Last Train Home

by Megan Nugen Isbell

  “Thank you, honey. Your mama took me to the beauty shop today. I got a new perm.”

  “Well, you look gorgeous,” I told her and I meant it and then I turned and gestured toward Jesse, who was still holding the paint cans by the door. “Do you remember Jesse?”

  She looked over at him and cocked her head to the side as if she was trying to remember.

  “Didn’t you two go out the other night?”

  “No, Grandma, that was Alex.”

  “Oh! That’s right. You’re the young man that came over to study with Riley. I’m sorry.” Her cheeks were reddening as she looked over apologetically at Jesse.

  “That’s okay.” He smiled at her warmly, showing her he hadn’t been offended. He was so polite…a true gentleman.

  “What are you two doing?” she asked and I saw her eyes rest on the paint cans I was sure Jesse was getting tired of holding.

  “We just bought the paint for my room. Are you sure you’re okay with me painting it?”

  “Of course. This is your home now. If you want to paint the walls, go ahead and paint the walls. This place could use a little color. What color did you go with anyway?’

  Jesse left his place at the door and set the paint cans down at my grandma’s feet.

  “It’s called ultramarine,” I said and pointed to the speck of paint the worker at the paint store had wiped on the lid of the can.

  “That’s…bright,” she said and I knew it wasn’t what she’d expected.

  “You don’t like it?” I asked.

  “No, no, I didn’t say that.” My grandma sounded overly apologetic, trying to unoffend me, even though she hadn’t. “It’s just different is all.”

  “Well, he picked it out!” I started laughing and pointed over to Jesse who was shrugging his shoulders as if there was no way he could defend himself.

  “What can I say? Guilty,” he admitted.

  “Well…it should be… attention-grabbing,” she said, raising her eyebrow.

  She was smiling so I knew she really was interested to see how Jesse and I were going to transform the room.

  “I promise you’re going to love it,” I assured her and then began making my way towards the stairs. Jesse picked up the paint cans again and followed me.

  “We’ll see. Now I’m going to get back to my stories,” she chuckled lightly and then turned her attention back to the TV. I still laughed to myself when I heard that term. I’d only ever known them as soap operas until coming to Carver, but then again, I hadn’t heard of a lot of things till coming to Carver.

  “Your grandma seems doubtful of our color choice,” Jesse said when we got to my room. He set the paint cans down with a thud on my desk and then began looking around.

  “Like I said, she’s going to love it.”

  I put the bag of paint supplies on the bed and began pulling everything out.

  “So when do we get started?” I asked, holding up a roller.

  “Not tonight!” he exclaimed.

  “I know that,” I scoffed at him and set the roller back on the bed. “No need to jump down my throat. I was just asking when we were going to start.”

  I turned my back to him and started putting everything away again. The plastic bag crinkled loudly among the silence that had settled between us. But, then I heard him walk across the room and felt his presence behind me a second later. He gently laid a hand on my shoulder and he turned me to face him.

  “Hey, I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t get what you were asking. You looked pretty eager so I thought you thought we were starting tonight. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

  “Well, that’s not what I meant,” I said defensively. “I am eager. I want to cover up this crap with some color as soon as possible, but I know we can’t start tonight. We said we were going to start this weekend.”

  “I sounded like a jerk though, so again, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine,” I said quietly and I turned away from him to finish straightening the bags.

  “Really, I’m sorry,” he said again.

  I turned around and he was looking down at me with an apologetic smile and I could tell he really did feel badly. But, when I smiled at him, he seemed to relax.

  “It’s fine. Totally fine,” I told him and then it was quiet between us again for a moment.

  “You’ve got a lot of prep work to do before Saturday,” he said finally.

  “What do you mean by prep work?”

  “Haven’t you ever painted a room before?”

  “Um…no,” I said and I could see the mock exasperation settling on his face. “You look surprised.”

  “No, not really,” he said as his astonishment turned into a grin. I knew he was silently making fun of me, but I just ignored him.

  “So enlighten me, Mr. Fix-It. What do you mean by prep work?”

  “You’ve got to wash the walls and tape off the room.”

  “Wash the walls? Why do I have to wash the walls? We’re just painting.”

  “You can’t put paint on dirty walls, Riley,” he said, gesturing around the dingy room. “Especially a room in an old house.”

  “The paint will cover up the dirt. Why make more work for ourselves?”

  “You are too much,” he said as he walked over and ran his finger along the wall. He came back over to me and wiped his finger on my shirt, which left a light brown trail behind.

  “Gross! What are you doing?” I said, realizing too late how shrill I sounded as I wiped the dirt from my shirt.

  “I’m showing you how dirty your walls are, even though they don’t look that dirty.”

  “So now you’re insulting me? You make it sound like I live in a pigsty.”

  “I’m not saying that and you know it. You just need to do it right or it’ll look crappy.”

  “Fine. I’ll wash the walls.”

  “It’s not that hard. Just use some warm water and a little bit of dish soap and wipe the walls with a sponge.”

  “Yes, sir!” I said sternly, saluting him and he just stood there glaring at me and rolling his eyes.

  “Remind me again why I’m helping you?”

  “Hey, you offered. I never asked for your help.”

  “True. So I guess I got myself into this mess.”

  “Precisely. So you can’t exactly unvolunteer,” I said, pointing a finger playfully at him.

  Again, he rolled his eyes, but this time he ran his hands through his thick brown hair and chuckled lightly as he reached back into the plastic bag and pulled out a roll of blue tape.

  “You’re going to need to tape off the window and door frames and the baseboards.”

  “Sounds like fun,” I mumbled sarcastically as I took the tape from his hands. “Looks like I’m going to be busy.”

  “The taping might take a while, so why don’t I come over and help. How ‘bout Friday night? Just make sure the walls are washed by then and we’ll bust it out.”

  “I can’t do it on Friday,” I said feeling guilty. He was being so nice offering to help me and I had to turn him down.

  “Oh,” he said. “Okay.”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry, Jesse, but I’ve gotta go to this party with Alex on Friday.”

  “I should’ve figured you guys would be hanging out or something.”

  I thought I detected a hint of annoyance in his voice, but he was covering it well. I just wished my friends, well everyone besides Mandy, would stop being so skeptical of my thing with Alex.

  “It’s just he kinda wants…” I began before he interrupted me.

  “You don’t need to explain anything to me.”

  “I know. But, I feel I owe you an explanation because I really appreciate you helping me with this. You’ve been so nice to me since I moved here. And believe it or not…and don’t tell anyone I said this or I’ll kill you…but I’m actually starting to like it here…kinda,” I added with a wink.

  “Your secret’s safe with me,” he said, zipping his lips. “So where’s this party h
e’s taking you to?”

  “This guy Kurt’s house. Believe me, I’d rather not go. I think the skank’s going to be there, so I really don’t wanna go.”

  “Kurt Buckley?”

  “I guess so. He’s one of Alex’s friends.”

  “Yeah, it’s Kurt Buckley,” Jesse said shaking his head, an obvious look of disapproval washing over his face.

  “Maybe I’m reading this wrong, but you don’t look too pleased.”

  “Kurt Buckley’s a dick,” Jesse said bluntly and he looked me directly in the eye.

  “He seemed fine when I talked to him at lunch.”

  “That’s because you don’t know him. I’ve known him since kindergarten and he’s a prick.”

  “But what makes him a dick and a prick?” I asked, crossing my arms as I waited for his explanation, which didn’t come.

  “Just be careful over there.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Things just get crazy at his house. There’s stuff there you don’t wanna mess with. So just be careful.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but I’m a big girl. I think I can take care of myself.”

  “I know. I was just sayin’,” he began and then he was quiet for a few moments before changing the subject. “So have you given any more thought to our project?”

  “Honestly, no, I haven’t. You?”

  “Not really,” he admitted.

  “We can talk about it on Saturday while we work,” I said as I walked next to him and put the tape back in the bag that was resting on the bed behind him.

  “Yeah, I’ll give it some thought and we’ll hammer out some ideas on Saturday.”

  “Don’t worry…our project will be awesome,” I assured him.

  “No doubt,” he said and I looked up into his gray eyes and saw he was smiling at me.

  There was a knock on the door frame and I turned my head to see Alex standing there. He was grinning at me with that half-smile that always made my knees a little weak. I swear my heartbeat picked up when he looked at me and I realized how happy I was to see him.

  “Hey, what’s goin’ on?” Alex asked, stepping into the room and then his eyes moved back and forth between me and Jesse.

  “Hey, Alex,” I said smiling at him and walking to his side, but Jesse remained quietly by my bed. “Jesse’s just helping me paint my room. We went and got all the stuff after school. I couldn’t find you…” I stopped talking when I felt Alex gently lace his fingers with mine.

  “Yeah, about that. Sorry, I sorta disappeared.”

  “Is everything alright?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Everything’s fine. I just had to talk with Mrs. Meyers about the incident in chemistry today,” he replied nonchalantly referring to the assistant principal. “Apparently Mr. Decker didn’t think the mishap was an accident, which it totally was,” he said and looked at me with a smile as if to prove his innocence. “By the time I was done though, you’d already left, so I thought I’d come by. Your grandma let me in.”

  “I thought this was your way of avoiding me,” I said, looking up into his deep brown eyes.

  “Never,” he assured me and squeezed my hand. For a second, it was as if everything else around us disappeared and I forgot Jesse was standing only a few feet away.

  Jesse cleared his throat and I shook myself back to reality. Jesse was staring at me and Alex. Alex was staring back and seemed to grip my hand a little harder. There was an uncomfortable awkwardness settling in the room.

  “Well…I’m gonna head out,” Jesse finally said, walking into the hallway.

  “Yeah, okay,” I said as Alex and I followed him down the stairs.

  My grandma was still watching TV. Her soap opera was almost over and I knew Oprah would be coming on next.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, looking to me and Alex. “Bye, Mrs. Smollett.”

  “Leaving already, Jesse?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I’ve got some homework to do.”

  “Can’t you stay for dinner? We’re having tuna casserole.”

  “Nah, I’ve gotta get going, but thank you.”

  “Maybe another time,” she said, smiling at him. My grandma really was great. She’d lived alone for so long and yet she seemed totally okay with her life having been invaded by a teenager and her friends.

  “Definitely,” he told her and then walked to the door.

  “Hey, Jesse,” I called to him and he stopped to look at me. “Thanks again for helping me out with this.”

  “No problem. Just make sure everything’s ready for Saturday,” he said and waved to me before he closed the door behind him.

  I felt Alex take my hand again and I looked to my grandma who seemed to be staring at us curiously.

  “What about you, Alex? Are you staying for dinner?” she asked him.

  “I would never turn down tuna casserole,” he said, smiling at her and then looked over to me. “I mean, I guess I’d better ask if you want me to stay.”

  “Of course,” I said, looking at him as if he was crazy.

  “We’ll be eating in about an hour, as soon as your mother gets home.”

  “Where is she anyway?” I asked realizing I hadn’t even missed her when I came home from the paint store with Jesse.

  “She had an interview at the hospital.”

  “Okay, whatever. Nice of her to tell me,” I said, rolling my eyes, not at my grandma, but my mom for not telling me. “We’re going to go hang out in my room.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said as her eyes focused on the TV once Oprah’s voice came through the speakers.

  “C’mon, Alex. We’ve lost her. Oprah’s on,” I said, leading him back upstairs.

  Once back in my room, I closed the door so it only remained open a crack. My mom’s rule was that the door had to stay open, however, she never specified how far open it had to be.

  “So, what’s goin’ on with you and Jesse on Saturday?” Alex asked me once we’d sat down on the bed next to each other.

  “We’re going to start painting.”

  “Oh,” he said and he broke his gaze from mine. “You and Jesse.”

  “Are you jealous?” I asked, smiling at him and he looked at me again. His lip was overly pouty and he looked playfully at me. “You are jealous.”

  “Well, maybe just a little,” he said quietly as his pout transformed to that wicked half-smile that had transfixed me from day one.

  “Just a little?” I teased.

  “Well, maybe more than a little.”

  He was scooting closer to me on the bed and soon there was nothing separating us. The feel of his thigh against mine was a heavy reminder of how close we were and I felt my heart start beating faster. I felt his hand gently cup my neck and he slowly pulled me to him. He paused when our faces were only inches apart and my breathing continued to quicken as I felt his other hand softly brush my cheek.

  “You don’t need to be jealous,” I whispered so softly I could barely hear my own voice over the sound of the pulse in my head.

  He didn’t answer me. Instead, his lips pressed against mine. I closed my eyes as our lips teased each other playfully for a few moments and then he pulled me even closer. His lips began passing over mine more forcefully. Before I knew what was happening, he was hovering over me and I opened my eyes for a just a second, catching a glimpse of his dusty hair hanging seductively in his face. I reached up and brushed it away and he opened his eyes and then smiled at me again before his lips found my neck. He gently caressed my cheek before his hand glided down my neck, past my shoulder and down my arm. It rested on my waist for a moment and then I felt his hand glide under my shirt as he carefully began untucking my camisole. His hands were cold when they touched my skin, but they left a warm trail underneath them. I knew I should stop him, but I was paralyzed under his touch as his hand began climbing up my stomach and up my rib cage.

  Somehow, I’d forgotten where we were until I heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs. We both tensed an
d bolted up as fast as we could. The footsteps were getting closer as we fumbled to straighten our clothes. Alex ran his hands through his hair and then he looked over at me and quickly reached over and smoothed out a piece of my hair that would’ve obviously given us away. We did our best to look innocent, but I knew we both looked guilty as sin as the footsteps grew louder and then stopped. The door pushed open and my mom stood in the doorway, looking skeptically at us.

  “Hey, Mom,” I said and the second I heard my voice leave my mouth, I knew I sounded entirely too cheerful.

  “Hi,” she said suspiciously as her eyes darted between me and Alex. “What’s going on?”

  “Oh, nothing. We’re just hanging out. Grandma invited Alex to stay for dinner,” I said, the words jumbling out of my mouth so quickly it sounded like I was on speed or something. “Grandma said you had an interview. How’d it go?” I asked in an attempt to divert the conversation away from me and Alex.

  “It went fine,” she replied and I looked at her face for any sign that maybe she believed Alex and I had truly just been hanging out and not making out.

  “Did you get the job?”

  “Actually, yes, I did,” she said, obviously too distracted to discuss it right now and then she looked over to Alex and smiled, which surprised me. “Alex, there are a few bags of groceries in the car. Would you mind bringing them in for me?”

  “Sure, no problem,” he said and left the room without looking back at me. I wanted to die.

  His footsteps faded down the stairs and then I heard the front door shut behind him. My mom still loomed in the doorway and her eyes felt like lasers cutting through me.

  “So, tell me about the job. Will you be working in the ER like in Boston?” I asked quickly, hoping to distract her, which I knew, deep down, wouldn’t work and I was right because she ignored the question.

  “What’s going on in here?” she asked quietly, which surprised me. I thought she’d go into attack mode right away.

  “Nothing,” I said, running my hand nervously though my hair. That damn habit was a dead giveaway and I knew she knew I was lying.

  “You know I ask you to leave the door open if you have a boy in your room.”

  “It was open,” I said defensively.