“What’s the matter?” His voice goes from happy to worried in an instant, and for some reason, that makes me feel good.
“My friend… my new friend, Emily is in the hospital. And I don’t know what to do…” I say. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too, Malina. I really do. But-”
“What do you think I should do? Should I just be there for her and hope for the best? I know that sounds awful…”
“What?” Jacob says, but not to me.
“Are we still going?” someone asks him. A girl... Oh, God.
“Jake?” My voice cracks.
“Malina, I have to go. Just do what you think is best, okay?”
“Where are you going?” I ask, shell-shocked. “Who’s with you?” I try to place her voice in my mind.
“No one, I’ll text you later.” He says.
I snap at him. “Is that your ex? Did you lie to me about seeing her?”
“Malina,” he sighs. “No. I have to go, though, we’ll talk later, okay?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry about later.”
I hang up. I want to throw my phone. I want to scream and cuss and kick something, but I know that won’t help anyone. Not me and especially not Emily.
“Asshole,” I growl under my breath. I turn around to see Ben, standing with the double doors open. He’s just come out and heard the end of my conversation, I’m sure. I pause. Oh, no.
“Emily is awake and stable, but she’s resting. They got her on some type of nausea medication. But they don’t want anyone back there but family for right now,” he tells me. “You can talk to her on the phone, though. And see her when she comes home.”
“When will that be?”
“A few days. I’m sure she’s okay… but they wanna watch over her for a while.”
“Okay… thanks.”
“Do you need a ride home?” he wonders.
“No… I came with someone,” I say and smile. “Thank you, though.”
“No worries.”
He turns back to head into the building. Soon Uncle Jim and McKenna meet me in the parking lot.
“Ready to go?” Uncle Jim asks. I nod, turning around to search for his car.
Once we’re inside, I shut my eyes and listen to the music flowing almost silently from his radio speakers. I hadn’t noticed the music playing before. It’s nice.
My mind cannot wander, no matter how much I will it to. All I can think of is Jacob and the voice on the other end of the phone that wasn’t his. I can’t get that voice out of my head. Her voice.
I don’t open my eyes until we are parked in my driveway and Uncle Jim shuts the car off. When I open them, I see that on the way home, another storm has blown in. McKenna and I get out. Uncle Jim says he has to get home before the storm.
“Thank you for the ride. And for helping me prepare for my audition,” I tell him.
“It was my pleasure,” he says. “Call me when they tell you you’ve got it!” he calls after me. I force a smile and wave before following McKenna into our house.
I don’t say anything to her or my mother. I slink upstairs and into my room, shutting the door lightly before I unravel, barely making it to my bed before tears sting my eyes and my body shakes with sobs.
How could he do this?
I bury my face in my pillow. I don’t come out of my room until dinner, where I pick at a mango and sip water for fifteen minutes while McKenna explains to mom what happened with Emily, leaving out the part about my audition, of course.
My audition day was supposed to be a happy, exciting day. It’s turned into a nightmare that I want to forget.
After dinner, I say goodnight to my mom and sister, take a long, hot, steaming shower and go to bed, though I hardly sleep. Worried about Emily and angry with Jacob, I toss and turn all night, hoping tomorrow will be better.
Chapter Eight:
I’m not able to see Emily much while she’s in the hospital. I call Addie; telling her about Jacob and about Emily, and cry to her. She confirms that Jacob is dating his ex again, and she tells me that she can’t believe he would do something like this. She says they’ve barely talked since I moved and it’s been weird.
I tell her it’s fine and that I’m fine. The truth is, I’m not. It’s awful what he did and I hate that he did it. But he did me a big favor. Now I know the truth, now I know he’s no good for me, and now I can move on with my life and with my career. I’m better off.
Addie and McKenna agree.
Two weeks pass and all I see of Emily are short and sweet phone calls. But in two days, she’s coming home. Her doctor says she’s doing much better, but will still need intensive and aggressive care for her cancer. But at the moment, all that matters is that she’s coming home. I decide to throw her a welcome home party.
I haven’t heard anything about my audition and my patience and enthusiasm are running out. But I’m keeping faith. Uncle Jim told me it might take a while for them to review everything, see everyone and make a decision. I’m just a little sad I haven’t had my callback yet.
“It will happen. You were too good in your audition. There’s no way they won’t call you back,” McKenna assures me. I smile at her.
We are lying on her bed, relaxing and talking. Her head is next to mine and we both lay, staring at the ceiling. She has a poster of some celebrity. He has messy, unruly chestnut hair and baby blue eyes. He’s staring at us lustfully, wearing a hole-filled orange Harley Davidson t-shirt and tight jeans. Not skinny jeans, but tight, perfect-fitting jeans. I must admit that he’s breathtakingly handsome. And British… I think.
“That’s a weird poster to hang over your bed,” I laugh at her.
She giggles. “He’s hot… he’s like an angel. He’s like a sexy angel watching over me while I sleep.”
I laugh harder. “You’re so weird.”
“No… I’m normal. You’re weird.” She jokes.
“Am I?” I ask, honestly.
She’s quiet for a moment. All that’s heard is our breathing. We are still staring at Mr. Blue Eyes. He is an Angel… In the back of my mind, I think of Emily’s brother, Ben. I wonder what he’s doing right now… is he at the hospital or next door? Is he in bed or sitting up in his room playing loud music being a typical teenage boy?
I wonder if I’m a typical teenage girl? Is anyone typical?
“No, you’re not weird, Malina.”
I scoot closer to her and take her hand. She squeezes my fingers. I love having a sister.
We talk for a while longer, about the party for Emily tomorrow. Soon, I call it a night, leaving her room to lie in my own bed. I shut the door behind me gently, softly, and go to crawl under my covers.
I snatch the remote to my radio off of my bedside table and turn it on. I turn it down low, almost silent, and tuck myself into bed, listening to the latest pop artist belt out their heart and soul while I slip into a dreamless sleep.
The morning of the party, I’m more than excited. My mom wakes up early and helps me bake a cake for her, the same type of cake she made me the day I met her. Being that I’ve never made a cake before, I need help from my mom and McKenna, and even then it takes us two tries. Once the cake is made, I let it cool and begin to straighten up the house. I sweep and mop the floor, dust and light candles to make the place smell like a bed of roses.
After that, I begin to add the decorations. I know that Emily loves the ocean, so I decided that would be the theme… the ocean and the shore. There are sea turtle napkins and paper plates, there are balloons hanging outside and inside with large waves and sand designed on them.
There are cupcakes I bought at the store yesterday afternoon that have been in the fridge that have little plastic scenes of the ocean on them. Some say ‘Welcome Home’, others just have waves and birds and sand with blue, vanilla icing.
I set up my radio to play music I know she will love.
It all looks and sounds and smells great.
Once I put icing on the cake and decorate it with her na
me in bright yellow letters, it’s only a matter of time before she is expected to come here, instead of her own home next door. I’ve cleared these plans with her mother and father. My mom should be home from work early to join the party a little late. McKenna is upstairs getting ready.
Now all I have to do is call Ben.
I dial Emily’s home phone and wait, hoping he’s there and that he will pick up.
It rings and rings, but no one answers. I go around the house, making sure everything is perfect before I call again. This time, it rings twice before he answers.
“Hello?” He sounds annoyed and rushed. I’m almost afraid to speak. Maybe he doesn’t want to be bothered.
“Hi,” I say. “Are you busy?”
“Umm,” he says, confused. “No. I was in the shower…”
Oh… Ben in the shower… I clear my throat. “Oh, it’s Malina… from next door.”
He chuckles. “I know. I have caller I.D.”
“Oh, right.”
“Emily isn’t home yet,” he tells me.
“No, I know. I was actually wondering if you wanted to come over for her welcome home party? It’s at three, when your mom said she would be coming home.” I ramble.
“Oh, yeah, my mom said something about that,” he murmurs. “I’ll be there. I’ll come over now.”
Now? It’s only one o’clock.
“Okay, that sounds great.”
“Great. See ya.”
He hangs up before I can reply. I slam the phone down and charge up the stairs and into the bathroom where McKenna is blow-drying her hair. I unplug the dryer and she turns to glare at me.
“What did you do that for?” she snaps.
“I’m sorry!” I say. “But I need you to come downstairs. Ben is coming over and I don’t know how to be alone with him.”
“He’s coming over now? Why?”
“I don’t know!” I say, panicked. “Just come down stairs and hang out with us.”
She pauses before she smiles mischievously. “I think he likes you.”
“What? No way!”
“Yes way. Why are you so shocked?”
“Because you’re wrong! Now come on. Hurry.”
“Alright, alright.” She makes kissy faces at me before she plugs the dryer back in. I leave her alone, stomping downstairs to wait. I got down way too quickly. What is there to do until three? Entertain Ben?
I realize we don’t have ice cream. Oh, crap. How could I forget ice cream? I’ll have to walk to the store real fast. I grab some money, tug on my running shoes and head for the front door just as Ben is knocking. I wrench open the door and he grins.
“Hey,” he says. I step outside, forcing him to take a few steps back on the front porch. “Where are you going?”
“I forgot ice cream. I need to go to the store.”
“Oh…” he says. “Do you need a ride?”
“A ride?”
“Yes... a ride. We can take the bikes or my car.”
I’d rather be on a bike than in a stuffy car. “Bikes, please.”
I borrow Emily’s bike while Ben rides his. We start down the street, slowly.
“You didn’t have to come along, you know,” I say. He shrugs, sticking close by me as we roll down a large hill.
“I don’t mind. It’s nice to get out of the house. My sister isn’t the only one who enjoys a good bike ride, you know.”
“Are you active, too?” I wonder.
“You can say that,” he murmurs. “I used to run track. Then I broke my ankle so I had to stop. Then I started cleaning the ocean and college and I’ve been a little too busy to get back into it, but I do what I can.”
“You used to run track?” I say. “I run every year in school. I have my trophies in my room at home.”
I will admit, I’m boasting a tad. But it’s not that often I meet a fellow runner. Even if he hasn’t ran for a while.
“Really?” he says. “Maybe I can come into your room and see them sometime,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows. Before I can stop myself, I burst into a fit of laughter. He grins, speeding up. I let myself glide along the street before catching up to him, pedaling as hard as I can, with all might. My legs scream for relief, but I power through, catching up to him as he pumps his legs and laughs as we race, neck and neck.
Finally, we see the store in the distance. I bargain with myself, wondering when I should slam down on my break before I crash into the double glass doors of the store. He doesn’t seem too worried, so I don’t worry. But when he begins to stop, I do, too.
The wind is whipping my hair into my face, but I ignore it. The moment of truth comes crashing down onto us. We come to a screeching halt outside of the doors, but the winner is unclear.
We struggle to breathe together. He leans over the handlebars, groaning and gasping for air.
“Wow,” he says. “I forgot how good that feels.”
I laugh out loud. “I can’t feel my legs.”
“We better hurry,” he says after a moment more of panting. “It’s almost three.”
He checks his watch before we park our bikes and head inside. When we find the ice cream, we both pick out a tub. I get chocolate and he chooses strawberry.
“Strawberry is Emily’s favorite,” he explains as we check out. I nod and go to fish my money out of my pants. Before I can, he slides a card to pay.
“You don’t have to do that,” I say to him a little too loudly. He rolls his eyes playfully.
“Just come on, Malina.”
In spite of my aggravation, I smile, because I like how he says my name. I set the ice cream in the basket attached to Emily’s bike and we make our way back to my house.
We set out the ice cream and the plates and Ben helps me hang up the large Welcome Home sign for Emily in front of the door, from the ceiling, so it is the first thing she will see when she arrives.
Finally, all there is to do is wait. And while we wait, Ben and I talk. McKenna is still upstairs. I have no idea what she’s doing. Most likely talking on the phone. Last I heard from Emily, I think she met a boy here on the island. But I haven’t confirmed that or met him. It’s about time, if you ask me. She has seemed lonely lately. Or maybe just bored.
This summer has been hard for us, but it isn’t over yet. I’m glad she met someone to spend some time with.
“It’s really nice of you to do this for Emily,” Ben says. We sit on my couch. I have my legs gathered into my arms with my knees against my chest. He sits closely beside me, his hands folded comfortably behind his head as he relaxes into the couch. I think that’s one of the biggest things I like about Ben, besides the fact that he’s handsome. He’s so cool and relaxed. But, Hawaii can do that to you.
Just like Uncle Jim says, he was meant to be here. I think that is true for Ben, too. And Emily. I guess its possible to be true for us too.
“No, I love doing this,” I say. “I love parties like this. Small but fun.”
“She’s going to love it,” he says, his eyes shifting around the room. I watch them and sigh. I could melt in those eyes. “This place looks great,” he says and takes a deep breathe. “Smells great, too.” He grins. “It smells like a house full of women.”
I laugh. “Good. That’s what we’re going for.”
He smiles at me, watching me as I watch him.
“Can I ask you something?” he wonders suddenly. I nod slowly, still half-lost in his eyes. I let my eyes fall to his lips and bite my own.
“Does your dad live here too?” he asks. It takes me a minute to fully process the question. “Is that guy that was at the hospital your dad? You look alike.”
“No, that was my uncle Jim. My father’s brother,” I explain. “My father died when I was little.”
He pauses. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs. For an instant, what I’m saying makes me deeply sad. I think he can see that on my face, because he reaches for me. He lightly takes my hand and rubs my skin under the pad of my thumb. His hands are so hot on mine; it ha
s an instant calming effect.
I hear McKenna coming down the stairs and rip my hand from his. He looks slightly hurt by this, but when I flash him a smile, he relaxes back into the couch with a slight smirk. He is so cute.
“They’re late,” McKenna says. I glance at Ben’s watch and he does the same. It’s 3:20. I hope everything is okay.
“Maybe they got held up doing paperwork,” Ben says. “That happens a lot with discharge papers.”
“I hope that’s all it is,” I say.
“Maybe we should call?” McKenna says.
“No. Lets give them a little bit more time,” I say.
“Is everything ready?” McKenna asks. I nod at her. “This place does look great, doesn’t it? It smells like a giant flower in here.”
“I know,” I say, grinning. “She’s going to love it!”
Fifteen minutes pass and a car pulls into the driveway. We all turn to look out the front window. Uncle Jim is here, carrying a colorful gift bag. He doesn’t knock when he comes in, though I think he is surprised to see only three of us here instead of a house full of guests.
“Hi,” I say to him. “They’re late,” I explain the empty house.
“That’s good. I thought I was late.” He smiles. “I brought Emily a gift.”
McKenna takes it from him. I realize I never told anyone to bring a gift. I don’t have a thing for her.
Another car pulls into the driveway. My mother. She bought something for Emily, too. Finally, I see Emily’s mother’s car pulling into our driveway. I gasp in excitement.
“She’s here!” I say. “Everyone be quiet.”
We all freeze. I hear Emily and her parents quietly chatting outside as they help her out of the car.
“Mom, I’m fine,” she says, annoyed. “I’m not fragile. I’m not going to break into a million pieces.”
“Your doctor said you need to rest as much as possible,” her mother fires back. “I’m only trying to help.”
“You have to do as your doctor says, Emily,” her father says. “It’s what’s best for you.”
“I know,” Emily says. “I just wanna get inside and see my friends, okay?”
“Okay, sweetie, let’s go.”
Malina Beach: A Paradise Island Series Page 8