Finally...One Summer (Just One of the Guys)

by Kristi Pelton

  I scanned the room noticing a slight abrasion on Seth’s cheek now. Grant and Ryan both looked unharmed…at least what I could see. Zach’s hands were clasped together but his knuckles were bruised…swollen.

  “So if you didn’t do it then why are you in trouble?”

  Zach’s mom stood when I asked the question, and she started to pace, looking like an attorney in a courtroom. “We don’t know who killed Paul Talley. But the night before he was killed, our boys had a confrontation with him that turned ugly. Any one of these boys’ DNA could be found somewhere on his body and his on theirs. So, until we find who did, all of these boys are suspects. There were too many witnesses that saw them fighting.”

  “Yes. But just as many witnesses saw him walk away from us,” Austin added.

  “True.” She nodded.

  “So, Mrs. Owens. What do we do from here?” Seth asked.

  This must have been the point in their conversation that I interrupted.

  She shrugged. “Well. Option one. We go to the police and are the first to tell them about the brawl. They may already know. Unfortunately, we’d have to tell them about Emma.”

  “No!” Austin said firmly.

  Zach’s lip pulled into a snarl.

  “I promised her. I’m not going back on that,” Austin added.

  “Like the rest of us want to? She’s my girlfriend, Austin. I’ll decide what’s best for her.”

  I licked a tear that had rolled to the corner of my mouth and Austin rolled his eyes.

  I found the strength to stand. “I’ll decide what’s best for me,” I said and Austin threw a smile my way.

  Zach grew angrier as I watched the muscles in his jaw flex.

  “Option two?” Grant asked.

  “Thank you, Grant for keeping us on track. Option two would be do to do nothing and play the waiting game. I don’t like this option because it looks like we’re hiding. We have nothing to hide.” She clicked her well-manicured fingernails together thinking, and I sat back down on the sofa.

  Zach’s eyes narrowed zoning in on me like he was trying to read my thoughts. He searched for an approval I was unable to give. I looked away.

  “I would like to give it a day and see what’s reported. Those boys who you fought with, they know Mr. Talley walked away. They would tell the police that. They have no reason not to.” She grabbed a yellow legal pad and jotted something down. “Look, you say nothing to anyone. And if law enforcement or campus security comes to the door, call me immediately. All of our worry could be for naught. But in the mean time…don’t miss a class…don’t drink illegally, don’t do anything that could lead to trouble. Am I understood?” Her chin was set and her eyes serious as they flicked around the room.

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  “It’s Saturday. Your bruises are not going to be gone by class on Monday. Stay low. Got it?”

  Another round of nods.

  “I’m leaving. I’m struggling right now to decide if I should call your parents.”

  A low grumble rolled over the room as the boys eyed each other. Everyone agreed that was definitely not a good idea.

  “You are all 18 or older. I’m giving it twenty-four to forty-eight hours then I’ll decide,” she threatened. “One last thing. Don’t text about it…don’t talk about it. Don’t e-mail about it. Everything and anything can be traced.”

  She grabbed her purse. “Emma. Would you like to follow me back?”

  I was taken off guard by her question. My lips parted but no words came out. I shook my head.

  She smiled. “OK. Be careful.” And with her final words, she closed the door behind her.

  “Runt. Do Mom and Dad even know you’re here?” Ryan asked.

  I shook my head.

  “Damn it, Em. Do you know how much trouble you’re going to be in?” Zach asked angrily.

  I bolted to my feet rearing my shoulders back, sticking my chest out and shooting daggers at him. “Had you not lied, I wouldn’t have had to sneak off. Had you called me back like you said you would, I wouldn’t have snuck off. OR! Had you not done what you promised not to do, then none of us would be here.”

  “Emma. We’re all to blame,” Austin jumped in.

  Zach’s left eyebrow rose appraising his defender.

  Austin was close and his eyes were soft. “We all wanted a piece of him. We have for several months. It built up and our judgment was skewed. We screwed up.”

  I swallowed dryly and touched his cheek. “Thank you. For your honesty.” I hugged him and when his arms tightly held me, I closed my eyes. Then he released me, too quickly.

  Swiveling around, I faced Grant and kissed his cheek and hugged him too. “Love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you too.”

  Ryan held his arms open and swallowed me inside of them lifting my feet off the ground. “Good luck with mom and dad.”

  “Thanks. I love you, Ry.”

  “I know. Ditto,” he kissed my forehead.

  Seth grinned. “Don’t worry, kid. We’ll take care of ya.” He patted my shoulder.

  I smiled back. “I never doubted that for a second.”

  “See you guys,” I said and without another glance toward Zach, I opened the door. The rain continued to pour from the sky as I jogged to the car. By the time I’d reached my door, Zach was climbing in on the passenger side.

  “Get out.”

  “No.”

  “Zach. Get out.”

  He grabbed my arm. “What is your problem?”

  “You lied to me.”

  “And you’ve lied to me. Multiple times. Do I need to remind you?” His tone was harsh.

  “You broke promises.”

  “What the hell do you want from me?”

  “Nothing,” I said flatly and it was the biggest lie I’d ever told. I wanted everything from him…love, marriage, children, eternity. Exactly in that order. Or not even, I didn’t care anymore.

  “Emma. The broken promise you refer to. I never promised I wouldn’t touch him. I said I wouldn’t do anything stupid. And this wouldn’t have qualified for stupid had he not gotten himself killed a day later.”

  My face contorted into a garbled mess as he used the word ‘killed.’

  “What of your broken promises. To be true to me. You kissed not one but two guys this summer and swam naked with the other. At least this meant something to me,” he said softly, grabbing my hand and pointing to my empty finger. “Where is it?” he asked concerned.

  “I had a meet this morning. I take it off when I run.”

  “I take it the meet was cancelled.”

  I nodded covering my face with my moist palms. The tears were back. “I can’t believe this is happening,” I cried resting my forehead on the steering wheel. “Paul is dead. I can still see his face on mine…his body against me.” I shuddered. “What if they found my DNA on him…somehow.”

  His comforting arms pulled me against his chest, and he gently pulled me over the console of the car. “Emma. That was months ago. That’s not going to happen.”

  My hands clawed at his shirt clutching at the cotton material. “Zach,” I cried. “He was so mean…so mean.”

  “I know, baby.”

  “He choked me, Zach. He choked me and…I couldn’t breathe and…I thought…” My sobs migrated into wails and my breaths came in uneven gasps as I tugged at his shirt unable to pull him close enough. “I thought…I was going to die. I did.”

  He kissed my head and stroked my hair. “It’s OK, Em. It’s gonna be OK,” he whispered.

  I wept as he held me snuggly…wept like I hadn’t in a long time…maybe forever, and the tears seemed unending, as were his patience.

  “Em. None of this is your fault. I screwed up. I let you down and I’m sorry. I should have let it be, but it was very…difficult to let this go. Please forgive me.”

  “I do,” I whispered trying to breathe through a swollen nose. My phone vibrated on the dash. The window read Dad. I closed my eyes
and sighed.

  “Hi, Dad.”

  “Bug. This storm is really bad. Where are you?” he asked, his tone full of concern. My head thudded against Zach’s chest as a crushing guilt consumed me.

  Zach held his hand out for the phone and my swollen eyes focused on the chocolate brown pupils I loved. I handed him the phone.

  “Hello. Mr. Hendricks.”

  He rubbed my back.

  “No, sir. I am in Eugene. Em is in Eugene with me.”

  He breathed deeply.

  “Yes. She did drive.” He paused. “I wasn’t happy either, sir but…we had a bit of a misunderstanding and…”

  Zach pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. I could hear my dad’s voice rambling and my heart pulsed with fear.

  “Mr. Hendricks. What do you want me to do?” he paused. “I’d be willing to drive her home.” Silence. “Yes. Ryan’s here.” Quiet again. “OK. Call us right back.”

  Zach slid the phone shut and as his eyes widened he pretended to hit me with the phone repeatedly.

  “You…are toast,” he forewarned. “I will be seeing you, hopefully, at Christmas.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “Why is he calling Ryan?”

  He pointed at the downpour on the windshield. “With the storm, he’s worried about you getting home…not to mention pissed at how you got here.”

  The phone buzzed.

  “Yes, sir?”

  I touched his cheek as he concentrated.

  “Medford at 4:00. We’ll see you then.”

  The extraordinarily heavy rain continued to fall and the car would sporadically shift in the direction of the tire catching a pool of standing water. The thunder and lightening moved westward and the lightened western sky suggested hope for break in the rain. The truckers heading south followed the same rituals with their flashers from the slow lane and some temporarily parked at rest stops.

  Zach and I didn’t talk as we drove. The unfortunate predicament we all found ourselves in weighed heavily on both of our minds for different reasons. His occasional tender hand squeeze and soothing smile reassured me that things would be all right.

  Mom and Dad were waiting for us in Medford and Zach parked next to them. Ryan pulled in behind us.

  Zach leaned in giving me a quick peck. “Good luck,” he whispered and got out. He shook Dad’s hand as they passed quickly in the rain and Zach jumped in the truck as Dad joined me. I twisted to look over at my mom. She didn’t offer a smile and her car moved forward.

  I waved at Zach as he and Ryan took off and Dad followed after, each of us going separate ways. My heart ached. I had a feeling my butt was going to ache from being chewed on before I got home.

  “How about you telling me what your punishment should be, young lady?” He spoke harshly but politely.

  I thought about his offer and it was a lose/lose question. If I go too hard, he might agree. If I go too soft, he might get angrier. I’d stay neutral.

  “You tell me, Dad.”

  “Emma Nichole. What were you thinking?”

  “I wasn’t thinking. I needed to talk to Zach?”

  “I know it sounds crazy, but did you think of the phone?”

  I shook my head. “I had to see him. The phone wasn’t an option.”

  “Well. That should make the next thirty days easy then?”

  I finally looked at him. His jaw was tight and his brows pulled down over his eyes. He concentrated on the road.

  “What do you mean?” I asked bracing myself for the bad news.

  “Your phone.” He held out his palm. I retrieved the phone from my cup holder and set it in his hand. He slid it in his shirt pocket. “Since it appears that you don’t need it, I’ll keep if for you.”

  I cocked my chin sideways glaring out the windshield.

  We rode in silence for a bit. I was thrilled to have gotten off so easily. No lecture and nothing I couldn’t live without. The rain had switched over to a mist as we drove further south. As he followed mom into the driveway and turned off my car, he turned sideways in his seat.

  “Honey. You’re mother and I love you very much. What you did today was not OK.”

  “I know, Dad,” I agreed and held out my hand for the keys.

  He spun them around his finger catching them in his hands. “These are mine as well, for thirty days. I will drive you to school and I will pick you up. You have proven to your mother and me that you are not ready for the responsibility of a car and what that entails.”

  My eyes widened instantly. “That is so unfair,” I screamed.

  He got out and shut the door on my words. I followed.

  “Dad. You can’t drive me to school.”

  “Then you better get up early so you can walk,” he said moving toward the front door.

  “Mom. Please.”

  She stood near the front door and rolled her lips under without a word.

  Dad swirled around and stopped me before I could enter our home. “You’re grounded for thirty days. You will go nowhere. Outside of the state tournament…you are on unofficial house arrest.”

  I was fuming and I tried to step past him as he stopped speaking.

  “One final tidbit,” he added.

  Tears swelled in my eyes and I looked angrily at him.

  “No visitors. None.” His eyes didn’t flinch and his fury didn’t falter.

  My mouth hung suspended and I couldn’t close it. I made up for my earlier drought as the tears streaked my cheeks, and I bolted up the stairs slamming my door and throwing myself on the bed. Life sucked.

  Chapter 38—The loss

  Natalie Hickel stepped off the bus, stretching her arms behind her back. Her blonde hair tied back in a twist. I tried not to stare but noticed a skin-colored ankle wrap at the bottom of her leg. The ride from Summit was much shorter for her to Salem than ours from Ashland. Coach wanted us there early to shake off any bus lag. The morning air was warm making for great running conditions. I’d stretched for the forty minutes we’d been there, and Ali and I stayed to ourselves.

  She didn’t bring up Zach as we talked but said Ryan would be here. I knew he wouldn’t miss it. Mom and Dad rode with Ali’s folks and the shoe polish on their windows supported the Grizzlies and us individually.

  My school expected me to win after beating Natalie at the state qualifier and the anticipation in coach’s eyes was stressful. I noticed Natalie watching me as much as I watched her. After popping my neck from side to side, I decided I wouldn’t look at her again.

  The 2A, 3A and 4A races were first, which meant a longer than normal wait. Finally, it was our turn. The girls’ 5A race was first and I yanked my buds from my ears tossing my IPOD into my bag, then quickly puffed my inhaler. I closed my eyes, taking in some much needed long breaths, hoping to alleviate the butterflies beating the crap out of my stomach. Ali extended her fist to me. After I bumped it, she winked.

  “Do it,” she smiled.

  I nodded jumping up and down and swinging my arms working the kinks.

  “Runners ready?”

  I blew out a breath and got in my stance glancing down the line of girls. The horn sounded and I sprinted initially due to the immediate funneling of the course. Cones and paint helped outline the course and within only a few minutes, my breathing was even and my pace established. I led, but the pounding footsteps behind kept me pushing forward. My body was in tune with the distance. The 5K was three point one miles; I ran four easily.

  Two miles in, a familiar stitch made its appearance on my right side. Taking deliberate concentrated breaths through my nose helped, but it lasted longer than normal. I spotted Natalie out of the corner of my eye, her feet not yet even with mine and I grew anxious.

  I heard the rumble of the crowd in the distance. I looked past the creek, I guessed the bend up ahead was the where the ropes would be narrowing the path even further. I pulled what I could from my reserve and was the first in the creek, catching what could only be moss on a rock and slipping. I mai
ntained my balance, but Natalie was even now.

  Back on dry terrain, I kicked it into overdrive pushing myself beyond capacity. Natalie’s breathing was as labored as mine as we approached the ropes. The crowd was cheering, which helped me remember what I was there for.

  “Go, Em!” I heard the shout but stayed focused on my legs and feet.

  “Push it Nat!”

  Her fan seemed angry, and I heard a gritty sob come from her as we closed in on about fifty yards left. Her shoulder was even with mine. She was taller, which meant her strides were longer. I fought to increase my pace, but I had nothing left.

  “Go Emma!”

  There would be no…too close to call or referee review…I had one chance…one opportunity to do this. As I pumped my arms in the last ten yards, so did she. My chest instinctively leaned into the finish line, and I watched her dad throw his arms up in the air in celebration.

  I rested my hands behind my head, walking straight ahead, passing my mom and dad, Ryan, Grant and Josh. No Zach. Disappointed tears swelled in my eyes as I turned to see Ali crossing. Her eyes zoned in on me, and I shook my head. She held up two fingers and I nodded. She nodded back and walked to her parents.

  Natalie’s smile was annoying, and I prepared myself as she approached me.

  “Good race, Emma,” she smiled and extended her hand. “You would have done it, had you not slipped in the creek.”

  I forced a smile back and shook her hand. “I’m not sure about that. But thanks. Congratulations.”

  “It’s all yours next year.”

  Next year? Not much consolation in that thought. “Thanks.”

  Austin rounded the corner with my parents and Ryan. A broad smile crossed his naturally tanned skin. He rushed ahead of them and caught me as I nearly collapsed in his arms.

  “Great job,” he said squeezing me.

  I still breathed heavily and sweat rolled down my temples. He pulled back and looked at me, wiping the tear that escaped. “Don’t cry,” he said soothingly. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “Runt! You did great. I so thought you had her. All the way in…you were leading and then…”

  “Thanks for the play by play there brother.” I punched him in his stomach.