Model Student

by C. J. Washington

  It’s Thanksgiving this week so I decide to cut my losses and head home early. I need to get away. I pack my bag and fire off a quick text to Colby and Tate to let them know I’d be gone. I’d invited Bow for Thanksgiving and she had been looking forward to meeting my Mom. Well, those plans are well and truly fucked. I shut off the part of my brain that’s yelling at me to not let her spend it alone. I get I’m my truck and drive away before I can change my mind.

  Chapter fourteen

  Bow

  I spoke to the contractor and foreman first thing this morning after the final walk through of the house. Everything’s perfect and better than I imagined but I’m ready for all this chaos to be over with. I need a bit of normality. I ask them to hire as many people as possible to get the garden, pool and everything finished within a week instead of two and promise a large bonus if they do. The beds and last of the furniture get delivered tomorrow morning and then we can move back in.

  I’ll be glad to see the back of my Winnebago. It’s hard being in there right now, every surface reflects a memory of Asher. They are being picked up at noon tomorrow so we need to get a move on when we empty them in the morning. I decide to tell everyone about the surprise road trip at our Oddball Thanksgiving meal that we’re having together tomorrow night. That way they can check with their families while they’re at home over the break.

  I was supposed to be going to Asher’s with him, now though I’m going to Milan, Italy to do a job for Vogue that I initially turned down. Luckily they still wanted me. Work will keep me distracted. I received invites from everyone to join them with their families but I refuse to drag anyone down with me. I’m not spreading my misery around like a virus.

  I know the guys are having a poker night tonight and the girls are going to a birthday party. They offered to cancel after the day I’ve had, nevertheless I don’t accept. I’m going to be spending most of the evening on the phone to my Agent finalising the Vogue shoot and then probably talking Ralph down from the ledge. He’s found out about the ‘find Bells reward’ and he’s going to need to vent.

  I feel utterly betrayed by Asher. I know I’ve hurt him but I still had a spark of hope that we’d get through it. That’s been extinguished now. I can still see Michael and Glen waving at the marketing classroom door in my mind. When I realised what they wanted I looked at my phone. It was like slow motion as I clicked on the link Glen had sent me. There was a picture of me in a bikini with a cap and gown drawn over the top with question marks surrounding it.

  I only read the first sentence of the article before I bolted. I thought I was going to be sick. I remember glancing briefly at Asher, his face was completely blank. Emotionless. I knew he was there. I’d felt the atmosphere change in the classroom as soon as he entered. I can’t bring myself to completely believe that he’s to blame though. I’m so pathetic, clinging on to the notion that he wouldn’t hurt me like that.

  I’m glad for a bit of time to myself and spend it sorting through boxes. When I’m finished I load up an episode of Sherlock (my new obsession), on the TV in the bedroom and fall asleep in front of it.

  ***

  I woke up early this morning having had an early night and decided to get a head start on moving. I take all of my boxes and everyone else’s from my Winnebago and stack them in the middle of the yard. It’s exhausting work. At least I’ll be able to skip the gym today.

  Everyone must have had a late night because four delivery trucks pull up and start unloading our new furniture and there’s still no sign of anyone. I direct the delivery men where to put everything. It’s satisfying to see everything take shape. As everything is unpackaged and positioned in the rooms I can feel myself relaxing. We’ve achieved what we set out to do. This house is awesome. The TVs are being hooked up and fixed to the various walls as the guys, including Colby and Tate come in the back door.

  “Bow, you should have woken us up. We would have helped you.” Radley looks unhappy that I’ve been left on my own. He’s so sweet. The guys all nod along, agreeing with him.

  “It’s fine guys, I woke up early and bossed these nice men about. I’ve hardly lifted a finger. I’ve put coffee and bagels in the kitchen for breakfast to get us ready for the big move.”

  Colby slings his arm around my shoulder and walks with me into the kitchen. I’m so glad they haven’t distanced themselves from us, I was afraid they would. I love them as friends in their own right. Glen assured me that they don’t know anything that went down between me and Asher. I realise that there’s a part of Asher that I don’t understand at all. Why would he contact the entertainment news but not tell his best friends? Maybe he’s ashamed of himself. I hope he is.

  Not long after we start eating Janie and Pepper come in and pounce on the coffee. When we’re all done and the delivery men have left we start unloading everything. The guys do the heavy lifting while us girls unpack. I put all the new kitchen stuff away and then the food. With four Winnebago fridges to clear, we won’t have to shop at all this week.

  When I’m done, I grab Anthony to help me make up the beds. The guys are getting distracted by all the electronics they’re ‘checking.’ Then I stock the bathrooms with toilet paper and new towels. Everyone can sort out the stuff in their rooms in their own time. I just place the lamps, chairs and cushions in place.

  I’m not hanging Glen’s clothes no matter how nicely he asks. If it’s not done in a couple of days, I know I’ll break and do it. So does he. Five hours later and we’re done. The girls help me set the table and then go and pick up the Thanksgiving centre piece I ordered. I call the caterer and confirm the time they’ll show up. Everything’s coming together great.

  When the caterers leave, Glen officially turns on the house security system. He wants to demonstrate it. I know how long that will take so I usher them all into the new dining room where dinner is served. We dig into the scrumptious food and toast to the new and improved Oddball House.

  I stand to get everyone’s attention. “I just want to say I love you guys, every single one of you. It’s an amazing feeling to have a family again and I have each and every one of you to thank for that. I’m truly, truly thankful.” I wipe a few spilled tears and sit back down. The girls are sniffing beside me and I stroke their hands.

  Michael stands next. “I’m thankful for you, B. You’re my best friend and new sister. You bring so much fun and joy into this house that I can barely recall it before you were here.” I wave him off as there is a chorus of ‘here heres.’

  Glen stands. “I’m thankful for my acute observation,” he winks at me “and new lifelong friends.” He tips his glass to Tate and Colby who look taken aback by his toast.

  Colby stands. “I’m thankful that this amazing group of friends gave a couple of jocks a chance to be part of something special.” We all clap.

  Tate’s next. “I’m thankful I found someone who is willing to talk about Firefly as much as me.” We all laugh and Radley nearly rolls out of his chair in hysterics.

  Pepper stands. “I’m thankful for my two best friends, Janie and Bow. Life’s so much easier when you have true friends to turn to.” Now I’m crying again.

  Anthony stands. “I’m thankful that this is just the beginning and that we have two more years to live in the moment.” We all nod, agreeing wholeheartedly.

  Radley’s next. “I’m thankful that I have converted another person to Firefly and maybe have two more people to go to comic con with.” He gestures to me and Tate. I roll my eyes as he and Tate high five.

  Finally, Janie stands. “I’m thankful for all of you. Not many people have a true home away from home and I’m forever thankful that I have it with you guys.”

  I snap a few photos and then ask everyone to listen to me again. “I forgot what I was going to surprise you with for a minute there. Firstly, the back yard should be nearly finished by the time we all get back here after Thanksgiving. I negotiated a new deal with the contractor and they’re pulling in a few more guys to get it
done. I think we’re all ready to have Oddball workmen free. Secondly and on a totally unrelated topic, I’ve always wanted to go on a road trip around the Southern States. It’s one of those things I saw in movies growing up and never thought I’d get to do.

  “So, I’d like to invite you all to come with me for the last two and a half weeks of Christmas break. I’ve already got the Winnebagos reserved. We’ll fly to South Carolina and drive our way back west through the States to be back here in time for college to start up again. I thought I’d tell you now so you could check with your families over Thanksgiving.”

  Everyone talks over each other. There were a lots of ‘whoops’ and ‘hell yeahs’ heard above it all. After every one calmed they all agreed. This was going to be great, a part in the back of my mind niggles at me that I’ll never get to have that private Winnebago with Asher like we planned. I block it out the best I can and enjoy the rest of our night together.

  Asher

  I arrived home late last night and stayed quiet so that I didn’t wake my Mom. She’s already left for work when I wake up. She must have seen my truck in the drive because she’s left me some breakfast in the oven. I occupy myself by doing my laundry and fixing the back step my Mom keeps complaining about on the phone. It’s not a big job but it kills a couple of hours. When she gets in we sit and catch up over dinner. I don’t mention Bow. I’m not ready to analyse everything yet and no doubt my Mom would want to talk the situation to death. I want to do it on my own time and preferably by myself.

  My mind keeps wandering to Bow, wondering what she is doing and if the house has turned out how she imagined. She’ll be there now waving goodbye to her friends as they leave to join their families. Guilt sneaks up on me and I mentally bat it away. I don’t know why I’m torturing myself about everything, I’ll never be a part of that group again. I can’t even decide if I want to. Why can’t I block her out? It’s like she’s haunting me. I decide to embrace being home. Nothing here has been touched by Bow. It’s a Bow-free zone.

  If I’m honest, what’s bothering me most is that I don’t know how to picture her anymore. I can’t seem to resolve the difference between the two Bows, even though they’re the same person. When I recall any of our time together the vision of her is unclear in my head. I’m avoiding the internet altogether. The compulsion to get on Google and do an image search of her is constantly nagging at me. I decide to cut my losses and have an early night.

  ***

  I wake to the sounds of my Mom talking to someone downstairs. I get up and see Colby digging into what I assume was once my breakfast. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we’ve always spent the day before together, catching up with friends and drinking at our favourite local bar. It had totally slipped my mind until now. He better not have said anything to my Mom about Bow. I walk over and slap him on the back in welcome.

  “Hey. I’m going to leave you to eat my breakfast and take a quick shower. I’ll be back down in 10.”

  “Whatever, Ash. I know you spend at least that styling that little excuse for a mohawk on your head.” I laugh, flick his ear and run upstairs before he can retaliate.

  When I’m done, I join Colby in the family room. He’s watching some daytime TV crap. “I’ve just spoken to Dez and the guys. They’re gonna meet us at Ethan’s sports bar in an hour.” He informs me.

  “Sounds good.” I’m glad he’s on the ball because I’m certainly not.

  “You not even going to ask?” Here we go. I knew this would be coming.

  “About what?” I know what.

  “Don’t be a dick. About Bow. She looks miserable like you and more so when she thinks no one’s watching. She’s trying hard to hide it but she’s not pulling it off. She cries at the smallest things. I think she must love you, man.” I pretend to not hear that and file it away to think on later.

  “What about the renovations?” I don’t want to hear any more about Bow.

  “Oddball House is finished. We had a Thanksgiving meal last night when it was all done. That’s an amazing place. You should see the gym in the basement, they’ve got better equipment than the college.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. Everything Bow ordered was top of the line, even the fucking curtains.”

  “You not wanting to talk to me about her either?”

  “Nope.”

  “You’re making a huge mistake.”

  I turn on him, my anger bubbling to the surface. “Shut the fuck up! You don’t know anything that’s gone on. You don’t get to have an opinion.”

  “You think me and Tate are stupid? We know there’s something going on that we don’t know about, we just don’t care. They’ll tell us when they’re ready. Besides, I already know it’s nothing bad.”

  “How can you possibly know that?”

  “You haven’t stopped us from going around there. If it was bad you would have. We’ve guessed it’s something to do with Bow. Pretty obvious really. The girl is a walking contradiction. She’s hot but hides it, she dresses casually in normal clothes yet seeing the mounds upon mounds of clothes and shoes that were carried up the stairs yesterday she doesn’t dress like that all the time and she isn’t blown away by her car. That suggests she’s used to driving vehicles that nice if not nicer all the time.

  “Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter to me. I can’t see it being anything I can’t accept if all those decent people are prepared to protect her considering they’ve only known her a few weeks longer than you. Plus, no one can fake being that nice. She’s been a gem to us, regardless of anything else.” I hate that he’s right in a way. I just can’t forgive the lie.

  “I’m not talking about this anymore. What else has been going on?”

  “Well, construction’s been moved up on the pool and the backyard. It’s going to be nearly done by the time they get back from the break just in time to enjoy the last of the hot weather. Did you know the pool house will have two guest bedrooms? Man, I need to get in there. Bow seems to have the final say, so I’ll be working on her when we get back.”

  “She would. She owns the property.”

  “What?” Shit, I didn’t mean to say that.

  “Nothing.”

  “Bow owns the property? Fuck. I guessed she was paying for a most of the renovations. Shit, I bet she’s paid for the lot then.” I don’t respond. “Well, whatever she’s hiding doesn’t seem to stop her from looking after her friends. She even announced at dinner that she wants to take us all on a road trip over Christmas break. How fucking cool is that?!”

  I get up and walk away. I can’t listen to any more. I was about to shout at him for talking about her money, until I remembered that she’s not mine to defend anymore. I grab a beer from the fridge and drink half of it in one gulp. I think about how her expression was when I asked her to get a Winnebago just for us. She lit up like a firework. She was so excited to go already. Now she’d be going without me. I should have realised the trip would still go ahead whether I was there or not.

  I hear Colby walk in the kitchen. I keep my back to him. I’m not inviting further conversation. “I’m sorry, Ash. I don’t know what’s gone on between you two and I shouldn’t have brought it up. It was shitty of me, I just care about you, man. I’ll quit talking about it now. I promise.” I nod before finishing the rest of my beer.

  We spend the rest of the day like we’ve done the years before. Getting shit faced with our hometown friends. At some point Colby started flashing photos of Pepper around saying she’s his girl. I didn’t bother pointing out that he’s a bit delusional when it come to that girl. The boy’s whipped and he isn’t even getting any. Then again, I’m not one to talk, I wasn’t either. I was about to until I blew it. No! I didn’t blow it, she did, for both of us. It’s her fault. I hate that I still get a boner when I think about her in those shorts on her birthday. God I wanted to fuck her brains out right there. I wouldn’t have cared who’d see. They’d understand once they got a look at her body. Fuck, I need to get laid.

>   I’m a free agent now, I should be hooking up with all sorts of hotties. Maybe that’s what I need to get past this. I scan the bar and spot a tight little unit at the side. I force myself up and approach her.

  “Hey, can I buy you a drink?” I’m slurring slightly.

  “Sure. You’re Asher Williams, right?” She doesn’t even pause for me to answer. “I went to high school with you. I was a couple of years below you.”

  “Nice to meet you.” I still don’t know here name and I’d like to keep it that way if I can.

  “You back for Thanksgiving?”

  “Yep.”

  “You still playing football?”

  “Yep.”

  “Not very chatty are you. Are you grumpy? Are you a grumpy grump?” I immediately walk away, ignoring her yelled questions behind me. Why do some girls think that talking like a toddler and saying cutesy shit would turn a guy on? I go back to our table and abandon my idea.

  Chapter fifteen

  Asher

  I wake up with a banging head. The hot sun is streaming through my thin curtains, hurting my eyes. I could kick myself for not drawing the blinds. It must be late morning. I can smell my Mom’s cooking wafting up from the kitchen. Oh yeah, it’s Thanksgiving today. My stomach rumbles compelling me to move and seek out sustenance.

  I must have been really drunk when I got home last night because I can’t remember a thing. I rarely get so drunk that it affects my memory. I turn over and see a big glass of ice water and two aspirins waiting for me on my bedside table. My Mom is the best. I swallow the pills and down the entire glass of water, soothing my sore throat.

  After a shower I go into the kitchen where my Mom is slaving away over the oven sticking to her tradition of wearing her turkey apron. I gave it to her as a gift for Mother’s Day about ten years ago. She always makes far too much food for the two of us and we end up eating nothing but leftovers the next day. I sit and keep her company while she plates everything up. It’s my job to do the dishes after. She can’t resist helping me though.