Saturday, March 5, 2005
It was way too early for a Saturday, but somehow everyone had agreed that meeting at the school parking lot was "the best plan." Translation: Mike has the only car big enough to haul eight teenagers, so Mike gets to do all the driving.
Fine. Fair.
My trusty Mountaineer could fit all of us without forcing anyone into someone else's lap, unless they wanted to, which, judging from the Bella-Edward situation brewing lately, was probably a tragedy for poor Eric's hopes.
First stop of the day: picking up Tyler.
He hobbled out of his house on his crutches like a man freshly freed from prison, cast still strapped to his leg like a giant, plastery reminder of bad life decisions.
"Beach day!" he shouted as he climbed in, practically vibrating with energy.
"You're hyped for someone who can't even walk on sand properly," I said, pulling away.
"Bro, don't ruin this for me." He slumped back dramatically. "I can't surf. I can't run. I can't even pretend to be cool. This cast is killing me."
"You suck at surfing anyway," I reminded him.
He gasped. "How dare you. I was a prodigy."
"You wiped out so hard last summer even the seagulls laughed at you."
"Lies," he said, pointing a crutch at me. "Slander."
We bickered the entire way to the school, so, a normal car ride.
When we finally pulled into the lot, the rest of the crew was already gathered around talking and milling about, backpacks and tote bags dumped at their feet.
Jessica and Lauren were deep in conversation, probably debating wardrobe choices or who liked who this week. Ben and Angela were messing with their cameras again, taking pictures of the pavement and each other. Meanwhile, Eric was trying, and failing spectacularly, to make small talk with Bella.
The poor dude looked like he was trying to solve calculus without numbers.
I parked right next to them, rolled down the window, and stuck my head out. "What are you waiting for? Load up your stuff and get in already."
Lauren rolled her eyes. "Took you long enough."
Eric frowned. "Lauren, you got here like… a minute ago. I've been here for half an hour."
I clapped my hands. "Then I arrived right on time."
There was a chorus of snorts.
Everyone shuffled toward the car, tossing bags into the back. Bella slipped into the seat directly behind mine with a quiet "Hi," peeking between the seats.
"Hey," I said back.
Tyler twisted around too. "Sup, Bella."
Then, in a betrayal I did not deserve, okay, maybe a little, he hooked his left arm around my neck and yanked me down as much as his not-so-puny limbs could manage.
"So," he said loudly, "I hear you're going to the dance with my boy here."
I let myself get pulled (otherwise he'd swear he was trying to choke a brick wall) and shot him a glare promising violence.
Jessica, who had just slid into the seat beside Bella, jerked around like she'd been electrocuted. "You're going with Mike?!"
Her tone was… wow. Not subtle at all. Like Bella had broken an unspoken pact.
Bella stammered, shrinking in on herself. "We're going as friends."
Lauren climbed in behind Tyler, directly next to Jessica. She smirked at Bella. "Lucky you. I know half the girls at school were planning to ask him."
Great. Awesome. Exactly the kind of attention I wanted.
Angela, sitting behind Bella with her camera in her lap, added, "Can you blame them? He's taller than everyone now, even Emmett. So he really stands out."
Eric snorted from behind Lauren. "And his face doesn't look like a baby's anymore."
Then he subtly elbowed Ben, forcing him to slide an inch closer to Angela, who pretended not to notice but definitely noticed going by the faint blushing of her cheeks.
I just shook my head.
This was going to be quite the interesting drive.
…
We pulled into the parking area by First Beach just as I hit the "WE WILL, WE WILL, ROCK YOU!" part for maybe the fourth time in a row. I would've kept going too, because in my mind I sounded exactly like Freddie Mercury, even though every groan and muffled complaint from the backseat said otherwise.
The second the car stopped, all doors flew open at once. Everyone practically launched themselves out into the open air like they'd been trapped in some kind of torture chamber.
Jessica muttered, "Finally," rubbing at her ears.
Eric whispered something about temporary hearing loss.
I ignored them. Some people just didn't know how to appreciate greatness.
Tyler tried to hop out with his crutches, but the sand was uneven and his left crutch snagged. He stumbled forward, arms pinwheeling, and was a breath away from eating a mouthful of dirt when Lauren grabbed a fistful of his jacket and yanked him upright.
He froze, wide-eyed. "Uh-thanks."
Lauren dusted off her manicured hands like she hadn't just saved him from absolute humiliation. "You're welcome."
Tyler blinked at her. And a spark, like the beginnings of an idea, lit up behind his eyes. And before anyone could stop him, he went for it.
"Hey, Lauren… how about you go to the dance with me?"
Lauren stared at him. She didn't blink, didn't speak. Just stared.
Then her gaze slid pointedly down to his cast. Then back to his face. One eyebrow rose so high it nearly touched her hairline.
The expression clearly said: You? Dance? With that?
Tyler followed her look, then lifted his casted leg a bit. "Oh, this? Won't be a problem. It comes off in two weeks. And the dance is in May. Plenty of time to learn to walk like a normal human again." He gave a crooked little grin.
Lauren pressed her lips together, thinking. Visibly evaluating her options. The available male population. The lack of better prospects.
Finally, she sighed, crossed her arms, and said, "Alright. You'll do."
Right then I stepped out of the car, stretching dramatically after finishing my performance masterpiece, only to see Tyler looking smug and Lauren looking like she'd just regretted every decision that led her to this moment.
I cupped my hands around my mouth. "That's my boy!" I yelled loud enough for birds to take off from the treetops. "You make me so proud!" I even pretended to wipe an imaginary tear from my eye, sniffing for effect.
Tyler groaned. Lauren rolled her eyes. Jessica slapped her forehead.
…
They went to their usual spot, a semicircle of old tree trunks worn smooth by years of use, arranged around a ring of stones perfect for a campfire. The ocean breeze was cool despite the sunlight, and the air smelled of salt and damp driftwood.
Mike dropped his backpack on the sand and pulled out a thermos. He took a seat beside Bella and offered her a cup of coffee. She accepted gratefully, wrapping both hands around it to warm her fingers as she took small, careful sips of the bitter liquid.
Coming from Arizona, she still hadn't adjusted to the constant chill of the Pacific Northwest. Even with the sun glaring down, the cold seemed to seep through her clothes.
Mike, being a natural heater, shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Bella immediately relaxed into the warmth, sighing as it chased off the cold. She glanced down at the jacket with raised brows.
"Did you put heating pads in every single pocket of this thing?" she asked jokingly.
Mike only grinned.
About half an hour later, his nose twitched. He caught a familiar scent riding the wind, and he turned his head instinctively. Leah was approaching from about a hundred meters away. He perked up instantly, almost literally, then started waving his hand enthusiastically, the movement so sharp and eager he might as well have been wagging a tail.
Leah chuckled under her breath at the sight. Finding it adorable.
She closed the distance between them, stopping in front of him. Mike hesitated, unsure whether he should greet her with a kiss, as they had only kissed once, and he wasn't confident about the protocol.
Leah solved the dilemma for him by grabbing his shirt gently and pulling him down into a brief, warm peck on the lips.
Bella, who had been sitting stiffly beside him, blinked and straightened awkwardly.
Leah turned to her. "You must be Bella."
"Yeah," Bella answered, uncertain.
"You're the one who's taking my boyfriend to the dance," Leah continued matter-of-factly.
Bella went rigid. "Yes, we're going as friends. I hope it doesn't bother you?"
Realizing her bluntness was making the younger girl squirm, Leah softened her tone, just a notch. "Then please take care of my idiot. Don't let any girl get close to him with second intentions. He can be a bit dense and innocent, so he needs a babysitter to make sure no one tricks him with sweets or something."
She laughed when she saw Mike nod along at first, only for his expression to switch into delayed outrage.
"Hey!" he protested.
Bella finally relaxed, amusement returning to her face. "Yeah, don't worry. I'll take care of the kid."
The others, who had been playing with a beach ball farther down the shore, noticed the new arrival and drifted back toward the group. Jessica was the first to reach them. Her eyes swept over Leah from head to toe in a blatant, assessing once-over, as if she were evaluating the competition.
"So you must be Leah, Mike's new girlfriend," she said in a sugary tone that was fake enough to give someone cavities.
"Yeah, that's me," Leah replied calmly. "And you are?"
"Jessica Stanley," she said with exaggerated importance. "Mike's close friend of years. He must have told you about me." Her tone made it sound as though she and Mike shared something deep and meaningful, maybe even intimate.
"Ah. No. First time I hear of you," Leah answered honestly.
It was a clean, effortless critical hit.
Lauren snorted so hard she had to slap a hand over her mouth to hold back the laughter. Jessica's expression, somewhere between outrage and disbelief, was truly priceless.
One by one, the rest of the group introduced themselves. When they were done, Tyler hobbled up last, muttering complaints about no one waiting for him. He came to a stop, did a full double take at Leah, then looked at Mike and back at her again.
"How is it," he asked slowly, genuinely baffled, "that a girl as beautiful as you is with someone so… well, so Mike?"
Leah laughed, delighted rather than offended. "He just has a way of worming into your heart whether you want to or not."
Mike puffed up proudly at that, standing taller, if that was even possible, while the group burst into laughter around him.
Ben adjusted his glasses and nodded thoughtfully, as if Leah's comment had just solved some long-standing mystery.
"That sounds exactly like Mike," he said. "He's like that friendly stray dog you pet once, and next thing you know he's followed you all the way home, acting like your house is also his house."
The group erupted again. Mike threw his hands up.
"Hey! Why am I suddenly a stray dog?"
"Because it fits," Eric said, deadpan.
Angela smiled warmly. "But… you know, like a really sweet, loyal one."
"Yeah, yeah," Mike muttered, crossing his arms but failing to hide his grin. "Just keep digging that hole deeper."
Leah leaned her shoulder into his playfully. "Don't worry. I like dogs."
That earned a round of oohs from the group, and Mike's ears turned pink.
…