I gently rubbed her shoulder being careful not to wake her up. Smiling to myself as I remembered what it had felt like to tell her I loved her. That liberating and freeing feeling had washed over me when I’d admitted it to her and to myself.
Starting to stir, she whimpered in her sleep, then blinked slowly as she opened her eyes. Her head bounced from side to side as she tried to place her surroundings then she saw me. Her eyes jumped all the way open and her hand immediately went to her mouth to make sure she hadn’t drooled all over herself.
I laughed and said, “Good morning sunshine.”
“What time is it?”
“Three A.M.”
“What? You let me sleep? What’s Aunt Jenny going to think?”
“She’s going to think you’re an eighteen-year-old woman. Besides I called her a couple of hours ago.”
“What? What did you tell her?” she asked, her eyes as big as the full moon setting in the distance.
I was tempted to joke with her and say I’d told her aunt that we were spending the night at a motel and I’d have her home in a week or two, but I didn’t know what kind of mood she was in. I was scared shitless that I’d screw it up by saying the wrong thing. So I wisely decided to tell her the truth. “I told her that I’d taken you to the bluffs and that you’d fallen asleep.”
Katie turned a beautiful shade of pink and locked on her hands folded in her lap.
“I’m sorry about that,” she said. “What did Aunt Jenny say?”
“She said I should let you sleep. You didn’t tell me you had a hard time sleeping.”
“Believe me, I’ve told you enough to last you for a while.”
I laughed and started my truck.
“What have you been doing? Did you fall asleep too?”
“No. I watched the scenery go by and held a beautiful girl in my arms as she slept. You don’t snore by the way, just thought you should know.”
“Of course I don’t snore,” she said as if the very idea was preposterous.
I placed the truck in gear but stopped and looked at her for a moment. “Listen I need you to do me a favor. I’m a guy. If I screw up, say or do the wrong thing, you’ve got to let me know. Okay? It wasn’t intentional.”
Katie balked for a moment then smiled and nodded her head as she hugged my arm.
“I better get you home before your aunt calls out the National Guard.”
.o0o.
Katie
The ride to my house was quiet and peaceful. I couldn’t believe he’d let me sleep like that. How embarrassing. He was probably being nice when he said I didn’t snore. I’m sure I drooled all over myself. I didn’t really care though. My heart was in heaven. A feeling of relief and well-being had settled over me.
Scott had been an angel and I knew I was on the right road to living a normal life. It’s amazing what baring one’s soul could do for you.
We pulled into my driveway and I suddenly started to get nervous. Would he kiss me good night? What if he didn’t? The poor guy had to feel like he was walking on eggshells around the broken girl. Scared the wrong step would send her over the edge. Heaven knew I hadn’t done much to disabuse him of the idea.
He opened my door and I scooted across the seat. Aunt Jenny had left the porch light on.
Walking to my front door felt like a march to the gallows. He didn’t touch me and I didn’t touch him. It was like the closeness between us had been forgotten and we’d returned to the world before the dance.
It was as if a high wall had sprung up between us. I swallowed hard and stopped on the porch to turn and look at him. He was two steps lower than me. Our eyes were even and that was with me in heels. I liked this view. It was nice staring into his chocolate brown eyes without having to crane my neck.
“You know,” I said, “It would be a big screw up to let me go in without a good night kiss.”
He smirked, but I caught a quick flash of relief across his eyes.
“You always know the perfect thing to say,” he said placing a hand on each of my hips sending a warm electric sizzle down my legs and up my spine. We stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. He slowly brought his lips to mine and answered a burning question while he ignited a burning need.
His lips were firm but gentle as we caressed each other’s mouth. My hands drifted to his neck and his to my lower back and I remembered the slow dance on the gym floor. My insides turned to mush again, every cell in my body wanted him, craved his touch. My heart raced and I reluctantly pushed away to catch my breath.
He smiled and said, “Good night, Katherine, sweet dreams.”
Before he could turn and leave I grabbed his lapels and pulled him in close for another kiss. When we broke the clinch I held onto him and looked square into his eyes.
“I love you too Scott James,” I said and squealed inside when I saw pure happiness leap into his eyes. He smiled and kissed me on the forehead and said he’d call me tomorrow.
“You better call me today,” I yelled as he climbed into his truck. He laughed and waved, then backed out into the street and idled there while he waited for me to go inside.
.o0o.
Scott did call me later that day. We talked for hours. Well really, I talked and he grunted occasionally to let me know he was still on the line. It was as if I couldn’t be turned off. We talked about school, about the dance, about music, national politics, and of course, sports. He told me about applying for student loans and several different scholarships.
When it came to end the call we both wanted the other to hang up first, it was sickeningly sweet and I loved every moment of it. He finally hung up and I laughed because I won. Of course, he called back thirty seconds later and said it was his turn to win and made me hang up first. Like I said, ‘sickening sweet.’
It made me want to create a Facebook page just so I could mark “In a Relationship” on my profile page. I was his girlfriend, wasn’t I? I mean, he had asked me to sit in the middle seat of his truck hadn’t he? Life was wonderful. Me being me of course, I wondered what was going to ruin it all.
Scott picked me up in the morning before school and made Mattie get out so I could sit in the middle. She rolled her eyes but gave me a hug letting me know she was really okay with it. At the end of the day, he’d drive Mattie all the way home then turn around and take me to my house.
He said it was because he didn’t want his little sister getting any ideas watching her big brother kissing his girlfriend. My heart jumped when he called me his girlfriend, is there any better word in the English language?
The school was different. It even smelled different. Everything was stronger, fresher. The lunchroom had fresh chocolate chip cookies. The restrooms were awash with Pine-Sol. The hallways sported new shiny wax finishes. Everything was new and unique.
We spent every free moment together. We’d walk down the middle of the hall, hand in hand, forcing everyone to give way so they wouldn’t be seen interacting with the lepers.
I noticed some of the stares from the other girls had changed from hate to jealousy. Their open disdain had been replaced by an open wanting to be in my place. I raised a hand to hide my smile, then squeezed Scott’s hand in thanks.
We never talked about my story. I wondered if he’d ask me questions, he had to have hundreds of them. Scott, however, acted like I hadn’t told him a thing. Somehow though, he let me know at the same time that he was there if I needed to talk.
Lunches were my favorite time of day. We’d sit next to each other, our shoulders and knees rubbing and laugh at each other’s jokes. Mattie and Kevin would stare at us and shake their heads at our weirdness.
She’d say stuff like “gross” and “get a room” but I knew she was okay with it. Scott would laugh and shrug his shoulders.
One afternoon in the lunchroom I caught Gina staring at us. Danny had his back turned to her as he talked to his buddies. For a moment a look of loss and pure hate crossed her face.
She didn’t want S
cott but she didn’t want anyone else to have him either. I caught her eye and smiled back the most sickening and triumphant smile one girl has ever given another. You know, that whole “I beat you and you will never have it this good look.” That look that only another girl could understand. I don’t think I have ever felt more pleased with myself.
A couple of weeks after the dance Scott met me after my third-period chemistry class.
“Come on let’s get out of here, this place is driving me up the wall.”
“We can’t leave,” I said in shock.
He studied me for a moment and said, “Katie, you’ve got to skip at least once in high school. It’s a rule. Do you want to tell your teenage grandkids that you never skipped in high school? They will think you’re the un-cool grandmother. Man, that would so suck.”
I grabbed his hand and laughed as we raced out of the building. It was a couple of days before I realized we were both over eighteen and could have signed ourselves out anytime we wanted.
It was the first beautiful day of spring, a crystal clear blue sky with a giant yellow sun trying its best to warm up the cold earth. The snow had melted and left a hard mud in the parking lot. A cool breeze blew through the trees ruffling bare limbs and sending my hair into a feathery mess.
He took me to the river park and pulled into an empty parking lot. It looked like we were the only ones there. It was too early for moms and strollers. The joggers wouldn’t be out until after work. It was only us.
The baseball fields sprouted a fresh green carpet of new grass and off in the distance thousands of yellow daffodils had shot up through the scattered leaves under the trees. It all looked like a Matisse painting.
We slowly walked the path into the trees and along the river. When we were out of sight he pulled me into his arms and kissed me until my knees felt like they were going to buckle. The boy was definitely a champion kisser.
He wasn’t very demonstrative in public. In private, however, he couldn’t seem to help himself. Believe me, I’m not complaining but it could make a girl worry.
At first, I’d thought it might be because he was embarrassed about being seen with me. It was only later that I realized he was being a gentleman. Concerned for my reputation. It made me love him all the more.
My hands instinctively went to his neck and started to slip inside his collar. I needed to feel his skin.
Caressing his neck I found a metal chain. It surprised me. He never wore jewelry. He didn’t even wear a watch. My mind flashed back to his barn the night Star was born. He’d taken his shirt off, twice. He hadn’t been wearing a necklace or chain.
My curiosity got the better of me. I broke the kiss and worked the chain out of his shirt while he was still too confused to understand what I was doing.
It was a simple metal link chain. The kind kids used for the house key. He or someone had punched a hole through a penny and hung it on the chain. My curiosity was now up to a hundred percent.
I slipped it over his head before he could react. For an outstanding athlete with unbelievable reflexes, he could be slower than a sick snail when we kissed. I smiled to myself when I thought about how I affected him.
I turned the penny in my hand but I couldn’t see anything remarkable. “What’s this?” I asked.
“Give it back Katie,” he said with a frown.
Now my curiosity had pegged out at the top. A devilish feeling of power washed over me and I scrunched the chain and penny into my fist and hid it behind my back.
“Take it,” I teased.
I knew perfectly well that he could force my arms into any position and easily pry my hand open to remove the coin. I also knew he was no more able to do that than he could hit me or push me down. It wasn’t in him.
His eyes turned from happy teasing to a frustrated scowl.
“Come on big boy, I’m not a piece of your grandmother’s china, I won’t break.”
He shook his head, “Katie, you don’t understand. I’d never intentionally hurt you, you know that. It’s just that, sometimes people get hurt when we’re playing around. I broke Justin Blake’s arm in fifth grade when we were playing red rover. I knocked out Tim Swenson’s front two teeth in ninth grade while playing tag and neither of us were even It. Come on give it back to me.” he said holding out his hand.
“No,” I said backing up. I had to get him to treat me like a normal person. We had to get rid of those eggshells. “Not until you tell me what it’s for or until you catch me,” I said then took off running.
I thought I was doing pretty well. I must have gotten fifty feet before he caught up. I turned off the trail and into the trees as he reached for me, squealing and laughing as I avoided his grasp. Several more times he almost got me. Like I said I thought I was doing great until I realized I was out of breath and he wasn’t even breathing hard. He could have caught me anytime but was letting me win.
I grew angry and shoved at his chest. “No fair, you’ve got to try,” I said. Of course, the big behemoth didn’t move and I bounced back three feet. He caught me before I could fall and picked me up to swing me in the air with only one arm.
My feet flew out from beneath me and all the air in my lungs leaped out as I squealed. Instead of putting me down he placed both hands on my ribs and lifted me above his head like he was pressing a barbell.
My hair fell forward and covered us both. Our eyes locked and he smiled.
“I can do this all day Katie. Please give me my penny.”
I laughed.
It was like being on a rollercoaster. What if he dropped me? Deep down I knew I was safe, but there was enough doubt to make it fun.
“No secrets Scott, you know the rules,” I said. We hadn’t really talked about it. I’d automatically assumed that he knew it was one of my rules. My stomach lurched, if he could keep this a secret, what else could he be keeping from me?
He thought for a moment while I continued to hang there in the air.
“It was my dad’s,” he said.
I, of course, felt like a complete idiot. Why else would he carry around a penny on a chain?
“It was in his effects they gave me at the funeral home. The mortician handed me two brown manila envelopes with their stuff in them. He said he could put them in the coffins if we wanted. I remember opening it and sliding the continents onto the table. A watch, a money clip, a wedding band, and that penny. I don’t know why he only had one penny in his pockets. I gave the watch to Grandfather and the money clip to Mattie. I’ll use the wedding band when I get married.” His eyes lost focus for a second and I could feel his arms begin to shake. He slowly set me down and I handed him the chain and penny.
“When we came back from the funeral I found a chain and punched a hole into the penny and hung it around my neck. I figured it had to be a lucky penny now. It’d already gone through a major car wreck. No way could anything bad happen to it again.” He sighed heavily.
“You see, I had to stay safe, Mattie needed me. I also figured I couldn’t kill myself if I was wearing it. Believe me, those first few months the question was in doubt.”
I stood there and listened to him, my heart breaking at the thought of the little boy searching for safety and security. It seemed we all had our own versions of hell.
He held the penny out and let it swing on his chain like a gypsy’s mesmerizing crystal. Taking a big sigh he smiled and slipped the chain over my head. “I want you to have it, it’ll keep you safe.”
“What? No, you can’t give it to me. It was your dad’s,” I said as I scrutinized the treasure. My heart raced and my palms began to sweat. No one had ever given me such a wonderful thing. I could feel myself starting to tear up. I shoved at his chest trying to lighten the mood. “It’s not fair, you’re bigger and faster than me. I can never win.”
He laughed, “What, you want me to be smaller and slower than you?”
“Well, no, I like how big you are, you’re like a mountain, safe, secure, and stable. I’d like to have a
fighting chance though.”
He laughed and gently took my hand. “Come on let’s get back on the trail, I want to steal a couple more kisses.
I reached up and kissed him on the cheek and said, ‘thank you,’ as I placed his lucky penny next to my heart.
Chapter Sixteen
Scott
I wiped the sweat from my eyes as I jogged down the dirt road. My weight was starting to creep up. It might have had something to do with the five thousand calories I was putting away daily. That and the fact that I wasn’t busting my hump in practices every day.
The sun had called me this morning when I woke up. I decided to hit the road and start getting things under control. My muscles loosened up at the beginning of the second mile. That hard empty feeling settled in and made me smile. It had been awhile.
It was a crisp spring Saturday morning and the prettiest, sweetest girl in the world loved me. Life doesn’t get much better. At the end of the second mile, I turned and headed home. A guy my size is not built for long-distance running. I top out at four miles. Anything more than that and I become a quivering mess.
Besides, Katie and I were planning on spending the day together and heading for a movie in Brady later that night. We were arguing about what to see. She’d win of course, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for her.
Finishing my chores after the run, I made sure Grandfather didn’t need anything more before I took off. A quick shower and I jumped out the door before anybody could change their minds.
Mattie followed me out. She folded her arms across her chest and gave me a bittersweet smirk. “You’re never around anymore,” she said with a wistful sound of regret.
My heart broke a little and I wondered if I should invite her along then immediately squelched that ludicrous idea. I sighed and walked back to her.
“I tell you what, next time you go out with Kevin I’ll tag along and keep you company, how about that?”
Too Many Rules Page 12