by Liv Morris
“Come here, Char-coal,” Cash says in a sweet whisper.
I walk into those arms and feel so much love and protection. I close my eyes and take all of Cash in. I can hear his heart beating, watch his chest moving up and down as he is trying to keep his breathing under control, see the strength in his arms, and smell his Lacoste Essential Cologne. I do not want to break away from him, but I know the longer I wait, the worse it will be for both of us.
I open my eyes and look up at him. He kisses my forehead and tells me that everything is going to be okay. I have to have more of him. I whisper, “Okay, Cash, kiss me, please.” He smiles a half- grin and brings his lips to meet mine. He places his hand behind my neck and in my hair. I get goosebumps from head to toe. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he lifts me off the ground.
We act as if we aren’t going to see each other again, and that we can’t get enough of each other’s touch. Cash finally slows down his lips and pulls them away from mine. Damn.
“Char, you better get going. I don’t want it to be late when you get back.”
“I’m gonna miss you, Cash Money,” I say as I kiss him once more.
“I doubt that. Just keep your guard up and text me every day. I think you should tell Joe about the photo. It’s only fair.”
I shake my head no. “Not yet. I don’t want anyone else freaked out.”
“All right, I’ll leave that up to you. If you need me for anything, I’ll be there in record time.” Cash helps me into the car, closes the door, and kisses me through the window.
“I love you, Charley. I’ll see you at fall break.”
“Love you too, Cash Money.” He steals one more peck before he pats the door and backs away.
Chapter 9: Homecoming
The ride back is filled with a few tears, fear, anxiety, and happiness. I am beyond terrified that Dylan is keeping tabs on me, but I’m not going to let him get to me. That is what he wants. I rub my fingers around the anchor of my necklace. I’ve got Cash, my family, the Kluft girls and Joe. I will be fine.
I arrive on campus to find everyone has gone out to eat. I unpack and take a few minutes to relax.
Joe: Squirrel, u back yet?
Me: Yeah
Joe: Wanna go grab a bite to eat? I’ve missed u!
Me: Sure c u in 5
I grab my purse, keys, take a quick look into the mirror and out the door I go.
“Hey, Squirrel! How was home?”
“It was great! I forget how much I love it there.”
Joe doesn’t say much about that comment. We walk to his Jeep, hop in, and go eat a little Chinese.
As we sit at the table, we talk about the weekend. Undoubtedly, I missed a hell of a party in Foot, and Hank’s was rockin’ as usual.
“Yeah, Hank’s was crazy this week, but I have to say those girls can’t dance like you, Char.”
“Whatever.”
He smiles, “It just wasn’t the same.”
We finish and head back to campus. We both have practice early in the morning along with class.
The next month goes by in a hurry. It’s like I’m on repeat—practice, class, text Cash, meet with Joe, party on Friday, Hank’s on Saturday, and recoup on Sunday, only to do it all over every week. It remains the same until the middle of October. Homecoming is this weekend. It’s a weekend of games, parties, alumni, Homecoming Dance, and of course, Hank’s Tavern.
I am absolutely beat from practice Wednesday night when I get a knock at my door. When I open it, no one is there. Really? I notice a box with an envelope on the floor. I literally start to hyperventilate. Georgia is coming from the shower and stops when she sees my reaction.
“Char, are you okay?” I nod my head.
“That’s crap, and you know it. What’s got you freaked out? It’s just a box.”
“Um, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Are you gonna see what it is?” I nod again.
As I turn toward my room, I see Joe peeking around the corner. Oh, thank the lord! I can feel all the tension leave my body. It wasn’t something else from Dylan.
“Squirrel, are you gonna open it, or just stare at it all day?”
“Oh, sorry. I just, um, nevermind.”
I unwrap the box to find a little squirrel charm with a tag attached to it that reads, “Dance with me?”
I look up at him and smile.
“Dance with you? Like at Hank’s?”
He puts his hands into his pockets like he’s nervous, and shakes his head no.
“No, Squirrel. Dance with me at Homecoming. Go with me, please?!”
I take a minute to act like I’m going to have to think about it. I love to watch him sweat. It’s sexy as hell.
“You think you can handle this for two nights of dancin?” I ask as I get all Vanna White on him.
“Oh, I believe I can handle it all right.”
“Well, if you’re up for it, then I am, too.”
I had totally forgotten that Georgia was still nearby, but I realize real quick when I hear her hooting and hollering in the background.
“Shopping trip to the Mills!” Georgia shouts down the hall.
“Joe, do you wanna come in a minute?”
He enters my room and takes a seat on my bed. The only other option is the wooden chair at my desk. I sit beside him and decide I better see what he knows about Homecoming.
“So, I heard this weekend is pretty crazy around here. What have all the lacrosse guys been saying?”
“They pretty much say that the party starts on Thursday night when everyone goes into the big city.”
I look a little confused at him. “You mean Charlotte?”
“Yeah, they said everyone goes to Bar. You pretty much pile up in everyone’s car and make sure there’s a DD.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“You’ve never been to a real club before?”
“Not really. Hank’s is about it unless you talk about the pool hall back home ‘cause some nights it turns into a makeshift club or more like a redneck bar with a dance floor.”
“Back home we use to go to this teen club, and our hall went to a different bar in Charlotte a few weeks ago.”
“Well, I’m sure the Kluft girls will not miss it!”
“I sure hope not,” he says as he nudges my shoulder with his. “They also said that it’s pretty much a throw down the rest of the week on campus from that point on. I mean, there’s class, but they’re a little lax this week.”
“Oh, I bet I still have to do to Dr. Deal’s Bio at 8 ‘cause of that damn memory of his.”
“Well, Squirrel, I’m gonna head out. I got practice in the morning, and we got a busy weekend. I’m sure you wanna get that shopping trip planned.”
“All right, well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow in Charlotte? Or is there like a pre-party somewhere?”
“I’m sure there will be a party somewhere. I’ll let you know. Night.” He kisses me on the lips as I walk him to the door.
“Bye, Joe.” I give him a light wave as he turns back to look at me.
“Bye. See ya tomorrow.”
As soon as he is out of the building, I make a beeline to Georgia’s room. She is sitting on her couch with Caroline and Tori while Anna is on the floor.
“Dang, been waiting on me long?”
Anna says, “Well, we know who’s getting the action this weekend!”
“Uh, I don’t think so. I’m so not like that.”
“Oh, okay, whatever you say, Charley.” Anna winks.
Caroline pipes in, “So, Mills tomorrow? What time? I think we should just skip class. What y’all think?”
Most of my life I’ve been a rule follower. So skipping is a big deal, but hey, ya only live once right?
“I’m game. Just got practice in the morning. After that let’s shop till ya drop.”
Caroline starts to clap her hands because she’s so excited. “Oh, have y’all heard about Bar tomorrow?” I ask.
They
all look at me like I’ve lost my mind. Finally, I know something they don’t. Sometimes I feel like I’m the last person to find out what is going on.
“Joe said that everyone from Southern goes out tomorrow. Basically, you find a DD, pile up and go dance your ass off. I thought it sounded great to me except for the 8 a.m. Bio class I have Friday.”
They all sit there quietly before Tori comments first. “Guess we’re all going shopping for two outfits... clubbin’ and Homecoming Dance.”
We all call it a night because practice is going to come way too early in the morning. At 5:45, that god awful sound of an alarm clock goes off. I roll outta bed, grab my bag, and slide on my flip flops. We don’t even bother changing out of our pajamas anymore. We just roll outta bed and go.
We take the Honda to the gym this morning and head straight to the locker room. Coach is waiting on us, and the board looks like a killer. I dip my cap into the water, put it on, and follow with my goggles. I’m ready to jump in.
We finish our warm-up, and then Coach gives us five killer sets. What is she thinking? I mean, we have practice the rest of the week! After being in the water for about an hour and a half, we finally get to cool down. I am whooped! As we get out of the pool, Coach asks us to come to a team meeting. Really?
“Girls, you all know as much as I do I’m about having a good time. I know I have worked you hard this morning, heck like for the past month, but I want to make sure you’re ready for the upcoming season. Also, I know as well as you do what kinda weekend we have coming up. We aren’t going to have practice until Sunday afternoon. Don’t come in here hungover either. Now, get outta here and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Hey, Coach, you know what that means?” Brittany says.
“Yes, Brittany, I know exactly what that means. Just make sure you have a DD and call me if you need me, and I mean it! Now, I think y’all have some shopping to do ‘cause word is someone got asked to the Homecoming Dance by a very H-O-T lacrosse player.”
Everyone’s eyes turn to me, and I’m as red as a Hot Tamale.
“Girls, get outta here. I’ll see you around Saturday.”
In the locker room, we make plans. We know that Anna and Caroline are still snoozing. We head to the café to eat breakfast, and there is fine ass Joe eating a waffle with his team. I just smile and walk on to our table. A few minutes later, Anna and Caroline join us.
“So girls, I’m thinking a trip to Group USA is in order. We gotta look hot for this dance, but yet classy.” I am totally with her on this.
“Does anyone know how dressed up people get for this dance?” I ask. “I mean, I know it’s more formal than Hank’s or a club. I don’t think it’s church attire, or is it like a mini prom?”
Anna gives us the details she has researched, “Okay, it’s like a mini prom, but you gotta be careful. You don’t want to look like you tried too hard or spent too much money. Oh, and for tonight... I got us a ride.”
We all stop and look at her like what do you mean you got us a ride?
“What?! I’m doing my job here. I know none of us want to DD, so I found us one with a minivan!”
“Shut up. No, you didn’t!” Tori laughs.
“Oh, yeah, the Love Machine. It has a name.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” I ask.
“Yeah, well, you know I’m not an athlete, and I found a few others that aren’t as well. What’s that girl on your team with the friend that is freakin’ hilarious and always has something smart ass to say?”
“Uh, you mean Sarah and her friend is Hayden,” Tori says.
“Yeah, it’s Hayden’s van.”
“Well, that makes me feel a little bit better, but who’s driving ‘cause I know it’s not Hayden. She drinks like a fish!” Caroline states.
“Oh, did Sarah not tell you this morning? Or maybe Hayden didn’t tell her we were all going together. She’s not drinking anymore, something about being a good girl or some shit like that,” Anna says with a laugh. “So, does that work for everyone?”
We all nod. End of discussion... we’re going to the club in the Love Machine.
We head back to Kluft and get ready to hit the mall. We all dress down, but still look cute. I text Cash as usual and tell him about this weekend. He says he misses me, but to have fun. He’s so ready for me to come home. I have to admit; I’m having way too much fun right now to go back to the simple life.
We pile into the Explorer. You know, it has to suck to have the biggest car because you always get voted to drive. We make our way to the Mills. We each find a new clubbin’ outfit for tonight. I actually decide to be bold and try to find a hot and sexy dress.
We peruse through Wet Seal, Charlotte Russe, and then find this neat little shop called Rainbow. When we walk through, we all know we’ve struck gold. You’d think we were on some crazy game show running around with an arm full of clothes.
I take all the clothes I can carry into the dressing room. One by one this isn’t looking too good. That is until I try on the laciest dress I have ever seen. This dress isn’t like little girl lacy; it’s freakin’ hot!
I take the dress and peel it on. That’s right, I said peel it on because that is how it fits, like it’s made with me. It is lined with a little tube top dress, but is covered by a one-sleeved lace overlay. It’s gorgeous. I walk out to get opinions, but I already know it’s a done deal.
“Hey, y’all, whatcha think?”
“Hot damn, Charley! I say you’ve found the dress for tonight! Oh, and I got the perfect set of heels to go with it!” Caroline hollers at me.
“Thanks, Caroline. Y’all, this dress is like only thirty bucks! It’s like perfect for me and my cheap self!”
We checkout and move on to Group USA. This is where I have to find a dress for the dance. From what I understand, this place has it all and at a good price. I walk in and just look. I find it better to make a loop around before getting too worked up.
I see a few dresses I like, but nothing that stands out until I turn down the third aisle. There are no words for this dress; it is exactly what I picture me in. It is a short organza coral colored dress. It has one shoulder. Go figure! It also has the perfect amount of bling at the waist. It is simple, but yet stands out at the same time. I know this is the one. I find my size and head straight to the dressing room. It fits perfectly. I don’t show the others because they are still shopping. I walk to the shoes to see if I can find a match, and I do. A pair of peep-toes t-strap rhinestone sandals, or should I say heels? They match the bling flawlessly on my dress. I make my way to the checkout and pay. Georgia is right behind me, and twenty minutes later Operation Find a Dress, is a wrap.
We decide to have fun the rest of the afternoon, and we start by stopping off at Texas Roadhouse. I think we might be regulars there. I mean, what can I say? The food for the price, along with the atmosphere, it doesn’t get any better than this. In fact, we know all the cute waiters and always get in either Matt or Justin’s sections. They know us by name and even said they might see us out tonight. I’m guessing it’s a well-known fact that when Southern hits the big city, things are abound to get wild.
We make it back to campus in time for Caroline and Anna to secure the liquor run. I’ve decided that I’m going to let loose tonight. It isn’t often, and hell I’ve never been to a club in a big city, so I’m going to have a great time.
Across the hall, Jenny has the radio up as usual, and Crystal stopped by to tell me she’d see me there. Oh, btw, I’m getting my own room. That’s fine by me, but it’s not like I’m going to miss her ‘cause she’s never here, anyways.
I go ahead and call Cash. I want him to know that he won’t hear from me until later tonight, if not in the morning. I know it sounds like I’m checking in with my dad all the time, but I know this is his way of staying in the loop and keeping me safe. He also tells me what is going on in Grassy Pond.
We all start to get ready. I get my shower, and Georgia is in the sta
ll next to me. We get out and get ready. While we’re doing our makeup, I have the urge to make sure she’s got my back. I don’t know why, but I just have this feeling that I’m going to need her.
“So, are you excited about tonight?” I ask her.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m kinda like you. I’ve never been to a place like this before.”
“That makes me feel better. Hey, I got your back if you got mine?”
“You know it!”
And without me having to spill my guts, I know Georgia will be there if I need her. I just hope she’s not too drunk. If she is, she’ll be easy to find... with the same guy dancing all night.
We get dressed and put on our pre-game shirts and decide to go chill in Caroline’s room. Hayden and Sarah come over to hang out as well. Crystal and Lucas stop by, and before we know it, there’s a party right here in Caroline’s room. We are having a blast, and Anna was right; Hayden is funny as hell. As I am laughing so hard my side starts to hurt, there is a knock at the door. We all get quiet because we have everything in an equation that equals a visit from campus police.
Caroline goes to open the door, and it’s none other than our RA, Mindy. She’s never here, so what’s her deal tonight?
“Girls, I think it’s time to turn it down a notch.”
“Okay, Mindy.” Crystal turns down the music, and the booze has already been hidden.
“I don’t want to hear any more of this tonight or this weekend. This hall’s been getting a lot of heat from all you girls. We need to try to bring it down if you want to stay on the Dean’s good side. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
“Got it!” Caroline turns to us, “We got to shut it down, especially if we wanna keep ourselves on the nice list!”
We make sure that everything is hidden as Hayden makes the comment, “I don’t know about you guys, but this girl needs to find a man to bump and grind with! Let’s roll out.” We laugh, ditch our pre-game shirts, and out to the Love Machine we go.
The Love Machine is this old ass Ford Aerostar that is about four different shades of red. I honestly can’t believe it made it here all the way from New York. I’m glad and all, and I feel safe knowing it can make it that far. That just means we are safe tonight. As we make our way down the stoop to the van, I can hear whistling in the distance from Irvin. I look up, and sure enough, it’s Jackalope Joe and three of his lacrosse buddies.