someone that wasn’t a boy. I thought Bailey seemed nice and hoped she would become a good friend. I sure could use one of those right about now. Maybe she could even help me out with Pete and Eli. It sure would help if I knew why Eli was so against my being friends with Pete.
I turned to look at Eli to check if he was engrossed in Mr. Lang’s discussion. I felt a little relief to see that he wasn’t. I took out a piece of paper and tried to look as though I was paying attention. It bothered me that he was so adamant about Pete, but I had a nagging feeling that I maybe shouldn’t ignore him. I wished I could push that sense away, but try as I might it is stuck in my head.
Eli-
You have to tell me why. What is so wrong with Pete anyway? He seems harmless enough. I am meeting him for lunch
after class unless I decide that what you have to say is worthwhile.
-Abby
I looked around the room in hopes that nobody was looking; the coast was clear. I passed the note to Eli as quickly as I could, trying my best not to touch his hand. I was still a little spooked from the last time.
I watched him read my note and noticed that he suddenly tensed up. Clearly something I wrote had made him uneasy.
While I waited for him to write back, I listened to Mr. Lang's lecture. He was explaining some of the things we were going to learn during the year. He mentioned protons and neutrons, something I already studied.
I was startled when something hit me in my elbow. I realized quickly that it was a note from Eli.
Abby-
Cancel your plans with Pete today at lunch and have lunch with me instead. I will try to explain better over lunch. Please?
-Eli
So he was going to try and explain, which was what I had asked him to do—but why did I have to cancel lunch with Pete just to hear it? And while I was not one to turn someone down, I also wasn't the type to cancel plans either. It would be hard on me either way. That nagging feeling in the back of my mind pushed me to say yes to Eli. What if I went to lunch with Eli and didn’t agree with his reasoning? I would regret canceling with Pete. Then again, if it was something compelling that made me change my mind, I would be grateful. There were a lot of unknowns, but none-the-less, I decided to go to lunch with Eli and tell Pete it was because we had to discuss homework. I hoped he would take it well without being too disappointed. I didn’t want to lose any chance I possibly had with him because I canceled.
Eli-
I guess I will go to lunch with you today but don’t think that this changes anything with Pete… yet. -Abby
When the bell rang I walked out of class with Eli, trying to think of the best way to let Pete down gently. Bailey followed us out of class.
“Hey Abby, wait for me!” she called.
I turned and waited patiently to see what she wanted.
“Hey Bailey.”
“Hey, want to have lunch with me today?”
Three people asking me to go to lunch with them all in the same day. When did I suddenly become so popular? I was flattered.
“Actually, I am having lunch with Eli today.”
“Ooh okay… I guess I will see you later then.”
She scrambled away quickly before I got a chance to say anything else. I was glad I didn't have to try to make up a lie about why she couldn’t join us, but I felt horrible at the same time. I wanted so badly to have a friend, especially a girl. I promised myself right then I would go to lunch with her tomorrow. Maybe I could convince Pete to have lunch with Bailey and I.
I sighed, glancing at Eli. “Well, let’s get to lunch."
We walked in silence, mostly because I was too engrossed in my thoughts of Eli’s mysteriousness and canceling plans with Pete. I had a lot to think about, and it was only the first half of the day! I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with the excitement to say the least.
As I saw Pete up ahead waiting for me, my heart started beating faster. He looked so excited to see me, and it made me feel twice as nervous. I’d never been good at letting people down. Instead I was the people pleaser, and to upset someone by canceling plans was really hard on me. It made me feel like a flake. I hated when my friends were flaky, and I held myself to the same standard.
“Hey Abby!” Pete called over.
I cringed, hoping that Eli would be appreciative of how hard this is on me. Then again, how could he understand? He didn’t even know me.
“Hey Pete, I have some bad news.”
Eli stood silently at my side, looking pretty smug. I could only believe that was for Pete’s benefit. What's his problem anyway? I wished he had just gone inside to wait for me. Instead, he decided to be an audience to my discomfort, making the situation that much harder for everyone.
“What’s wrong?”
“I have to cancel our lunch plans today.” I frowned.
“Oh,” he said sadly. His whole posture changed as his shoulders drooped downwards.
“I’m sorry, I just have to talk to Eli about some stuff for our class.”
“Alright, well how about tomorrow?” He perked up a bit when he asked seeming hopeful that I would agree.
“I have plans with Bailey, but if you are okay with Bailey joining us that would be fun.” I hoped he wasn’t thinking that I was trying to avoid him, but he showed no indication he felt that way.
“Okay, see you later. Have a good lunch.”
He walked away, looking a little less defeated than at first.
I sighed.
“Shall we?” Eli motioned towards the cafeteria, putting his elbow out for me to take.
“Yep, let’s go,” I said, intentionally pushing past his arm.
I heard him chuckle and I rolled my eyes.
My stomach was grumbling as I ordered my lunch, but I patiently waited for Eli to finish ordering his while I munched on the French fries that were placed beneath my pizza.
Eli suggested that we sit at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria. I could only guess he was trying to get as far from everyone as he could, but I was fine with that because then nobody would hear our conversation. The last thing I wanted was for the conversation to get back to Pete, even if I didn't even know what was going to be said. I didn’t want anyone to think I was talking behind Pete’s back, even though that was exactly what I was doing. Plus, I didn’t want to get a bad reputation for being a gossip.
“Okay, so let’s hear what you have to say,” I demanded after we started eating.
He finished chewing his first bite of spaghetti before beginning.
“This isn’t about me being jealous, I just want you to know that from the start. I don’t know how to explain it, other than just saying it very bluntly.” Eli paused and a few seconds passed. “I think he killed someone.” He was staring directly into my eyes.
Murder? This was what he wanted to tell me?
“I don’t believe you. He is in high school! There is no way he could have murdered someone!” I shot back, not realizing that my voice had reached shrieking level.
I blushed in embarrassment when I realized there were people staring at me. My voice carried in the big room, but I could only hope that the loudness had at least masked what I said.
He rolled his eyes at me. “Well if you’re over the theatrics, can I finish trying to explain?”
“I’m sorry, but that is absolutely absurd!”
“Can I finish?” He was frustrated with me.
I sighed. “Okay, I did say I would hear you out. Go on.”
“I went to a football game here last year when I was still in junior high. Pete was on the team. They lost the game and needless to say, Pete was really upset. On
e of the guys on the other team was giving Pete a hard time, and the coach had to get after Pete about his temper. Pete left alone that night and nobody saw him till the next day. The guy on the other team didn't come to school the next day and hasn't been back since. I don’t know if anyone at this school even knows about that. I read in the paper a few days later that he was missing, so you can see what I am talking about when I say I think he is no good.”
“There has to be some other explanation,” I offered.
“Like what?” he asked.
My mind raced as I tried to think of something. Neither of us said anything for a long time. The longer the silence passed, the harder it became to admit that I didn’t have any other ideas.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. I was in shock, so I made up a lame excuse. “Maybe the guy just ran away from home. Maybe he wasn’t happy with his parents or something.”
“Do you honestly believe that?”
“Yes,” I lied. “It certainly is possible.”
“I suppose it’s possible, but is it likely?”
“I don’t know. It’s not like you can judge someone you have never met.”
“True, but I just wish that you wouldn’t put yourself in jeopardy like that.”
“I can take care of myself,” I said trying to sound tough. “What do you care anyway?” Deep down I was questioning my decision to be friends with Pete. Getting into the wrong crowd right off the bat would not be good.
What if it wasn’t true though? That wouldn’t be fair to Pete. There are a lot of explanations, right? There had to be. It would only be fair to give him a chance without making snap assessments. But could I be objective knowing what I knew? I figured there was only one way to find out.
“You can take care of yourself against a six-foot-four defensive lineman?” he asked, snapping me back to the present.
“Yes,” I replied firmly, avoiding eye contact.
“Somehow I’m not convinced,” he laughed as he looked up and down at my slender body.
I couldn’t hold in my giggle.
“So, you see my point?” he offered.
“I guess,” I said quietly.
I finished the last bite of my food while I looked around the room. I was completely unsure of what to say next, so I continued to avoid eye contact and willed the bell to ring.
“What are you doing after school?”
“I'll probably just go home.”
“You want to hang out or something?” he asked.
What? Did I hear him right?
“You want to hang out with me?”
“Yeah of course, why wouldn’t I?” He seemed confused.
“I don't know; I thought you just wanted to boss me around about Pete and that was it. I didn't realize you were interested in being friends.”
“I want to be friends with you Abby. I mean, if that is okay with you. And to be clear I’m not trying to boss you around, I’m merely giving you all the information before you jump in.”
He wanted to be my friend. I was surprised, but not as surprised as I was at my excitement of the prospect of being friends with him. Despite his bossy nature, I was growing to like him a lot.
“Okay sure, let's hang out. What did you have in mind?”
“I don't know. Would you be opposed to me coming over to your house? Maybe I can help you with your homework,” he offered simply.
“Actually, that would be nice.”
I didn't have any homework yet, but it would be nice to have some company. Mom wouldn't be home until later so I would be alone otherwise. After living in Arizona for a week, I'd had enough of being alone.
Lunch was over soon after we finalized our plans for that afternoon. Eli walked me to class, and we agreed to meet in front of the school at the end of the day so he could drive us to my house.
I couldn't believe he already had his license and a car. I wasn’t able to get my license for a few more months and it was crazy to even think about owning a car. I didn’t have any money saved, and until I had a job my mom wouldn't even talk about getting one. Her theory was if I couldn’t afford to pay for the gas, I shouldn't expect to have a car. I couldn’t fault her; it was a valid point, but it didn’t make it any easier. If I wanted a job I had to find one I could walk to, which didn't leave very many options. And on top of that, my grades needed to be my top priority if I wanted to be able to apply to Ivy League colleges. My first choice was Harvard, but Yale was following at a close second. I was aspiring to be a lawyer. My parents weren’t thrilled about either of my college choices, being that I would have to move so far away, but they couldn't argue because they were proud that I was striving for something so prestigious.
Eli’s news during lunch had confused me. I had no clue what to believe. It was so strange, it seemed as though Eli could be stretching a little. But I didn’t know either of them, so it was hard to make any snap judgments about them.
In reading class, I listened to Mrs. June go through the year’s course syllabus. She outlined the books we were going to read, and one of them was a favorite of mine, To Kill a Mockingbird. She announced that there would be a book report on it when we were finished. I knew I could write an A+ report given what I remember about it.
My last class of the day was P.E. I was glad to have it last. Getting sweaty early on ruins your hair and makeup for the rest of the day. It turned out that Bailey was in my P.E. class, too. The teacher said that we would start swimming the next day; I enjoyed swimming, but swimming at school didn’t sound very appealing.
After class I caught up with Bailey.
“Hey Bailey, wait up!”
“Oh, hey Abby,” she replied, sounding a little sad.
“I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me tomorrow.”
I could tell she was surprised, and I felt bad about that. I was excited at the prospect of a girl friend to talk to, and I hoped she would understand that now.
“Yeah, I'm sorry about today. Eli and I just had some things to take care of.”
“That sounds great Abby!” Her voice was back to its usual bubbly sound.
“Okay, I will see you tomorrow!” I called over my shoulder as I walked to the spot where I agreed to meet Eli.
Eli was waiting for me where he said he would be. We walked out to the parking lot together, weaving between cars as we went. He stopped abruptly next to a beautiful cherry red convertible. This was one special car; it didn’t take a genius to figure that out.
“What kind of car is this? It's beautiful!” I gushed as I circled the car, checking it out from all angles.
“It's a 1969 Camaro. You like it?”
“I love it!”
Not only was the car beautiful on the outside, but the inside was all flawless black leather seats with what looked to me like a brand new dashboard. The gauges seemed updated from their original style; they glowed bright white and the mileage readout was digital. It was restored so tastefully. I was more than impressed.
Eli pressed a button and the convertible top slid down out of view. Even though it was hot out, I couldn't tell when the wind was blowing in my hair. I had never been in a convertible before, and I loved the feeling. Unfortunately, when we were stopped the Arizona sun beat down on us, making it feel like we were in a sauna. Thankfully, those stops were few.
“This car is truly amazing, Eli. Where did you get it?” I asked.
“It was my dad's. He and I completely restored it about two years ago, right before he died.”
“I'm sorry, I didn't know.” It took an awkward moment before I spoke again. “How did he die? If you don't mind me asking?”
He was silent for a long time before he finally spoke. I gave him the space and time to answer when he felt comfortable. It would be the courtesy I’d expect someone to give me if the tables were turned.
“No, I don't mind you asking at all. He died of lung cancer; he smoked. We knew he was dying for a few years before he went. In a way, it gave me the time I needed to
come to grips with the fact that he was going to be gone soon. I think that has helped me grieve faster since he died, but I still miss him a lot.”
“When did he die?”
“Six months ago.”
I felt a wave of sadness wash over me. He didn't look away from the road the entire time that we talked, and his blank expression never changed. It must have been difficult for him to talk about. Even though my dad was in another state, I couldn't grasp the concept of never being able to see him again. Never being able to talk to him again or ask for his advice. I commended his ability to hold it together so well as he talked about it now.
“It must be so hard to talk about. Let's talk about something else.” I quickly tried to think of something else to discuss. “How long have you lived in Arizona?”
“I've lived in Arizona since I was about 3-years-old. I was born in Colorado.”
“So, you’re used to the heat here. I can't imagine ever getting use to it!”
He laughed. “I don't know that you ever get used to the heat, but you survive.”
“Great!” I said. “Thanks for the hope!” I shoved his shoulder.
He let out a deep throaty chuckle. I liked it.
I found it easy to be around Eli, which made it so hard to imagine upsetting him by being friends with Pete. I was very attracted to Pete though, and I thought I might want more than friendship somewhere down the road.
After thinking it through, I decided that I had to give Pete a chance. He seemed nice enough; but I wasn’t going to bring that up to Eli now. He would find out soon enough. I was enjoying our time together too much to ruin it.
CHAPTER TWO
Pulling up in front of my own house was strange. It didn’t quite feel like home yet. Before Arizona I had lived in the same house since birth, so it was very possible that it may never feel like home. At least not in the way my California home had felt to me.
The house itself was a newer model built three years ago. The yard was landscaped with impeccable taste, with spiky green grass in the center lined with tan gravel. There was a flower bed filled with rosebushes along the walkway to the front door, and the huge roses stared back at me in a rainbow of colors; red, peach and lavender. I truly loved our new house, especially the inside. It was exactly what I would have chosen if it were up to me.