by C. M. Boers
“Oh, you didn’t think that I would let you get away that easily did you?” he asked, his voice dripping with pure hatred.
“What do you want from me?” I asked. I was at a complete loss of what to do.
“I told you that you would regret your decision.”
Suddenly Eli marched into view and took charge before I even realized what was happening. In a matter of seconds I was out of Pete’s arms and behind Eli, who stood in front of me like a shield. He held me behind him protectively.
“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing Pete?” Eli said, trying to contain his anger.
“Just as promised, that’s all. Nothing that concerns you,” Pete said rudely.
“If it concerns Abby it most certainly concerns me.”
“Is that so?” Pete said in a challenging manner.
“It is and you know it.”
“Whatever Eli, you won’t always be around—trust me on that.” And with that Pete walked away, chuckling to himself.
Almost instantly Eli turned around. He looked my body up and down. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” He seemed almost frantic with worry.
“I’m fine really, he didn't hurt me. It just scared me. I didn’t know what to do. I’m sorry Eli; this is all my fault. I never should have gotten you into this.”
“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know what you were getting into and to tell you the truth I didn’t either. He is way worse than I could have ever guessed. We’ll have to just be more careful from now on until he gets over it.”
“Alright.”
“Let’s get back out there before your dad starts to worry.”
“Yeah, I’ll go out first, then you can come out once I am back at the table.”
“Good idea, see you out there,” he said, stepping into the men’s bathroom for effect.
My dad never suspected a thing and our meal went on as if nothing had happened. I sat eating my food, replaying the incident in my mind. It dawned on me that Eli had known something was amiss when he came to my rescue, yet my dad remained in the dark. How had he known? My head started to spin. It was happening all over again. How had he known both times I was in a confrontation with Pete? It seemed too much of coincidence. I needed to ask him about it later, and this time he would not get off so easily. I wanted something, anything to explain what was going on.
We got home early enough that the three of us decided to play a card game. Mom was out again, probably with her new boy toy, and an hour and four games later we decided to call it a night. Eli went home with promises to be there early the next morning to take me to school.
I couldn’t wait to soak in a long hot shower. My muscles ached from all of the activity and hiking over the past few days. I tried not to take too long knowing dad would be waiting to take one as well, but it felt so good. I had so much dust and dirt on me that I felt like a new person when I came out of the shower.
I melted into my bed feeling refreshed and clean, and fell asleep without a hitch.
It was gratifying to wake up from a great night’s sleep, but at the same time I knew that it would be my last day with my dad before he went home to California. I hadn’t had a single nightmare since he’d been there, and I knew it wasn’t a coincidence.
His trip was eventful and well spent between all of our activities, and I hoped that the next time I would still be able to come up with ideas to keep us busy and exploring. Although, it would be nice to go on another lake trip together, maybe even camp out. I’d be willing to bet that the lake at night was beautiful with an abundant amount of stars in the night sky. Maybe it would be a good idea once it got a little cooler out. I couldn’t imagine sleeping in a tent in the heat.
At breakfast it was clear that the atmosphere had cleared some between mom and dad. They were back to being civil with each other, though they weren’t exactly talking on friendly terms. It was mostly necessary communication, which was okay with me. It certainly beat the alternative. As far as I was concerned, dad didn’t really need to talk to her at all after the way she treated him.
After what had happened that weekend, I was dreading going to school to face Pete. It was guaranteed to be depressing. My only comfort was the fact that there wasn’t a time I would be alone with him.
On the way to school, Eli tried to reassure me that I had nothing to worry about. It brought me back to my thoughts of how he seemed to just know when I was in trouble. I didn’t want to ruin the day by bringing it up then, but I hoped the opportune time would present itself. I would wait for it. I wasn’t sure how Eli would feel about me bringing it up—he might be mad or frustrated. I deserved to know though, didn’t I? After all, it did concern me.
I arrived just before the bell rang and saw Pete sitting in the classroom. I tried not to look at him, but I could feel his eyes searing in to me. Finally I gave into the temptation and looked at him. He wasn’t even paying any attention to me, and for a moment I wondered if it was all in my head. I felt silly. I was making him out to be this big monster, and at the moment he didn’t seem to be anything but a mouse. After that my mind drifted to fractions and percentages for the rest of the period.
When the bell rang, Pete was gone before I could even gather my things. Maybe he had given up on harassing me, but something inside made me feel like I couldn’t be that lucky. Only time would tell. I almost wished that if he was planning on something, he would just get it over with. The waiting and not knowing was killing me, but then again, maybe that was the point. He was trying to make me suffer. It would be quite fitting for him.
Eli was waiting in the hall. “How did it go?” he asked.
“Fine,” I said hesitantly. I knew his ‘told you so’ was coming.
“Even though I told you so, I’m glad I was right this time,” he said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we walked.
I liked feeling of his arm around me, but I briefly wondered how Bailey would feel about Eli and I being so close. Then I quickly pushed it out of my mind. I mean, that was how we always were. Nothing had changed. We were just friends, so there was nothing to be ashamed of.
“Me too,” I agreed.
A few months before I would never have guessed I’d be in that position. It hadn’t even been two months since the start of school. I had a boy for a best friend. I had gotten in way over my head in a relationship with someone I shouldn’t have messed with in the first place—no matter how tempting and gorgeous he was. I had my first job, and my dad had visited for the first time. I’d never been so busy in my entire life. Maybe it was true what they say: Californians are a lot more chill than the rest of the world.
It was time for me to move on with my life and hope that Pete did the same. I knew I would always wonder what happened so long ago with Pete and the missing football player, but I knew that I needed to let it be for the moment.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
By Christmas, dad had visited two more times. Our visits were always full of adventurous activities. Once, we wandered around the Phoenix Zoo, which was in the same parking lot as Papago Park. I don’t know how I missed that the first time we were there. We took extra time walking through the monkey village, looking at all the tiny monkeys around us. On another visit, we spent the day hiking at South Mountain, which was beautiful. We managed to time it out perfectly so we got to the top at sunset. It was warmer at that point of the day, but thankfully in October, Arizona temperatures resemble those of California’s temps in the summer. We even rode the city light rail around, just to dinner and back, but it was a new experience to check off the list.
The tension between Pete and I had completely dissolved and seemed to be forgotten. Eli had even backed off somewhat since Pete seemed to be leaving me alone. In fact, the entire debacle rarely crossed my mind anymore. Still—I chose to ward off the prospect of any boyfriends for a while, which is easier said than done at times. There were a few guys who had expressed interest in dating me.
Around Thanksgiving, Bailey and
Eli broke up. Luckily, it was a mutual decision and there were no hard feelings. I would have hated if they were at odds with each other. We all continued to be close as if nothing ever had transpired. They decided that their feelings for one another weren’t in a romantic sense anymore, and weren’t sure if they ever were. All in all, they dated for about three months.
Both Eli and I worked about 25 hours a week, and it was going well. Working together was a blast. We had been there for nearly four months and already received raises, making our hourly wages $8.00 per hour. I saved almost everything I earned, even though I did go to the movies and shopping every now and then. Despite those occasional outings, I had been able to save $1,500 towards my car. It was a number I took a lot pride in. My goal was to have at least $3,000 before I began looking for a car, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to wait that long. The lack of my own transportation was starting to get frustrating—besides my legs, my mom and Eli, that is. I craved independence.
As best friends, Eli and I were closer than ever. I didn’t feel as I once did, that Eli was holding back all the time. On the other hand, I knew there were things he chose not to tell me, like how he had been so in tune with the happenings of Pete and I. I still had no idea how he had known there was a problem in the restaurant, but since no other incidents happened I left it alone. Maybe one day he would tell me.
Mom ended things with her so-called boyfriend shortly after my dad’s second visit. As it turned out, it had taken her that long to figure out that she wasn't ready. I think it was a combination of wanting to make dad jealous and also not being over him completely. Either way the tension from it had long since dissipated and we were back to our normal closeness. She ended up apologizing to me the day they broke up, and I vaguely wondered if she had apologized to dad as well. I’d never ask though. That was between them. She hadn’t been on another date since. Though we both knew it was only a matter of time before it came up again, I just hoped it would be for the right reasons and with the right guy. After all, I wanted my mom to be happy and if it took dating and meeting another Mr. Right in the process, so be it.
Together, mom and I went to pick out a Christmas tree. We decided to get a five-foot Noble fir, which were by far the prettiest Christmas trees, if you asked me. We would have loved to get a huge nine-footer if we could, but my mom and I wouldn’t have been able to set it up by ourselves. Actually, I don’t think it would even fit in our house!
I went with Bailey, Eli and a few other friends to look at Christmas lights at the Valley’s famous Loop of Lights. We drank hot chocolate and apple cider as we walked down several streets that were extravagantly lit up. There were even a few that actually had Santa Claus there to see the kids.
Dad wasn’t able to make it out for Christmas Day; things were far too busy at the store to take off at such a critical time and I completely understood. Instead, he came a few weeks early to celebrate with me. We splurged and celebrated with a skiing trip to Flagstaff, and mom even let me miss two days of school. We went to the Sno Bowl, which is the popular ski and snowboarding mountain there. I must admit I wasn’t very good on skis, not like dad, but I had fun nonetheless. I managed not to break anything—which was something short of a miracle—and dad had fun laughing at me. We stayed at a hotel that had an indoor Jacuzzi, and it was like heaven stepping into it each night after a full day on the slopes.
On the last night of our getaway, we opened our Christmas gifts to each other. Dad gave me $100 towards my savings account for my car. I was very excited to add it to my bank account, bringing me that much closer to independence. I bought dad a new sweater and khaki pants to match. It was the ‘usual’ gift I liked to buy him, because it was the one thing I knew he could always use. He didn’t get out to go shopping much, and he never used to like the clothes my mom picked out for him. Dad and I were very similar, so he usually liked what I chose for him.
Since I was working hard and saving money I was able to buy Christmas presents for Bailey, Eli, mom and dad without a problem. I tried to put a lot of thought and consideration into what I would buy for each person, but it wasn’t hard to decide on the perfect gifts for them. Gift giving was one of the best parts of Christmas, and I usually had a very hard time concealing my excitement.
For mom, I found a beautiful white watch with rhinestones encircling the face. She had been looking for a new one for a while without any luck. The minute I saw it, I knew it was just what she was looking for. For Bailey, I bought some new bows, headbands, and clips to do her hair with. I took into account how uncomfortable she was with doing her own hair, and thought they would be helpful. I’d even made a note to make plans with her to try them all out. Eli’s gift was the one gift I couldn’t wait to give. It was positively the most personal of all of my gifts to anyone. I was able to find a picture frame with a figurine of his exact car, right down to the color, placed right in front of the picture. I knew it was the perfect gift because he had a photo of his dad and him standing with his car that was without a frame at the moment. He kept it in the top drawer of his nightstand. He showed it to me once. It reminded me of the one I kept in my nightstand of my mom, dad and me at the beach. I thought it was sweet that he kept it so close at hand, and I hoped he would really appreciate the thought I’d put into finding his special gift.
I gave my friends their gifts the weekend before Christmas. My thoughtful purchases were exactly the best gifts I could have chosen—but my friends seemed to know me just as well. Bailey bought me an outfit complete with accessories that I was sure came from the store she worked at, and Eli gave me a locket. There wasn’t a picture inside, but he said one day I would know how to fill it. It puzzled me the way he said it, but I guess it made sense that one day a Mr. Right would come along for me, and that would be the picture I would like to put inside.
The next time I was at Eli’s house, I smiled when I noticed his frame sitting on his nightstand with picture. Even Eli’s mom had commented on what a thoughtful gift it had been.
On Christmas day, mom and I celebrated, just the two of us. We made a delicious turkey dinner with all the trimmings, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, stuffing, and green bean casserole. We had enough food to feed two large families but we didn’t mind. I made sure to call dad to wish him Merry Christmas, and I couldn’t be sure, but it almost sounded as if he was holding back tears. I hoped not.
Mom handed over my gift first, and I was surprised to find money from her as well! A hundred dollars just like dad. I secretly wondered if they’d talked about what to get me. I was so excited that I was getting closer and closer to that little bit of freedom. I could almost picture myself behind the wheel. Mom loved the watch I gave her and she put it on right away.
Usually my mom and I didn’t do anything special for New Years Eve, but that year we invited a few of our friends over and made appetizers and drank—champagne for the adults, sparkling apple cider for the teenagers. Eli and Bailey came, along with Bailey’s new boyfriend, Ryan. They had been dating for almost three weeks, and surprisingly, Eli and Ryan got along really well. I had been worried that once Bailey, or even Eli for that matter, started dating other people that there might be tension between them, but I have been wrong. We were all enjoying our winter break from school, but Eli and I were working a lot. I haven’t seen much of Bailey either, since she had a new boyfriend and was working at the mall.
At midnight we gathered in the front yard and made as much noise as possible with poppers and noisemakers. We all shouted “Happy New Year!” and toasted to wish everyone well for the next year to come. Then we talked and laughed about our New Year’s resolutions until everyone decided to head home.
After everyone left, I helped mom clean up. It was around 2 a.m. when I finally went to bed. I laid in bed for a while, thinking about the holidays. I was sad that they were over so quickly; it was my favorite time of year.
Between feeling content with my life and being constantly busy with work and school, my bad dreams had been kept
at bay for some time. I feared that it wouldn’t be for long, though. It seemed as though they were never going to stop for good.
Unfortunately, school was starting in just four days, and I was completely unprepared to go back. Our schedules were different now for the new semester. Bailey and I only had one class together. Eli and I had three together, which made us both happy. It’s always nerve-wracking going back to school with a new schedule. It was like the first day of school all over again, anticipating if there were any friends to keep you company in the new classes or if you would be making new ones. Most people didn’t mind making new friends, but for me it was especially hard. At the same time, since I had been at that school it seemed I had been fairly good at it. I couldn’t understand why.
I had nothing planned for the last four days of vacation besides working. I was really enjoying all the extra hours I was able to work without having to worry about any interfering schoolwork. Plus, my paycheck was definitely going to show my extra efforts and time. My savings account was continuing to grow, even after all the money I spent on Christmas.
I was hoping that in the next month I would be able to buy a car. My plan was to get Eli to help me look for one when the time came, since he knew so much about them. Originally, I would have asked my dad, but since he was all the way in California, I didn’t think that would work out well. Maybe if I were lucky dad would be in town when I was ready, and they could both help me. Two heads were better than one, right? They already bonded so well over cars. In fact, it seemed that my dad also looked forward to seeing Eli when he came to visit. He always asked about him when we talked on the phone.
The last four days of my break were just as I thought they would be: uneventful. Besides work I didn’t do anything except relax and hang around the house. I felt relaxed and at ease. It was just what I needed to prepare to go back and finish out the school year.