Remington's Tower

by Katharine Sadler

  “Frankie needs you, bitch,” I yelled. Frankie gasped.

  “I’m fine, Bell. Stay where you are,” Frankie shouted.

  “No, she’s not,” I said. “And since you’re being difficult about it, pick up some ice cream on your way here.”

  I heard more male laughter, and I was pretty sure Bell wasn’t doing what I’d demanded. Then I heard her door close. “Give me ten minutes,” Bell shouted.

  Frankie’s frown deepened. “This is ridiculous, really,” she said. “I’m fine. I just…I just feel like I’m making a mess of everything.”

  Anger boiled under my skin hot and hard. “It’s not your fault Duran stood you up for another girl,” I said. “And everyone fails a quiz every now and then. This is all normal college stuff.”

  She nodded, but she didn’t look convinced. “What if the problem is just me?”

  “Oh, sweetie,” I said. “Duran is dumber than a turkey with two heads if he thinks there’s a single thing wrong with you. I’d guess he got greedy and wanted more than one girl. That’s not on you.”

  More tears leaked from her eyes. “I’ve just never…I’ve never had a boyfriend before and I’m not always sure what I should do. He wanted to have sex and I wasn’t ready. Maybe he found a girl who is ready.”

  “I’m probably about to sound like a parent here, Frankie, but if he’s not willing to wait for you, he’s not the right guy.”

  “Who’s not the right guy?” Bell asked, popping into the room with a carton of ice cream and a couple of red box movies.

  “That was fast.”

  Bell shrugged. “I already had all of this stuff over there. So what’s going on? What’s the emergency?”

  “Frankie’s had a rough day,” I said. “She failed a quiz and Duran stood her up tonight for some other girl.”

  Bell dropped onto Frankie’s bed and wrapped her arms around her. “Oh, sweetie,” she said. “That sounds like a rough day.” She handed Frankie the ice cream and a spoon.

  “It’s really not a big deal,” Frankie said. “I just want to forget about it, I have a ton of work to get done for Monday.”

  We all had a ton of work to do for Monday, but Frankie needed to be reminded that she had me and Bell at her back and that we loved her. And I needed my friends. “If you don’t need the ice cream,” I said. “I sure as hell do. You want to talk about bad days, I found out my real name isn’t even Remington.”

  Frankie’s mouth popped open, and Bell took the ice cream from her and handed it to me. “You definitely need this more than Frankie does.” She handed me a spoon. “Tell us everything.”

  So I told them everything and hoped they wouldn’t judge me. The girls gasped and laughed and hugged me in all the right spots. They didn’t run screaming from me or seem disgusted, they accepted everything I’d told them and accepted me.

  Bell provided the comic relief by telling us about the guy who’d been in her room, some hottie she’d met in one of her classes. He’d apparently followed her around like a puppy all day, until he convinced her to let him study in her room. Which is where he was when I banged on the wall. She said he was a bit like an actual puppy, kind of dumb, but eager to please. Plus, he was an amazing kisser and really sweet, so she was thinking about keeping him around for a little while.

  Both Frankie and I stared at her with wide eyes, shocked at her casual attitude. Clearly, she’d had a bucket-load more experience with guys than either Frankie or I had, but Bell just grinned and winked. I thought Bell’s experiences might give Frankie a better idea of how Duran ought to act around her, so I urged her to tell us more about her dating history. Bell didn’t need much urging and the girl could tell a story. Both Frankie and I were blushing when she’d finished.

  “Y’all wanna watch a movie?” Bell asked.

  “I feel like I already did,” I said. “The X-rated kind.”

  Frankie gasped and pinched my side, but Bell just laughed. “I didn’t even tell you two the best parts, I save those for my spank bank.”

  I knew I shouldn’t ask, I knew it, but I did anyway. “Your what?”

  “You know my fantasy trunk, my clamshell action pack, my beaver dam of pleasure, my mind-gasm library, my—”

  “Oh my god,” Frankie said, her cheeks fire engine red. “Do you mean what you think about when you masturbate?”

  She said the last word in a whisper and Bell shuddered. “Gah!” she said. “I hate that word.”

  I looked back and forth between them and almost fell off the bed laughing. They both looked at me like I’d lost my mind, and maybe I had, but I couldn’t stop.

  Eventually, Bell and Frankie just ignored me and started discussing which movie to watch. They picked, I got my laughter under control, and we all settled down to watch.

  “I’ve never done that,” Frankie said while the opening scenes of Trainwreck rolled.

  “Watched a movie,” Bell asked.

  “No, I’ve never…you know…needed a spank bank or whatever,” Frankie said, her cheeks red even in the dim light from the T.V.

  “You’ve never flicked the bean?” Bell asked. I slapped her on the shoulder and gave her a look to tell her to behave. I might have been sheltered, and never had a chance to date, but I was fully comfortable with my body and its urges. And I’d heard more masturbation talk from my cousins when they didn’t think I was listening, than I’d ever wanted to hear or wanted to hear again. Bell’s flippant attitude toward all things sexual didn’t bother me, but it was clearly making Frankie uncomfortable.

  “It’s okay that you haven’t,” I said. “Sex, even just with yourself is all about being comfortable. If you aren’t comfortable than you shouldn’t do it.”

  “Duran says I’m cold and that if I just do it, I’ll learn to be comfortable.”

  I saw red for a minute. Bell calmly paused the movie and looked at Frankie. “He’s an idiot, Frankie. You shouldn’t do anything with any guy unless you absolutely want to.”

  “But what if there’s something wrong with me,” Frankie said, her fast talk showing.

  “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re smart not to rush into sex.”

  Frankie nodded, but I could see we’d lost her. “Forget I said anything, let’s just watch the movie.”

  Bell shot me a look, but I ignored her. We watched the movie, and all of the crying and talking must have taken its toll on Frankie, because she was asleep in less than twenty minutes.

  ***

  Despite my worry about Frankie, I woke on Saturday, feeling lighter and happier. I’d made it through the night without any nightmares. I stretched in my bed, touching my wooden headboard with the tips of my fingers and the footboard with the tips of my toes. Today was going to be a good day, I decided. I sat up in bed and smiled at Frankie, sleeping so peacefully in her own bed, like a sweet angel. Getting into a squat position, I leapt onto her bed and started bouncing.

  “Go ‘way,” Frankie mumbled, swatting at nothing. I stifled a laugh and bounced harder. I might have been born a Rachel and not a Remington, and my father might be a criminal, but I felt more myself than I had in a very long time. It was like finding out the dreams were real and I wasn’t going crazy fit some puzzle piece in that I hadn’t even known was missing. Everything made sense and, even though some of it was awful, I felt freed by the logic of it all. I’d had a rough childhood, but I’d been lucky to escape that childhood and have a family that loved me. I was Remy and I had the best roommate a girl could ask for, a loving family, a great college and a…well, I wouldn’t think about the boyfriend, I was still unsure about that.

  “Remy?” Frankie asked looking up at me, groggily. “What are you doing?”

  I couldn’t help the laugh that burst from me. Even half-asleep, with every right to be pissed, Frankie was polite. I kept bouncing, suddenly curious to find out how much it would take to get a less than polite response from her. “I’m bouncing,” I said. “It’s what Tiggers do.”

  Frankie slapped her
arm over her eyes and groaned. “Oh, dear,” she said. “Do you think Tiggers might also go back to bed for another hour or two?”

  “Nope.” I jumped off the bed and started dragging Frankie out from under the covers. “It’s a beautiful day. We’re going hiking.”

  Frankie was too damn polite to fight me. She got out of bed and let me shove her toward the shower. Then I let myself into Bell’s room.

  Bell was in bed, laying on her stomach, a book in front of her. Her roommate, Alexandria, was sleeping peacefully in the other bed. “Don’t even think about trying any of that shit on me,” Bell said.

  She hadn’t looked up from her book, and I thought about bouncing on her just to see how she’d retaliate, but I didn’t want to wake up Alexandria. I’d only met her a couple of times, and I didn’t know if she was a morning person or not.

  “Want to go hiking?” I asked sweetly.

  “Do I have a choice?” Bell asked.

  “Sure you do, sweetie,” I said. “You can stay here and I can harass you all day.”

  Bell rolled her eyes, but didn’t look up from her book. “You can’t harass me if you’re on a hike. Besides, I thought we all agreed we were going to get school work done today.”

  “It’ll be a teeny-tiny, short hike,” I said. “I’ll leave you alone the whole rest of the day if you go with us this morning.”

  “Fine,” she said. “Just let me finish this chapter.”

  I skipped to the shower and squealed like a tween at a Justin Bieber concert when my phone pinged with a text from Worthy wishing me a good morning and telling me that he missed me.

  ***

  “Seriously,” Bell said an hour later as we ascended another steep incline. “I thought you said this was going to be a short hike.”

  Frankie giggled and I scowled at Bell who had been complaining since we’d left the dorms. It wasn’t my fault she lost track of time and had to skip her shower. “We’ve been hiking for half an hour,” I said. “What’s your idea of a short hike?”

  “Um,” Bell said. “I’ve never actually hiked before.”

  I stopped in the middle of the trail, Frankie almost running into my back. “What the what?” I said. “How did you not mention that before?”

  Bell shrugged, already sweaty and panting. “I thought it was clear when I skipped paintball and said I hated the outdoors.”

  “So why are you hiking with us now?” I asked.

  “I was coerced.”

  “Please,” I said. “It’s not like we—”

  “If you’re not having fun, Bell, we can walk you back down the trail,” Frankie said. “You don’t have to hike if you don’t want to.”

  Bell’s whole demeanor changed from annoyed to easy-going when she looked at Frankie. “It’s fine, Frankie. I’m just giving Remy a hard time.”

  Frankie looked confused, but I got it. Bell was on this hike for Frankie, and maybe for me, but not for herself. “Let’s get going then,” I said. I slowed my pace to accommodate Bell’s lesser experience, and she stopped complaining. Mostly.

  Even Bell seemed impressed by the view at the summit. She sat on a boulder next to me and Frankie, and wrapped her arms around us. “This is beautiful. Not sure it was worth the hike, but it is beautiful.”

  We enjoyed the view for about fifteen minutes, before we decided to head back. Bell complained all the way down and swore I was taking her a different, longer way to the trail head. I called her names and enjoyed the shocked gasps from Frankie.

  I felt good when we got back to the dorms, my head clearer, my outlook even brighter than it had been when I’d woken up. That good mood evaporated when we saw who was waiting at the door to our room.

  Frankie smiled, apparently incapable of turning off her good manners, but she didn’t hurry her pace. She stopped in front of Duran and waited.

  “Frankie,” Duran said, his expression somber, puppy dog eyes in full play. “I’m so sorry I forgot our date last night. We just found out yesterday in English class that we have a surprise essay test next week. My study group called an emergency meeting and our date slipped my mind.”

  Frankie stood her ground. “Why did a girl answer your phone?”

  Duran shrugged. “I don’t know, baby. Two of my study partners are girls, maybe one of them answered while I was in the bathroom or getting snacks or something. I swear to you it was completely innocent. Can you ever forgive me?”

  Frankie beamed at Duran and threw her arms around his shoulders. “Of course. I’m so sorry I suspected you were…You know.”

  “You know I wouldn’t do that to you,” Duran said, setting Frankie back on her feet.

  I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t do something like that to Frankie, and even if he wouldn’t there was still the matter of him pressuring her for sex and calling her cold for refusing. I think she had more than enough reasons to blow him off, but I kept my mouth shut and watched as the two of them wandered off for a make-up date as Duran called it.

  “I really don’t like him,” I said.

  “Me either,” Bell said. “But if we trash talk him, Frankie will just get defensive and stick to him more fiercely. We have to let her figure out for herself that he’s bad news.”

  I sighed. “You make sense, but it’s so hard to watch her with that douche.”

  “Come on, girly,” Bell said. “Let’s order some pizza and have a study party.”

  “She can’t,” Worthy said, walking up and pulling me to his side. “She’s going out with me.”

  “Can I shower first?”

  “Shower later,” he said. “I want to try out this new climbing gym I heard about.”

  I pulled away enough to look at him and see that he was in nylon basketball shorts and a t-shirt. “And what if I’m tired and don’t want to go to a climbing gym?”

  Worthy rolled his eyes. “When have you ever not spoken up if you didn’t like my plan? If you want to go back to my room, order pizza, and study or watch a movie, just tell me and that’s what we’ll do. I don’t care as long as I’m with you.”

  Bell made a gagging noise and backed away. “I’m going to go before I vomit all over you two lovebirds.”

  I waved goodbye to her and spun in Worthy’s arms, pressing a lip-smacking kiss to his soft, tasty mouth. He offered no resistance, but pulled me closer and kissed me like he’d been starving for me. “God I’ve missed you,” he said when we finally came up for air.

  I pulled myself free of his arms and started for his car. “Hurry up, old man. I want to get to dinner so we can check out this climbing gym before it closes.”

  Worthy opened my door for me and closed it once I was seated, then he jogged around to his side and got in. He started the engine and glared at me. “I’m only five months older than you, Remy. And I thought you were too tired for the climbing gym.”

  “Nope,” I said. “I just didn’t like your bossy tone.”

  “Sorry, I forgot who wears the pants in this relationship.”

  I somehow managed to keep a stern face. “Don’t let it happen again.”

  He laughed and took me out for the best date I’d had, yet. After we’d climbed until our legs were jelly, and eaten our weight in pasta, he invited me back to his place. I dropped onto his bed as soon as we got to his room. “I’m too tired for a shower,” I said. “You don’t mind if I get my stink all over your sheets do you?”

  Worthy laughed. We’d laughed so much that evening my cheeks hurt. “I’d offer to help you in the shower, but I don’t want to risk getting caught by Byron.”

  “Normally, I’d say I don’t care, but I want you in bed with me, not beating up my cousin, as soon as possible.”

  Worthy pulled some clothes out of a dresser drawer and dropped them on my face. “If you’re going to be staying over, you ought to bring some clothes to keep here.”

  I sat up, shocked. “That’s kind of a big step,” I said. “That seems serious.”

  Worthy dropped onto the bed, straddling my waist. �
�It is serious,” he said. He kissed my nose and then my lips. “I’m serious about you, Remy. My new mission in life is to see as much of you as possible, and you’re going to want to have clothes here.”

  “Okay,” I said. I grabbed his neck and pulled his face down to mine, but he resisted.

  “Shower first,” he said. “Or we’ll never make it. You can go first.”

  I groaned, but I climbed off the bed and shuffled to the shower. I took a quick one and smelled like a boy after, because they only had boy soap and boy shampoo in their bathroom. I went back to Worthy’s room, wearing his shorts and t-shirt. I flopped on the bed, and he left to take his shower.

  I was woken up by him peppering light kisses on my jaw and face. But when I tried to spin and kiss him, he pinned me in place, spooning me from behind. “Just sleep, sweetheart,” he said. “I’ll kiss you in the morning.”

  He kept his promise the next morning, waking me before my alarm went off and kissing me in all my favorite places before I had to get back to my dorm room and get ready for work. I left his arms glowing with happiness and something that felt like it might, just maybe, be more than like.

  When I got back from work, Frankie was in our room and she was ecstatic about her reunion with Duran. She and I stayed in and studied all day Sunday. Around lunch time, Duran showed up at the door with flowers and a pizza for Frankie. Her face lit up when she saw him, and I couldn’t help but hope he wasn’t the bad guy I thought he was, for her sake. He convinced her to study with him at the library, and they left. Frankie was all smiles.

  Worthy showed up shortly after she left and we studied together, well, we mostly studied together, until he had to leave to go to work. He packed up his bag and stood. “I’m leaving early for winter break,” he said. “My brothers are…I just want to spend some extra time with them. I’ll see you when I get back.”

  My brain understood he would only be gone for a week, but my heart and my body were very upset. The paranoid part of me wondered why he’d waited until the last moment to tell me he was going away again. I was not going to pry, I was not going to pry, I was not going…“Was this a last minute decision?”