Red Flags

by C. C. Brown

  Can’t wait to have us all together. What a party it will be.

  Jacob had to know about the depth of Jason and Stacey, and he also knew that I was coming to Heath, so I failed to see how this was shaping up to be an acceptable arrangement for anyone involved.

  “How did you see this? You’re not friends with Jason.” I asked, unintentionally snapping at Chelsea.

  She politely took the phone from my hands. “I was actually on my computer at home, and saw Mila had commented on a post on Jason’s wall… so I clicked on it, and there it was.”

  “I didn’t see Mila’s comment.”

  “It’s right here. You glossed over it, all she said was hmmmm.”

  I collected myself and sat down on the edge of the bed. Chase stared at me with worrisome puppy dog eyes, and Chelsea looked like she was watching a ticking time bomb.

  “So, now what do you do with this newfound information?” She asked, and I looked at her, surprisingly calm, and shocked her with my answer.

  “Nothing.”

  “WHAT?” She yelled, “Don’t be a damn fool Cara. I don’t trust this Stacey chick at all, and you shouldn’t either.

  “Chelsea, you have no idea the level of commitment that we’ve tackled in the last few days. It sucks not hearing this from Jason, but there is probably a reasonable explanation for it. Their families are close, so him saying anything about her going probably didn’t seem like big news to him.”

  Chelsea looked dumbfounded.

  “The point is we’ve reached a level where we are both just so incredibly happy. We’ve spent too much time fighting over asinine shit and I don’t want to fight anymore, not over things that just don’t matter.”

  “Hello. Earth to Cara.” Chelsea yelled, “This isn’t just anything. This is a big chunk of his life, that’s crept her way into your life. Wake up and smell the rotten ass apples, and get your head out of the sand.”

  “You know this girl has it out for you?” Chase asked.

  “Yes I know, but I’m going to face her head on.”

  Chase scratched his head, but didn’t say anything.

  “Well, I didn’t think it would happen, but you’ve gotten your fill of Jason and you aren’t letting go. Luckily for you, I’m going to Heath too.”

  “You are?” I asked, utterly confused on how this was taking place.

  “Yes. Hunter’s dad’s firm is employed by the Bradley’s and Hunter is going as the representative for the company for the gala. I’m going with him.”

  “Awesome, then we should have a good time.”

  Chelsea shook her head, but dropped the mood shattering conversation that had me playing defender of Jason in his absence. I felt like a threshold had been crossed, that I knew now that I was completely loyal to Jason, and would do whatever it took to protect the fragile bond that we had forged.

  Chelsea took me out for an early dinner, and nothing more on Stacey was mentioned.

  <>

  The next few days seemed to streak by. I’d taken two finals and aced both, gone to my job interview and was offered the job on the spot, and now, just waiting for my final exam in Professor Velez’s class. Jason had been so busy with studying, taking his own finals, and completing work for his dad that I hadn’t seen much of him. He had been very good about calling and texting every day, and even had flowers sent to my apartment on the morning of my interview with a note that read: Since I couldn’t find anything as lovely as you; I had to find the next best thing. Knock em’ dead Gorgeous! Love, Jason

  After landing my dream job, my mom decided that we needed to celebrate by shopping. I couldn’t argue with her, I did need a dress for graduation, and in her giving mood, I would probably end up with something that I loved versus something that I settled for.

  Spending three hours going from store to store, boutique to boutique was tiresome, but my mother’s tenacity landed me the perfect knee length, flirty red dress, and killer red bow tie heels. My mom didn’t mind the price tag, and for once, I didn’t either.

  We stopped to have dinner when suddenly, my mom channeled her inner Mr. Pinkston.

  “So do we get to meet Jason’s parents at graduation?”

  I quickly shook my head, “since we’ll be flying down to Texas that night, they aren’t coming.”

  My mom scrunched her eyebrows and took a sip of her lemon water.

  “Graduating from college is a big deal. And let’s face it; they have the money to jet set. Why not come for the graduation and then fly out that night?”

  “I don’t know Mom. Plus, they have the gala Saturday evening, so maybe they need to get ready for that?”

  Shaking her head, she threw out, “I don’t care what you have going on. When it’s your kid, everything else stops. A college graduation is an important milestone. We’ll make sure that Jason knows we are proud of him.”

  I shrugged my shoulders but my heart swelled on the inside. My parents had always been rocks to lean on, shoulders to cry on, and confidants to sound off to. I had wondered why Jason’s parents weren’t coming, but since he had yet to offer up the information, I hadn’t asked. I knew his dad was a source of tension for him, but his mom -- he hadn’t given any indication that she was in the same boat.

  All of this made me more and more anxious for the trip to Heath. Jason seemed to have made it, despite the chaos that was his familial life.

  Chapter 18

  Thursday morning came fast and furiously. I felt as if I’d fried my brain from the countless hours of studying for the final-final exam of my undergraduate studies. I’d been on pins and needles, and ruthlessly short with almost everyone I had come in contact with. Jason had been very understanding and had respectfully given me my space. His cute text messages, and short, yet affectionate phone calls helped to calm my nerves, but the fear of bombing my final had engulfed me like the flames of a wildfire. I missed the final exam review because I was avoiding Jason, and while I got the notes, I just didn’t feel adequately prepared.

  On top of the final, Jason insisted that I stay at his house, or as he referred to it, our soon to be house, so that we could wake up to congratulate each other first thing in the morning. I had to finish packing for the three days we were spending in Heath, and sadly, the only thing that I had packed, was the gown I was wearing to the gala, which was currently at Jason’s house.

  My clomping around in my room invited Mila and Chelsea in to figure out what was going on. They both stood in the doorway, looking between me and my empty suitcase, before heading in and grabbing things from my drawers and tossing them on my bed.

  “I don’t know why you’re so frazzled. Jason’s family is going to love you.” Mila stated, while looking me in the eye on the tail end of her statement.

  “Yeah, plus I’ll be there. And if they don’t love you, they can kiss my ass,” Chelsea threw in for good measure.

  I managed a smile, but feverishly continued throwing things onto my bed. When the comforter could no longer be seen, Chelsea pulled my suitcase to the floor, and began to neatly fold the clothes and place them inside. I probably had too many clothes for what was truly necessary, but as Chelsea always said, it’s better to have too much, than to be a repeat offender. Her words brought a smile to my face, and when the suitcase was stuffed to capacity, I followed the girls out to the kitchen for a calming glass of wine. Mila swore it helped to pacify her anxiety all through finals, and at this point, I had no other option.

  A few errands with Chelsea turned into a full day’s task. Her shopping list for Texas went from needing a few small things, to buying damn near all of San Diego. I should have known better than to let her talk me into a day out with her, but I went anyway, and was now in need of a quick nap.

  Jason called a couple of times, failing miserably to hide his lack of enthusiasm for me spending the day running around with Chelsea instead of resting at home. His last text message after being out for more than two hours after I said I would be home said all he needed to say.


  From Jason

  *Get your ass home NOW! <3*

  I simply replied with a smiley face, but pressured Chelsea to end her spree and let me rest.

  Walking into the apartment, my eyelids felt like lead and I made my way to the couch and passed out. The draining feeling of anxiety had left me physically exhausted, and praying for this test to come and go.

  Mila woke me up with about a half hour before I had to leave for class. She handed me another glass of wine and then made her way back into the kitchen to retrieve the glasses that were set aside for her and Chelsea. We sipped, chatted, laughed, and did anything but think about the test awaiting me.

  A knock on the door was our cue that the dreaded hour had arrived. Chase waited for us in the foyer as we gathered our bags to make the trek down to campus. Mila, having completed her finals, saw us off, but not before making an all too obvious sour face at Chase, coupled with a nice thick roll of her eyes.

  “Good luck assholes, I’m sure you’ll need it.” She laughed, and while I knew she was kidding, her words stung, and reminded me that I was about to sit for the hardest test I had ever taken.

  Walking in the direction of the classroom, I saw Jason sitting on the planter just outside the door. He walked up to us, eyeing Chase antagonistically, but didn’t say anything to him. He put his arm around my shoulders and led me to the classroom. We took our seats and as I started to pull my notecards from my bag, Jason put his hand my mine and stopped me.

  “You know it. If you keep mashing information into your head, you’re going to forget everything.”

  “I’m just nervous. I need to do well.”

  “Well, I’m not nervous, but you keep this shit up and I will be.” He rubbed my hands and for a second or two, all felt right in my world again.

  Professor Velez passed out the final exam and in the moment that I had been dreading, I was surprisingly calm. The information was like a fountain, gushing from within, eager to be placed on the paper. I stole a glance over at Jason who looked equally relaxed. I took a moment to breathe, after having felt like my life was over upon entrance into the classroom. Mila’s wine just may have done the trick, or the fact that I’d studied for days was winning through.

  An hour into the class, Jason stood and walked his paper up to Professor Velez. They exchanged quiet words, and shook hands. Jason motioned to me that he would be waiting right outside the door, and while I was nearly finished, I felt the need to check my work – which he failed to do.

  Another 20 minutes passed before I felt completely comfortable turning in my work. When I looked it over until the writing fell off, I finally stood, gathered myself, took a long, deep breath, and walked up towards Professor Velez. I sat my paper down on the stack, and shook his hand.

  “Congratulations Miss. Pinkston, I look forward to seeing you walk the stage tomorrow.” He smiled a deep, genuine smile, and I found myself looking down, but smiling broadly.

  I strolled outside -- feeling relieved, and made my way into Jason’s arms. He lifted me off the ground, and kissed me passionately, without a care for the other students walking through the halls. Chase walked out of his classroom, and nodded my way, but didn’t stop to speak with Jason around.

  I focused back on Jason and couldn’t help but feel the warmth of happiness seeping into my body. I don’t think I had ever seen him so carefree, and fortunately, the feeling was infectious.

  “Let’s get your stuff so we can go and celebrate.” He said, pulling me in the direction of the parking lot.

  “Celebrate? We don’t graduate until tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, and we’re officially done with school… that’s cause for celebration.”

  I smiled, but shook my head at him. “What do you have in mind? Bar? Club?”

  He stopped and gazed into my eyes, “you, naked, in our pool.”

  “Your pool?”

  “No I meant it, our pool. Why do you keep avoiding it?”

  “I haven’t agreed yet. Why do you keep saying it?”

  “I figure, if I say it enough, it’ll grow on you.” The All-American boy smile was back, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the idea. If he bombarded me with the statement that all that was his was mine, it would grow on me and I would have no choice but to give in. While I was not entirely sure of the logic, I couldn’t fault the persistence that came along with it.

  <>

  Waking up sore was definitely not in my plans for the morning of graduation. The pool, the outdoor bar, the shower, the bed… Was that it? The night was so explosive, pleasurable, intense, and mind blowing, that I wasn’t even sure when I had fallen asleep, and I was definitely tired waking up.

  Envy crept into my body as I watched Jason walk from the shower into the closet. He looked wide eyed, refreshed, and full of life. I could stare at his body for hours. Rubbing a towel over his damp hair, he stalked towards the bed and threw himself down next to me.

  “How did you sleep?” A wolfish grin spread across his mouth.

  “I’m not sure I slept. I’m exhausted.”

  “I figured you would be. You were a nympho last night.” He stood and dropped the towel that was gracefully hiding his man parts. I mustered up the energy and ignored the pain radiating through my body and bound to him, wrapping my arms and legs around him before he had a chance to move. “Damn. You want more?”

  I smirked, but slowly covered his mouth with mine, and we stood in the middle of the bedroom, kissing, like we had no care in the world. My legs came back to life and the pain that had occupied my body began to radiate again. I lowered myself off of Jason and quickly mouthed, rain check, and I winced and walked off to the shower. He laughed and mumbled something about breakfast, but all I could think about was a hot shower to alleviate the tension that had built up in my muscles.

  I walked out in a white camisole tank top and black mesh shorts, wet, curly hair, and a roughly scrubbed, make-up free face, and met Jason at the kitchen table for some Greek yogurt, fresh blueberries, strawberries, and muffins. Plopping down in the seat across from him, I smiled at him, making sure to remain silent, hoping to perk his curiosity. It worked.

  “Why are you smiling like that?” He gave a nervous smile, not sure if he should even be smiling at all.

  “I’m just a little excited, that’s all.”

  “Well you should be. We’re getting degrees today.”

  “Well, that’s not all.” I shoved more yogurt and fruit into my mouth.

  “What else? You can’t be that excited about Heath. It’s just not that exciting of a town.”

  “Not Heath per say… but the fact that Chelsea is going with us, I’m excited about that.”

  Jason dropped his spoon back into his bowl, mouth gaping open, and his eyes bulging out. “What did you just say? Today is a day of celebration, not a reason to binge drink at eight in the mornin'.”

  I laughed at his little joke, but reinforced my earlier statement, much to his dismay.

  “Hunter is the representative for his dad’s firm, so he’s taking Chelsea with him.” The stoic look on his face empowered me to bring up the situation that had me wanting to tear into someone. “Besides, it might a good thing having her there, since Stacey will be there.” I threw a piece of my muffin into my mouth and waited for Jason’s reaction. He barely moved, smirked and looked at me with affection in his eyes.

  “Stacey’s family is close to mine. Doesn’t shock me that she’ll be there. You worried about her?”

  “No,” I answered much too quickly, my desperation to hide the fact that it did bother me was painfully obvious. Jason started playing with my feet under the table, and we moved on to much more pleasant topics of conversation.

  <>

  The parking lot to the stadium was packed. Jason decided on the Raptor to, in his words; make the bad drivers respect our place in line. I doubted it really made a difference, but Jason swore the bigger the vehicle, the less likely some idiot was to jump in front of you. With the exception
of a few expletives, we parked with no fireworks to note.

  The line to check in was exceptionally long; luckily Jason and I had the same major so we would be able to keep one another company for the forever long ceremony. Chelsea and Mila came running up and we hugged, jumped up and down, and squealed like fifth graders. Mila tossed her camera to Jason and we posed for a series of serious, cute, funny, and sensual pictures. Jason said he couldn’t handle any more of the sensual shots, and heaved the camera back at Mila, then took me in his arms as we posed for a few of our own. The processional music began playing and we took our places in line to march in to the stadium.

  Thousands of screaming, applauding, proud, and anxious friends and family members greeted us as we made our way in. I couldn’t have predicted that I would feel overwhelmed by that moment, but I was, and I had the tears rolling down my face to prove it. I reached back for Jason who gladly took my hand, and we made our way to our seats together. As we sat, he brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it firmly, whispering, “I love you.” I lay my head on his shoulder and allowed the tears to flow as they may. For the first time in a long time, they were welcome tears, and since they hadn’t made themselves known in a long time, I welcomed them with open arms.

  The ceremony was unbearably long. Lucky for me, I had Jason to hold on to and stare at while the stuffy old Professors and Dignitaries spoke their words of wisdom. As soon as the ceremony ended, we made our way through the throngs of people, hugging, kissing, crying, and picture taking to the loving arms of my parents, and Ryan. It seemed Ryan was attached to both families because the Nakamura’s stood side by side with my parents, and welcomed us with hugs of their own.

  The overabundance of picture taking had my jaw and cheeks burning. I highly doubted that I could smile for another photo, so I cut them off, after of course, taking a picture on my dad’s back. We had a picture from my kindergarten graduation with me on his back, and this photo, 17 years later, would make a fine companion piece. After my mom’s tearful, “have a safe flight… call me as soon as you land… have a good time…” I turned to my dad who was much more composed with his see you laters.