Spirited

by J. A. Hunter

The walk back seemed shorter, and quieter. Neither of us spoke a word until we were out of the woods.

  "It was really nice meeting you Ally" He smiled brightly as Katie skipped her way across the street.

  "It was nice meeting you also" I extended my hand to shake his- but he simply glanced at it and turned away.

  I slowly pulled my hand back and tucked it into my pocket insulted.

  "Bye Ally!" Katie called from the front yard of her house.

  "Bye Katie"

  I slowly walked up my driveway, watching Reed as he escorted Katie inside. Once out of sight I let out a huge sigh. A flood of emotions coursed through me as my mind swirled around his image.

  There was something about him I couldn’t read. The way he kept his distance made it seem as though he didn't want to have anything to do with me. The way he smiled at me, stared into my eyes and the tone of his voice when he talked to me made me feel as though we had known each other intimately for years.

  "Hi Honey" my mom greeted as I walked into the house.

  "Hi Mom"

  "Where have you been? You almost missed dinner" She smiled as she set a plate on the table for me.

  "I was hiking with the neighbors"

  "The neighbors?" She looked confused.

  "Yeah, the little girl Katie and her brother" I explained.

  "Oh, how are they? I haven't had time to go introduce ourselves"

  "They are very nice" I tried sounding genuine

  "You don't sound so sure"

  "Well Reed seems a bit distant and weird" Weird was the nicest I could be- rude, creepy, and sullen were more accurate.

  "Weird how?"

  "Just…off in some way." I tried explaining further but it eluded even me.

  "Well I hope not in a dangerous way" Her smile turned to concern.

  Being an ER nurse lets my mother see more of reality than anyone should.

  "No, just in a curious way" I left it at that. I didn't want any more questions I couldn't answer.

  I dreamt of him again that night- dreams filled with gray swirls, still poses and that calming voice echoing in my ears. The awkward conversation we had was replaced with charisma and charm. The distance he kept disappeared as he reached out and took my hand, entangling his fingers in mine. As we stared into each other's eyes, inching closer, I was rudely awakened by my alarm just before sealing our first kiss.

  The coffee seemed stronger that morning, the sun brighter, and the sound of birds chirping was louder. Everything seemed more intense, especially my thoughts of him. I didn't talk during breakfast-lost in my mind. I waited on the porch for Heather, looking for him, but again he wasn't there.

  He knew what time I left for school, he watched me once before. I convinced myself that if he had an interest in me he would have made the effort to see me.

  I then convinced myself that he didn't have an interest and that he was intentionally staying away.

  Then I convinced myself once more that he just overslept and was going to miss seeing me leaving for school but that he would regret it. That was the thought that made me smile.

  Heather pulled up but Alex wasn't with her. I slid into the passenger seat.

  "Where's Alex?"

  "Playing hooky, his dad is taking him fishing" she explained.

  "I'm glad. I need your advice before my head explodes." I laughed nervously.

  "Whoa, what's wrong?" She seemed genuinely concerned.

  "I met that boy last night but I don't know what to think"

  "Well you came to the right place." She was too excited for me to feel comfortable talking to her. But I had nobody else to ask.

  I explained the night, described Reed, confessed my thoughts, and tossed out every question I had. She listened attentively but teased me at every chance I gave her.

  "What should I do?"

  "First, it sounds like you have real feelings for him" She acted shocked. But so was I.

  I didn't know enough about him to feel this way. All I knew was that he had some kind of interest in me but didn't know why. I knew he was cute, but not gorgeous by any standards. I didn't even know if he liked me or not. I was confused, emotional, and just wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep it off.

  "Second, I think you need to find out if he likes you before you drive yourself insane." She advised.

  "So I should just ask him? Be blunt?"

  "Either that or you can spend the rest of your life wondering"

  "You're right. It isn't 1950, a girl can ask right?"

  "Definitely, and I think in your case it will be the only way to know for sure." It was Dr. Heather to the rescue.

  She was right thought, I needed to know how he felt, if he even felt anything. It was so hard to read his stiff emotionless face. He wasn't like Cory. Cory's interest radiated off of him like his bad cologne. I made a vow to myself to ask him the next time I saw him.

  I spent the entire day lost in my day dreams. I relived our hike together, imagined our next meeting and the hundreds of ways it could go.

  I could express my feelings and he could pull me into his arms, kiss me and claim his love for me.

  Or I could confront him about my feelings, beg for him to tell me his, and chase him away.

  Or I could see him again, clam up, never speak about my feelings and spend the rest of my life as a lonely spinster wishing I had the courage to take what I wanted.

  As the last bell rang I decided to lay it out on the table and let the cards fall where they may. I would just tell him how I felt, share my thoughts about him, and hold my breath while waiting for a response.

  Heather offered more advice on the way home, wished me luck and drove off, but not before requesting a picture of him. She seemed a little too invested in my new relationship.

  Was that what I had- a relationship? The thought of it didn't seem bad at all- Ally and Reed- Reed and Ally. I felt like a child scribbling it on my notebook.

  I went into the house and put my backpack away. I changed out of my jeans and slipped into a sun dress. I traded my sneakers for a pair of cork wedges. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, then pulled it out, then put it back in again. I looked at myself in the mirror- fixed the small amount of makeup I had on and galloped downstairs.

  I almost sprinted to the kitchen window to see if Katie and Reed were outside. I was able to see Katie but Reed wasn't in sight. I left through the backdoor and walked up to the fence.

  "Hi Katie"

  "Hi Ally. Wow, you look pretty"

  "Thank you so much" I smiled. It was the first time I got her attention away from the dirty doll glued to her hand.

  "Are you playing alone?" I asked, trying not to seem desperate to find out where Reed was.

  "Yep"

  "Where's Reed?"

  "I don't know. He hasn't been here all day" She frowned.

  "Do you know where he goes?"

  "Nope, he never tells me. He just says he goes different places"

  "Does he have friends he goes to see?"

  I felt like a cop pumping a suspect, but I knew Katie was the best source for information about him.

  "Nope, no friends"

  "Ok, if you see him, tell him I say hi." I sighed in disappointment- all that effort for nothing. At least Katie commented on how I looked.

  I went back in the house to mope. Why wouldn't he want to see me? Where does he go when he spends all day gone? They just moved into the neighborhood, could he have already made friends? If so, why wouldn't he tell his sister? The more I thought about it the more curious I got.

  I watched the clock ticking the minutes away, occasionally passing by the windows and looking for him. More than a few times my mind manifested a tree stump into his form and my heart skipped a beat before I realized what it really was. My wishes for him to show up got even stronger.

  It was no surprise that I nearly dismissed it when I looked out the living room window to see him standing at the edge of my driveway. After a second look my pulse started racing. H
e really was there.

  I tried not to seem desperate when I ran to the door. Even in the dark his blue eyes glowed brightly- as did his smile.

  "Hi" I exhaled.

  "Hi" he smiled wider as he looked me up and down.

  "You look pretty today" He noticed.

  "Thank you" I mumbled as I dropped my eyes to the ground. I tucked a piece of rogue hair behind my ear and slowly looked back up at him.

  "Did you wear that for me?" He shyly asked.

  "Kind of" I didn't want to stroke his ego, but I couldn't lie.

  "Kind of?" His face crinkled confused, it was the first time I saw his eyebrows move.

  "I mean yes" I confessed, embarrassed.

  "Do you want to go for a walk?" He invited.

  "Yes!" I shouted abruptly.

  I shut my mouth tightly and followed him down the street. The long glide of his steps made me take two steps to keep up.

  "How was school?" He asked.

  "It was ok. Nothing exciting" I did my best to watch my step as I stole looks at him. I couldn't imagine falling in a dress.

  "Where were you today?" I tried asking innocently but it came out forcefully.

  "Just around, exploring the new neighborhood" he replied cryptically.

  "Where are you from?"

  "We moved here from Greeneville South Carolina" He explained. When he said Carolina I could hear the southern twang clearly.

  "Why did you move?"

  "My dad got a new job"

  "Do you miss Greeneville?" I wanted to keep him talking; his voice sent chills through my body but warmed my core.

  "Sometimes, but my family is happier here"

  "What about you? Where are you from originally?" He asked.

  "I was born and raised here" I frowned. Being a local didn’t add any mystery or excitement.

  We stayed quiet as we walked. For every glance I stole of him, he stole one of me in return. We didn't need to say anything to know what the other was thinking. We were both just happy being close to each other.

  I sighed silently in relief as I began to realize my feelings were mutual. I could see in the gray of his eyes, the smirks and smiles that he was as interested in me as I was in him. I slowly sidestepped closer to him, hoping he would take my hand- but no such luck.

  We turned back and started toward home.

  "Are you going to be gone tomorrow?" I held my breath for the response I wanted.

  "No, I want to see you again tomorrow" He smiled at me, laughing lightly when he saw me release the captured air in my lungs.

  "I would like to see you too." My eyes found the ground again as I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks.

  "You know, when we moved here, I never thought I would meet someone like you" His eyes squinted, hiding some of the bright blue.

  "I never expected it either."

  "Goodnight Ally" My name rolled off his tongue softly, weakening my knees.

  "Goodnight Reed" I stuttered back nervously.

  I couldn't uncurl the smile on my face and felt the muscles in my cheeks start to throb. But I didn’t care.

  My parents were already asleep when I walked into the house so I quietly made my way to my room. I changed into a pair of shorts and tank top. I washed the makeup off my face, took out my ponytail and slid under my blankets.

  My heart beat increased as I thought of him and our walk together. I had never felt emotions for someone the way I felt with him. I knew I was falling for him and though it scared me, it felt natural.

  I was able to sleep soundly that night. Even with the excitement of knowing I would see him again the next day I welcomed my dreams that were recently haunted by him. In my dreams we were much closer than reality, which fed my real feelings for him.

  The next day offered disappointment- the sun was hidden behind dark clouds as the rain speckled the streets. The light shower grew violently as thunder broke the silence of my room. Flashes of lightening lit the walls and I knew the chances of seeing Reed were slim.

  I was thankful it was Saturday and didn't have to spend the dreary day at school, but I cursed the storm anyway. I looked at the clock to see it was already noon. I always slept late when it rained.

  I didn't bother showering or changing out of my night clothes before going downstairs and pouring a cup of coffee. My parents were already at the table talking about the rain.

  "It's supposed to be nice later this afternoon" my mother reassured my dad.

  "We'll see, it's not even supposed to be raining" he skeptically replied.

  "Will it really pass by this afternoon?" I begged for affirmation.

  "According to the weatherman it is" My mom confirmed.

  "But this is coming from the same weatherman that said it was going to be sunny today" My dad stomped on my hope.

  "Grrr" I growled loudly.

  "Easy killer, it's not that serious" he laughed.

  "Do you want to go out with us tonight?" My mother offered.

  Saturday nights were their date nights. Even after 25 years of marriage they made time out of their schedules for each other. It gave me something to look forward after I find the man I was meant to marry.

  "No thanks, you two need your time alone" I declined as I left the kitchen with my coffee and moped my way back upstairs.

  I closed the door and sat at my window, watching the drops of rain fall to the ground. Like small shards of broken dreams they filled the streets, flooded the lawn and mocked me.

  I sipped my coffee, looked to the sky and let out a wish that the rain would stop and I would be able to spend the day with Reed. But nobody was listening. I spent hours watching the clouds rolling one after the other, counting every flash of lightening and feeling my heart break with every clap of thunder.

  My morose stare was only interrupted when my parents told me they were leaving. I watched the car leaving the driveway, leaving temporary tread marks in the river of rain water flowing down the curb. Once they were out of sight I was back in my sullen state.

  My heart nearly jumped out of my chest as I saw him standing under the large oak tree beneath my window. Even through the haze of the storm I could see him so clearly.

  He motioned for me to meet him at my door. It was like Romeo courting Juliette.

  I grabbed the first thing in my closet and changed out of my night clothes. I ran my fingers through my unruly hair, attempting to make sense of it. I left my socks on and ran out of my bedroom. I wasn't at all pretty but I could pass for cute.

  I was expecting to open the door to a soaking mess of a man but I was shocked to find him perfectly kempt. There wasn't a drop of rain on him.

  "Hi" escaped from behind my smile.

  "Hi. Can I come in?"

  "Sure." There wasn't a chance in hell I would deny him. "I was afraid I wouldn't see you today" I confessed.

  "Me too" he replied as he looked around my home.

  "Follow me" I invited, leading him upstairs.

  Along the way I went over my room in my mind, hoping I had all my embarrassing items tucked away somewhere. I never had anyone visit my room except for Heather- and I didn't care what she saw.

  I opened the door relieved, the only clothes lying around were behind the door and easily hidden by keeping it open.

  "So this is your room? It's nice" He complimented as he inspected my walls, shelves and floor.

  "Yep, its home"

  I led him to the bed and sat down. He followed, sitting beside me. His motions were so fluid and light I didn't even feel him sit.

  "I want to know more about you" He immediately demanded.

  "There isn't much to tell"

  "Tell me everything about you. What kind of music do you like? What's your favorite movie?"

  "Well, I like most music, except country. I love romance movies, horror movies, and comedies"

  I rambled on about every detail of my personality that I could think of. I told him about my hopes and dreams, my fears, my likes and dislikes.

&nbs
p; I even hinted on my feelings for him. Although I was sure he could already tell.

  He was attentive as he listened, hanging on every word. His deep blue eyes burned into me causing me to feel completely exposed.

  "Who is that?" He asked- Nina's picture catching his eye.

  "That's my sister Nina" I sighed.

  "Where is she?"

  "She is no longer with us" I tried to sugarcoat it. It seemed so harsh to say she died.

  "What happened to her?" He kept on, digging deeper.

  "I don't really like to talk about it" I stared at the framed memory.

  "I really want to know" He begged.

  "Ok."

  "We were on vacation on the coast. We were swimming in the ocean while my parents watched from the beach. Nina started swimming out further so I followed her. I kept asking her to come back to shallower water but she was so stubborn sometimes." I fought back the tears as I continued.

  "The undertow was so strong and she was so little. It pulled her under in seconds and I dove under the water after her. I only saw her for a second before the dark water covered her and grabbed me. I couldn't kick out of it, the pull was too strong." I let a tear escape. It was the first time in years that I told the story.

  "The last thing I remember was hitting the coral beneath me. When I woke up my parents were standing above me as the lifeguard revived me. I could feel my leg being pressed by my father's hands, holding a towel to the large cut from the coral."