by T. K. Rapp
She traces a line on the side of my hand. “You are young, Laila. But when the time comes for you to settle down, you’re going to have a happy life.”
“That’s it?” I ask with a hint of shock, because I want more details—but she only nods.
“See this?” She points to a line on the lower outside of my palm. “This is your travel line. And see here where it crosses this line, it’s your fate line.”
I acknowledge what she’s pointing at and wait for her to continue.
“There’s a trip planned. Maybe you’re visiting a place you’ve never been before?”
“I’m going to find my mom,” I manage to tell her past the lump in my throat. “I just found out I was adopted.”
“Then this is an important journey. Don’t go alone, because this tells me it will be emotional, so you need people who love and support you. Perhaps your parents?”
“I’m actually going with my friends,” I smile weakly.
“Good. Remember, things are not always what they seem, so keep an open mind and remember that whatever happens, lean on those who are always there for you.”
Madame Rae releases my hand and I take leave from the tent, where I find Haden reclining on the bench outside. He hops to his feet but takes his time approaching me, probably trying to gauge my mood since he tricked me. When he’s close enough, I rise on my toes so I can wrap my arms around his neck and place a soft kiss to his lips. He wraps his arms around me and lifts me off the ground, connecting his lips with mine again.
“I believe I owe you a ride on the Ferris wheel,” he says between kisses as he carries me to the bench, where he sets me down.
I tower over him from this spot, but I don’t mind because looking into his face, illuminated by the carnival ride lights, I could stare at him all night. He turns around, looks over his shoulder, and smiles.
“Hop on.”
“You are not giving me a piggyback ride,” I protest before attempting to step down, but he won’t let me.
“Have it your way,” he grins.
One second he kisses me, the next he hoists me over his shoulder while I scream and tug on the back of his shirt. Granted, I’m not exactly opposed to the view, but I’d much prefer walking instead of being slung over my boyfriend’s shoulder while total strangers are staring at me.
“Haden Searle, put me down,” I yell.
“Only if you admit something,” he says. He stops walking, but I’m still hanging over his back.
“Okay,” I laugh. “What is it?”
“When did it happen?”
“When did what happen?” I ask, confused by his question. It drains what little energy I have left to lift myself upright, so I end up back where I was.
He finally puts me down but keeps me close to him with one arm wrapped around my waist. His other hand is trailing from my cheek and stops at the base of my neck while he looks lovingly into my eyes. “When did you become the only person I ever want to imagine a future with?”
Thank God breathing is an involuntary bodily function because he would have taken my breath away if it weren’t.
“Tickets?” a nasally male voice calls out, breaking the moment. Haden hands over the tickets and we climb into the seat that’s still swinging from the people who vacated before us. He pulls the latch across to lock it in place and we begin making our first revolution on the Ferris wheel.
I have yet to take my eyes off him and he’s looking at the world disappear below our feet.
“Probably around the same time it happened for me—the first time you held my hand,” I say.
He turns to look at me and gives me a knowing smile before kissing me at the top of the ride.
“But you thought I was gay,” he laughs.
“Didn’t mean I didn’t still think about it. Besides, how could I not think about it? You were my hero.”
“You mean at your eighth birthday party when Cole teased you and you ran off into the woods alone?”
“He was mean,” I protest half-heartedly as I recall the memory. “I think Cole knew how to get me worked up more than the rest of you. He said that I was turning into a real girl and that I wouldn’t be able to play with y’all anymore.”
“I know. And then you took off. Your parents were so worried, but my dad knew I could find you, so I went to the quarry.”
“And you found me sitting on the ground crying.”
“Your clothes were covered in mud and I thought you were hurt.”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “I wanted to prove I was still the same girl so I got as dirty as I could.”
“And you were still the prettiest girl I knew.”
“I remember you sat down next to me and took my hand in yours and squeezed.”
“Do you remember what else you said?” he asks, his face serious.
I shake my head and wait for him to remind me. Instead, he wraps his arm around my shoulder and I lean my head against his shoulder. It’s peaceful up here away from everyone. I can still hear the rides and people screaming with excitement, but the noises are distant. My eyes are heavy, the day taking a toll on me despite my nap. Just as I feel myself starting to drift, he kisses the top of my head and whispers in my ear.
“You said ‘someday I’m going to marry you,’ and I hoped right then that you were right.”
“You mentioned public humiliation—would reminding me of the embarrassing things I’ve said to you fall into that category?” I ask, unable to look at him.
His hand traces up and down the side of my arm, relaxing me, but I look up into his face and find him staring at me.
“I can tell you every embarrassing thing you’ve ever told me, and all of them make me love you more.”
“Good,” I smile, “because I wouldn’t take any of them back.”
Chapter 25 ~ Finding Baylor
“Remember when I told you I hate shopping?” I call out to Ree as I hand her another dress to try on.
“Be a girl for five damn minutes,” Bailey calls out from the next dressing room.
“It’s been two hours—and why are you even trying a dress on? You already have one,” I remind her.
She doesn’t answer and I don’t care to hear the logic behind her actions. I hated trying on the ones I did—and shoe shopping? No thank you. Fortunately, Mom isn’t a big shopper either. We made it as quick and painless as possible so we could grab dinner.
“You had no idea about the carnival?” Ree asks, changing the subject from clothes to guys quicker than I can keep up.
I’ve been so busy with swim team and class projects that we haven’t gotten to talk very much. Sure, we see each other at lunch, but we’re there with the guys. Besides, as much as I like these girls—and I do—the people I confide in, the ones I always have, are my guys.
“None at all. But we had a great time.” I smile to myself.
“I would kill Joey if he tried to take me to a carnival for a date,” Bailey whines. “I mean, no offense, but that’s pretty cheesy.”
“I love cheesy,” I defend.
She opens her mouth to say something but Ree’s squeal distracts her.
“We have a winner,” she declares and steps out with the perfect dress.
Bailey and I both gush over her selection and I snap a picture of her with my phone before she disappears in the dressing room to change. I told Cole I’d let him know what he needed to get so he could match her.
In front of the guys, Cole is all male. He likes to act as if things don’t affect him like they do others. But then he’ll call me up and keep me on the phone for thirty minutes trying to figure out what his next move is. When I brought up tuxes for prom, he shrugged as if it was no big deal. An hour after I got home, as expected, he was asking about Ree’s dress, if he needed a corsage, and if he should get his hair trimmed a week before or the day before. The only way to get him to relax was promise I’d get a picture of her dress. This should make him happy.
“Are you nervous about the meet thi
s weekend?” Bailey asks, breaking me from my thoughts.
“Not yet, but I still have to pack everything up and I’m sure it’ll hit me then. We’ll head out Friday since it starts early Saturday morning.”
“My dad is taking time off work, and Mom says she has everything planned. I just hope I can get them to take a little detour—and by ‘little,’ I mean ‘completely out of the way’—because I really want to see Baylor again.”
“Didn’t you drive out there during Thanksgiving break?” she asks.
“And?”
“And I’m sure it hasn’t changed since the last time you were there,” Ree calls out.
Changing the subject, I decide to flip the conversation around on them.
“Do you have plans this weekend?” I ask them both.
“My parents will actually be around this weekend,” Bailey rolls her eyes, “so they want to have a little getaway.”
“Sounds like fun. Where are you going?” I ask.
“San Antonio. Riverwalk. They started getting nostalgic when they realized I’m graduating soon, so they want to go to the one place we used to go when I was little.”
“That’s sweet,” I say, even though she doesn’t seem happy about it. “At least they’re making time for you.”
“It’s probably a photo op or something for the Christmas card this year,” she scoffs.
“What about you, Ree? Any plans?” I ask.
“Nothing big. Might go catch a movie or veg at home. Haven’t really decided,” she shrugs.
“I get back Sunday afternoon, do y’all want to go out to eat or something?”
“Ree, did you hear that?” Bailey asks with mocked shock.
“Yeah, did Laila just ask us on a date?” Ree adds.
“Forget I asked,” I laugh.
“Nope, it’s a date.” Ree smiles.
“I hate to do this, but I really need to go,” I announce to the sounds of annoyed groans. “Hey, you don’t have to go, Haden’s here to pick me up. But Sunday. See you then?”
I wave goodbye and head out, determined to get some rest—because I’m going to be exhausted if I don’t.
* * *
Focus, Laila. You got this.
Swim fast and ignore everything else.
It’s just the water and me.
It’s what I tell myself before each heat that I’m in, but it does little to calm my nerves. It’s my last time to swim as a high school athlete as well as my final event of the day.
The signal is given to step onto the diving block and I check my goggles one last time before moving onto the podium. Every noise echoes in the natatorium as people cheer their swimmer on, but I drown out the noises and focus.
“C’mon, Laila,” they scream, and I point to my ear to let them know I heard.
“Swimmers. Take your mark,” the judge calls over the speaker.
I stare at the water and take a deep breath before breaking the surface to begin my race. Noises are muffled in the water, but I focus on the sound of my breathing and pushing my body to the limit as I make my way to the wall for the flip turn. My arms are tired, but I swim harder and faster in order to finish strong, as my legs offer the extra boost to aid in my speed. My body glides through the water seamlessly as I attempt to increase my speed so I can reach the wall.
I raise my head out of the water and try to catch my breath while looking to the scoreboard. Moments after my completion, I notice the final three reach the wall, but I’m not sure where I placed in the overall lineup.
As I climb out of the pool, there is a burst of excited screams coming from the stands, but it’s not my family. Mom, Dad, and Luka are loud, but not that loud. Walking toward the wall, I look up at the board and there it is, next to my name—first place. I smile and grab my towel before making my way toward my family, who’s waiting for me, but as I get closer I see that Luka isn’t with my parents because her body is wrapped around the neck of Haden, who smiles proudly as I reach him.
“What are you doing here?” I ask when he sets her down.
She mopes, but only for a second before he takes her hand in his.
“We wouldn’t miss your last meet.” He smiles and kisses me. “You were great.”
“We?”
He points in the direction of my parents, who are making their way down with the rest of the guys.
“Y’all are awesome,” I tell them as they get closer, and I walk over to hug each of them. “When did you get here?”
“About thirty minutes ago. It was hard to find a parking spot,” Braxton says.
Mom and Dad break through the guys and crush me into a proud hug, despite my suit getting them wet.
“You were great,” Mom says with pride, and Dad nods in agreement.
“Definitely ended on a high note,” he adds.
Everyone congratulates me as Mom and Dad lead our group toward the exit. They talk over each other and I look down at Luka who is trying to make heads or tails out of any conversation. She smiles at me and I make a face, causing her to laugh as Mom and Dad small talk with the guys.
Mom hands me my bag of clothes so I can change and I hoist it over my shoulder and listen to the conversations before I interrupt.
“I’m starving, but I need to change and get cleaned up. What time do we need to head out?” I ask Mom and Dad.
“We’re leaving right now,” Mom says, pointing to Luka in explanation. “But the boys wanted to take you out to celebrate.”
“Oh. Okay,” I say, stunned that they’re already leaving.
She and Dad pull me into another hug while congratulating me on a great win. Luka doesn’t want to leave and begs Mom to let her stay, but Mom refuses so she walks over to me and gives me a pouty hug before disappearing with my parents. Funny how she was the most annoying person in my world, but now that I’m going to be leaving for college, I’m starting to like having her around.
I head off to change in the shower room, and when I return the guys are hanging outside talking about something, but get quiet when I am closer. There’s nothing suspicious about the action because none of them look guilty. I can read everything about them from one look, and there’s nothing to tell here.
“What’s the plan?” I ask of all of them when no one speaks.
“Depends on what you want to do,” Haden says as we walk toward Cole’s SUV.
“Anyone want to see Baylor?” I ask hopefully. But from the eye rolls and heavy sighs, it’s not in the cards.
“Let’s start with food and see how much time we have. Sound good?” Joey suggests.
“That’s not a no. I’ll take it!” I shout as we near the vehicle.
Haden holds the door open, and I climb into the middle and sit between him and Braxton. The guys are telling me about the drive out here and how traffic was backed up pretty badly, though I’m not sure why. Joey is sitting in the passenger seat and mutters something to Cole, who cocks his head to the side in some sort of response. With that gesture, Braxton nods and Haden hides a grin—now I know they’re going to do something.
“We talked it over and Bailey told Joey how much you wanted to see Baylor,” Cole says as he continues to drive.
“Really?” I ask excitedly. “Even though I’ve already been there before?”
“You’ve never been with us,” Braxton says easily.
“Y’all are awesome, but do you think we have time?”
“Trust me,” Joey says, “we have enough time.”
Haden drapes his arm across the back of the seat and I lean into him and smile. I have to be the luckiest girl around to have these guys in my life. I didn’t even have to throw a fit to get my way. My eyelids grow heavy from the toll the day has taken on me, so I close my eyes and try to relax.
“Don’t fall asleep,” Haden says. “We’re almost there.”
“There’s no way,” I assert, sitting upright and looking around.
Cole turns down a street lined with car after car, leaving very little for something
of his car’s size to get through. A truck pulls out in front of us and Cole maneuvers the SUV into the vacated spot and throws the car in park.
“Let’s go,” he says and everyone opens their doors and Haden helps me out.
He takes my hand in his and the five of us walk together down the street until we come to a stop in front of what looks to be a large painted canvas or something. Joey’s huge smile leaves me confused, especially when he stretches out his arms as if he’s Vanna White.
“Welcome to Baylor,” he laughs before adding, “Street.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” I huff out in annoyance before laughing. “You guys suck. I hate you.”
“You didn’t really think we were going to drive two hours in the wrong direction to get you home, did you?” Brax asks, hugging me tight.
“I should know better,” I agree.
“And yet you don’t,” Cole adds teasingly.
Some people would call it graffiti, others would call it art. To me, it’s awesome and fits Austin perfectly. In between houses, there is a large area that has a tiered wall that has been spray-painted with words, drawings, abstracts—nothing is out of place. I wonder if people can paint on it anytime the mood strikes? That’s what it looks like, anyway. There is no pattern or theme, as things appear to catch my eye at random. Vibrant colors set against the blue Texas sky—it’s really beautiful and I’ve never heard of it. Then again, Haden is the artsy one of the bunch.
This was all Haden’s idea.
His hands are stuffed into his pockets as he tries to hide his own laughter over the joke, but when I shake my head, he loses it and laughs outright. I flip them off playfully, and run up to the middle of the area and wait for the guys to follow. My arms are outstretched, reaching for the sky, and I feel so small. Haden joins me and lifts me up in the air and I let my head fall back and enjoy the ride.
“All right, you two, be still so I can take a picture,” Braxton orders. We oblige and hold the pose until we’re given the all clear and he sets me down.
“I want one of all five of us,” I say to the groans I know so well when such a picture is requested. Still, they come over and we squeeze together and Joey takes the phone in his hand to snap the ultimate selfie of me with my best friends.