by Kristy Tate
At his home, the females ruled.
At Norfolk Comprehensive, the boys tallied the girls fairly equally, but it was never the guys who hung around after class asking questions or coming in after hours for help with their assignments. For the most part, the guys weren’t interested in biology…at least not the sort found in a textbook. It wasn’t the guys he found out wandering around the playground in the dark…
As they often did, his thoughts slid to Cami, a place of forbidden territory. He wrenched them back to the present.
Joel gripped the steering wheel, wondering how he could ever escape the drama his female family heaped on him. His glance flicked to his sister. Why wasn’t she on her honeymoon? Where was Brad, her groom?
Joel had these questions, but he didn’t know what to do with them. With science, you made a supposition. With females, he’d learned to keep his thoughts to himself. He couldn’t ask Mia, because knowing her, she would start to cry and somehow her missing-groom-honeymoon would become his fault.
He could ask his grandmother, but almost all conversations with his grandmother circled back to his bachelorhood, and his failure to produce children. Which was hypocritical to say the least. If Granny had wanted more great grandchildren then she should have had more children. She should have stayed married. And she should, at the very least, try to convince Mia to return to her husband.
“Turn here,” Mia said through tight lips.
“I know where they live,” Joel muttered as he turned the truck down the dirt road leading to the Graysons’ farm. The truck bounced down the pitted driveway toward the large red and white barn. The tall wheat-colored grass waved at them as they drove past.
“The thought of storing our beautiful dresses in a smelly barn breaks my heart,” Mia said.
Joel shot her a quick glance. “Really? That’s what breaks your heart?”
“What’s that supposed to mean, Joel?” Mia bit back.
Joel sighed. “Nothing. But you get why we can’t keep the shop, right?”
“Because Jason West sweet-talked Granny out of it.”
“No, because Mom’s medical bills are escalating, and Granny’s not able to work as hard as she used to.”
“But Celia—”
“It’s not fair to ask Celia to shoulder the business.”
“I work there, too!” Mia blurted, blinking back sudden tears.
Joel sucked in his lower lip and chewed on it to help him keep his thoughts and questions to himself. He had two ironclad rules he lived by. Number one, don’t upset his mom. She had cancer, two flaky ex-husbands, one flighty mom, two high-strung daughters, and a failing business to make her life a misery. He didn’t need to compound her grief. Rule number two, don’t make Mia cry, scream, or rage. He was better at keeping rule number one than he was at number two. And if he asked the questions he wanted to ask, or made the observations he wanted to share, or pointed out the fact that Mia was a lousy employee at the dress shop and the only reason Granny and Celia put up with her was because they loved her and had thought once she married Brad she’d be out of their hair, Mia would be sure to cry, scream or rage. Maybe even all three at the same time.
Joel pulled the truck up beside a red Porsche, stepped on the brake, threw the truck into park, cut the engine, and slammed out the door. Mia followed him, as he knew she would.
But he didn’t know his grandmother would be napping in the front seat of the Porsche. She raised her head and blinked at him.
“Granny?” Joel asked through the window. “What are you doing out here? Where are Celia and Jason?”
Granny fumbled with her door handle for a moment before she climbed out. Joel had to take her hand to help her to her feet. It made him sad to see her age. She’d always been such a fireball, it was hard to watch her get old.
“I’m not sure, but I think they went to the Witching Well,” Granny said.
“You don’t believe in that old legend, do you?” Mia asked, for once showing a smidge of sense.
“Of course I do, and you should, too.” Granny tried to straighten her stooped shoulders as she turned toward the woods. “Everyone should believe in love,” she said in a silky voice that belied her age.
“Why do you think they’re there?” Mia looked down at her gold sandals, probably debating on how they’d fare on a walk in the woods.
“Well, they’re not here, are they?” Granny said.
“Maybe they’re in the barn,” Joel suggested. After all, that was why they were there. They were supposed to be storing the dress shop’s inventory in Grayson’s barn. So why was anyone walking in the woods?
But since Granny was already heading down a path leading through the tall golden grass, Joel had no choice but to follow.
And of course, Mia trailed after him, just like she’d been doing her whole life. Her steps behind him crunched the fallen leaves. The crisp autumn air smelled of pine, maple, and a hint of something he couldn’t identify. He loved this time of year. September signaled a new school year, a chance to begin again. He loved his sisters, he really did. But he didn’t understand them.
As they rounded a small hill, Joel caught sight of Becca, his sister Celia’s best friend, sitting at the edge of the pool, and the coiled spring inside him relaxed an inch. He might not always get his sisters, but he felt like he perfectly understood Becca. Always. While his sisters threw tantrums, yardsticks, and fabric bolts, Becca remained as calm as a summer’s day. Maybe he got along so well with her because they were both scientists, or maybe because together they had always been the calm in the center of his sisters’ storms.
The fading sunlight sparkled on the water, but a cold breeze stirred the trees. Becca hadn’t seen him. She shivered, sat up, and hugged her knees. She looked beautiful, but why was she wearing one of his grandmother’s dresses? Joel tried to come up with a rational explanation, but couldn’t. Who would walk in the woods in a formal gown? Maybe Becca wasn’t so different from his sisters, after all.
Oh, yes she is, Joel thought when Celia poked her head up out of the spring. What was Celia doing in the pond? Why would she go swimming in her bridesmaid's dress? Yes, it was ugly, but that wasn’t any reason to destroy it.
For a reason he couldn’t pinpoint, Joel felt his world tilt just a fraction off center.
Celia kicked to the side of the pool and pulled herself up. The wet dress clung to her body, and her flaming red hair hung in wet ringlets. Still, neither Becca nor Celia had noticed Joel’s arrival. He watched the two women he had known his entire life. They were like strangers on a stage, acting out a bizarre melodrama he couldn’t follow.
“Are you okay?” Celia asked, ringing out her hair and coming to stand beside Becca.
Becca shook her head, but didn’t look up. She stared out over the water, longing etched in her expression. “I don’t think so. How about you?”
“That depends.” Celia flopped beside Becca on the bank.
“Depends on what?”
Celia closed her eyes. “Jason.”
Becca nudged her. “I think you’re going to be okay.”
Jason emerged from the water and pulled himself up onto the bank. Celia launched herself at him. He caught her in his arms and kissed her. Until that moment, Joel had thought Celia hated Jason West. Why would she kiss him? Why would he kiss her?
“Well, this certainly looks like a happy ending,” Becca said to no one in particular.
Joel heard the bitterness in her voice and wondered what was bothering her.
“Oh, my hell!” Mia erupted, hands on her hips, and rage purpling her expression. “You went swimming in my bridesmaid dress? I knew you hated it…but this is outrageous!”
“It’s not outrageous.” Joel waved his finger at Celia and Jason. “But this is.”
Granny clapped her hands. “This is exactly what I knew would happen.”
“No you didn’t,” Mia said.
“You saw this coming?” Joel asked.
“Of course, I did,
” Granny said.
Joel rolled his eyes, hating the way his grandmother pretended to be omniscient.
Jason looked at Celia and touched his nose to hers. “She couldn’t possibly have known.”
“What? That I can’t live without you?” Celia asked, ignoring her family on the side of the hill.
“I don’t want to live without you, either,” Jason said.
“Good thing you won’t have to,” Celia said.
“What about unloading the truck? What about the shop?” Mia stepped forward. Since she wasn’t wearing a ball gown, she looked like the sanest of the women there, but Joel knew looks could be deceiving.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on your honeymoon?” Celia tore her attention away from West long enough to ask.
Mia pressed her lips closed as sadness washed over her expression.
“I’ve decided not to use the barn.” Celia, still holding Jason’s hand, faced them like a politician holding a press conference. “I’d rather run the shop out of Granny’s house. We can use the attic to store inventory and we can use the guest bedroom as a fitting room. I won’t need a lot of space since we’ll run most everything online. Besides, I’m going to focus more on designing than retail. Someone I trust told me I have an eye for it.”
While Joel and Mia stared at her, Granny smiled. “That’s my girl.”
“Come on,” Celia said. “Let’s go back to the house and unload the truck.” She tugged on Jason’s hand. “I can’t wait to start our new life.”
Jason looked over his shoulder at the well. Sunlight glistened on the water, birds darted through the trees, and a light breeze fluttered the leaves. “Do you think we’ll ever drink from the Witching Well again?”
Celia shook her head. “No need. We have everything we could ever want right here and right now.”
Joel turned to Granny and Mia as soon as Celia and Jason rounded the hill and disappeared from sight. “That was weird, right?” he asked.
Mia grimaced, but Granny smiled at him. “My dear boy, why do you think falling in love is weird?”
“There’s no such thing as falling in love,” Joel said. “’Falling in love’ is an excuse for irresponsible and reckless behavior.”
“I agree,” Mia said before she took Granny’s arm and led her back out of the woods.
Joel stared after them. Mia never agreed with him, and he wasn’t sure he wanted her to agree with him now.
A light touch on his arm made Joel turn. Becca stood beside him, an unreadable expression on her face. Taking his hand, she pulled him back to the well.
“Do you see that hat?” Her finger wavered midair as she pointed at the pool of water.
“What hat?” Joel asked.
Becca blinked at the hatless pool. Joel knew she was struggling not to cry, but what he didn’t know was why. He didn’t want Becca to cry any more than Mia, but since she was a lot more sensible than his sister, he wasn’t overly worried.
Straightening her shoulders, Becca marched back to the well and stumbled on a tree root. He caught her elbow and pulled her against him. Joel’s gaze landed on the largest, most central stone near the well. Moss and lichen grew on it, but the words etched in the stone whispered to his heart.
By these waters we do sleep
Clothed in night so dark and deep
Lady Moon who doth guide our dreams,
Shroud us in your silvery beams.
Take us to a distant time
When love and hearts doth combine.
Becca’s knees collapsed, and she sank to the ground beside the well.
“Becca, are you okay?” Joel stood behind her, not knowing what to do or where to put his hands.
She nodded without turning around. “I want a sample of the water. I want to test it.”
“What for?”
“Well, you know the legend and the theories—alkaloids like the ones in LSD, ergot-tainted rye and barley that spurred the hysteria and the Salem Witch Trials.”
He squatted beside her and rested his hand on her shoulder. “There have been countless studies done. They’ve all been inconclusive. Why are you interested?”
She twisted to look at him. “Science.” She paused as if a thought struck her. “We could take it to your lab!” She pulled off a clunky boot and tugged at her long stockings.
Joel rarely noticed what women wore, but those boots and socks were hard to ignore. He guessed she intended to use her boot to get a sample of the water. “Here.” Joel handed her a plastic water bottle he had in his sweatshirt pocket.
“Did you just happen to have that with you?” Becca asked as she submerged the bottle and watched it fill to the top.
“Yeah. Lucky you.” He smiled down at her and handed her the lid. “I always carry a water bottle with me.”
She screwed on the lid before climbing to her feet. “Can we go to your lab now?”
He shook his head. “It’s the weekend. I can’t be on school property.”
“What? That’s dumb.”
He shrugged. “Insurance companies rule the world, or at least Norfolk Comprehensive.”
Becca blinked back tears.
“Becca.” Joel’s voice turned soft, and he touched her arm. “Are you okay?” he repeated.
“No…I’m…”
“Hey, if you want, I’ll take the water to school with me on Monday.” He cocked his head to get a better look at her face. “Will that make you happy?”
Pulling in a long breath, Becca straightened her spine. “Joel, will you kiss me?”
“What?” He couldn’t have been more surprised if she’d asked him to marry her.
“Oh come on! I’ve been in love with you since I was fourteen! You can’t tell me you didn’t know.” Impatience and frustration filled her voice.
He shook his head. “I didn’t know…”
“How could you not?”
He shrugged. “Because you never gave me the slightest hint.”
“What?”
He laughed and drew her into his arms. “I always thought you thought of me like a brother!”
She gazed at him, her eyes swimming with tears. “So, will you kiss me?”
He nodded. “I’d be happy to. Honored even.”
She lifted her lips to him. “Then do it already.”
And he did.
And it was nice. He could do this for the rest of his life. He wondered if she felt the same.
Pulling away from him, she blinked rapidly.
Joel moved to pull her back into his arms, but she side-stepped out of his reach.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. With her fingers on her trembling lips, she turned and ran.
“Becca?” Joel called after her.
He really didn’t get women.
#
On Monday, Cami went back to a school devoid of Chad and had to face all the questions about the night of the dance. By Friday, everyone was calling it the Homecoming Feminine Hijinks Incident. By the following Monday, Chad, who now had to be homeschooled, was being called the Tampon Perp.
Cami believed things would have been better if her mom hadn’t gotten involved, if Chad hadn’t been expelled, and if everything hadn’t blown up into such a big deal. But with her mom, everything was a big deal. Every little thing had to be a CSI incident, and everyone who crossed Mags quickly became a person of interest.
“Wow,” Maisie said as she plunked her tray down on the cafeteria lunch table, “I can’t believe your mom actually got Chad expelled.”
Cami looked around to make sure no one was dialed in on their conversation. “Principal Grant is scared of my mom.”
Maisie and Tessa both nodded.
“He totally is,” Tessa said. “Remember how my parents made such a fuss to get my little brother in pre-calc? And yet you always get your classes changed without any problems.”
“Correction, my mom is a problem.” Cami used her fork to scoot her vegetables to the side of her tray. “And everyone here knows it. She
’s like a gathering storm and no one wants to be around when she blows.” Cami bit into her cookie.
“And she blows big,” Maisie said.
“No. She just blows,” Cami said. “Always.”
“People are saying after you broke Chad’s nose,” Tessa leaned forward and dropped her voice to a whisper, “he used a tampon to stop the bleeding.”
Cami groaned. “So not true. I didn’t break his nose.”
Maisie giggled. “Why would he put a tampon up his nose?”
“So awkward,” Deidre said, shaking her head. She offered her cookie to Cami. Deidre had a figure like a Kardashian, but she wanted to look more like Emma Watson.
“This is so embarrassing. Why is everyone still talking about it?” Cami took Deidre’s cookie and bit into it. Cami’s mom was anti-carb, making Cami pro-carb by default. Anything her mom shunned, Cami endorsed, within reason, of course. Her mom was a staunch Democrat, so Cami paid lip-service to the Republicans and watched Fox News. Her mom was pro-choice, and Cami called abortionists baby-killers. Her mom was an atheist, so Cami attended a Bible study group with Tessa.
“Something else has to happen,” Maisie said. “We need a distraction.
“Maybe you could break someone else’s nose,” Tessa suggested. “Kidding,” she tacked on, but Cami wondered if she really was.
“Chad’s not going to forget,” Cami said, feeling miserable despite the fact she was on her third cookie, and the school cafeteria, which didn’t get much of anything right, actually made delicious cookies.
And Dr. Fleur? Was he going to forget? Or would she always be the violent girl who needed a tampon to him? She needed to talk to him. Somehow, she had to win back his good opinion of her.
