His Eyes

by Renee Carter

While I drove around the lake, I couldn’t help but wonder what Tristan was thinking. Was he remembering the last time he sat behind the wheel of his Cabriolet, or what we were like before The Creature came along? I spotted Nick’s parents’ place easily, seeing that the driveway was jammed with cars. Parking at the end, I noted that the cabin was almost as large as the Edmunds’, but had more of a ranch look with gray siding and a wrapped porch.

  The Creature, of course, wasn’t about to go unescorted into a party, so she helped Tristan out of the Cabriolet, making me the third wheel. My favorite. I threw my shoulders back, marched up the front door, and gave the doorbell a quick press. Nick immediately pulled it open. He had a slightly wobbly smile on his face and his arm slung over Melissa’s shoulders. “Hey, you came!”

  Before I had a chance to respond, The Creature pushed her way in front of me, dragging Tristan along with her. She gushed, “Oh thank God you’re having a party!” and ran a finger down Nick’s jaw. He instantly turned to Jell-o. “I don’t know what we would’ve done without you! Been stuck playing board games or something.”

  Nick’s eyes wandered down her body while he stuttered, “Y-you look nice, Lexus.”

  Less than amused, Melissa jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow and stomped into the cabin.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked her retreating form as he slowly surfaced from the poisonous cloud that was The Creature’s aura.

  Unconcerned with the ravage she wrecked on other’s relationships, The Creature asked, “Where’s the bar?”

  Nick frowned and pointed. “Back there.”

  The Creature strutted off, leaving Tristan and I standing in the doorway. I shuffled my feet, unsure of what to do. Then, with a surprising amount of understanding, Tristan said, “Well, she got you. Lexus is good at that.”

  “What?”

  I was all too ready to clarify for Nick. “Drive-by flirting.”

  Tristan smirked and Nick’s smile found its way back onto his face. He laughed, “I’d almost forgotten. Here.” Nick took Tristan’s arm and guided him toward the living room, where music and laughter could be heard. “You gotta say hi to everyone.”

  While I followed them at a distance, I felt painfully out of place. Not only was I a stranger in a room full of friends, but I was also wearing thrift store buys in a crowd of preppy dressers. I recognized many of them from Tristan’s graduation, though I couldn’t guess their names. Most of the Clarencites were standing in clusters, gossiping and trying their best to get drunk. I received a few curious looks, a few frowns, but was generally ignored.

  “Amy!”

  Surprised to hear my name, I jumped and spun around, colliding with Kristy. She stumbled back a step, covering her mouth with her hand as she laughed. Even before I looked, I could feel cold liquid running down my shirt, making the cotton stick to my skin. A glance down confirmed that my clothes were dripping with Rum and Coke. Just when I didn’t think the night could get any better. Sometimes I hate my life.

  Kristy shook her head, a gleeful look still in her eyes. “Oh, Amy, you just turned so fast!”

  I grimaced, not ready to respond to such a pathetic apology.

  She prompted, “You’re here, so Tristan must be...?”

  I sighed. “He may be with her.”

  “‘Her’?!”

  My mouth twitched, but I couldn’t quite get my tongue to form The Creature’s name.

  “You mean....” Kristy’s eyes bugged as if my twitch had given it all away. She crushed her plastic cup. Her voice was a snarl. “Lexus.”

  If she hadn’t just dumped her drink on me, I think we would’ve become friends right then. There’s nothing quite like sharing an enemy. Still, the pop on my shirt was literally a damper on the whole situation. I stepped back carefully, in case she had any thoughts of killing the messenger, and said, “Yeah. So, you can go find her and catch up. I’m going to find a bathroom.”

  She nodded absently while her eyes scoured the room, hunting for The Creature.

  I glanced around, but Tristan had disappeared into the crowd. Apparently I wasn’t going to ‘sit him tonight, if that was even what I was supposed to be doing. I shrugged and turned to my left, where a hallway opened off of the living room. My flip-flops slapping against the tile floor, I passed by two closed doors. I knew the rule: never open a shut door at a party. You never know what you’ll find. Thankfully, the third door I came to was open.

  I stepped into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. As useless as it was, I splashed a little water on my shirt in an attempt to neutralize the stickiness. With a weak smile at my reflection, I headed out of the bathroom and toward the back of the cabin. At the end of the hallway I found, to the left, the kitchen and, to the right, a fully stocked bar. The bartender was pouring drinks like a pro, or at least like a dressed up college kid.

  True to her word, The Creature was sprawled on a wicker chair not three feet from the bar. Her eyes were glossy and she held onto what I could only assume was her second Long Island. I always heard it’s easier to get people to talk when they’re drunk and I could think of no better person to test the theory on. Pulling a chair up next to her, I cut past any small talk and demanded to know, “Why did you come?”

  Unfazed by my forwardness, The Creature simply shrugged. “Because I didn’t have anywhere else to go. When I came back from Europe, Mick wanted some time off—”

  “From you? Never,” I said sarcastically and in her sloshed state, she didn’t even notice.

  “—and my friends had moved to L.A., mostly. My parents were vacationing in Morocco—”

  “So you thought of Tristan,” I interjected.

  “No.” She was so bluntly honest that I almost laughed. “I was gonna hit a few clubs, meet some new friends. But, then Trist’s mom called and she said I sh’ come down and have some fun. I thought, ‘why not?’”

  I could’ve given her a few reasons.

  “You like him, huh?” She wagged the umbrella from her drink in my face. “You sh’ never date someone you work with.”

  I raised my eyebrows with disbelief. “You and Mick never...?”

  “Well....” she giggled, giving herself away.

  I shook my head, thinking about the last few days and how horrible they had been. All for a girl who would flirt with a rock...okay, a male rock. Honestly. Knowing it was my only chance, I looked her in her creepy aqua eyes and asked, “Why won’t you just leave?”

  “Because—Mick says being with Trist looks good. Besides,” she leaned into my bubble, “he likes me better.”

  I never hated her more than at that moment.

  * * *

  Slamming the glass door shut, I stood on the back porch. I gulped the night air, trying to get rid of my nausea. She made me sick—or the doubt she planted made my sick. Maybe both. I pulled out my cell phone, thinking of calling Ahna for a pep talk, or at least a little perspective. I stared down at the screen, where “No Service” was flashing. Great. I snapped my phone shut and jammed it back into my pocket.

  “Amy.”

  I jumped, having thought I was alone. What was with people scaring me with my own name? Squinting into the darkness, I saw that Tristan was sitting on a bench facing the lake. He sat with his shoulders drooped while he leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees and loosely holding a can of beer. I took a small step toward him. “How do you always know it’s me?”

  “You have this smell: sweet, like honey.”

  “Oh, that’s my shampoo.” I took two quick steps and sat beside him. “Is this like the fun you used to have, Tristan?”

  “I-I used to be better at it.” His sigh filled the silence and he took a drink from the can.

  I pushed the hair that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ear. “If you don’t want to be here, you just have to get up and leave.”

  “Which way?” he grumbled, waving his hand searchingly through the air.

  Annoyed, I shrugged. “Fine. Maybe you’ll have to ask for some help, t
oo. Maybe it’ll be hard.”

  Suddenly angry, his head snapped to face me. “It shouldn’t be! Not for me!”

  And there was the reason. I was so stunned that I couldn’t think of anything to say. That was why he’d refused to learn to adapt: he didn’t think it was fair. And it wasn’t. But, money or not, popular or not, he wasn’t superhuman and he had to accept that. I breathed in and pressed my lips together. Calmly, quietly, I explained, “Tristan, you have to deal with this.”

  Tristan slammed his can down on the bench and it thudded like it was almost full. He growled, “You’re not getting paid to analyze me.”

  I stiffened from the stab and bit back, “Going to parties wasn’t in the job description either.”

  “You’re right. Let’s go.” Tristan stood abruptly. “I’m sure Lexus has had her fun.”

  I grabbed Tristan’s arm and, pulling him into the cabin, muttered, “Good. I was concerned.”

  The moment Tristan and I walked back inside, I could tell that something was going on. The air was literally alive with excitement. Then I saw them—Kristy and The Creature were standing in the middle of the kitchen with a crowd of Clarencites gathered around them. Both were red in the face; angry and drunk, a perfect combination. Like boxers in a ring, the two girls circled each other, looking for an opening. Kristy jabbed first. “So, you’re back with Tristan? I didn’t think he was worth it.”

  The Creature laughed as if she hadn’t felt a thing. “Oh yeah? Is that why you called him for a month, crying after I took him?”

  “You didn’t take him!” Kristy hissed.

  “Sweetie, you were show-jumping while we were under the bleachers.”

  “You whore!”

  “Slut!”

  The two blondes screeched and crashed into each other, their nails clawing viciously at any exposed skin. Every single man in the room cheered—except Tristan. He squeezed my arm and asked over the noise, “What’s going on?”

  “They’re fighting...over you.” I stared, open-mouthed, while the girls screamed and threw each other onto the floor. Not gently, by the way. If they’d actually been cats, fur would’ve been flying. I shook my head, realizing how far out of this competition I was. “They’re nothing like—”

  Cutting me off, Tristan said with disgust, “Oh, they’re alike.”

  I tried to explain, “That’s not what I meant,” but he wasn’t listening. Tristan stepped forward, his hands held up in the air, and yelled, “Stop it! I’m not dating anyone!”

  The two girls froze, as did a piece of my heart. Of course we couldn’t tell anyone what had happened between us, but part of me was still hoping that someday... Why did he have to say it out loud? I swallowed hard when he said my name and held his hand out for me, while the party stared. The girls were glaring at me, as if I was the one who had won. And I wasn’t even fighting.

  Chapter 14

  I woke up the next morning and decided that I shouldn’t be upset that Tristan had told them he was single. Even if I didn’t like it, I’d agreed to keep our kiss secret. Spending time with him—and The Creature—was earning my chance at Evanston, after all. Feeling resolved, I crawled out of bed and stretched. I picked up my cell phone from the nightstand and checked the display. 10:03 a.m. Not a bad time to get up.

  “Amy! Where are you?”

  “Chris!” I shouted. I’d almost forgotten that the Edmunds were coming today. I grinned, jumping out of my room and rushing down the stairs. The kids were standing in the living room, their bags at their feet. Chris was the first to spot me when I reached the bottom of the staircase and he tackled me with a hug around my waist. Marly was right behind him, wrapping her arms around my knees. I bent down, squeezing them both tightly. “I’m so glad to see you guys!”

  “We missed you!” Chris stepped back, growing embarrassed. “I mean, sorta.”

  “Right,” I laughed and gave him a playful punch in the shoulder.

  Mrs. Edmund walked out from the kitchen, an empty grocery bag in her hands. “He almost wouldn’t sleep last night, he was so excited.”

  Chris rolled his eyes. “Not ‘cause of Amy. I wanted to see the lake!” He took his sister by the hand, pulling her toward the back door, and explained, “Marly, you probably don’t remember, but it’s real big! Come look!”

  “You three have fun last night?” Mrs. Edmund asked.

  “Oh, loads!” I lied, a fake smile plastered on my face.

  “That’s wonderful.” Mrs. Edmund looked at me with a touch of concern. “Dear, are you feeling all right? You’re still in your pajamas.”

  “Well, uh....” I stammered, my cheeks burning red. To complete my moment of humiliation, Tristan walked out from the kitchen, a bowl of cereal in his hand. Two people—okay, one, but still—staring at me in my pajamas. And these weren’t loungewear kinds of people. I crossed my arms over my chest and backed into the staircase, stumbling. “I, uh, just got up and, uh....” I pointed helplessly upstairs. “I’m going to go change.”

  I don’t think I’ve ever run up a flight of stairs quite so quickly in my life. I dove into my room and began rifling through my bag to find a clean shirt and jeans. I could only imagine what Mrs. Edmund was thinking of me. She probably thought that I was a slacker, especially if she really “loved” The Creature, who always looked perfect. Not that it mattered.

  I used the bathroom down the hall to hastily shower and change. Pulling my wet hair into a fresh ponytail, I walked back to my bedroom. I dropped my dirty clothes onto the floor and turned to look out the window at the lake. I saw that The Creature had laid a beach towel out on the hill and was sunning herself with her earbuds in. Tristan was at the bottom of the stairs and walking slowly down the dock. I frowned, wondering where the kids were. I scanned the shore, expecting to see them digging in the muddy sand, but it was empty.

  Then I heard the scream.

  It was Chris. He was standing at the top of the stairs, just out from the cabin, holding two glasses of lemonade and staring at the lake. He looked horrified. I followed his gaze, my stomach going cold at the sight: Marly was in the canoe that had been tied to the dock. She was leaning precariously over the side, trying to paddle her way back to shore with her hands. When she leaned forward, the canoe tipped, dumping its small cargo. With a tiny yelp, the girl fell into the water.

  My heart, which had momentarily forgotten to beat, began to pound. I grabbed onto the window, pushing it open, and shrieked through the screen, “Tristan! Marly!”

  He had heard the noise and was already sprinting down the dock, kicking off his sandals as he leapt into the lake. My eyes were locked onto the spot where Marly had fallen. Her head reappeared for a moment, her hand reaching desperately into the air, before she bobbed back under. I saw that Tristan, unable to see Marly surfacing, was swimming away from her. I yelled, “Tristan! More to your right!”

  Tristan immediately adjusted his swimming, but turned too far in the other direction. I saw Marly’s head again pop above the water with a small plea of, “Help!”

  “To the left, Tristan!” I shouted.

  He adjusted again, correcting himself to the sound of Marly’s cry, and barreled across the lake. He was heading directly toward the spot I’d last seen her. “There, Tristan! She’s under the water!”

  As Tristan dove under, I froze. My breathing stopped. Where was he? Where was he? Could he find her? Did she see him coming? Where were they?!

  I aged twenty years in those seconds.

  With a splash, Tristan broke the surface of the water. Marly was clinging onto him for dear life, her little arms tight around his neck. I screamed with joy and hurtled from the room and down the stairs. Mrs. Edmund was reading in the living room, completely unaware of the catastrophe outside. She looked up when I jumped off the bottom step and gasped, “Marly! Lake! Saved!”

  She was immediately on their feet, rushing after me as I flew through the kitchen, out the back door, and down the hill. Chris beat me to the edge of the dock whe
re Tristan was lifting a dripping Marly from the lake. I helped the boy grab his sister. I could feel her shaking with fright and I wrapped her in my arms, hugging her close. Mrs. Edmund was quickly on us, asking was she okay and what had happened?!

  The Creature continued to tan.

  * * *

  I don’t know how you’re supposed to overcome a near-tragedy, but my idea was opening up a tube of cookie dough and digging in. I passed out spoons to the kids, Mrs. Edmund, and myself. We all huddled together in the kitchen. Chris and Marly were ghostly white, and I’d painted a reassuring smile onto my face. The Creature was still oblivious, while Tristan was planted on the end of the dock. If he wanted space, then we were going to give it to him.

  Mrs. Edmund shook her head and set her spoon down on the counter. “I just don’t understand why Lexus hasn’t come to say hello.”

  I muttered, “She’s off in her own little world.”

  Chris glared outside at The Creature. “She should’ve helped Marly.”

  “I don’t think she even noticed,” I said and scraped my spoon along the wrapper, trying to get the last bits of dough.

  Mrs. Edmund sighed, “But she’s such a nice girl.”

  “Hmm.” Chris rolled her eyes at me and I coughed, trying to cover my laughter. “At least Tristan was there.”

  Marly’s little voice piped, “Saved me.”

  “That’s right,” I said and rubbed her back comfortingly. She looked up at me from under her bangs, a pitiful expression on her face as she glanced at the dock. “You know, he’s okay. He’s probably just...tired from all of that swimming.” I offered her a smile, but she still seemed worried. “Tell you what: why don’t we make Tristan a thank you present?” I gathered our spoons, setting them in the sink. “How does that sound?”

  I had found a roll of aluminum foil yesterday, in my search for a phonebook. Now I pulled it out of one of the kitchen drawers and waved it victoriously. “What about medals?”

  Mrs. Edmund laughed. “Perfect!”

  I set to work folding the foil into large medals, while Mrs. Edmund grabbed Sharpies for the kids to write with. The activity—and the digesting sugar—roused Chris and Marly. Color slowly returned to their faces while they bent over their medals, concentrating on their drawings. These kids had gone through so much over the last year; I could hardly imagine what it was like for them. I was happy to help distract them, even for a moment.