Discovering April

by Sheena Hutchinson

  “Oh my God!” she calls, scrambling out of her beach chair to wrap her arms around me, then Jared. “So glad you guys are… Here!” she announces, changing her statement halfway through. “Come grab a drink. We’re just getting started!”

  Mack is up next, pulling me into a bear hug like we are old friends. Zach waves from his spot next to Eric, and of course Eric is glaring into the fire like we don’t exist. Jared is the one to go up to him and pat him on the shoulder before we take the only two empty chairs left.

  “So what’d we miss?” Jared calls out to the circle.

  Mack blurts out, “No, I think the question is what did we miss?”

  I blush crimson. Jared beams and Zach’s screech of laughter is heard from around the other side of the fire.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you are referring to!” I try and keep my composure.

  “I’m sure you don’t!” Mack hoots from the left side of us.

  Eric snickers something I can’t hear. I’m glad the flames are blocking his evil glares from me.

  “Want a drink?” Jared asks, climbing to his feet beside me.

  “Sure.”

  Once Jared walks over to the cooler, Mack leans over Jared’s empty chair and whispers, “We were all secretly rooting for you!” He shoots me a wink.

  “Rooting for me?”

  “Yea, you’re funny.” He smirks as his gaze returns to the fire and I think he might be slightly intoxicated already.

  “Why, thanks Mack, I think you’re quite a riot yourself!” I reach over Jared’s chair to smack him on his arm.

  “Whoa whoa, watch the guns, honey. You coulda got hurt just now!”

  We both break into laughter as Jared comes back with two red Solo cups.

  “Hey, hey! Hands off, Mack, she’s taken!”

  “She was the one touching me, man. I can’t help it. The ladies love me!”

  Collapsing into the beach chair beside me, we all share a laugh before Stacey calls over, “Hey what’s going on over there?”

  “I was just feeling up Mack!” I call back.

  “Oh, well, the ladies do love him!”

  At that, we are all practically in tears. He must use that line a lot. I could swear I even hear Eric’s laughter. I almost don’t recognize it at first because it is so foreign, but it’s definitely there.

  It feels like we sit there forever, chatting and joking, and I feel oddly comfortable around these people. Besides Eric, they all try to make me feel like part of the crew. Jared reaches over to the arm of my chair to link our fingers when I finally turn to face him. His eyes tell me all I need to know. He’s happy, content. Leaning over, I close the gap between us and kiss him softly on the lips.

  “Oh, get a room already! I’ve got like four in there!” Mack hollers once again.

  The giggles start up once again around us and as I glance about, the fire has died down low enough so that Stacey and Eric are once again visible. Awesome.

  “Relax, we have our clothes on… for now!” I joke back, throwing my empty cup at Mack. “I don’t need a room, but a bathroom would be nice.”

  “Pick a bush!” Mack points to the high stalks one either side of his house. I blink at him, trying to figure out if he’s serious or not, before Stacey chimes in.

  “I’ll show you! I have to go too!”

  She hops out of her seat and pulls me out of mine. Linking arms with me as we head inside, I’m almost skeptical. I’ve never met people that are so … welcoming before. I’ve actually never had real friends before. After Jared’s friendship, I think I was afraid of someone just leaving me so I clung to my boyfriend for that sort of companionship instead.

  “I have to tell you, I’m so happy for you two!” Stacey tells me once we are out view of the fire.

  “Aw, thanks!” I awkwardly get out as we climb the steps to the back door.

  “You know, Jared has liked you for a while.”

  “Really?”

  “Yea, I remember… he used to talk about you a lot.”

  “When was this?”

  “Back when his parent’s first… you know.”

  I know all too well, but the guilt I feel is even more overwhelming. “Then what... he just stopped?”

  “Well, I think you moved on. He never really got over it. I mean, he’s never even tried dating. We all knew why.”

  “Why?” Curiosity burns a hole inside of me.

  “Because he’s in love with you… always has been!” She shrugs before closing the bathroom door between us.

  Always has been. The statement echoes in my ears. Always?

  I’m sitting on the couch when she comes out and plops down next to me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out! You should be happy!”

  “I am… I just—how could I have been so stupid?” I ask, my eyes exploring hers for answers I’m searching for. “I mean, he was right there practically my entire life and I just overlooked him. I could have saved myself so much heartache and pain… I could… we could have…”

  Stacey puts her arm around me, sensing my drunken break down. “April, things happen for a reason. Maybe you needed to go through all of that to realize a good man when you had one. Maybe you never would have felt the same about the dorky kid next door if you saw him grow up. Who knows? All I know is that you have the here and now. To me – it looks pretty darn cute!”

  At that, we are in giggles. She loosens her hold on my arm and leans back against the couch. “I’m a little drunk,” she whispers.

  “Me too!” I stifle another giggle.

  “So, I have to know…” She slaps my knee before leaning in, like she’s telling me a secret. “Have you guys had sex?” She draws the last syllable out like a snake.

  My giggles give me away once again.

  “No way! Tell me! How is it?!”

  “Amazing,” is the only word that comes to my scattered mind as I climb to my feet.

  “Was he a… you know… I mean, we never saw him with another girl and he never talked about it, so we were all kind of wondering.”

  “Was he a virgin?” I ask and she nods. I was actually wondering the same thing.

  “I don’t know… but I do know, not any more!” With that, I wave over my shoulder as I prance into the bathroom and shut the door.

  By the time I’m out, Stacey is gone. I stumble out of the house, down the steps, and wander back towards the dying fire. I catch myself before tripping over a rock, only to have hard hands on my shoulders pushing me down onto my backside.

  “Ow, what the…” I look up to lock eyes with Eric. From this position here on the ground, he looks even bigger and even more terrifying.

  “You don’t take directions well do you?” he spits at me.

  “Not from a hard ass like you…” I drunkenly mutter, completely sick of him bullying me.

  “Stay away from him! You’re only going to hurt him!”

  “Are you gay for him or something? I don’t get …”

  With that he jumps on me, his hands at my throat. “I know you… You’re only going to hurt him. Don’t you think he’s been through enough heartbreak as it is?”

  “Actually, I do.”

  He looks taken back, like getting me to give in was too easy and he leans back slightly.

  “And I think that heartbreak is over for the both of us. So why don’t you do us both a favor and get the hell over it because I’m not going anywhere!” I push him off of me.

  “We’ll see.” He slinks towards the house.

  “Is that a threat?” I call, climbing to my feet.

  He never answers as he disappears into the shadow of the house. I wipe sand off my jeans before collecting myself and walking back to the fire.

  I’m about to plop into my chair when Jared opens his arms to me, inviting me in. I smile, my fuzzy mind more than happy to cuddle. I climb into his lap, my head on his shoulder. The smell of his soap mixes with scent of smoke. Wrapping his warm hands around me as he kisses my forehea
d, I suddenly forget all about Eric and his death threats.

  “Aw, you guys make me want to puke. Then eat it, only to puke it up again!” Mack announces.

  “Mack, it’s okay… it never would have worked between us!” I over-dramatically blow him a kiss.

  The laughter rises up again as Eric makes his way back to his seat. Stacey pats his arm and he smiles at her. Wow, it is just me he hates!

  “Oh, Jared – April has to come on the camping trip!” Stacey yells.

  “What camping trip?” I peek up to look at him.

  “We’re all going camping next weekend,” he whispers to me.

  “Like legit, hide the food from bears and piss in the woods, camping?” I pull an arm’s distance away to look at his face.

  “Yea…” he tells me hesitantly, feeling my disapproval coming.

  “That sounds cool!” I respond, cuddling back into the nook of his neck.

  “AWESOME!” Stacey hollers. “It’s going to be so awesome not being the only girl this year!”

  “On one condition!” I whip back up. I feel all the eyes flick back to me, interested in the one condition that comes to my drunken mind. “We have to have s’mores!”

  The laugher ensues, but ends in total agreement—well, all but Eric, whose face is stoic, as usual.

  The hours pass on, and we’ve reached the part of the night where we share embarrassing, drunken stories. Jared is the current victim. “Remember, that first time Jared tried whiskey?” Mack’s deep voice barely keeps out the laughter.

  “Oh, that’s a good one for April!” Stacey starts to giggle with her cup against her lips.

  “Oh really?” I poke Jared in the chest.

  “So, we pull up to the house like right between your two driveways and he stumbles out and heads towards your door!” Zach spurts beer out of his mouth in laughter before Mack continues. “He was trying to get his key in your door when we finally ran up and grabbed him. That’s when he started screaming, ‘April!’ we tried covering his mouth but he struggled free and shrieked even louder, ‘April Landau—I am in—’ We shut him up and threw him onto his own pathway. We were cracking up, filing back into the car when he disappeared around the back of the house. When we came to check on him the next day, he was facedown in a pile of daisies.”

  The laughter that ensues echoes in the silent night. “Okay, okay, April, tell us about little Jared!” Stacey yells a little too loudly.

  “There’s not much to tell…” I make eye contact with Jared to try and gauge his reaction.

  “Liessss! I heard you two were quite a team growing up!” This time, it’s Mack trying to convince me.

  “They aren’t going to let up ‘til you do,” Jared whispers in my ear.

  “Well, despite his tough physique now, he was actually quite a skinny, nerdy kid. He watched Star Wars way too often. He even had sheets – did he tell you?”

  “Uh, no!”

  “Well, he did, and let me tell you, they were sexy! All the ladies wanted a peek!”

  “They don’t wanna hear about that!” Jared interrupts. “Well, how about those stupid green overalls you used to wear?”

  “Okay, truce! He taught me how to rollerblade! Do you remember that?”

  “Ha! Yea, tried teaching her how to stop and she smacked right into me—knocked the wind out of me, too!”

  “What about that time we were waiting for your mom and you tried to walk across the bicycle rack at school and slipped? It got you right in the junk! He made the funniest face I’ve ever seen. It was like an O-face mixed with the most awkward kind of pain.”

  “That’s actually not funny—I couldn’t walk straight for like a week!”

  “Okay, your turn! She was in detention more times than she could count!”

  “Me & Mr. Scott had a good thing going!”

  “She broke her arm on a dare!”

  “No! She didn’t! April?” Stacey finds this new piece of information fascinating. I guess I would, too if I had seen me fly off the handle at a lame haunted house.

  “Yea, a bully in school said she couldn’t climb the big oak in the school yard. She almost made it to the top branch too, when it broke. She fell all the way to the ground.” I hear a gasp but my eyes are locked on Jared’s. “I’ll never forget I went to her side and she groaned, rolling over off her shoulder. But then she pushed me aside and walked up to that bully and punched him with her other arm. She was grounded for like a month. But I think your parents went easy on you because you broke your arm.”

  I feel the smile forming on my face. I like hearing these stories from Jared’s point of view. I can’t believe he remembers all this. It seems like so long ago. I mean, I remember it, but I thought it was a girl thing. We are worse than elephants – we probably remember things from a past life or something. When we finally break eye contact, I glance about to see that they are all staring at us with this look on their faces.

  Only Stacey’s is transparent; her whole face screams “Aw!” The boys just look a version of surprised. Even Eric has a strange look on his face. I say strange because it’s different from his normal, brooding, anger-at-the-world appearance.

  I glance back to Jared, who doesn’t seem to notice the gleaming looks on his friends’ faces; either that, or he doesn’t care. He seems more sure of himself than Hunter ever was. As I watch Jared stare into the fire, glassy-eyed, I think that if I were here with Hunter, this would be about the time we would break into some epic fight of ours.

  Is it crazy that I miss it? The drama, the yelling, the passion. It’s like I’m addicted.

  The moon is high in the sky before Jared slurs, “Well, I s’think we should get go-ing,”

  I climb to my feet and help him up. He stumbles onto his feet before wobbling slightly.

  “You’re drunk as a skunk! You’re not going anywhere!” Mack hollers. “That goes for the rest of you as well. I got four bedrooms in that house – you do the math. Someone put this fire out! Let’s go!”

  Eric dumps the remainder of the cooler over the sizzling coals and we all drunkenly trek inside together. Stacey begins a giggle that echoes up through all of us until we reach the living room inside.

  “Now, Eric and Stace, you get the room next to the bathroom, Zachy, you get the tiny one behind the kitchen—Jared and April, you follow me!”

  I glance back at Jared, whose eyes are slightly glazed over as we follow Mack up the stairs that look like they are suspended in air. I glance down but it makes me slightly sick so I immediately look back up. Mack turns to his right before opening a door and waving us in.

  “The second largest room for you two!” He winks at me, before I turn to look inside.

  The entire room is a right triangle. The high-pitched roof dissects the room almost in half and the two sides are solid glass. The whole room is a right triangle block; it’s quite architecturally beautiful.

  Jared walks inside and places his hands on one of the glass windows as he peers out into the dark night.

  “You know I’m really glad you two are here… together,” Mack says. There’s alcohol on his breath, but even my fuzzy eyes can make out the seriousness behind his clear ones, and the sincerity in his tone.

  “Me, too,” I whisper back with a smile.

  He glances over at Jared’s back before nodding and closing the door behind him. I don’t know if it’s the angle of the room or the fact that my blood is flammable at the moment, but I get a wave of dizziness. I take a seat on the edge of the bed to stop the room from spinning.

  When my vision becomes clear again, I look up to see Jared is leaning his back against the glass wall, eyeing me deeply.

  “I think I could just watch you all day.”

  “That’s not creepy or anything,” I mutter, kicking my shoes off before a thought hits me. “Did you? Did you used to watch me?”

  “Not like a stalker or anything!” he blurts out, trying to clarify things. “I would just catch you through the window or something a
nd I’d look at you … just being you. It made me feel like I wasn’t alone.”

  I peel my sweatshirt over my head. To be honest, I don’t mind. The truth of the matter is, I would kind of watch him, too. Slipping out of my jeans, I drunkenly fold them so that I can wear them again tomorrow. Jared kicks off the wall and comes to kneel on the floor in front of me as I sit there in my tee shirt and cheekini panties (as Ro graciously informed me they were called). He pulls my franken-leg into his hands, lightly tracing the scar. It’s healing over and my gait has returned to normal, but it looks like I will always have a mark. Part of me likes it; it’s like my own personal tattoo that reminds me of the day things turned around for me, the day Jared and I confessed our feelings.

  Jared leans down and gently kisses the scar. Before his lips break contact, his eyes lock with mine. It’s a look that stops my heart and wets my panties all at the same time. Slowly, he begins to pull his lips away and gently traces his finger over the scar again. Gently his hands wrap around the back of my calf and he begins to rub my leg. He works his way down to my foot and continues to give me a much needed foot massage. I don’t hear myself moan in appreciation until I feel his hands pause slightly before they start up again and I have to wonder if it was my imagination. This time, they trace their way up my calf and then my thigh, working expertly in a circular motion, relaxing my sore muscles. Higher and higher, his hands trail until his fingers slightly graze the hem of my panties. Opening my eyes, they immediately meet his and I feel all the air leave the room. My eyes call him in, my lips purse in response and my legs automatically widen as they tremble slightly.

  Jared pounces on me, forcing me back onto the bed. The rest is a blur of kisses and clothing. My teeth lightly graze his bottom lip as he pulls away from our kiss, shaking his head. Thinking something is wrong, I feel my eyebrows meet in the center of my forehead.

  “I just can’t believe you’re here.” He finally stops shaking his head to meet my eyes. “Sometimes I still can’t believe it.”