Playing It Out Straight

by Andrew McQuinn

  Soon the colored specks pixelated away and bled into complete darkness…

  …I felt something tugging on me. I was blinded by the sudden bright light making my closed eyelids glow red orange, with a relaxing shade of yellow haloing everything. I heard Scotty’s frantic voice as he told someone where we were. He yelled my name, and then something pushed down on my chest…

  “Kyle! He’s not breathing,” Scotty frantically said.

  “Help is on the way.” I heard someone say. “Keep doing CPR. The paramedics said they’ll be there in five minutes.”

  Something pushed down on my chest twenty or so compressions.

  “Kyle please say something!” I heard Scotty yell somewhere in the dark abyss.

  I wanted to say something—I really did—but I couldn’t form a word.

  I’d forgotten how to speak. Was this really happening to me? Was I dead? Was I in the afterlife and left to hear Scotty’s panicked voice as I died? I felt another forceful push on my chest and something soft touch my lips. Oxygen filled my lungs, followed by water droplets raining down onto my face. The colors appeared again, floating behind my closed eyelids. I felt so peaceful watching the colors float by; it reminded me of watching the Aurora Borealis when I was a kid. I didn’t want to leave the color specks and darkness, although I knew what it meant.

  It was inviting. I liked it.

  In the sea of colourful rainbow flecks, I didn’t have to hide. I didn’t have to pretend. I could be me.

  I felt something touch my lips again, and a push on my chest. I coughed spitting water out, which left behind a nasty salty aftertaste. Instantly the colors disappeared, and the pain set in. I coughed again and more water came up, then there was another sharp pain in my chest. I opened my eyes and as Scotty sat back on his ankles, I turned and coughed water everywhere. I hugged his thigh because it hurt so much. I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. One of his hands rested between my shoulder blades while my face was cradled in the other.

  “Oh my God,” he said rubbing my back. “I’m so sorry! I accidently pushed you right into the rocks. I’m such an idiot.”

  “Y-you’re not an idiot, you’re okay.” I painfully forced out, lying back down.

  “He’s awake!” Scotty yelled at his phone.

  “Okay, paramedics should be there soon.”

  He sighed and kissed my cheek before turning the brightest shade of red I’ve ever seen.

  I saw he was crying. The hand that was on my back was now holding mine. Scotty stared into my eyes. What does this mean? I squeezed my hand around his and held it tight. With his free hand he brushed some damp hair away from my eyes and leaned in. Here it comes, my first kiss! Nothing could get in the way. Then a pain between my shoulder blades made me wince and ruined the whole moment.

  “Are you okay?” He sat back.

  At this point I was playing the victim card. Other than a headache, and the throbbing pain I had in my back and chest, I was fine. I just enjoyed the moment we were sharing.

  Kiss him! I screamed in my head.

  “That was scary, but I’m fine. Just some pain in my back.”

  “I called 9-1-1.”

  “What? Why I’m fine!”

  “No Kyle you swallowed a lot of water, you could have what they call dry drowning. It happened to an old surfing buddy of mine and he passed away as a result. You’re going to the hospital,” Scotty said as he laid down next to me, still holding my hand.

  “But I’m alright now, I can’t go to the hospital. My parents just got comfortable with me venturing off on my own.”

  “Shh relax, we’ll figure it out. How are you feeling now?”

  “Fine, just a little tired now,” I said closing my eyes.

  We laid there for a few minutes letting the sun warm our bodies. Although we weren’t touching, I could feel his body heat penetrate me. I wished we were. You almost died you fool, make a damn move! My chest still ached from forcing the water out, or was it the anxiety behind making a move, regardless it made it hard to breathe. I took a deep breath and winced at the pain, balling my hands into fists. Make a move! Sand crunched, and I felt myself sway a little as Scotty move closer. That’s when I realized I’d been lying on his surfboard the entire time. Without hesitation I turned and faced him and rested my head on his bicep. I draped my hand over his waist and heard him quietly groan.

  “Hey,” Scotty whispered.

  “What?”

  “This is what we’re going to do. It’s not completely ethical so don’t judge me.”

  I chuckled. “Okay.”

  “We’re going to lie. When they ask your age, you’ll say you’re eighteen and don’t have insurance.”

  “How am I—”

  Before I can finish my sentence, he interrupted. “Don’t worry about the bill. We’ll send it to my address. I’ll cover the expenses.”

  “Scotty you don’t have to.”

  “I want to. It’s the least I can do for nearly killing you,” he said as he got ready to get up.

  “Lay with me a little longer,” I accidently said out loud.

  He signalled for me to turn to my side, and he laid down behind me. My head rested on his bicep and I leaned against his chest while he positioned himself. Scotty draped his arm over me, his hand finding my chest. We felt closer than ever, despite our ‘label’ technically being friends.

  I wish we could lie like this forever.

  Scotty’s nose brushed against the base of my neck. This seemed so natural. The moment could have only gotten better if he kissed me. Cold water rushed up and engulfed our feet. Scotty moved away from me and turned me over, so I laid on my back. We looked at each other, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he also fought the urges I did. Scotty’s eyes darted all over me, but rather than kissing me, he lightly rubbed my chest. He peered up and waved toward whomever approached.

  “Over here. Are you okay to walk?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I lied.

  He helped me up and I walked-more like shuffled-over to my stuff and tried to bend to get my things. The EMT was at our side a moment later and I was ushered to the ambulance.

  § § § §

  Grandview General Hospital is where I was taken.

  I was fortunate enough to get a single room, but the view wasn’t grand. I’d been here for nearly three hours and so far, I was showing no signs of complications. Nevertheless, they wanted to keep me overnight for observation. In the three hours since my arrival I was sent for a CT to ensure I hadn’t injured my back or head, labs were drawn, went in for an x-ray, was placed on a heart monitor, and took a short nap. The doctor woke me up a short while later to tell me the CT came back normal and my foot had one hell of a bruise but it wasn’t broken. I sat up and realized Scotty was still with me.

  “What time is it?”

  “Just after seven,” Scotty said.

  “I should probably notify my brother.”

  I quickly texted Stephen and told him what happened. I’m in the hospital, don’t worry I’m okay they want to keep me overnight. I’ll update you tomorrow when I’m released, tell Mom and Dad I’m staying with Emilie for the weekend, she’ll vouch for me. After a series of laughing and shock emojis, he said You got it bro, hope you’re okay. Enjoy time with Scotty *wink-wink*. I then filled Emilie in on things, letting her know I was okay and at the hospital with Scotty.

  “Well my brother is lying for me, and Emilie is my alibi,” I said to Scotty once everything was confirmed.

  Scotty stood and walked to the edge of the bed.

  “Oh good, you got it from here?” Scotty asked.

  “Huh?”

  “I was thinking of taking off.”

  “To hell you are.”

  He busted out laughing and pulled his chair closer to my bed. “I was only teasing. What do you feel like watching?”

  I shrugged. “You pick. I’m starving when the heck does dinner arrive?”

  Just as I asked the CNA walked in with my tray and
one for Scotty.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  I lifted the lid and revealed the beef tips with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans underneath. On the side was a small side salad, a dinner roll, and for dessert a slice of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. We shared the table. His food looked better, he had a tuna melt with tomato soup, a side salad, carrot cake and Jell-O.

  “Yours looks much better than mine,” I said.

  Scotty looked over my food. “I don’t know beef tips are pretty damn tasty. This is all better than I would have had tonight, I can’t cook to safe my life,” he said, stealing a piece of beef and dipped it in the mashed potatoes.

  “Hey!” I complained.

  “You’ll live. I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “My foot hurts like hell.”

  “You’re lucky you didn’t break it.”

  “I’m lucky I didn’t die.”

  “Yes, you are, I couldn’t have lived with myself if I hadn’t saved you.”

  Scotty’s eyes looked sad. He stared at my hand and I wondered if he fought the urge to hold it.

  “As nice as it is that you’re here, you don’t have to stay.”

  “I’m not going to leave you alone tonight,” he replied, stealing a little more of my food.

  I batted his fork away with mine. Scotty managed to snag a little more beef, so I snatched half his sandwich. We looked at each other for a moment before Scotty stuck out his tongue and looked back at the television. Without even looking, he set the soup between our trays and continued flipping through channels while I couldn’t help but stare at him. I watched him adjust in his chair and he leaned against the edge of the mattress.

  “How are you still single?” I abruptly asked.

  He laughed, clearly taken off guard. “Come again?”

  “You’re the nicest, sweetest guy I’ve ever met. You do anything and everything for someone. What’s wrong with you?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe it’s because I almost kill my dates,” he joked.

  I looked over at him and caught his sexy grin.

  “So, this was a date?”

  “If that’s what you want it to be.”

  “I do,” I whispered, probably to softly for him to hear over the television, even though he smiled afterward.

  “Law and Order it is,” Scotty said.

  Scotty set the remote down and leaned a little closer to me. I watched him watching television. A small part of me wanted to hold his hand, an even large part wanted to kiss him. I almost died and I still couldn’t bring myself to make a move let alone tell the guy who sat next to me how I felt about him. Instead I laid my arm down near to his and felt the heat radiate off his body and into mine.

  CHAPTER TEN: DREAMS

  I was released from the hospital around four the following afternoon.

  The walk to Scotty’s car was made in silence. Once we were there, he revved the engine and sped away.

  “I know I was only in there for the night, but I am looking forward to better food.”

  “The food wasn’t that bad. But I agree something a little fresher would be nice. Are you hungry?”

  “Yeah, but I can eat when I get home.”

  “Are you sure? We’re close to where I live, want to see my new house?”

  ONLY HELL YES! I beamed inside with excitement but composed myself and acted casual.

  “I thought we were talking about getting food?” I calmly asked.

  “We are, would you also like to see where I live?”

  “Yes,” I gleefully replied.

  He began to accelerate when we hit the freeway. We went past my exit and took the one heading toward Long Beach. I read the signs we passed and noticed how close we lived to each other. We were just over a half an hour apart, sooner with Scotty’s driving. I turned and faced Scotty. Lights blurred behind him as he zipped down the freeway. I noticed it was considerably darker, it had to be dusk. The sky was dark purple, with a thin halo of pink and orange on the horizon. I looked back to Scotty and watched him change gears.

  His place was smaller than I expected. Bungalow style, dark green with white trim and palm trees in the front yard. It was set apart from his neighbor’s giving him just enough privacy. Inside was an open floor layout with the living room immediately after the entrance way and a kitchen behind it with a hallway leading to what I figured was his room. He showed me around, his room was in fact directly across from the kitchen and down the hall was a small study, laundry area, and guest bedroom.

  The kitchen was huge, with an island in the center. The floors and cabinets were a natural maple, the counters were black slate, and the appliances were stainless steel. I felt like I was still in the outdoors, everything had a woodsy vibe. I loved it. I walked to the island and noticed it had its own sink and a built-in cutting board with a hole to slide scraps into a small trash can underneath. I looked at the sink; it was a large clear oval cracked glass bowl, with a curved spout that rested on its edge. Exposed shelves below stored cutting boards and cookie sheets. There were no knobs or buttons to turn the sink on.

  “My father built that,” Scotty said, looking from me to the island.

  “How does the sink work?”

  “Motion activated.”

  “Oh,” I said running my hand under it.

  “Do you like sushi?”

  “Never had it.”

  Scotty turned back to me. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously,” I mocked.

  Scotty stuck out his tongue. “It’s delicious,” he said.

  He was holding a package of salmon and tuna in one hand and a bowl of vegetables in the other. I watched as he washed a sweet potato and skinned it.

  “I can teach you how to make it,” he said.

  “That would be cool. Although the last time you tried to teach me something I nearly died. Knowing our luck, I’ll have an allergic reaction,” I joked.

  “Don’t kid, I’d be forever abashed if I did anything else to harm you. You aren’t allergic to anything are you?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  He sliced sweet potato lengthwise into thin fry shaped sticks and scattered them out on a cookie sheet. He drizzled some olive oil over the top and stuck them in the oven, then turned on the stove and set the timer for the rice cooker. I leaned on the counter and watched him turn back to the cupboards to grab a few things I hadn’t seen before.

  “I thought you said last night you can’t cook?”

  “I can’t.” Scotty laughed. “Basically, I can make sushi and cook a great breakfast.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “Seaweed wraps and a bamboo roller.” He said.

  I slid a stool out from underneath the island and sat down. We talked while he prepped the vegetables and the rice finished cooking. He crouched down next to me and reached for one bright blue and one dark green plastic cutting boards. He unwrapped the fish and set them on the blue cutting board and grabbed a paring knife to join.

  “It’s always good hygiene to use a separate board for your meats.”

  “Good hygiene? I think you mean sanitary, or perhaps kosher?”

  “Shut up.” He laughed as he nudged my side with his hip. “You know what I mean.”

  “Someone doesn’t like to be wrong,” I teased, offering a wink.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said behind a grin.

  “Go on, explain the better hygiene measures of meat and cutting boards.”

  I watched him glare at me before he bit his lower lip. I wasn’t sure, but to me the way he looked at me told me he wanted to kiss me. It was then I realized we had moved close together and were now practically leaning against each other.

  He scuffed. “I have nothing more to add.”

  “Oh, don’t be a Debbie Downer,” I replied rubbing his arm. “Do you live alone?”

  “Yep.”

  “You’re so young though. And you already have your own home.”

  H
e laughed. “I also get paid a decent amount of money for every movie I do. Age doesn’t matter anymore. Not to say I thrive off my money, because I don’t. I can’t stand being in the limelight half the time. I just got my GED while everyone else got to march.”

  “You’re a smart guy, besides marching is a waste of time.”

  “Ha, you say that now. Wait till it’s three days before graduation and you’re rushing around to finish finals so you can graduate, then come and tell me it’s a waste of time. I’m just like every other nineteen-year-old.”

  “Touché.”

  “I can’t believe I turn twenty soon, so long teenage years.” Scotty chuckled.

  “I turn eighteen in a few months.”

  “Let’s see if I can guess your sign. When I first met you, I got the I got the vibe you were an artist and thus you were a Cancer as they are the second most artist sign. But you also have a constant look of wonderment in your eyes, which tells me you are itching at the bit to graduate and see what life has to offer. Plus, you’re bursting with positive youthful energy, attributes of a Cancer… It’s cute.” He bumped my hip again. “Yet, you aren’t so… I’m guessing you’re a—” he stopped talking and pretended to draw an arrow back.

  “What’s?” I asked, mocking his motion.

  He posed again like he was going to shoot an arrow, I just stared at him.

  “Sagittarius?”

  “Oh!” I laughed. “You’re funny, and right. Are you a Virgo?”

  “Close, I’m a Leo, August twenty-second.”

  “December tenth.”

  “Nice. What do you think school will be like out here?”