To Be Her First

by Elicia Hyder

  “Are you on drugs?” her mother shouted.

  Journey laughed. “What?”

  Carol took a step toward her. “Are you on drugs?”

  Journey held up her hands. “I don’t even know anybody on drugs.”

  “You’re not going to that concert, and that’s final!”

  Journey chuckled. “OK, Mom.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m going over to David’s to watch a movie. I’ll be home by eleven.”

  Journey could tell her mother wanted to object, but she was too dumbfounded to move. The truth was—because Journey wasn’t getting into trouble and she wasn’t running away—legally, there wasn’t much the Durants could do to stop their daughter now that she was seventeen. She knew it, and they knew it. That didn’t stop them from giving it a good effort, however—when they were at home long enough to try.

  · · ·

  David hadn’t gotten any offers to play football from any of the colleges he really wanted to attend, so he didn’t commit to anywhere. And though his father had been pressuring him for years to join the Army, he wasn’t quite ready to commit to that either. Instead, David took a job at the local hardware store and signed up for a few classes with Marcus at the community college till he made up his mind about his future. His father warned him that he had one year to decide, but his mother said he could live in the basement forever. Not that David wanted to.

  While Journey was moping around about her breakup with Steven Drake, David had met Amber Jones, a waitress at Lottie’s Diner. She was nice and very pretty, but he had warned her going into it that he wasn’t looking for anything serious. He didn’t tell her why.

  After she got her car, Journey regularly showed up in his life again, but she still never showed any interest in him beyond their infuriatingly platonic friendship.

  He heard the doorbell ring upstairs. “David!” his mother called down the steps. “Journey’s here!”

  “Send her down. We’re gonna watch a movie!” he replied.

  He quickly put on a clean t-shirt and sprayed on a pump of cologne. Downstairs, he had his own living room, bathroom, and bedroom. He had saved up the summer before to buy a pool table. He walked into the living space and turned on the television just as Journey appeared at the bottom of the steps.

  She was wearing the widest smile he had seen on her in months. She held up her hands. “Guess what!”

  He mimicked her hands. “Marcus called, and you’re going to Metallica on Friday!”

  Her face crumpled. “You suck.”

  David laughed. “You know he called me to get your number.”

  She skipped across the room and put her arms around his neck. “I’m so excited!” She pulled back and looked at him. “You’re wearing the cologne I got you. It smells awesome.”

  He smiled with satisfaction.

  She tugged on the hem of his shirt and batted her eyes up at him. “I’ll bet your girlfriend loves it.”

  He sighed. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

  She clicked her tongue at him. “Famous last words,” she teased as she dropped down onto her knees on the sofa. She leaned over the back toward him. “What does she think about you spending your nights with me?”

  He walked around the couch and put a DVD in the player. “I don’t tell her.”

  She gasped dramatically and plopped onto the seat. “I’m your dirty little secret?”

  He smacked her in the face with a pillow as he sat down next to her.

  “What are we watching?” she asked, propping her feet up on the coffee table.

  He held up the box. “Scarface.”

  “Ugh!” She stuck out her bottom lip. “Enough with the Mafia movies!”

  “We’ve watched all the Godfathers and Casino. We have this and Goodfellas and we’re done,” he said.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Did I lose a bet that I don’t remember or sign my name in blood to a contract I didn’t understand?”

  He hooked his finger in the collar of her hoodie. “If I were going to bet you something, the terms would definitely not be Mafia movies.” He pulled her over closer to him and pressed play on the remote.

  · · ·

  Steven had thought about calling Journey every day since she ran away from his car in the school parking lot. He had dialed her number a few times but had hung up before the call was answered. For the first time in his life, Steven had voluntarily visited the library to research the laws in Georgia. Unfortunately, his brother was right. Journey’s parents could make a lot of trouble for him if they tried. He had no other choice but to wait or roll the dice and possibly wind up in jail.

  To make the agony worse, by the fall he was seeing her from a distance almost every afternoon. She was obviously working at the bar near his shop, but she never dropped by to see him. With the way he had left things with her, he couldn’t really blame her.

  But Steven didn’t have much time to sit around feeling sorry for himself. Brian was spending more days in Savannah than he was in Emerson, so Steven was working overtime to keep up with rent and the bills alone. When Brian was in town, there was a steady stream of people coming and going from their apartment. And when it was time for him to leave again, he always left Steven with a wad of cash.

  Steven knew Brian was dealing drugs again. It was his fall-back career whenever the constraints of legitimate employment became to much for him. Steven tried his best to turn a blind eye, and he certainly didn’t participate. His probation subjected him to random drug testing, so Steven had determined to keep his nose clean.

  Journey Durant had been the strongest drug he’d ever sampled anyway, and if he wasn’t willing to go to jail for her, he certainly wasn’t willing to go just so he could get stoned on second-hand reefer.

  13

  Sad But True

  At four o’clock on Friday afternoon, Journey pulled up in front of Marcus’s house. It was a light gray, double-wide trailer with an extension built onto it. She stepped up onto the covered porch and wiped her muddy boots on the astroturf welcome mat. She rang the doorbell.

  “It’s open!” she heard Marcus yell.

  A little surprised by the fact that he didn’t bother to open the door, she walked inside. It was a large bedroom with a big-screen TV, a king sized bed, and a weight bench. “Marcus?” she called out.

  “In here,” he said on the other side of an open door at the far corner of the room.

  She stepped out into the hallway and found him in the bathroom, shirtless, and leaning over the sink toward the mirror. He was putting in a green contact lens.

  Journey slapped her hand over her mouth to try and suppress a giggle. She was unsuccessful. He turned around and looked at her. One eye was bright green, the other was crystal blue. She lost it. She doubled over laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked.

  She straightened again and covered her face with her hands. She wasn’t sure why she thought it was so funny that Marcus’s claim to fame in high school, his electric green eyes, were fake.

  His handsome face crumpled. “Quit laughing.”

  She was still chuckling. “I’m never going to be able to look at you the same way again.”

  “Shut up!”

  She took a closer look at his eyes. “Why the green? The blue is much better.”

  He scowled. “Nobody asked you.”

  She shrugged. “You’re right.”

  He turned back toward the mirror and put the other contact in. When he was done, he brushed past Journey back into the bedroom. He picked up a black t-shirt off his bed, and she noticed the dragon tattoo on his chest. “Nice ink,” she said.

  He cut his eyes over at her. “Don’t try to suck up to me now.”

  She held her hands up in defense. “I wasn’t sucking up. I mean it.”

  He tugged the shirt over his head. “You have any?”

  She shook her head. “Not yet, but I have my first one all planned out. I want a phoenix on my leg.”

  He looked mi
ldly impressed. “That’s cool. You ready to go?”

  She smiled. “Absolutely.”

  It was a two hour trip to Atlanta. She and Marcus talked about music the entire drive. She’d also gotten it out of him that his year-round tan was thanks to his aunt’s tanning salon. She laughed at him again, and he shot her the bird before turning up the radio to drown our her giggles.

  The Lakewood Amphitheater was packed with fans by the time they arrived, and dark clouds loomed in the distance. Their tickets were for the lawn, which was standing room only.

  Marcus pointed up to the sky. “It might rain.”

  She grinned at him with wide eyes and tugged on his arm. “Then we’ll get wet.”

  It was drizzling by the time the band took the stage, and it was pouring half-way through their set. Journey and Marcus didn’t care though. Journey jumped up and down, splashing in the mud, and Marcus stripped off his t-shirt and joined in the mosh pit. When they sang her favorite song, with mud and sweat dripping down her face, she sang along at the top of her lungs. Marcus draped his arm across her shoulders and sang with her.

  She stopped singing and looked over at him. He was drenched, and his cheeks were red from moshing. “Thank you, Marcus.”

  Smiling, he winked a ridiculous green eye at her. “I’m glad Justin couldn’t make it.”

  · · ·

  Somehow, Brian managed to score tickets to the sold out Metallica show in Atlanta, but Steven didn’t want to know how. They drove to the show in the Chevelle, and Brian bought Steven a beer before immersing himself in the crowd on the lawn to find new friends to burn a joint with. Steven imagined his brother would finance their beer tab and the gas money to cover the trip before the show even began.

  Sipping his beer, Steven wandered through the crowd until the sky opened up and rain poured down. The band took the stage, and the crowd went crazy, moshing through the mud and head-banging in the rain. When he moved toward the covered part of the pavilion to try and squeeze under a tiny bit of shelter, he saw her.

  Journey Durant was dancing in the rain.

  She was wearing cut off shorts and a black tank top that were both soaked and covered in mud. Her hair was solid white, and she was wearing her favorite purple boots. Rain drizzled down her skin as she splashed in the puddles and sang along with every word.

  Next to her, a shirtless guy curled his arm around her shoulders and pumped his free fist in the air along with the beat. It was Marcus Garrett.

  First David. Now Marcus. What the hell was she ever doing with me? he wondered.

  Steven felt like he had been kicked in the stomach.

  “The concert is this way!” a voice shouted into his ear as a hand spun him around in the direction of the stage. It was Brian. Steven’s face must have looked as bad as he felt. “You OK?” Brian asked.

  Steven slammed his beer down onto the ground, and jerked is head back toward Journey and Marcus.

  Brian looked over his shoulder. “Oh, it’s Jailbait.”

  “Yeah,” Steven grumbled.

  Brian slugged him in the shoulder. “Forget about her, man.”

  Steven rolled his eyes.

  Brian shoved his hand into his pocket, then pulled out a small piece of pink cellophane. He unwrapped a tiny green pill and dropped it into Steven’s hand. “Here. This will make you forget all about her.”

  Steven studied the pill for a moment. He knew it was a bad idea. He looked back over his shoulder and saw her arm in arm with Marcus. What the hell? He dropped the pill into his mouth and Brian laughed and shoved his beer into his chest. Steven washed it down with a gulp.

  And for one night, he forgot all about her.

  · · ·

  David couldn’t sleep on Friday night. He stared up at the ceiling fan, counting its rotations and willing himself to not think about all the fun that Journey and Marcus were probably having without him. All week long he had regretted giving Marcus her number, despite Marcus’s argument that he wasn’t interested in her and that he had a girlfriend. Like his having a girlfriend even mattered. David trusted Marcus but only so far.

  At almost two in the morning, David was considering calling Marcus’s cell under the guise of making sure they got home OK. He knew Marcus would see right through it, but it was almost worth it. He was dying to know what they were doing.

  Interrupting his deliberation, was a knock at the basement door that led out to the backyard.

  David threw off his covers and pulled on a pair of gym shorts over his boxers. He crossed through his living room and saw Journey waving like a mad woman through the glass. He sucked in a deep breath and sighed. He eased the door open to minimize its creaking. “What are you doing here?” he whispered.

  She was covered in dried mud. “It’s too late for me to go home without waking my parents up, and I didn’t want to stay at Marcus’s, so I came here. Let me in!”

  She didn’t want to stay at Marcus’s. His face broke out in a smile.

  He moved out of her way. “Where’s your car?”

  “Down the street at the house that’s for sale,” she said, walking inside.

  He laughed. “What happened to you?”

  “It was raining,” she answered as she slipped off her boots. “Can I crash here?”

  He locked the door behind her. “Of course. But you need a shower.”

  She grinned. “And some pajamas.”

  Lying on his bed again, he tried to ignore the sound of the shower. He wasn’t very successful. A few moments later, she came out of the bathroom wearing his Dallas Cowboys t-shirt and a pair of his shorts that were rolled a few times at the waist. She grinned. “All clean.”

  David forgot to breathe.

  She frowned. “Are you going to scootch over, or am I going to have to sleep on the couch?”

  He smiled and slid over in the bed. She pulled back the covers and stretched out next to him. He rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his arm. “So, how was the concert?”

  She squeezed her eyes shut and grinned. “It was absolutely amazing.” She looked over at him. “I had the best time. Marcus isn’t just a dumb jock after all. We had so much fun.”

  He forced himself to not look disappointed. “Yeah. He’s a good guy.”

  She rolled to face him. “I wish you could have been there. You would have loved it.”

  “What was your favorite part?”

  She thought for a moment. “Enter Sandman.” She narrowed her eyes. “No, Wherever I May Roam…No, Sad But True.”

  David laughed. “So, the whole thing?”

  She nodded. “The whole thing!”

  He rubbed her shoulder. “I’m glad you had a good time.”

  She yawned and covered her mouth with her hand. “Guess what?”

  “What?”

  She giggled again. “Marcus wears contacts.”

  He grinned. “I know.”

  She rolled back onto her other side, and to his surprise, she scooted back against him. “Thanks for letting me in, Dave,” she whispered.

  He reached back and turned off the bedside lamp, then he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Anytime, Journey. Anytime.”

  14

  A Christmas Story

  David was in the kitchen popping popcorn when he heard the gravel shifting under the movement of tires in the driveway. He walked to the living room and saw a white hatchback roll to a stop. Journey was the first person to arrive at David’s house on Christmas Eve. When he met her at the front door, she was scratching her head and looking around the empty driveway. When she saw him, she pointed toward her car. “Did I get confused about the date? Are we watching Christmas movies tonight?”

  He laughed and shook his head. “No. It’s tonight. You’re just the only one in our group who has the ability to show up on time.” He stepped out of her way as she walked inside.

  She looked cute in a white knit hat and matching scarf. She offered him the small wrapped box in her hands as she unbuttoned her coat. “
Here.”

  He smiled. “What’s this?”

  “Edible panties.” She hung her coat on the hook. When she turned around, his mouth was still hanging open. She smacked him in the back of the head. “It’s a gift, you dork.”

  He laughed and rubbed the spot where she hit him. “You can’t say shit like that.”

  She was wearing a blue sweater than hung off her shoulders. David had always had a weak spot for her collar bones. He realized he was staring when she snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Huh?” he asked.

  She rolled her eyes. “I asked, where are your mom and dad?”

  He blinked. “Oh, they went to some church thing somewhere.”

  She laughed. “Maybe they’re on a double date with my parents.”

  He nodded toward the basement door. “Come on. Let’s go downstairs, and I’ll give you your present too.”

  She pointed back outside. “What about everyone else?”

  He shrugged. “They’ll figure it out.”

  She laughed when they got downstairs. “Look at your cute baby Christmas tree!” She walked to the corner of the room by his bedroom door and bent over the two foot tree he had gotten for free from the hardware store.

  “Grab that bag,” he said, pointing to the gift bag by her feet.

  She picked it up and carried it over toward him. Her eyes were wide. “It’s heavy. Is it mine?”

  He nodded. “Come sit.” He led her over to the couch and sat down. “You first.”

  She ripped the white tissue paper out of the bag and peered down inside. Before she removed anything, she burst out laughing. “No, you didn’t!”

  He laughed. “It’s the perfect gift, right?”

  She began pulling jars of Manic Panic hair color out of the bag and piling them in her lap. “Oh my god, how many are there?”

  He leaned over her shoulder. “I bought every color they had at the store.”

  She squealed with delight and put her arms around his neck. “It’s the best Christmas present ever, Dave! Thank you so much.”