Hanging Stars On Big Willow Creek: A Novel

by Sarah Hill

  “This is good Rylie.”

  “You always say that. I appreciate it.” She turned to look at him and found him staring at her. She felt a slight blush on her cheeks and cleared her throat. “We better go get Maddie. I have no doubt you’re going to have to rescue her from that pile of clothes you were talking about.”

  With a slight smile, Maysen said, “Yeah, we better get going.” Hopping up, he reached down and pulled her up with a little more force than was necessary, causing her to bump into him. “You smell good,” he whispered, as he leaned back giving her an odd look.

  Rylie looked up at him, her eyes wide. That odd feeling in her stomach had returned and she felt her face grow warm.

  A few uncomfortable seconds passed when Maysen laughed and said, “I appreciate you taking that shower.” Letting her go he turned and started climbing back down the ladder.

  Feeling an instant embarrassment for the odd way she had allowed herself to feel in that moment, Rylie took a few seconds before following him down. Dropping off the last rung she ran as fast as she could, dashing past him and yelling, “First one to the truck gets to drive!”

  Maysen’s head jerked up and he tore after her. With Rylie not having an ounce of athleticism in her body and Maysen being the fastest receiver on the football team, he easily overtook her, beating her by more than five seconds as she came panting towards the truck.

  “And you got a head start! Are you even passing gym class?”

  “Shut up. I let you win.”

  Their laughter was interrupted by Del, who was calling out to Rylie from the other end of the dirt road. “Rylie! Girl, come here for a

  second.”

  They turned to see her waving at them from the edge of the chicken coop. Returning her wave they walked together down the road.

  “Hey Del,” Maysen called as they neared her.

  “Hello Maysen,” she said, eyeing him suspiciously before turning to Rylie. “I hear you’re going to a party tonight?”

  Maysen ducked his head, looking down at the ground as if interested in the small rocks that mixed with the dirt and sand.

  Rylie nodded, “Yes, Ma’am. How did you…”

  Del raised her hand in the air to stop her and said, “I hear things. Now look, I know I’m not your momma and you need to have fun from time to time, but I want you to promise me you won’t do anything stupid, okay?’

  “No, Ma’am, I promise,” Rylie paused and then asked, “what do you mean by stupid?”

  Before answering, she threw a low-lidded glance in Maysen’s direction and said, “I know I can’t ask you not to drink, but I am going to ask you to try to keep it to one or two. I’ve heard all about how these parties go. I’m just asking you to keep your head about you. Don’t let any of those well-meaning boys talk you into drinking more than you know is right, ok? Boys get ideas in their heads when pretty girls don’t have their wits about them.”

  “Oh, Del, you don’t have to worry about that.”

  Del threw her hand up to stop her again and looking at Maysen, she said, “You know I like you Maysen. More than any of the other boys in this town. So, I’m going to trust you will protect our girl tonight, if you get my meaning.”

  Del’s eyes were locked with Maysen’s and Rylie thought she saw a little fear in his eyes as he nodded and said, “Yes, Ma’am. I would never let anything happen to Rylie. I promise.”

  Del’s face relaxed as she allowed a smile to form for the first time. “Thank you.” Looking over at Rylie she said, “Have fun sweetheart. I love you.”

  Rylie leaned over and hugged Del. “I love you too.”

  “Will you be staying with us tonight? I can leave the door unlocked.”

  “No, don’t do that. I don’t know how late I’ll be. I’ll stay with you tomorrow,” Rylie said, kissing her cheek.

  “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Del said, throwing one more look of warning Maysen’s way.

  Rylie was right about Maddie. Her room had a nice sized pile of rejected clothes on the floor when they arrived and she was still ratting her blond hair trying to get what she deemed as the “right height” on her bangs. “Do you think I should add a little more shadow?” she asked, already picking up the square eyeshadow container to add more.

  Rylie took the container holding a bright blue shadow from her friends’ hand and set it back down on her vanity. “Maddie, stop. You look beautiful. You make me feel a bit underdressed to be honest.”

  Maddie scrutinized her reflection and scrunched her nose. “Are you sure?” Her eyes locked onto Rylie’s in the mirror.

  “I wouldn’t lie. Who are you trying to impress anyway?”

  “Everyone. This is our first party, Rylie. I want to be asked to a second.”

  “You think the way you look will determine that?”

  “Of course it will, what else would?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, your personality maybe?”

  Maddie turned to face her, allowing her shoulders to sag. “Are you serious? Nobody cares about your personality, Rylie. You have to look good.”

  Rylie looked down and felt a bit of regret for not trying harder.

  “Don’t worry, you look good in anything Rylie. You wear jeans and a t-shirt and nobody will be able to take their eyes off you. I’m not so lucky,” said Maddie, grabbing a small purple purse from her bed and pulling the thin strap over her shoulder.

  “Since when do you carry a purse?” Rylie asked, her forehead wrinkling.

  “I don’t. You take a purse to parties so you can carry your makeup.”

  “Why?”

  Maddie sighed as she pushed Rylie out her bedroom door. “So you can reapply it throughout the night. Don’t you know anything?”

  “I guess not. How do you know any of this?” Rylie asked, as they headed to the front door.

  “I’ll see you later Mom!” Maddie called into the kitchen. Her dad was sitting in a recliner in the living room watching television. She leaned down and gave his cheek a quick kiss and headed toward the door. “Hurry, let’s go,” she whispered.

  “Just a second, young lady.” Maddie’s mom stood in the kitchen doorway with her arms crossed. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “To Rylie’s, remember?”

  “Looking like that? I don’t think so. You’ve never dressed up just to stay over with Rylie.”

  “Moooom! I told you. We’re going to the movies with some friends and then we’re going back to Rylie’s.”

  Rylie felt an uneasiness in her stomach as Maddie lied to her mom. She hadn’t thought about others having to sneak around just to go to a party. She didn’t have anyone to answer to at home and thinking about it, her mom would probably be proud of her.

  Maddie’s mom looked at Rylie with narrowed eyes. “Is that the plan Rylie?”

  Rylie nodded. Now she was a part of the lie.

  “Ok. Well, have fun and stay out of trouble!”

  “I always do,” Maddie said, as she headed out the door.

  Rylie smiled and waved as she followed Maddie out the door.

  They climbed into the truck. Rylie scooted over to the middle of the seat as Maysen started the truck. “Get out without any problems?” he asked.

  “Yep, no problem,” Maddie said, with a giddiness in her voice. Rylie silently stared through the windshield.

  “You okay?” Maysen asked, frowning at her.

  Rylie turned to look at him with a tight-lipped smile. “Yeah. Let’s go.

  October 1987 – Evening

  When they arrived at the party, Maysen took the lead, pushing through the crowd to clear a path for them. “Come on, we’ll go to the kitchen for drinks first.”

  Rylie stayed close behind him. Now that they were here, she felt exposed to everyone’s curious eyes. As soon as they entered the kitchen, Maysen was showered with high-fives from every direction. Rylie kept her eyes averted, being careful not make eye contact with anyone in the room. She noticed a keg sitting on the floor
by the sink, beer dripping from the tap and onto the floor. She felt someone brush against her arm and turned to see Kevin Motzy standing next to her. A smile plastered on his face and a beer in his hand.

  “Hey,” Kevin said, looking her up and down before adding, “you look good.”

  Rylie’s forehead scrunched involuntarily as she leaned away from him. “Hey, thanks,” she answered.

  “Would you like a beer?”

  “No, thank you,” she said, shaking her head and glancing over at Maysen.

  Maysen cocked an eyebrow at her and shrugged, then looked over at Kevin and said, “Rylie isn’t much of a drinker.”

  “Hey, that’s cool. We have chips and stuff too.”

  “I’m good, thanks,” Rylie said, with a reserved smile.

  “Hey, Rylie. Maddie and I are going to go check out the fire pit,” Maysen said, heading toward the kitchen door leading outside.

  Maddie looked at Rylie with an open mouth and shrugged as she followed Maysen out the door.

  “Did you want to go see the fire? I’ll walk you out there,” Kevin said, setting his beer down.

  Not wanting to be left behind, Rylie nodded. “Sure.”

  Kevin opened the door and made a sweeping motion with his hand to allow her to go first. “After you.”

  The cheesiness of the gesture made her burst out with laughter. Covering her face with her hands she took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh.”

  Kevin straightened to his full height and smiled. “Nah, it’s okay. It was worth it if it made you smile.”

  Rylie allowed her hands to drop to her sides as she smiled back at Kevin. “Well, let’s go see that fire pit,” she said, walking through the door.

  “You really do look nice, Rylie,” he said, shutting the door and falling into step next to her.

  Looking over at him she allowed herself to relax a bit. Maybe she was wrong about him. He seemed to be nice enough. “Thanks, so do you.”

  He ran a hand through his dark hair and his smile showed bright against his tanned skin. “I’m glad you came tonight. I’d like to get to know you, if you’ll let me.”

  Blushing, she nodded and said, “I think I’d like that.”

  “The fire’s down the hill over here. Come on.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hillside, where a group of their classmates were already standing around shouting and laughing.

  Rylie’s heart did a flip. A boy had never held her hand before and she wasn’t sure how to act. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she scanned the group for Maysen and Maddie. Maysen was standing with a couple of his friends and looked her way as they approached. Narrowing his eyes, he nodded at her before turning back to his other friends. Maddie was standing beside him with a wide-eyed look on her face. Rylie shrugged.

  “You sure you don’t want a beer? I think they have wine coolers somewhere too.”

  “I guess I can try a wine cooler.”

  “I’ll go find you one, I’ll be right back.”

  Kevin ran back up the hill and she took a deep breath.

  “Having fun?” Maysen’s breath tickled her ear and she turned towards him.

  “I don’t know. I feel weird.”

  “hy?”

  “I don’t know how to act and I feel like everyone is watching me. And he held my hand.”

  “Yeah, I saw that,” Maysen said. His voice sounded a little rough. “I told you he likes you. Where did he run off to?”

  “To find me a wine cooler,” she answered, avoiding his eyes.

  “Rylie.”

  “It’s okay, Maysen. I said I’d try one. It’s not a big deal.”

  “You don’t have to drink to fit in.”

  “Leave her alone, Maysen.” Maddie had joined them, holding a red solo cup.

  “No, Maddie. I promised to look out for her. She doesn’t drink and shouldn’t feel like she has to just to make friends.”

  “She’s trying it. She never said she was drinking the whole thing.”

  Maysen ignored Maddie and leaned closer to Rylie. “Rylie, don’t do anything you don’t feel comfortable with, okay?” he muttered.

  Rylie felt the warmth of his breath on her face and turned to look at him. He was inches from her. She nodded. “Okay.” Being so close to Maysen caused the weird feeling in her stomach to creep up again. It made it hard for thoughts and words to form. His gaze was intense and she resisted the urge to reach out and touch his face. She always thought he had such a handsome face.

  “Found one.” Kevin’s voice broke across her thoughts, making her jump. She turned her attention from Maysen and took the wine cooler Kevin handed her. He looked at Maysen and frowned. “Hey Maysen.”

  Maysen nodded in Kevin’s direction not taking his eyes from Rylie. “Hey man.”

  Kevin looked past Maysen at Maddie and said, “You’re Maddie, right?”

  “Yep, that’s me,” she said, wrinkling her freckled nose.

  “We have a couple classes together.”

  “Art and History,” she replied, her face lighting up. Rylie could see how excited she was to have Kevin Motzy acknowledge her presence.

  “You guys want to go sit around the fire? Looks like they’re bringing the logs out,” Kevin said, nodding in the direction of the fire.

  “Maysen! Come sit with me,” Rebecca called from across the fire as she waved for him to join her.

  Rylie looked from Rebecca to Maysen and said, “I’m fine, Maysen. You better get over there.” She turned to follow Kevin, who was waiting for her a few feet away.

  “I’m going to sit with Rylie and Kevin,” Maddie said, looking at Maysen.

  “I’m not sitting with Rebecca, Maddie. I’ll catch up to you guys in a few. I’m just going to go say hello to Kurt. He just got here. I’ll be right back.” Maysen stalked off in the direction of Kurt, Rebecca and a few other friends.

  Rylie couldn’t help sneaking peeks in Maysen’s direction as Kevin talked to Maddie. Maysen was sitting between Rebecca and his friend Kurt. It looked as though he was enjoying himself, laughing at whatever Kurt was saying. Rebecca looked across the fire and caught her watching them. She gave Rylie an evil smile and scooted closer to Maysen. Weaving her hand under his arm and hugging it, she snuggled up to him. Maysen looked at her with a frown and shrugged her off his shoulder, then went back to talking to Kurt. Rylie couldn’t hold back the laughter that escaped her mouth.

  “What’s so funny?” asked Maddie, turning her attention from Kevin.

  Forgetting for the moment that she was sitting with others, she jumped when Maddie spoke. “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about something I wrote in my story today.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes. “Of course. You’re always thinking about your stories.”

  “Sorry.”

  Maddie shrugged. “No biggie, it’s who you are. This is fun though, huh?” she asked, nodding towards the fire.

  “It is. I’m glad you came, Maddie.”

  “I wasn’t missing what may be my only chance of going to a party.”

  “I doubt Maysen will allow this to be your only party,” Rylie said, with a wink.

  “So,” Maddie said with a sly smile. “What do you think of Kevin?”

  Rylie felt her stomach drop. She knew Maddie expected her to get giddy at the mere mention of his name, but the truth was she didn’t. She couldn’t explain why. Kevin seemed sweet and she was sure his dark hair and blue eyes should invoke passion inside of her, but it didn’t. All she felt was a shyness towards him.

  “He’s nice.”

  “Okay, but are you interested in him? I’m pretty sure he’s interested in you,” Maddie said, looking over at Kevin, who was now talking to one of his football teammates.

  “I don’t know, Maddie. It’s a little early, don’t you think?”

  “Wouldn’t be for me,” she answered, raising her eyebrows at Rylie.

  As the night went on, Rylie found herself participating in conversations with peopl
e who ignored her in the past. She was surprised at how many of these conversations she enjoyed and realized she was having fun at the party.

  They were at the party for about an hour when Kevin realized she was still carrying the wine cooler he’d given to her at the beginning of the night. He leaned over from where he was standing behind her and said, “I can get you something else if you don’t like that.”

  Rylie looked down at the wine cooler. “Oh, gosh, no. It’s good. I’m just enjoying talking a little too much I think,” she said, with a laugh.

  “I’m glad you’re having fun.”

  “Yeah, me too. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’m glad I came.”

  “Can I show you something?” he asked.

  Rylie nodded and Kevin took her hand, pulling her up and leading her down a path to a cinder block cellar. It was built into a small hill so the coolness of the earth would help keep the veggies and fruits that had been canned safe from spoiling.

  “It’s just up the cellar hill,” he said, pointing to the top. When they got to the top of the small hill, Kevin sat down and laid back on the grass.

  Rylie raised an eyebrow at him, staying silent.

  “It’s okay. I just wanted to show you my favorite spot for star gazing,” he said, patting the spot next to him. “It’s a full moon too, look.” He nodded in the direction of the moon.

  Rylie looked up at the beautiful starry sky. The moon hung bright above them. She sat down next to Kevin and said, “Look, you can see the man in the moon.”

  Kevin propped himself up on his side, resting his head against his hand and said, “I always hear people say that, but I don’t see it.

  Rylie looked over at him. He was squinting his eyes and his brow was furrowed. Unable to keep from smiling, she leaned closer to him and pointed. “See, those dark spots are his eyes and then just below them you can make out his nose and mouth.”