Beautiful One

by Mary Cope

  I hopped in the shower, checked the time, and was already out when I heard Mason’s alarm clock ringing. Since Mason and I shared the bathroom, I was always first up, first in, and he followed behind. Mason and I each had our own cars, but because our school schedules both finished at lunch, we usually drove together.

  My brother and I have always been close. I’m not sure if it was because it had been just the two of us growing up, or maybe it was a twin thing. But I knew he always had my back, and I loved him for it.

  “I’ll drive today, Liz,” Mason yelled. A few minutes later he lightly knocked on my door and peeked his head in. Munching on a granola bar, he mumbled, “Ya ready?”

  “Yep, let’s go.” I grabbed my green sweater from the closet and followed Mason out the door.

  When we reached his black sedan, he clicked his automatic door locks, and I got inside. I had never asked Mason about Aidan. Now that I had seen him, I was so curious. I wanted information. I turned on the radio, and, when I settled back in my seat, I decided to start in on my quest to find out more about him.

  “What’s Aidan like?” I fixed my gaze out the side window and watched the scenery blur by.

  “Aidan? He seems like a good guy. He’s liked. Especially by the ladies.” Mason smirked.

  “Does he have any brothers or sisters?” I lowered the volume on the radio. “What about his parents? Have you met them?”

  “I don’t know. Usually we just talk about music. Why so many questions? You’re starting to sound like Mom.” Mason chuckled.

  “I don’t know… just curious I guess.” I turned the radio back up and looked out the window. I realized Mason wasn’t going to be much help. I guess I’d have to find out more about Aidan on my own.

  ****

  On my way to first period, I found myself scanning the halls looking for Aidan. No luck, but I smiled when I saw Melissa fast approaching me.

  “Hey, Liz.” She paused, giving me that I-want-to-tell-you-something smile. “I know you hate when I bring this up, but Mason and I were talking about you last night. He wants you to sing with the guys’ band. Mason said he doesn’t want to bug you about it anymore, but you know me, I’m relentless.” Melissa batted her big blue eyes at me.

  “We’ve been over this so many times.” I rolled my eyes. “Singing for a bunch of church kids is one thing… but getting up in front of a restaurant full of strangers — no way.”

  “You’ve got so much talent, I wish you’d just…” But before Melissa could continue to badger me, the bell rang.

  “I hate to be late. I’ll see you later.” I took off running then my stomach growled. For a second I wished I had eaten the oatmeal my mom had offered me.

  Melissa laughed and yelled, “I’m not giving up, Liz!”

  “You never do,” I hollered back. I heard faint laughter as I entered my calculus class.

  ****

  My day was pretty uneventful until I was walking to Mason’s car. I noticed a few girls standing around a silver truck. Leaning against it, looking model-perfect, was Aidan. I rushed to the car and quickly got inside. Thankful for the tinted windows, I was able to stare across the parking lot and watch Aidan interact with his fan club. I couldn’t hear what they were saying but one of the girls kept giggling and touching his arm. Oh, brother.

  The other girl was desperately trying to get his attention. I was pretty sure she was out of luck. Aidan seemed set on the handsy one. The next thing I knew, Aidan gave Miss Touchy Feely a sexy smile and motioned for her to get into his truck. Left alone, the dejected girl walked away. I was surprised when Aidan walked over to her. He motioned to his truck, but the girl shook her head. Aidan shrugged his shoulders and smiled. The girl smiled back and waved before he hopped into his truck and started it up. I craned my neck to watch them as they left the parking lot. The last thing I saw was Aidan and his pretty passenger laughing when they drove away.

  ****

  Each day blended into the next as I continued my workout routine. I was surprised I was actually starting to enjoy it. Sort of…

  Feeling energized and slightly proud of myself for losing my first ten pounds so quickly, I decided to take Maggie out for a late afternoon run. When I rounded the corner, my mom was pulling into the driveway.

  “Hey, Mom,” I huffed.

  “Hi, sweetie, perfect timing. Can you help me with the groceries?”

  “Sure.” I dropped Maggie’s leash and grabbed a couple bags.

  My mom pulled a couple of bags from the mall out from the back seat of her SUV. When she opened the front door, she yelled upstairs for Mason to come down and get the rest of the groceries. I heard him holler, “Okay.” I placed the bags on the kitchen island and started to unload them.

  When my mom entered the kitchen, she held a bag up from my favorite store. “I bought you a present, two actually.” She grinned. My mom loved to shop. Not so much for herself, but if she had an occasion to shop for someone, she loved it. I guess I had become that occasion. “Well… come see!” My mother’s eyes were bright with excitement.

  I opened the bag and pulled out a teal chiffon top with a small keyhole opening in the front.

  “Mom! Thank you, it’s adorable.” I held it up in front of me as Mason walked in juggling three bags of groceries.

  “Good color, Liz,” Mason said, placing the bags on the island.

  “Mom picked it out.” I smiled, glancing at the tag that had an L on it instead of an XL.

  “This too, sweetie.” Mom tossed me the small brown bag.

  I pulled out what looked like a keychain with a pump attached to it. I read the tag because I had no idea what it was.

  “Pepper spray?” I questioned. That got Mason’s attention. He immediately came to my side and held out his hand so he could inspect the safety device. “Mom, what am I supposed to do with this?”

  “Clip it to Maggie’s leash… you never know.”

  “Cool… c’mere, Maggie.”

  Maggie came bounding over to Mason. She still had the leash attached to her neck, so Mason unhooked her and clipped the spray to it. He handed the leash back to me. “You’re all set, Liz… for all those bad guys hangin’ out in the bushes waiting to attack.” Mason smiled at my mom, and then we both laughed.

  “You two…” She smirked.

  ****

  Melissa and I sat on the couch with Maggie snuggled between us. The crisp October breeze drifted through the open garage door with the scent of fall in the air. Mason was chatting with Kyle next to the keyboard. Kyle’s brown eyes widened when he grasped what Mason was trying to get across to him. He started to tap the keys while Mason hummed along to their newest collaboration.

  Kyle and Mason had been friends since grade school. He was kind of like a second brother to me. His family was over-the-top wealthy, but they never flaunted it. I think that’s why I liked him so much. He was kindhearted and sweet, which made his average looks more attractive. Derek was the complete opposite of Kyle. Kyle’s shoulder-length dark brown hair was such a contrast to Derek’s spiky blond. Kind of like their personalities. Kyle was more of an introvert, like me, and Derek… he was as outgoing as Melissa.

  Mason and Kyle continued to look over the pages of their spiral binder. Derek exhaled in boredom and then started to lightly tap on the drums, which surprised me. I couldn’t believe he could lightly do anything, with Derek it was all or nothing.

  Aidan had his cell phone out and was texting. When he finished, he slipped his phone in his front pocket and casually walked over to us. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks when he sat next to me on the arm of the couch. Maggie’s head popped up. She glanced at Aidan and crawled over my body to get to him. We both laughed. Melissa chuckled and got up to go see Mason.

  Aidan bent forward and stroked Maggie’s soft face. “I love dogs,” he murmured, then Maggie began to nuzzle into his touch.

  “Do you have a dog?” Unable to make eye contact, I continued to pet Maggie’s soft coat. Aidan didn’t a
nswer right away. I looked up at him waiting for a response.

  “No. I always wanted one. But, my mom wasn’t into it. She said it was too much work.” He shrugged.

  “Did you ever have any animals?”

  “Nope, we moved around too much.”

  Aidan got up and glanced over his shoulder. The guys were getting back in their positions to play.

  “That’s sad,” I whispered.

  “Yeah, it sucked…” He gave me a brief smile and picked up his bass as the guys began to play.

  ****

  Melissa and the guys were still in the garage. My fingers mindlessly glided across the keys of the piano in our living room. I had my own practicing to do, but I was glad I’d stayed in the garage for as long as I had. That was the longest conversation I’d ever had with Aidan. Even though I only said a few words. At least it was more than Hi.

  I was lost in the sweet sounds of the piano while I belted out the last chorus of “Desert Song.” When I finished, I opened my eyes to Aidan standing next to the piano. His gaze was so intense I felt butterflies in my stomach.

  “Liz, your voice is incredible. Mason always said you could sing, but I had no idea you were so good. That was amazing. Seriously.”

  I couldn’t help but blush when Aidan slid in next to me and his arm briefly touched mine sending a chill down my spine.

  “Thanks, Aidan,” I murmured.

  “With your voice, you totally should sing with the band. It’d be awesome!”

  “No, it’s just not my thing.” I began plinking the keys.

  Aidan grabbed my hand, his blue eyes focused on mine.

  “I’m serious. You’re great. Why won’t you think about it?”

  His attention was so focused on me. It was like he couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t jump at the chance.

  I swallowed, trying to find my voice, and finally answered, “I’m busy at school with a bunch of AP classes, and I sing with the band at church. So, I don’t have the time.” There. That sounded pretty convincing. There was no way I was going tell Aidan I was too scared to put myself out there. It was hard enough singing at church.

  Aidan let go of my hand and shook his head in frustration.

  “What a waste, that’s too bad.” He rubbed his hands on his knees, cracked his knuckles, gave me a smirk, and began playing chopsticks. It made me giggle. Then he stopped tapping the keys and moved closer toward me, “I’ve been wanting to ask you something. I know you’re smart and I suck at calculus. I’m having a hard time with the formulas, and my grades are starting to slip. Would you be willing to help me out? My dad would pay you… what do you think?”

  My heads was spinning — What do I think? I’m freakin’ out. That’s what I think! I was able to hold it together enough to say, “Sure, I can do that.”

  “Okay, great. Let me have your number.”

  I rattled off my number, and Aidan programmed it in his phone.

  He texted me the word thanks. A slow smile spread across his face, then he slid out from the piano bench and walked toward the front door. “I’ll text you.”

  When the door closed, I sat there for a minute, staring at my cell phone then added him to my contact list.

  Did that actually happen?

  When realization set in, I jumped up from the piano bench and ran to the front window to make sure his truck was gone. Certain that he had left, I made my way to the door that led into the garage and peeked my head inside.

  “Melissa… you’re not gonna believe this!”

  Chapter Three

  Several days had passed since I gave Aidan my cell number. I kept picking up my phone, trying to will the text to come through. While shredding carrots on the third night of anxiously waiting, my cell phone vibrated from my back pocket. The air left my lungs when I saw his name flash across the small screen.

  Aidan: Hey Liz, Does twice a week work for you?

  Me: Sure.

  Twice a week!

  Aidan: How about Mon & Thurs? I’ll work it out so I’m off on those days.

  Me: Sounds good. Where do you work?

  Aidan’s Facebook page wasn’t set to private, so I had already stalked him. I knew where he worked, but he didn’t know I knew that.

  Aidan: I’m a valet at a ritzy hotel.

  Me: Do you like it?

  Aidan: The tips are good. Does 8 work for you?

  Me: Sure.

  Aidan: Ok, bye.

  The thought of Aidan coming over in a few days was getting to me.

  How am I going to tutor him? I can hardly look at him he’s so cute. What was I thinking? Why did I say yes?

  “Liz… Liz!”

  I looked up from what I was doing and then back at the cutting board covered in carrots.

  “That’s more than enough,” Mom said.

  “Oops, sorry.” I added half of the carrots to the salad and put the rest in a plastic bag.

  My mom finished getting the meal on the table. Mason put out the plates while my dad grabbed the milk. I placed a small chicken breast on my plate, followed by a large portion of salad with low-cal dressing.

  Mom glanced over my plate, “How much weight have you lost now, Liz?”

  I rattled off, “Fifteen pounds.”

  Dad eyed me with a loving smile. “I’m proud of you, sweetie. Maybe I should join you,” he said and patted his belly.

  “Thanks, Dad.” I giggled.

  Mom chimed in with a grin, “It’s almost time to go shopping again!”

  “Oh, Mom.”

  When I sat down I noticed Mason wasn’t being his usual, upbeat self. “Hey, Mase? Are you okay?” I whispered.

  “Just tired.” Mason pushed his food around his plate.

  “I have some news.” All eyes focused on me. “Umm, I got a job. Well, sort of.” I took a sip of my water before I continued. “I’m going to tutor Aidan Mitchell.”

  Mason’s head snapped my way, but he didn’t say anything.

  “He seems like a sweet boy.” Mom seemed pleased with the idea.

  “I don’t know him that well,” I confessed. But I’m sure hoping to. I felt myself smile at the thought.

  Mason was quiet for a few minutes and then excused himself from the table.

  ****

  Maggie and I began our walk at a brisk pace, spurred on by the fact it was Saturday, and I had lost another three pounds.

  Weight loss today. Eighteen pounds! Yes!

  I stood next to my usual streetlamp, braced myself, and began to stretch. When I saw a moving van in front of Mrs. Chapman’s house, it tugged at my heart a little bit, but I was so curious I stopped stretching and walked down the street to get a better look. I strategically placed myself behind a large tree so I was able to observe my new neighbors without being seen.

  The first thing that caught my eye was a baby grand piano. I had always wanted one. Playing the baby grand at church was awesome. My upright at home paled in comparison. They also unloaded a couple of electric guitars and a beautiful acoustic one. From what I could see, the furniture was nice too. Off to the side of the moving van were a few dirt bikes and a sleek black motorcycle. In the garage was a bunch of camping equipment, and a red jeep.

  These people liked to have fun.

  A couple of boys came bounding out of the front door, pushing each other and laughing. An attractive older woman followed, her long dark hair was pulled up in a ponytail. I heard myself gasp when I watched what walked out of the door next. This guy was attractive… seriously attractive. His shoulder-length hair was a deep brown tousled mess, but it worked for him, in a good way. I was too far away to make out his eye-color, but his body. Yikes! The form-fitted grey shirt he was wearing left nothing for the imagination. His sleeves were pushed up, and tattoos were peeking out on his left forearm. This guy was a hottie.

  In stealth mode, I continued to watch the activity of my much-too-good-looking neighbor. I assumed these were his brothers and his mom. The boys started to roughhouse with their older b
rother, and it was obvious he adored them.

  Maggie was starting to get antsy, so I began my jog to the creek bed. So unlike me, but determined to get a better look, I crossed the street and slowly jogged passed the house. We made eye contact. He flashed me a dimpled smile, and I smiled back. My heart rate picked up, as did my pace.

  Light grey.

  The most beautiful eye color I had ever seen.

  ****

  Mason still seemed out of sorts while we drove to church for practice. I couldn’t take his sullen demeanor another minute. “What’s up, Mason? You haven’t been yourself lately. Why won’t you talk to me?” I could tell Mason was considering what he wanted to say.

  Finally, he took a deep breath and told me what had been bothering him. “I think something’s going on with Melissa and Aidan.”

  I felt sick to my stomach, then I choked out the words, “What? No way. Melissa would never cheat on you… never!”

  Mason’s neck tensed, and his profile became ridged while he began to share the emotional rollercoaster he had been on for the past few weeks. “I thought she’d never cheat on me, but I don’t know anymore. I haven’t said anything to her. I feel like every girl falls at Aidan’s feet. I just didn’t think my girl would be one of them.”

  Speechless for a minute, my mind was racing. “What makes you think something’s going on?”

  We were stopped at a red light when Mason’s sad, green eyes met mine. “It’s little things I’ve noticed. Like the two of them at school walking around together. And at band practice, the way I see them looking at each other. Melissa and I have been together since freshman year. Maybe she’s over it.”