by Lily Roberts
I feigned a gasp, putting one hand over my chest and the other over my mouth. “What? But I thought I went on a date with Scott weeks ago!”
Denise just rolled her eyes. “Hahaha. Very funny.”
I gave her a reassuring smile. “Aw, I’m sorry though, babe. You really seemed to like him.”
Denise sniffled, wiping her face with another tissue before sliding her ice cream tub onto a nearby desk. “I mean, he was pretty cute. And a great athlete. And, boy, could he rock that uniform.” She sat up, sniffling louder. “Oh, God, that sounded really shallow just now.”
I couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Hey, at least you’re the one saying it. You’re sure to find someone who’s cute on the outside and inside.”
“Girl, what does that even mean?” Denise started snickering, which honestly was the end goal of it all. Laughter always seemed the best remedy to a broken heart. “But, I appreciate the sentiment. It’s just gonna be sooo hella awkward when we all hang out.”
“You still wanna be friends with him, then?” I asked, somewhat surprised.
Denise flashed me a thumbs up as a wobbly grin crossed her face. “I have way too much fun watching you and Scott flounder around. Besides, I’d hate to be your third wheel.”
“So you’re just gonna get us training wheels instead?” I asked.
Another peal of laughter came out of Denise’s mouth. “Aw, you know me so well.” She casually snagged the ice cream tub back up, making her way off her bed and to our mini fridge-slash-freezer. “So, you’re really gonna go home for the break? It’s only, what, a few days?”
“Practically a week, thank you very much.” I turned back to my stack of packed luggage, dragging my last clothing suitcase over. “And unlike someone in this room, I’m actually thrilled to go home and see my parents.”
“Ugh,” Denise made a face as she pushed the freezer door shut. “Parents. Try two human-sized helicopters who almost didn’t let me come here at all.”
I giggled, doing one more check around our room to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. Toothbrush, phone charger, any loose homework papers; I was pretty confident I’d grabbed everything. “Now, while I’m away, promise me you won’t throw a crazy party in our room?”
“Yeah, okay, Mom,” Denise groaned dramatically. “The house will be spotless when you come back.”
Damn. I was gonna miss her over break. “One hug for the road?” I asked, arms outstretched.
Denise grinned, crossing the room to take me up on my hugging offer. “Only because you asked.”
---
I had to admit, riding on the bus with someone I knew was more reassuring than a solo trip. Not that the Bloodhound Bus Station scared me, or anything, but it was a big, open space with lots of moving people and, sometimes, questionable sanitation. Part of me felt a bit more secure walking beside the massive wall that was Scott Sawyer.
“Okay, so, we need Line C, right?” Scott asked.
I nodded; eyes completely glued on my phone’s screen. Even before we left campus, I had both our confirmation emails pulled up and ready to show the ticket master, or whatever you called them nowadays. “Have you…ever ridden this bus line before?” I asked, somewhat desperate for conversation.
Scott nodded nonchalantly. “A few times here and there. Mostly for games.”
“Bloodhound sponsors away games?” I asked curiously.
Scott rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Y-Yeah, well, when you make it to the championship level, it tends to be a big deal around town. One of the richer kids’ parents decided to rent a whole bus.”
“Holy shit, what?!” I put my hand over my mouth, fully aware how loud that curse had been.
Scott tried his best to hide his laughter. “Y-Yeah, I guess it sounds pretty crazy when I say it out loud. But really, it’s still just a bus”
“No, I mean,” I shook my head, staring straight up at him in disbelief. “When did our football team ever make it to the championship level?”
Now it’s Scott’s turn to look surprised. “You don’t remember that? It was literally all the town talked about for weeks. You have to remember.”
I seriously didn’t.
“Oh, wait,” Scott stroked his chin thoughtfully, shifting his backpack against his shoulders in an attempt to redistribute the weight. “Weren’t you out of state or something for one semester? It happened during senior year of high school, so that’s the only thing I can remember.”
Holy crap. It totally was. “You…remembered me leaving for a semester?”
Scott nodded. “Hallways were pretty quiet without your motor mouth going a mile a minute. Plus, nobody to keep me on my toes.”
Huh. That was a weird thing to think about. Scott was…dare I said it…upset, that I’d left? Not really wanting to dwell on the idea any longer, I made a shove at his shoulder, snickering. “Says the Cacophony King himself?”
“Ooh, “cacophony,” Scott whistled loudly. “Look at you and your college grade vocabulary.”
We kept chatting about the most mundane things, laughing all the way up to bag checking. The staff member behind the desk gave us a knowing look while she sifted through our bags. “Going home for the holidays, you two?”
“Uh, yeah,” I nodded, passing my phone her way. “Two tickets.”
“I assumed you weren’t riding his lap,” she replied coolly.
I felt the heat radiate off Scott’s face. I was probably warming him up as well.
“Have a safe ride, you two,” The staff woman grinned. “Hope you have a nice time together.”
Our trek to Line C was mostly in silence as we lugged our luggage behind us. Scott dropped into the first available seat, pulling out a pair of wireless headphones before unceremoniously sticking them into his ears. I grabbed the seat behind him, the interaction with the staff woman still ringing in my ear. She totally thought we were a couple! Scott and me, a couple? I mean, sure, we were far friendlier than we’ve ever been, thanks to the night at the Japanese steak house, but did people really see us as an item? Could I see us as a couple? Oh gross, I think.
“Ooh, look he he’s ignoring her, babe,” My ears perked up to a duo sitting behind us. I dared a glanced back, casually covering up as a look towards the vending machines. Looked to be a pair of girls practically tangled up in each other’s arms. Damn, but they really made a cute couple themselves. Life goals, sitting right behind me.
“Aw, don’t worry,” The second girl giggled, kissing her partner square on the lips. “You’ll be begging for personal space once I’m done with you tonight.”
“Babe,” The first girl cackled, returning the affection in full. I force myself to tear away, both out of embarrassment and a touch of…what the hell was that feeling? Envy? I glanced towards Scott again, him fully engrossed in his own little world. One of his hands had fallen to the side, resting against the middle seats between us.
Before I knew what I was doing, my hand was creeping towards it. His hands had to be pretty calloused, right? All those years of throwing footballs, running and climbing in the woods, just being a general, dumb-footed boy who probably smacked his face a hundred times as a kid…God, it was honestly amazing he still looked as good as he did. I wonder if he wore makeup? Nah.
I immediately snatched my hand away, holding it close to my chest mere inches away from him. “Get it together, Sydney…”
“What was that, Squid?” Scott asked, popping an earbud off and directing a concerned look my way.
“N-Nothing! I, uh—w-watch my stuff so I can go to the bathroom, okay?” God, was that really the best excuse I could come up with? Smooth move, Sydney. Smooth move.
Scott blinked, a bemused smile crossing his face. “Uh, sure. Be quick, though; our bus should be here in the next…golly, half-an-hour, given it actually comes in on time.”
“Ha-ha, yeah. Very funny.” With that, I quickly stood and scampered away, hearing the pair of girls giggling as I did the walk of shame. Oh, Go
d, I could only pray we’d get some time apart once we got home. Plus the dude, just said golly.
Holy crap, I never realized how much I’d missed being home. I always thought Red Rapids was a cage, but now that I was back, it was more a comforting corner full of pillows and nostalgic-smelling blankets.
The bus ride itself was pretty uneventful, thank God. I didn’t think telling Sydney the horror stories I’d personally experienced was a good idea, and in the end, it was the right call. We waited around the station for less than fifteen minutes before our rides came to pick us up. I’d called up a few friends from high school while Sydney’s parents came for her.
“Oh, it’s so nice to see you again, Scott,” Mrs. Burton crooned.
“You’ll be coming to our little homecoming party this evening, yes?” Mr. Burton asked. “All of yours and Sydney’s little friends will be there.”
“Dad, give him a second to breathe, would yah?” Sydney asked, giving me an embarrassed smile. “Feel free to come by if you want, okay? No strings attached.”
I nodded, parting with the Burtons with a wave goodbye. As I turned to the rest of my group, most of the guys were giving me the weirdest looks, some going as far as stare at me with wide-open mouths.
“Dude; when did you and the Squid become amicable?” One of them asked.
I just shook my head with a weary grin. “Now that, gentlemen, requires a few dozen beers and a place to toss my bags.”
Honestly, I’m just glad the guys didn’t ask too many questions. Of course, I told Sydney I was headed to my own folks’ home, that this was just a detour to catch up with old friends.
Yeah. My most masterful lie yet.
I glanced down at my phone while the guys helped me load the trunk up. It was at least a dozen texts from my Mom, all with the bitter aftertaste of someone trying to be seen as the better option. At least with Dad, he left a voice message essentially telling me to take my time with it all.
“You don’t gotta, like, go to any legal sessions or whatever, do you?” One of my friends asked.
I paused, half-stuck between my mind and his words. “Uh, nah. I’m an adult now; they can’t make me go anywhere.”
He nodded, the rest of the guys piling into the car and waiting for me to follow suit. Today would be the first day I spent as someone with divorcing parents.
Yippee.
We ended up literally throwing my stuff into a buddy’s spare room before taking off into town. The one thing I missed the most about Red Rapids was the ability to just walk anywhere you wanted to get. It was great seeing all the sights, like falling back into a familiar rut. We ended up just trekking across town, catching up on old times and laughing about college experiences.
“Dude, and she didn’t kill you for nailing her with a kickball?” One of my buddies laughed.
“Maybe that smack to the head finally knocked something into place,” Another snickered.
I gave a little-too-hard of a punch to that guy’s shoulder. “Ah, don’t be like that. Syd’s pretty cool now.”
“Yeah, okay.” None of the guys seemed convinced.
“No, seriously! She—I’ve really worked on the relationship we’ve had in the past.” Something didn’t quite sit well with how dismissive we were. It was like being at square one with Sydney again, like the night at the steak house didn’t happen.
“Yeah, well, she’s certainly worked on a few things,” A guy made an hourglass shape with his hands while the others laughed. “Never thought I’d see the day Sydney Burton wore something so form-fitting.”
“And make-up?” One of my friends, though that term was becoming looser and looser with each passing second, elbowed me in the ribs teasingly. “You gotta teach us whatever tricks you used on her. Worked like a charm.”
That was the point I sorta tuned out of the conversation.
---
Sydney wrinkled her nose my way, once more reaching towards a plate of tiny pigs-in-a-blanket. “Ugh, what a bunch of creeps.”
“Yeah,” I mimicked her face, straightening slightly as the twinkle lights around my arm tugged slightly. “Well, thanks for letting me come early to help set up. Though,” I added, shifting my arms slightly. “I always thought these sorts of lights were more of a Christmas thing?”
Sydney shrugged, finally pulling her hands away from the snack table with a satisfied nod. “Yeah, well, Dad likes to be thrifty. You almost done up there, Dad?”
I followed her gaze upward, watching as Mr. Burton struggled to hook a strand to a pre-hammered nail. “You, uh, want some help, sir?”
“No, no, I got it!” Mr. Burton called back.
Sydney just rolled her eyes and sighted. “There’s no use arguing with him. He’s just as stubborn as always.”
“And you wonder where you get it from?” Mrs. Burton comes into the room next, a plate assorted of cookies in her hand.
“Hey, I’m not denying it,” Sydney laughed. “And, Ma, I think you have enough food here to feed an army.”
Mrs. Burton shushed Sydney, turning to me with a brilliant smile. “Scott, could you find a place for these? Apparently, my daughter doesn’t think we need them.”
“Wha—I didn’t say that!” Sydney reached for the plate, only to let out a whine as I held them out of reach. “Scott, if you drop any of those, you’re officially uninvited. And I may have to hurt you.”
“What happened to, “no strings attached?” I cackled, snagging a cookie for myself as I stuffed it into my face. “Mm mm, so good.”
Sydney’s laughter grew louder as she tried wrestling the plate away. “You’re such an ass!”
“Language, Sydney,” Mr. Burton called from a top the ladder.
I eventually flick a cookie in between my fingers and send it her way, Sydney still giggling as she snatches it out of the air. All the while, it feels like a pair of eyes are practically glued to the back of my neck. I turned towards the sensation, finding Mrs. Burton staring intently. “Ah, sorry about that,” I apologized. “Guess it would’ve been bad if I broke your plate.”
Mrs. Burton waved a hand. “Oh, it’s just a plate, dear. I didn’t mean to stare, it’s just,” she pursed her lips, trying to hold back a smile. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you two like this before.”
“What? Ma, don’t be silly,” Sydney began, visibly embarrassed by the observation.
“You two certainly are chummier than when you left Red Rapids,” Mr. Burton observed as he carefully climbed down the ladder. “College must’ve done wonders for the two of you.”
“Yes,” Mrs. Burton added, brow arching slightly. “I’m sure you two have had a…number of experiences.”
My heart skipped a beat. “A-Ah, yeah, well,”
Sydney suddenly stepped forward, waving her parents out of the room. “Yeah, all right, thank you for that cleverly subtle insinuation, but I think Scott and I can handle the rest of decorating here. He’s tall so he doesn’t even need a ladder.”
“But, Sydney,” Mr. Burton began.
“I didn’t say anything—!” Mrs. Burton’s voice jumped an octave.
“Yeah, well, you two said you had to go to the store for ice, still, so you better get on that!” With her parents sputtering in front of her, Sydney single-handedly managed to get them out the door in seconds. I had to admit, it was…impressive to watch. Sydney let out a heavy sighed, turned back my way, and shot me a stare. “Not a word from you, mister.”
“What? I didn’t say anything.” I said.
That got a small chuckle out of her. “Is that why you came to my house? Drove your parents too far up the wall, so you came to torture mine?”
Oof. That hit a little harder than I think Sydney meant. “H-Ha-ha…yeah. Sure.”
Shit. Looks like my ability to lie doesn’t work as well with Sydney. She gives me a curious look, stepping away from the door with a somewhat concerned look on her face. “Uh…you okay, Scott? You look kinda…sick.”
Well, being reminded of my fractur
ing family would do that to a guy. But, that wasn’t Sydney’s fault. She didn’t know, and honestly, I didn’t want to talk about it right now. “Eh, m-maybe I’m a bit bus-lagged, still.”
“’Bus-lagged’?” Sydney asked with a bemused grin. “I don’t know if that’s a thing, but if you wanna head home for a nap,”
Hell no I didn’t. “Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to take a walk? Just, get out and take in the scenery? For old times sake.”
Sydney rose a brow my way. “Didn’t you already go out around town?”
I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. “Yeah, well, the memory’s a bit tainted. I’d rather remember us going around than that gaggle of idiots.”
The smile on Sydney’s face put a flock of butterflies in my stomach. “Well…all right. Besides, I’m pretty sure we couldn’t fit anything else in this room if we wanted.” She gestured to the walls and tables, giggling.
“All right, then,” I extended my hand towards Sydney, giving my best devil-may-care grin. “Let’s go play a little hooky, then.”
“I really don’t think you know how words work, there, bud,” Sydney was still giggling, but stepped forward to take my hand. “But, regardless, I accept your invitation to “play hooky,” as it were.”
God, it was nice to be able to walk everywhere again. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed taking trips around the city in Cooper’s car, but there was something so nostalgic about feeling the blood course through your legs, the air in your face instead of blasting through a rolled-down window.
It felt like home, even more so with Scott walking with me.
Red Rapids really hadn’t changed in the slightest since I left, but to be entirely fair, I’d only been gone for a few months. Neighbors would wave to the pair of us, teachers pass us by and ask how college’s going, and nearly every person would inquire about Scott and mine’s relationship.
“Oh, yeah, we’ve gotten pretty close during college,” I said to Miss Winthrop, the absolute queen when it came to raising a flower bed of tulips.