Brush Strokes

by Janelle Stalder

  I sighed. I knew what that meant. She wanted to go to the Dairy Queen on Broadway where a lot of kids from our school hung out during the summer. So not my scene. Not that I even had a scene. “I don’t know…” I replied wearily.

  “I didn’t ask,” Ella said. “I told you we’re going. Now turn that frown upside down, and put on something pretty.”

  “What makes you think I’m frowning?”

  “Because I know you. I’m serious. I’ll be there in five.”

  “I went to the party last night,” I reasoned with her. “Don’t you think I’ve made enough headway for one week? Can’t I just have tonight to stay in my little bubble?”

  “Uh no. What kind of stupid question is that? I’m bursting your damn bubble, and making sure you actually socialize with real people. It’s called living life, you should try it some time.”

  “I did. Remember? Last night.”

  “Olivia Banks,” she all but growled. “I am not arguing about this anymore. You get yourself ready and when I pick you up, you’d better put on a damn smile and act like you’re having fun.” And then she hung up. She just hung up on me. I pulled the receiver away from my ear and stared at it.

  “Yes, mom,” I muttered, hanging it up. Great. Another night of ‘fun’. And I used that term loosely. I got that it was our senior year this year, and Ella wanted me to fit in, or at least try to more than I did when we were freshmen, but there was only so much I could take. I was used to being by myself and finding ways to keep myself occupied. I liked just staying home and reading or painting.

  I looked at the clock. Shit. I only had four minutes. And if I knew Ella, which I did, when she said she was going to be there in five minutes, she literally meant five minutes. I rushed around my room, throwing on a pair of short jean shorts, and a plain black tank top. I left my hair down since it looked decent still, and put a little bit of lip gloss on. I stood back and looked at my reflection. Ella wouldn’t be impressed. I added some accessories and looked again. Better. Just as I grabbed my purse I heard someone honking outside. Glancing at the clock, I had to smile. Five minutes, on the dot.

  The parking lot was crammed with cars and teenagers. People sat on their trunks and walked back and forth between groups. It made me nervous. I wasn’t used to this sort of thing and suddenly my stomach rolled with nerves.

  “Don’t look so scared,” Ella said with a laugh.

  I gave her a nasty look. “Easy for you to say. You’ve been friends with most of these people for the past couple of years. I haven’t. They probably all think I’m still a loser.”

  “That’s because they don’t know you,” she countered.

  She parked her Yaris next to a big SUV and turned off the engine. I felt stuck to my seat, like I couldn’t move even if I wanted to. Ella fluffed up her hair in the rear view mirror.

  “Let’s go get us some ice cream, girl,” she said with more enthusiasm than was necessary.

  “What if Reagan is here?” I said, looking around at the groups.

  “She won’t be,” Ella answered.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because she never comes here. Ice cream has too many calories, or some shit like that. You’re safe here, I promise.”

  I spotted Jennifer, one of Reagan’s best friends, talking to a group of guys. Ella looked over her shoulder at what I was staring at. She gripped my arm, forcing me to look at her.

  “Stop being so worried. They can’t bother you if you don’t let them. And Jenn isn’t nearly as bad as you think she is. Trust me. Please?”

  I looked at my best friend and knew I had to try for her sake. She wanted me to be more social, and damn it I was going to. Senior year would be different. I might hate that I couldn’t be back at art school, but maybe having senior year back home with Ella was better. Who knows? Maybe this year would be different. There was only one way to find out.

  We went inside and ordered our cones, taking them back to Ella’s car, where we hopped up on the hood and sat. The night was mild, the suffocating heat now cooled down with the loss of the sun. I loved nights like this. We ate our ice creams, talking about the time Ella had shoved her ice cream in Patrick O’Reilly’s face in second grade, when he’d said she looked like one of the Children of the Corn. We were doubled over with laughter when I heard someone approach.

  “Hey, Ella,” Jake Taylor greeted as he stood in front of us. Jake was that one guy that every girl had a crushed on, at least once a year. Even I wasn’t immune to his good looks. All of elementary school I would fantasize about him falling madly in love with me, and asking me to marry him. For some reason I saw no problem with being proposed to at the age of ten. Of course, then Colt arrived and suddenly my fantasies were featuring a new leading man. I’d flip flop between them in my mind all the time. The good looking, clean cut guy, and the insanely hot bad boy. It was a tough choice, it really was.

  Jake hadn’t gotten any less good looking since the last time I’d seen him. His blonde hair was longer than it used to be, but it suited him. He was tanned, probably from being outside all the time. Jake was always on every sports team in school. I’d heard from my mom, who was friends with his grandma (they played bridge together on Sundays) that Jake was into wakeboarding now, and apparently quite good. They were looking for sponsors so he could go pro. His dark eyes landed on me, a small smile playing on his lips. I prayed I didn’t have any ice cream on my chin.

  “Hey, Jake,” Ella replied in her flirty voice she reserved for boys. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes.

  “Who’s your friend?”

  She laughed. “It’s Olivia,” she said, as if he was an idiot.

  “Hey, Jake,” I said lamely.

  His eyebrows shot up. I watched as he slowly checked me out from head to toe. It didn’t give me the same feeling in my stomach as it did when Colt did it. “Olivia Banks? Girl, where have you been hiding?”

  “I was away at school…”

  “But she’s back now,” Ella interrupted. “She’ll be going to school with us again.”

  “Is that right? Well, can’t say I’m not happy to hear that,” he said, giving me a full on smile.

  Was that a compliment? What the heck was that supposed to mean anyway? He was happy I was going to their school again? Why? Because we were such great friends before? Uh, no. Now that I thought about it, I couldn’t even remember a time when Jake had spoken to me during the time we went to school together. I was pretty much non-existent to him back then.

  He stepped closer, leaning against the car. I could practically feel Ella’s excitement beside me. A loud roaring caught my attention and I looked away from him to see a black mustang drive into the parking lot. Ella muttered something under her breath. Everyone seemed to be looking at the new arrival just as both doors opened, and Colt and Rannon stepped out. Colt’s eyes immediately met mine, even from across the parking lot. We held each other’s stare until Jake said something and I had to look away. That feeling in my stomach was back in full force, and I didn’t think it had anything to do with the boy standing beside me.

  Six

  I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own – Jackson Pollock

  Colt

  We spent all afternoon working on the AC unit. Figures one minor issue would turn into us taking the entire thing apart, and then trying to figure out how the hell to put the damn thing back together. We could work on cars just fine. Air conditioners? That was a whole other story. By the time we finally had the thing up and running again, sans ‘funny noise’, it was already almost supper time. Even so, we walked out to the front, praying the girls had waited, and found nothing but empty grass.

  “Well that’s just great,” I said, throwing my hands up.

  Rannon caught me around the neck, squeezing me into a headlock. “Aw, look at you all disappointed,” he teased, messing up my hair. I pushed him off me, pointing a warning finger at him.

  �
��You are not in my good books right now. Don’t make it worse.”

  He laughed. “Dude, it’s no big deal. We’re just keeping them guessing, that’s all. Trust me. This will work out in our benefit.”

  I walked into the garage and sat down on one of the white folding chairs in there, running my hands through my hair. “First off, I don’t trust a thing you say when it comes to girls. Second, I don’t trust a thing you say when it comes to girls.”

  “Now that’s not fair.”

  I looked up at him, challengingly. “How many girlfriends have you had in the last year?” I already knew the answer to this – none. He knew it too. But I waited anyway.

  “Who needs a girlfriend?!” was his reply. He took the seat across from me, extending his legs and crossing them at the feet. “I am a free man, my friend. No girl could tie this down.”

  “No girl wants to. That’s your problem.”

  He scoffed. “As if. All the ladies love me.”

  “Uh huh. Keep telling yourself that.” I got up.

  “Where you going?”

  “To take another shower since I’ve spent the day sweating my balls off because you told my mom we could fix her damn AC!”

  After my shower I ate something and then waited around for Rannon to come back and pick me up. We were going to hang out at DQ where some of our other friends were. When I heard the loud engine I practically flew off the couch and out the garage door. Rannon stepped out of the driver side, a shit-eating grin stretched across his face.

  I looked at the mint, black, 1966 Mustang Fastback sitting in my driveway with a sense of awe. “Daniel let you take his car out?” I asked. Rannon’s older brother never let him drive his car. I was almost afraid to hear his answer, worried he might have taken it without permission. Not that that would have stopped me from getting in the thing. But I also didn’t want Rannon to get his ass kicked over it. And Daniel would definitely kick his little brother’s ass if he took his car without asking.

  “Obviously,” Rannon answered. “It’s sittin’ in your driveaway, ain’t it?”

  I looked over at him. “That doesn’t mean a thing. Seriously, did he let you, or did you just take it?”

  He laughed. “Don’t look so worried. He said I could take it.”

  I was dumbfounded. “Why?”

  He shrugged. “He was in a good mood, I guess. Some girl is making him extra happy so he’s not being as big of a dick to me lately. Who cares? We got a sick car to cruise around in tonight. Why the hell are we still standing here looking at it?”

  He didn’t need to ask me twice. I jumped into the passenger seat, running my hands along the smooth, leather interior. The thing smelled like muscle car – if that’s a scent. Rannon got in beside me, grinning like an idiot. I was too.

  We cruised through the streets with the windows open, music blaring over the rumbling of the engine. I loved this feeling of freedom. I couldn’t wait to get my car running. It had been a piece of crap when my dad brought it home, but I was slowly bringing her back to life. It was taking longer than I’d hoped, mostly because I had to look around for the parts and get them as cheaply as I could, but I was almost there. It was going to be a life saver.

  My pocket vibrated. I pulled out my cell, turning the music right down so I could hear.

  “Hello?”

  “Colt! It’s Briggs,” he said on the other line.

  “What’s up?”

  “You guys heading over to DQ?”

  “Yeah, man. We’re on our way now,” I said.

  “Cool. See you when you get here then.” He paused. “Wait until you see who’s here, dude.”

  My body stiffened. Somehow I knew, and my reaction wasn’t something I wanted to look closely at just yet. I forced my muscles to relax. “Who?” I asked anyway.

  “Olivia Banks.” He said her name like she was some sort of super star he was seeing in real life. It pissed me off. Everyone used to crack jokes about Olivia all throughout elementary school. I never did. Sure, I didn’t necessarily stop the others, but only because it would have looked weird. As far as anyone knew, we weren’t friends. It wouldn’t have made sense. I was the only one who saw how fucking beautiful she was, despite the fact that she hardly socialized with anyone – aside from Ella Page. Now that she was back, and looking hotter than ever with all her new curves and thick hair, all the guys were noticing her. I didn’t like it. Not. One. Bit.

  “Fucking Jake Taylor is already over there getting all up in that shit,” Briggs said, making me fume even more. Jake Taylor. Mr. All-Star sports hero. I hated that little piece of shit. He thought he was untouchable, but I wasn’t past proving him wrong. I didn’t care if his father was some big shot senator, and his mom won the blue ribbon for her damn apple pie every year at the town fair. I would tear into him if he even laid one hand on Olivia.

  “We’ll be right there,” I said, hanging up. “Fuck!”

  Rannon jumped in his seat. “What the hell was that for? You almost made me crash this thing,” he accused.

  “Olivia is there, and Jake is apparently already sweet talking her.”

  Rannon laughed. I gave him a look that could kill – if he gave a shit. “Dude, seriously? Jake Taylor? Colt, you could eat that guy for breakfast. What are you worried about?”

  That he was the exact type of guy I could see her going for. A girl like Olivia – smart, polite, talented, beautiful – didn’t go for guys like me. No, she went for guys like Jake. That clean-cut, smart, sporty type that they could bring home to Mommy and Daddy. Knowing that she was on his radar was making my chest feel heavy.

  “We both know Jake has no problem getting girls,” I pointed out.

  “Yeah, but that’s only because you’ve never gone for the same ones.”

  I turned to look at him again. “You can’t honestly sit there and tell me you think she’d go for someone like me,” I said, gesturing at the exposed tattoos and lip ring, “over a guy like Jake.”

  “Why not? What the hell does Jake have to offer that you don’t?”

  “Money. A future. Security,” I listed.

  Rannon waved his hand in the air, dismissing me. “Olivia is smarter than that. She’ll see past his golden boy good looks, and realize he’s a douche.”

  I hoped so. I let my head fall back against the headrest. “This wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have to fix that stupid AC unit.”

  “Olivia is like a new toy on the playground. Her coming back here was bound to get some attention. And her looking the way she does makes her a toy every boy is going to want to play with. There was no way of avoiding that. Jake is a tool. He’s just looking for the girl who will look the nicest on his family Christmas cards they send out every year.” We scrunched our faces up in disgust. I hated those stupid cards.

  “I need to get more money,” I said, trying to ignore the fact that Olivia was exactly the type of girl that would look perfect on those damn cards. “If I had some extra cash I could have just hired someone to fix that AC unit. My mom can’t afford crap like this when it pops up.”

  “We’re working on it, man. Don’t start stressing about that stuff now. Your mom will be taken care of.” I glanced at my best friend and couldn’t help but smile. He treated my mom like she was his, and I loved him for it. If something were to ever happen, I knew I could trust him to watch out for her. Still, I couldn’t stand that she worked so much and still struggled with bills. That’s why I was working on getting some extra cash for her. It would help, at least for a while, until I could find a good paying job and start contributing some. In a week’s time I’d be working at Rannon’s uncle’s body shop. It didn’t pay much, but it was better than nothing.

  “This is our last week without responsibilities,” Rannon was saying, mirroring my thoughts. “Let’s enjoy it while we can, because we both know my uncle is going to have us working day and night once we start.” He revved the engine louder as he pulled into the DQ parking lot. “I say, fuck all that shit for
now, and focus on winning your girl.” I followed the direction he nodded at and saw her sitting on the front of Ella’s car. Jake was leaning against it, too close to her for my liking. But her eyes were on us as Rannon parked the car. “Ready?”

  “Always,” I said, before stepping out.

  “What’s up man?” Briggs called out, walking over to us. “Sweet ride. Your brother know you have it?”

  Rannon answered him but I wasn’t listening. I watched as Ella said something quickly to Olivia, before jumping down off the hood and walking over to where Jenn was. Olivia was alone with Jake Taylor. That was not going to fly. I started across the parking lot, my eyes never leaving her. She was slightly turned away from me, so she didn’t see me coming. I stopped right beside her, letting my hand brush the bare skin of her leg as I went to lean against the car on her other side. I made sure to stand extra close.

  Jake looked at me, the smile on his face vanishing, just as Olivia turned her head. Her face was only inches away from mine. I could smell the strawberry scent of her hair. All I wanted to do was lean in slightly and taste those full, pink lips. I watched as a rosy blush spread across her cheeks when I looked away from her mouth to stare into her eyes. Suddenly the ability to form words disappeared. All I could think was, why in the hell had I waited so many years to talk to this girl? Those pale, green eyes captured and held me. She could have asked anything of me at that moment and I would have done it for her.

  “Hey, Morgan,” Jake said, his voice dripping with animosity.

  I shifted my eyes to look over Olivia’s shoulder at him. “Taylor,” I replied. My eyes went back to hers. She hadn’t looked away yet, her cheeks still pink, and her body leaning slightly toward me. “Hey, Olivia,” I said with a smile. Her lips pulled up slightly at the corners but she didn’t say anything.

  “Olivia and I were just talking about an art show my aunt’s going to be in,” Jake said. Why was he still here? His comment seemed to snap Olivia back to attention, and she finally turned away to look back at him. I wanted to punch the guy in the face.