Brett Barney - Remember Me.txt

by Remember Me

  almost don’t want her to have to be there when I take it public, I’m pretty protective of her.”

  “Give her some time to understand everything before you go to the media with any of the

  research,” remarked Cheryl. She pulled out a pencil and paper and began writing something

  down on it. “When she’s ready for you to tell her about everything, here’s my address and phone

  number. I would like to meet her and sit down with her. I think she should know a little bit about

  Edward. He was the man who brought her into the world.”

  A Novel by Brett Barney Remember Me?

  © 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 67

  “Agreed,” answered Ray. “You’re as big a part of this as anyone else. I won’t go forward

  with anything until you’ve had an opportunity to talk with her face to face about it. When she’s

  ready to confront the issue, I’ll bring her to you. You can help show her Edward’s side of the

  work.”

  The two old friends were interrupted by Margaret and her mother coming from the store

  with the dress. Ray’s wife looked over at him making sure it was clear for them to bother the

  two. Cheryl answered her question for her.

  “You’ll look just stunning for your graduation, my dear,” Cheryl spoke to the young girl

  who stood with her mother. “Now if you’ll all excuse me, I have to be getting back to my

  shopping. Congratulations on your accomplishment, young lady, it’s something to be proud of.”

  Cheryl stood up from the bench and patted the hands of Margaret and her mother as she

  walked past them. Alice looked over at her husband with a puzzled glance and then back over at

  her daughter. Margaret seemed unaffected by the unexpected encounter.

  “How’s Cheryl doing, dear?” Alice asked her husband.

  “She seems to be doing really well,” answered Ray as he wrapped an arm around his wife

  and led his family towards the exit of the mall. Margaret could hardly look up from the box

  containing the dress that she carried so proudly in her arm.

  The ride home that afternoon went by much faster. Margaret thought about her dress, and

  dreamed of how her graduation night would turn out. Something had bothered her about the trip,

  but she didn’t know what it was. Soon, the previous night’s events came back to her, and she

  found her thoughts returning to Amy. The new information must have come as a shock to her,

  and Margaret wondered what Amy thought about right now. It seemed silly, and she knew that

  back in Deer Hollow, Amy’s mind worked furiously, trying to imagine why she had never

  known her father.

  Laura lay with her eyes shut under the warm covers of her bed. Her room in the basement

  always felt cool, and she had to wrap herself tightly beneath the blankets to keep her body heat

  locked inside. It was long past midnight, and the house remained totally silent.

  Laura had finished writing in her journal an hour earlier and turned out the lights. Her

  thoughts overflowed with visions of the future. Almost a week had passed since her encounter on

  her back porch, but she had already planned the next few months of her romance. Now she could

  only wait for the next appearance by her secret lover.

  Laura couldn’t sleep. She just lay there with her eyes closed, trying to clear her thoughts

  so she could get some rest, but it did her no good at all. Her mind remained focused on the same

  thing which had filled her thoughts for the past two days. His face seemed permanently scribed

  on the back walls of her mind.

  A Novel by Brett Barney Remember Me?

  © 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 68

  A light banging on her bedroom window startled her as she opened her eyes and prepared

  to lash out at anything that moved. Laura had a deep fear of unknown sounds in the dark. She

  started to let out a scream, but stopped herself before any sound flowed from her lips.

  The tapping noise sounded again, and she could make out the silhouette of a man hiding

  in the moonlight which streamed into her bedroom. Anticipation overcame fear as she ventured

  from her bed towards the window to investigate the lurking prowler. She picked up her tennis

  racket on the way to the window, in case she needed a weapon to defend herself.

  Laura leaned up against the wall and slid a corner of the curtain away to peek outside.

  She instantly recognized the individual who matched the image that haunted her like an

  unrelenting spirit. He wore blue jeans and his letterman’s jacket. She moved into his view and

  cracked the window so she could speak with him. The old frame of the window creaked just

  slightly as it opened.

  “What are you doing here, Todd?” she asked in an excited, but extremely low whisper.

  “I couldn’t stand to not see you,” answered the soft voice. “I’m sorry to wake you, I just

  had to come over and see you once before I close my eyes for the night.”

  “That’s so sweet,” she sighed. “I couldn’t sleep either. I just can’t seem to get you out of

  my mind.”

  “Well don’t try so hard. It’s nice to know you’re thinking about me too. I had hoped you

  wouldn’t forget about me.”

  “Not on your life,” she assured him. She stood for several seconds staring into his deep

  eyes. They looked so inviting under the moonlight. The chill from outside brought her back to

  her senses as her skin became riddled with thousands of little bumps.

  “Would you like to come outside and go for a walk?” Todd invited.

  “I’m not even dressed,” she informed him. She slowly pulled the old window open wider,

  so he could fit through. “Here, come on inside.”

  “What about your parents?”

  “The whole family went to sleep hours ago. Don’t worry, Todd, they’ll never know. Now

  come in, you’re letting all the warm air out.”

  Todd slipped down into the window well and lowered his legs through the window. He

  arched his back and he used his arms to gently drop down to the floor of Laura’s bedroom. She

  wondered at his strength as she watched him.

  He turned around and looked Laura over. She wore a long night shirt to bed. It flowed

  down her shapely curves to stop halfway up her thighs, covering her completely, but still

  flattering her. She wore her hair in a ponytail to bed. Laura closed the window behind him and

  quickly walked over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

  A Novel by Brett Barney Remember Me?

  © 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 69

  Todd welcomed the invitation and gently wet her lips with his own. The bitter chill of his

  skin didn’t bother her as she helped him out of his jacket. They gently dropped the jacket on the

  floor as she grabbed his hand and led him over to sit down at her bedside.

  “This isn’t exactly the easiest place to talk,” he whispered lightly. Laura could sense the

  nervousness in his voice. She knew he was right, the sound of voices might wake her parents.

  “I wasn’t really in the mood to talk anyway,” she whispered in reply. “Why don’t you lay

  down with me a while. It would feel nice just to hold you for a while.”

  Todd leaned over and unlaced his shoes. Laura had already returned to her position

  beneath the covers when he slid in beside her. She laid her head down on his chest as he wrapped

  an arm around her and pulled her close to him. His arms felt good holding her after several day
s

  of longing for his touch.

  Laura lay on his chest for several minutes, listening to the pounding of his heart. She

  explored the contours of his chest with her free hand, slowly unbuttoning his shirt to feel his bare

  skin. Seconds later she found her lips gently kissing his as she looked down at his face.

  The uninhibited teens quietly released their feelings of hesitation and began to more

  intimately share one another’s company. Time seemed to stand still as layers of clothing fell

  carelessly to the side. Before she realized how far they had gone, Laura found herself lying

  beneath his naked body, urging him to continue.

  Laura placed a single finger against her lips, reminding him that they had to keep things

  quiet and then willingly welcomed him to carry on. The two lovers broke free of all hesitations.

  Their bodies became tangled in a slow moving embrace and Laura felt a new comfort in his

  arms.

  Her quiet moans moved Todd with incredible desire. He tried desperately to hold back,

  but soon surrendered to nature. Laura felt his body tense up and longed to express her feeling

  with verbal sound. She held back her vocal expressions, fighting the strange sensations that the

  moment had unlocked.

  Todd collapsed in the sheets beside her and she moved closer to him to share his warmth.

  The smell of his wet, rough skin enticed her senses. She felt more comfortable this time, and had

  taken a more active role in the encounter. It seemed strange how natural her instincts were, even

  though they were carnal instincts, and not something she would usually pride herself on. Things

  felt right now, and she didn’t find herself regretting anything which had occurred. The physical

  satisfaction she gained had all but buried any feelings of guilt which might creep up to bother

  her. Laura closed her eyes and soon lost herself in the wonder of her dreams.

  A Novel by Brett Barney Remember Me?

  © 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 70

  Laura woke to the sound of birds chirping outside her window. The light from the

  morning sun had slowly crept towards her bed from the window and began to warm her face. She

  opened her eyes and looked over to the window, wondering if it was just a dream.

  Laura felt completely rejuvenated from her relaxing sleep. She couldn’t recall a morning

  in a long while where she had felt so refreshed and ready to begin the day. She slowly stretched

  her muscles as she spread out across the fullness of her bed.

  A feeling of terror came over her as her hand came to an abrupt halt against the solid

  object beside her. She explored the object with her hand, hoping that it was not what she feared.

  A low moan arose from the object as it moved beneath her grasp.

  Laura jumped up in her bed and placed a hand over Todd’s mouth. His eyes opened in

  confusion as he tried to figure out where he was. A fearful expression crept over him as he stared

  up at the naked girl before him. Laura looked over at her clock sitting on the night stand. There

  were still three minutes before the alarms would start ringing throughout the house, signaling the

  inhabitants to wake up.

  “Quick,” she whispered in panic. “Get your clothes on, you have to leave before my

  parents wake up.”

  Todd jumped from the bed and scurried around the room, trying to locate his clothes

  scattered across the floor. Laura watched in amazement at the speed he exercised as he threw on

  his clothes. Laura hurried over to the window and quietly opened it, trying not to make too much

  noise.

  She turned around to see Todd scurrying to lace up his shoes.

  As she stood in front of the window, eagerly awaiting his departure, the chill creeping in from

  outside reminded her that she was naked. She ran over to her door and threw on her robe as Todd

  stood up and hurried towards the open window.

  The sounds of clock alarms going off throughout the house broke the morning silence in

  the background. Laura helped give him a boost up to the window as the sounds of footsteps from

  the floor above them alerted the two that others in the house were awake.

  “Oh no,” worried Laura aloud. “What about your car?”

  “Don’t worry,” he assured her. “I walked.”

  “Be careful. Make sure nobody sees you.”

  “Are any of the back windows open?” he asked, trying to figure out an escape route.

  “They shouldn’t be.”

  “Good,” he uttered with relief. “I’ll see you at school.”

  “What will your parents say when you’re not in your bed when they go to wake you?”

  “I go out running in the morning all the time,” he assured her. “The hard part is getting

  away from here without getting caught.”

  A Novel by Brett Barney Remember Me?

  © 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 71

  Todd waved good-bye and crawled against the wall of the house towards the backyard.

  She listened for a minute for someone to catch him sneaking away, but all was silent.

  The sound of her door opening behind Laura startled her as she turned to face the door.

  Her mind furiously searched for a story as her mother looked over at her oddly. Laura realized

  that she hadn’t done her robe up tightly and much of her skin remained uncovered.

  “What are you doing standing in front of an open window without any clothes on?” asked

  her mother with a look of total confusion etched across her face.

  “I was burning up,” Laura exclaimed. “Doesn’t it feel hot down here?”

  “No,” answered her mother firmly. She walked over and placed her hand of Laura’s

  forehead, feeling for a temperature. “You feel fine to me?”

  “Well, I was just headed to the shower,” Laura explained. “It must be getting close to my

  period or something.”

  She closed the window behind her as she tightened up the robe and walked down the hall

  to the bathroom. Her mother followed her, still confused, but not doubting the story. She walked

  past the bathroom and climbed the stairs towards the kitchen as Laura turned on the light.

  “Hurry up,” called her mother back to her. “Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes. After

  that, you can fend for yourself.”

  Laura and Heather sat huddled together in the bleachers with a blanket wrapped around

  them. The umbrella held over their heads protected them from the densely falling rain from

  above, but the bitter chill of the air made leading any cheers impossible. The squad decided to

  call it a night and join the crowds in the stands as they finished watching the game. After losing

  two games straight, the crowd didn’t really seem that enthusiastic. Laura just wanted the game to

  end. She hadn’t seen Todd in some time, and wanted their relationship to consist of more than

  just weekly engagements. Exchanged glances in the hallway between classes didn’t match up to

  her expectations, but she knew in the end they would be together. It was just a matter of time.

  “So do you think we’ll lose this game too?” Heather asked.

  “That’s an awful attitude for the head cheerleader to have,” scorned Laura. “They’re just

  in a slump right now. They’ll snap out of it.”

  “Oh, come on, Laura,” defended Heather. “We haven’t won a game since homecoming.

  This will be our third straight loss. They’re wiping up the field with us. We have four minutes

  left to
score four touchdowns just to tie the game up. Face it, we stink. We probably won’t even

  be invited to play in the state tournament. It’s been almost ten years since a Harrison football

  team didn’t make it to the state tournament. Our team is pathetic.”

  A Novel by Brett Barney Remember Me?

  © 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 72

  “They could still snap out of it,” assured Laura optimistically. “There’s three games left

  in the regular season. If we win all three, we automatically get an invitation because we won our

  first two games this year. Any team with a winning record gets invited to the tournament.”

  “I don’t think so,” answered Heather. “We can’t even win against a team like this. Our

  last three games are against three of the toughest teams in our region. We might be lucky to

  squeeze out one win, but three in a row, try again.”

  Laura ignored the negative comments about the team. She still had a glimmer of hope

  that the team could pull things off. The year had gone so well, better than her wildest dreams.

  Everything had fallen into place perfectly, her entire life felt as if it had meaning. The only thing

  she could think of to make it better was for the football team to at least go to the state

  tournament.

  She had dreams of running out onto the field and throwing her arms around Todd as he

  regained his title as the town hero. Laura knew he still had the potential to lead the team to the

  tournament. She felt so proud of him, and she just wanted the rest of the town to give him the

  credit he deserved. She wanted to stand by him as he stood tall when he walked down the street.

  Laura watched as one of Harrison’s players broke free from the pack and ran the ball

  down to the end zone. She recognized his number under the bright lights and jumped up to cheer

  him on before he crossed the line. The crowd of wet and cold spectators roared to life joining

  her.

  Heather jumped up beside her and placed each of her pinkies in her mouth, releasing a

  loud, sharp whistle. She stopped suddenly as she recognized the numbers on the jersey of the

  player.

  “It’s just Todd, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know,” lied Laura. “Even if it is, what does it matter, it’s our first touchdown of

  the game. We’re supposed to get excited when we score, it’s sort of our job out here.”