The Storms That Fated Us

by JP Summers

  I pulled away from Carson, then placed my forehead on his, trying to catch my breath. I didn't bother turning to see if Erin was standing behind us. I really didn’t give a shit. I couldn’t believe we had just made out.

  A wave of fear traveled down my body as I thought of the mess I’d just created for myself and Carson. Of course, Carson, being the loyal friend, mistook my quivering as being cold and instinctively wrapped his arms around my waist, bringing me closer to him again. I wanted to tell Carson the reason for forcing myself onto him but worried it’d make things worse by talking about it here.

  Mira walked in with a look of confusion on her face. She must have either heard or seen me kiss Carson and probably wondered what the hell I was thinking. She stood in front of us, flabbergasted for a few more seconds, before mentioning that the cops had been called by the neighbors and we needed to leave immediately.

  I attempted to walk away when Carson told Mira we’d be outside in a minute and reached for my hand, keeping me from leaving. He searched my eyes for something, but I was not really sure what he expected to find. My heart started beating fast, knowing the topic I thought could momentarily be avoided was about to come up.

  We stood still for what seemed like an eternity before Carson questioned, “Why did you kiss me?”

  I inhaled deeply before a truthful response freed itself from the same lips which only minutes earlier had been on Carson’s. Slowly, I exhaled before replying, “I didn’t want Erin to think you couldn’t move on like she did, so I thought it’d be like a slap in her face once she saw us together.”

  “Oh,” He replied in a thwarted tone. “Well, I guess I should thank you for running her off.” His sarcastic comment seemed a bit comical, but his furrowed brows hovering above his disillusioned face said something completely different.

  Carson led me into the backyard and toward the car while holding my hand. I knew something was wrong and didn’t want any hardship between us. Finally, I broke the silence and said, “Please don’t be mad at me. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

  He stood there shaking his head and replied, “Tia, I could never be mad at you. You’re my best friend…” He was cut off by the distant sound of sirens alerting us to get the hell out of there.

  I didn’t have a chance to say bye to Luke or explain my spontaneous display of affection with Carson as I was being dragged out the back gate and then led a block from the house where my panicky best friend called Julisa to pick us up. He helped me into her car and said I was too drunk to go home.

  I don’t remember the ride, but I found myself back at Carson’s place crawling onto Julisa’s air mattress. He didn’t say goodnight, but tucked me in and then kissed my forehead. I couldn’t help but wonder. Had I just distorted our friendship, something that would cause serious repercussions?

  *****

  Looking back, I could see what I did that night might have been a little misleading for Carson. He knew I had a hard time handling my alcohol, and the choices I had made were really never the right ones. I know that’s a lame-ass excuse, but it’s true. Alcohol made me do something I’d never have the guts to do if I had been sober.

  In a corner, tucked away in the back of my mind, feelings for Carson must have developed that night, but I had wanted to date other guys. Besides, Carson still loved Erin, and I couldn’t see ever replacing her in his heart.

  A sudden darkness overcame the house as the power went out. I sat up and looked toward the kitchen, but I couldn’t see if Carson was coming out. Can he not see, or would he just rather face the darkness by himself than be stuck in a room alone with me?

  “Son of a bitch,” Carson yelled, followed by a crash.

  I shined the flashlight in his direction as he disappeared into the kitchen only to emerge with two bottles of water. Carson walked over to me quietly, a little hesitant. Silently, he handed me a bottle and then walked to the other side of the living room.

  “Thank you,” I muttered from my spot on the couch.

  From the light of the flashlight, I saw him shrug, as if his gesture was nothing special. Carson had no idea how much this bottle of water meant to me. I might have finally put a dent into his protective shield of armor. Maybe it was just enough to chip away at the frigid layers of emotions I absentmindedly inflicted upon him during the weeks leading up to our high school graduation.

  Not that I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but the possibility of gaining Carson’s forgiveness was becoming more conceivable than before.

  It felt like hours had passed as the darkness deepened around us. The only sounds were those of the firewood crackling and the howling winds as we silently waited for the power to come back on. The lack of communication between us made me feel that much more alone, and I felt that I might as well have been stuck in this cottage all by myself.

  I was not being foolish. I knew we’d only made it to the eye of the storm that was this situation, where the atmosphere is calm, cool and collected—for a time. Some storms leave minimal damage, other ones change people’s lives, making them have to start all over again.

  Only one question remained—was the destruction from the past so severe that nothing could ever be rebuilt between me and Carson?

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The sounds from the deep, strong gusts of wind battering the house became louder, making me wonder if the windows would outlast this atrocious storm. Each sound startled me, but Carson just sat in the recliner, staring directly into the fireplace, hypnotized by the flames as they swayed in one direction then the other due to the high winds forcing air into the chimney.

  Our only source of heat is this fireplace. Without it, there’d be no other way to keep warm other than putting on every item of clothing I brought with me. I’m sure Cruz told Carson to come prepared with enough firewood to last us for a few days. I just need to stop freaking out about freezing to death and trust Carson will know how to keep the fire going for as long as we need it.

  Flying out of his chair after he answered the phone, Carson began pacing back and forth, wearing a path into the plush carpet. Shaking his head in total disapproval as if the caller could see him, he threateningly spat, “We don’t want to wait another minute, let alone a day until someone can come up the mountain to rescue us. I want them to send somebody—anybody— now!”

  The tone of his voice startled me as much as the rattling windows. Frazzled nerves shot through my body as I realized Carson was getting new information—information we didn’t want to hear. This call was confirming my fear: this storm was going to get much worse before morning.

  Carson gripped onto the phone so tightly I thought it would snap in two. Before hanging up the phone, he growled, “You can’t leave us without any power for an uncertain amount of time!”

  Carson looked in my direction as he tucked the phone into his side pants pocket. The reflection of the fire danced in his caramel-toned eyes. For a moment, I saw the weight of the world in them.

  As the flames frolicked inside of the fireplace, Carson walked toward it, putting his back to me and staring at its warm beauty. I guardedly moved closer to him, allotting an adequate amount of space between us. I stood close enough to him to see his five o’clock shadow in the dim light but far enough away that he wouldn’t feel suffocated.

  He abruptly spun around, startling me. I took a step back as my heart catapulted from my chest to my throat. Carson inhaled deeply then disclosed, “That was someone from the rescue squad talking with me about our unfortunate situation.” He paused before letting out a frustrated sigh. “It’s too risky for them to come for us since the trees are snapping like toothpicks, making it unsafe to drive.”

  He cleared his throat before hitting me with the worst of his news. “There’s an even bigger storm about to hit in a few hours. Eventually it’ll cause below-freezing temps. The snow is going to progress, making another foot before morning. According to the local officials, they are starting to experience ground blizzards.”

 
“What in the hell is a ground blizzard?” I curiously blurted, having never heard of such a thing.

  “I was told it’s where the loose snow on the ground lifts and then blows around from the storm's strong winds. That’s part of the reason why we are stuck here.”

  “That’s just great!” I mockingly stated. “We don’t have power, and now no one will come to get us because the snow is just going to pile up. This really sucks!”

  “Don’t shoot the messenger! I’m just telling you what was told to me.”

  “I wasn’t aiming my frustration towards you. I’m just…”

  “Thinking about yourself? Poor Tia’s weekend is all ruined because of a few snowflakes.”

  “Really? You think it’s the snow ruining my weekend? If everyone else was here this might not be as bad as being stuck in this huge, more than I could ever afford, cottage with someone who clearly hates my guts.”

  “I did I make my hatred for you that obvious?”

  “Yes! You made it abundantly clear how much I still piss you off.”

  “Good.”

  “Whatever, you insensitive asshole! Has the thought even occurred to you about what could happen if we stay in these unfavorable conditions?”

  “Of course I have. I’m not an idiot.”

  “Really? Because you could have fooled me.”

  “Would you STOP being a pain in my ass for a minute? I know that we run the chance of developing…” He immediately turned his attention from me to the floor then back to the fireplace. Carson put the brakes on being a prick and didn’t say another word. It might possibly have been the reality of what might become of us just hit him like a Mack truck in the face.

  I moved next to him, not caring that our arms were mere inches from touching against one another. My eyes hypnotically lost themselves in the royal blue and tangerine embers dancing around the wooden logs. I gathered up the nerve to say, “Hypothermia.” The word he couldn’t.

  Carson lifted his eyes and looked into mine for the first time without any hostility to reply, “Yeah.”

  The thought of being without power wasn’t such a big deal, but freezing temperatures is going to make our fire seem like a flame on a match. Even if Carson could keep the fire going the whole time we’re stranded, it wasn’t going to change the fact that we were in grave danger of literally freezing our asses off.

  The last thing I wanted to think about was spending what could possibly be the last days of my loveless, lonely, and pathetic life with a man who hates me.

  Grabbing the flashlight, I finally went into survival mode as the first thought coming to mind was food. I went to the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets, pulling out a few things Mira had stored away for the weekend. The food in the fridge would be okay as long as I kept it stocked with snow, which was in bountiful supply. A can opener was a must along with the pots and pans, which would come in handy as the fireplace would suffice as our stove. I guess all those times camping as a child taught me a few things about cooking over an open fire.

  As I piled the food into my arms, one item in particular made me stop, and I couldn’t help but giggle. The bag of chips I saw reminded me of the time I had worn them all over my body.

  The best part wasn’t even the food fight, it was what had happened afterward.

  *****

  On the last day of our freshman year, I’m pretty sure no one paid attention as the minutes dwindled to the end of our being at the bottom of the food chain in high school. Surviving our freshman year was something we were proud of ourselves for doing. Some of us struggled considerably, while the rest of us fought to fit right in. I knew that if it wasn’t for meeting Carson, I wouldn’t have adjusted as well as I did.

  Mrs. Ochoa allowed us to talk for the last twenty minutes of class as long as we stayed in our seats. I fixed my make-up at my desk while Cruz and Logan discussed their new summer jobs. I was a little envious of not staying around this summer since everyone would be working and going to some epic parties. Unfortunately, due to the stipulations in my parents’ divorce, I had to spend all summer at my dad’s. Three months felt like a hell of a long time to be away from my friends.

  Cruz pulled the compact out of my hand, asking, “Do you think they make this in my shade?”

  “I’m not sure, let me check,” I said, dabbing some loose powder on his face.

  Logan shook his head, laughing as Cruz wiped off the make-up and said, “So, are you and Carson going to need to be surgically removed before you take off?”

  “No, why would you say that?” I questioned.

  “The two of you haven’t spent any time apart, and we’re all worried he’ll go into another depression as soon as you leave for your dad’s for the summer,” Cruz pointed out.

  “Oh, he’ll be just fine. Besides, he has his new job and all of you guys to keep him busy until I get back,” I oh-so-kindly remarked.

  My heart fluttered at the idea of Carson missing me. True, we hadn’t been apart since we had become best friends at the beginning of the school year, but I highly doubted he’d go into another depression. We planned on talking to each other every day while I was gone. Even if we couldn’t see each other, hearing each other’s voice would be adequate.

  When the bell rang, everyone ran out into the hallway, thankful we were officially sophomores. I was confident that next year would be even better. I had big plans for myself. I was determined to attend one of the top colleges in Michigan after graduation and knew participating in as many activities as time would allow is gold to the admissions of the university.

  As I cleaned out my locker, a familiar voice whispered into my ear, “I’ve been waiting all day to give you a kiss.”

  Stunned by Carson’s words, I almost dropped everything in my hands. We hadn’t kissed since the night Erin showed up at John’s party. We had never even brought up that kiss. Mira claimed she heard a handful of people saying that I had mistakenly kissed Carson, thinking he was Luke, considering how extremely hammered I was at the time.

  Besides, it’s not like our kiss had meant anything.

  I slowly turned around, my heart pounding so loud that the noises around us became muffled. My face was so close to Carson’s, and the edge of my lips lightly touched the corner of his. I waited with anticipation. I couldn’t believe he was really going to kiss me.

  I closed my eyes, expecting Carson’s lips to touch mine, but they didn’t. Instead, his warm hand pried mine open, and he placed a chocolate kiss in it. I felt like such a complete and total idiot, and I wanted to crawl under a rock and die from embarrassment.

  I looked away, avoiding eye contact, and pretended to search for something inside of my locker. Carson immediately picked up on something bothering me. I wasn’t very good at disguising disappointment. He commented with a question in his voice, “I’ve never seen you not happy to get chocolate. Please tell me you didn't fail your semester final in math.”

  “I passed my exam, I’m just a little worried about being a sophomore next year,” I lied, hoping he’d buy it.

  With one of his lively smiles, Carson pulled me away from my locker and put his arm around my shoulder, ecstatically insisting, “You have nothing to worry about. Next year is going to be even better since we both made the varsity soccer team, which means we'll travel to all the away games together.”

  I knew Carson was right. We worked our asses off all season to make the varsity team. I couldn’t wait for the college scouts to see my awesome skills on the field. If things went as planned, I’d snag a scholarship and not have to worry about being in debt until my thirties.

  We walked out of school and made our way across the student parking lot where we noticed what appeared to be some kind of riot. Almost every student had something in their hands and was throwing it at one another. There was a downpour of soda and chips as the students created what has to be one of the biggest food fights I’d ever witnessed.

  Using Carson’s body as a shield, we were suddenly bombar
ded by the upperclassmen. I didn’t stand a chance of not getting covered as this good-looking guy with dirty blond, shoulder length hair and green eyes took a full can of soda and poured it all over my head. I attempted to defend myself by grabbing another underclassmen’s chips to rub them into his hair.

  Carson slowly backed away from us, trying to stay unscathed. I decided to help him blend in with the rest of us by scooping up a bunch of chips and squishing them into his shirt. He retaliated by pulling out his sports bottle from his backpack and squirting all of his drink on me.

  In the midst of the drinks being sprayed all over the place, I happened to look down at my clothes and realized that I mistakenly wore a white top that day. Not only did I have orange stains embedded in the fibers, I was drenched enough to enter a wet t-shirt contest. The cute upperclassmen and Carson stood with their jaws practically to the pavement staring at my black bra that was showing through. I decided to walk away from them.

  The food fight over, I was saying goodbye to all of my closest friends when a hand landed on the top of my shoulder, stopping me from walking away. I turned around, coming face-to-face with the hottie that had gotten me all wet—in more ways than one. An instant attraction surfaced itself as a debonair voice inquired, “Where are you rushing off to?”

  “I’m heading home to change out of these soaked clothes.” I teasingly replied.

  He cocked his left eyebrow while licking his lower lip and in a low voice said, “Would you like me to give you a ride home?”

  Provocatively, I tossed my hair to one side while placing my hands onto my hips answering, “I don’t take rides from strangers.”

  Laughing at my playfulness, he introduced himself. “I’m Evan. We’ve crossed paths during soccer practice and you’re usually at John’s parties having a hell of a time.”