by Ines Vieira
The best idea that my father had ever had, was instead of selling off our cars back in Arizona, that we should just drive the both of them back East with a U-Haul attached to each car full of our stuff. I couldn’t remember one time that the man had ever made me happy before, but he telling me that I could bring my Camaro with me to Plymouth was definitely one. It had been one of the few things my grandmother had left me before she died, and I hated to part with it and God knows that I needed my car. I needed it more as an excuse not to spend any time at home more than necessary. I never knew when dear old dad would get fed up with trying to maintain the act of being a normal human being. When that happened I didn’t want to be anywhere near him and knowing that my car was in close proximity, definitely took the edge off. Since my mom was also mostly at the store, I also didn’t need to worry as much with her.
He’d been in good spirits lately. A real estate agency had called saying that they found a possible buyer for Nana’s house in Arizona. They offered a little bit over 200k for the house. He drooled at the idea that he’d be able to get his hands on that much money, so he’d been in a great mood ever since.
Still both my mom and I tried to not be in the same vicinity as him for long periods of time. My mother had made me open up a bank account of my own. She said that before my dad was ever able to see any of that money, that she would put some away for me. This way I would have something to start me off after I finished high school.
School had been okay too. I still felt like the new kid, but Jess’s friends, along with Alex and Tony, had been great with the transition. I hadn’t felt as alienated as I had before. We laughed and joked around and it felt almost like I had never left.
The only one that gave me a run for my money was Cass. The girl reminded me of my Avó Irene. She could smell bullshit a mile awhile. Any time she saw that I was putting on a show or being a dick, she called me on it without missing a beat.
Most of the girls that I’d met so far seemed to swoon right in front of me with just a bat of an eye. Not Cassandra. I bet I could lay it on her as thick as possible and she would just roll her eyes and yawn at me. We fought like family and it made my day every time we did.
When we were at the center, it was our own little world. Even Brandon had come out of his shell there. He’d made friends with the younger volunteers and I had to admit the little guy had grown on me. On the weekends, when we weren’t in the center together, I usually dropped by his place after I’d visit my Avó, and take turns playing Assassin’s Creed on his Playstation
Friday nights, Cass usually stayed behind to help me tidy up the gym and lock up. If there was ever anyone not in a hurry to go home more than me, it was that girl. I haven’t been able to place a finger as to why, though. On those nights, we’d talk about everything. I could just be myself around Cass. She had the ability to hear me out and get me, without the added pressure of having to impress her. I'd been open about most stuff with her, something that I hadn’t been with anyone in a long time.
Cass always seemed to need to be on her A-game all the time. Not with me, though. I think that’s why she enjoyed being around me. She could just let go and talk without over thinking if she should or not say the stuff she said to me. She’d go ballistic every time we talked about colleges. When I told her that I wasn’t going after we finished Senior Year she looked at me like I had just grown an extra head. There wasn't a day that I didn’t hear her talk about Berkeley. Cass had a one-track mind when it came to college and my indifference really annoyed the living shit out of her. I tried to annoy her as much as possible. Cass pissed was a gorgeous sight to see.
I never thought that in coming back to Plymouth, that the first real friend that I would make would be a chick. But then again Cass wasn’t just some chick. Cass was as close to perfection as a girl could get. She was cool and smart and didn’t back down for anyone. She was loyal to a fault and kind to every living creature that crossed her path. I had yet to find a fault in her, which annoyed the living shit out of me!
One day when her car broke down after school, she even tried to fix it herself. She later admitted that she didn’t know a thing about cars, but you wouldn’t have guessed it by the way she went under that hood to inspect what was wrong. It took forever for her to admit defeat. Like I said, the girl never backed down from a challenge. I guess that’s why she put up with my crap. I know that at times I gave her an extra hard time, but it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with her.
I had promised myself that I wouldn’t hit on Cass but after spending so much time with her, it was getting really tricky keeping that friendship barrier up. Luckily she didn’t have the same problem. I mean even if I did hit on her, she would be the one girl in all of Riverside that would be completely unimpressed.
This annoyed me too. Especially on the days that she would smile at something I said or did and those dimples would come out. Or when she would go off on me with such passion that I couldn’t take my eyes off her lips. It was getting annoying as hell, but still I couldn’t imagine any girl that I would rather be with than her. With all the baggage that I had in my life, Cass was definitely going to be an added problem.
One that I would gladly put off resolving.
CHAPTER 6
CASS
It’s Sunday afternoon and I am restless. My school work is up to date, including completing two new stories for the school’s blog that I have already emailed to my editor. The house is spotless from floor to ceiling. Me feeling restless yesterday really paid off putting this place back in shape.
Nicky’s off to god knows where and even mom has left the house today. One of her former colleagues called and invited her to a late lunch. At first, she had turned her down, but I had made sure that she called back and agreed to lunch. All I had to do was point out that her saying no to a friend that she hasn’t seen in over a year was a really shitty thing to do. Mom usually sees logic when it pulls at her heartstrings.
Now, here I am alone in this house with nothing to do. Jess made plans with the drama club this afternoon and Ronnie is spending the weekend visiting her grandparents in Boston.
The worst part is that if I, at least, had my car I could go somewhere. Anywhere was better than being stuck at home. It’s unreal how much things change. A couple of years ago, I loved being at home. Especially Sunday afternoons. mom and dad usually had the house buzzing with energy from the moment I would open my eyes in the morning. There were no lazy Sundays for us. Sundays were the days that all four of us would focus on ourselves. Our own family day.
Ronnie used to tell me that at her house when she and her little sister were younger, they would have game night on Fridays. At our house, that was the whole weekend, but especially on Sundays. Dad would either take us all fishing or hiking. Other times, Mom would pack a picnic for us to go to the beach or to a park, miles and miles away that had some flower or bird that she wanted to show us. In the past we would even take our bikes out and ride all over Plymouth, trying to discover someplace new.
When the weather was too rough to go out, we would just stay in and have movie marathons, with dad always giving his own opinion in every freaking scene. Or mom would pose for Nicky’s painting while dad and I would cook up a storm in the kitchen. We would always bake something that had chocolate in it; from your simple brownies to the best fudge cake that you have ever eaten in your life. Sunday’s used to be fun. Now they are nothing but tediously boring.
I’m laying on the floor with my head on my throw pillows surrounded by my other friends; my beloved books, but today not even they can get me out of this funk. I do not even try to open up my laptop because the last thing that I want to do is go brain dead from going online. I stretch
my arm to the left to grab my phone. I’ll send a text out to Jess. Maybe she’ll finish early.
Hey, babe. Think you’ll be finished early this afternoon? I don’t wait long for a reply.
Nope! We’ve barely even started. Might take
the whole afternoon. Sorry babe XOXO My heart sinks with disappointment.
OK. Just bored. Call me when U get home. X I give up and open my laptop for some much-needed distraction, but before I click on YouTube, my phone vibrates again with a new msg.
Ring Isaac up. When I left the house he was crawling up the walls! <3 u
Isaac.
Why not? Drastic times lead to drastic measures, right? He could already be busy by now. I doubt that a boy like that will be playing with his thumbs for too long anyway, but might as well send a text to see if he’s free.
Want to do something?
I bite my lower lip, now thinking twice about the text, I’ve just sent. Maybe I should have been more specific, but again, before I can over think the text, the phone vibrates.
Pick u up in 5
Okay then. So Jess wasn’t kidding. He must really be bored. I go to my bathroom to freshen up and apply some color to my cheeks and just a dab of lip gloss so I don’t look like a complete mess and grab my jacket. Not how I envisioned spending my Sunday afternoon, but it’s better than being stuck inside these four walls. As I run down the stairs I already hear Isaac honking his horn outside. Always the gentleman. I send a text to my mom so she doesn’t worry that I’m not home when she gets back. I also send another text to Nicky, hoping that at least he’ll be here when she does.
When I get to Isaac’s car and set my eyes on him, I feel my cheeks blush. I have no idea why this keeps happening and it absolutely irritates me, so when I open my mouth to say hi to him I sound more annoyed than happy to see him.
“Well hello to you too. Aren’t we grumpy today?” He says already pulling away from my driveway.
“Sorry, it’s not you. I was just really bored in there today. Needed to get out of the house.” I explain.
It’s not a lie. I really was looking for any excuse to get out. But now looking at Isaac, I’m thinking that maybe texting him wasn’t the best idea. Sure we’ve been getting along great. Brilliant even. I no longer think that he’s as much of a jerk as he tries to be. I have actually witnessed him being quite considerate of other people. The best example of this is the way he has taken Brandon under his wing. Ever since that first day in the school hall, they have been almost inseparable. I’ve seen Brandon flourish and grow more confident each day, and I know this has a lot to do with Isaac’s guidance and friendship. Even at the Youth Center, I’ve seen him be nothing but sweet and kind to the kids. So much so that Patrick himself has said that if he could he would clone Isaac so that the kids could have two of him. The gym is now the it place to be in the whole center.
No, that’s not why I’m having second thoughts. Without a doubt, my first impression of him has changed for the better since I first met him. The only thing that hasn’t changed is how my body reacts to him when we’re together. Just now, for example, the simple action of getting into his car and seeing him dressed in a white t-shirt, a black leather jacket and ripped up jeans, sent a rush of blood from my feet all the way up to my head. It’s insane! Sometimes when he smiles my stomach does these stupid little backflips that to some people may seem cute, but to me they are just a great big nuisance. I mean, how the hell am I suppose to be friends with this guy, if every time he says something remotely funny or sweet, my heart decides to go and run a marathon?
But he was my friend, and as much as I hate to admit it, he was a great friend to have. It would have been far easier if he had continued to be the dick, that I first thought he was. Then this little hiccup of my body betraying me every time it felt him near would have never continued for this long.
“Earth to Cass! Hey, you in there or are you going to ignore me the whole time?”
“Damn it! Sorry. I must have spaced out a bit. What were you saying?” His eyes are clear blue today and I see all the possibility in them. The color reminds of the summer sky on a warm August day. I swallow hard and promise myself to keep my eyes on the road.
“I was asking what do you want to do? Drive around? Go to the beach? We can see a movie? What are you in the mood for?”
“Movie sounds like fun.” That way the dark will cover up my face if it decides to heat up again.
“Great! Do you want to go to the one at the mall or the one by the marina that plays old movies?”
“Marina! I think they’re playing ‘The Princess Bride’ this week!” I say a little bit too excitedly. I don’t turn to see his face, but I feel him smiling.
“Okay, the Marina it is.” Even his voice is traced with a smile. Damn him. Once we get there the movie is already a couple of minutes in. Thankfully no one was at the concession stand so we were quick at buying some drinks and snacks. Aside from us, there are only a handful of people in the theater so we pick two seats way in the back. We only miss a little bit of the Fred Savage and Colombo intro, and as soon as I hear the familiar dialogue I start to relax. Just like that, all that build up tension lifts off my shoulders.
The first time I saw this movie was when I was ten years old and with my dad. We had been visiting him in Norway at the time. I remember that it was so cold that Nicky had come down with a terrible fever and we had to stay cooped up at home for what seemed to me like forever. In truth it was probably just a couple of days, but for a ten-year-old that seemed like a long time. Mom had asked dad to get me out of the house for a couple of hours since she saw how miserable I was. He took one look at the newspaper and said that we were going to see a movie that he had loved when he was a kid. He said that it would change my life. I had told him, that I doubted it very much. But it did. The first crush I ever had was on Westley. Not on Cary Elwes, the actor that played Westley in the movie. I mean I was ten and the actor at the time I saw the movie must have been my dad’s age. My crush was on the fictional character himself. I was so head over heels infatuated that my father for the longest time would reply to anything I asked him with “As You Wish” which was Westley code for “I love you.”
I look over to Isaac and he seems as interested in the movie as I am. I didn’t even ask him if he had wanted to see something else. Maybe this type of movie was just too girlie for him, but I doubted it. Between the pirates, giants, fire swamps and sword fights, I knew that he would be hooked. As the movie starts and we see Buttercup giving Westley a hard time, my throat starts to get dry and I feel my heart race a little faster again. It had never occurred to me until this very minute, the similarities that Isaac had with my Westley. The same long wild blond hair, the same strong chin, that boyish smile and he even had those penetrating blue eyes. Looking at the poor farm boy Westley and looking at the boy sitting next to me was very unsettling. When finally Westley portrays himself as the Dread Pirate Roberts, I start to relax. The only thing that his mask doesn’t cover up are his eyes, and even though Westley has the most gorgeous pair of blue eyes, Isaac’s should be a national treasure.
An hour into the movie and I am truly happy that we came. I had forgotten how funny the movie was. The only times I remember that Isaac is even next to me is when I hear him laugh just as hard as me. Once the movie is finished, I feel so good that I wish we could go back and rewatch it.
“Well, I got to admit that that was kinda fun,” Isaac says as he opened the door for me out of the movie theater.
“I didn’t know what to expect when you said you wanted to see an old movie, but that was pretty great. I especially like the part when Westley says that life is pain, anyone saying different is trying to sell you something. I think I’ll have that engraved on my tombstone”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I smirk sarcastically.
“What? Don’t think he’s right?” he teases back
“I guess to some people who focus only on the bad think like that. I personally think it’s a load of crap. Life doesn’t have to be hard. It’s all a matter of your own perception. I’m a glass half-full kinda of girl.”
“So, I see you’re in a better mood. Okay, let's not waste it then. What next?”
“Well, it's st
ill early. How about a walk on the marina?”
“As you wish,” He says offering me his most charming smile and even though I feel my insides melt a little bit, I growl back.
“Funny. Very funny.”
“I thought you’d like it.” He laughs. We cross the street and start walking on the footpath next to the marina. There is a soft breeze in the air that brings with it the smell of the ocean.
We first talk about the movie and then the conversation leads back to school and the center. The whole walk down the path, everything seems so natural to me. Talking to Isaac is almost like breathing. Easy. It just flows. Even the small silences seem effortless and tranquil. He makes me laugh, and I make him laugh. We argue about little things and yet it’s the most engaged I have felt all day.
Once we get to the pier we’re talking about our relationship with our parents. He explains that he doesn’t have one with his father, which I don’t query further. The look he gets when his dad comes up in our conversation is a look I would prefer not to see on that beautiful face. But when he talks about his mother, that same face lights up like a Christmas tree. Who would have guessed that Isaac was a mama’s boy? And how was I to know that that was kind of a turn on for me?
I talk about my own family and how hard it's been with my dad away all the time. I don’t tell him that my mom hasn’t been herself for the past couple of months, but my face must have shown something since he immediately changes the subject.
We stay away from talking about college today. It still gets on my nerves how unconcerned he is about this subject. But it’s his life and I am in no position to judge. Even though I see how talented he is with kids and how great a teacher or a counselor he would be. I’ve tried to imply this to him once or twice, but it always seems to fall on deaf ears. I sometimes think that even though Isaac acts like he’s the most confident boy I have ever met, that when it comes to his own dreams, he’s as insecure as the rest of us.
