by Alicia Rades
After viewing the first couple of pieces, I spoke to Alaina confidently. “I’m sure you’ll win.”
She paced a few steps ahead of me. “Check this out.”
She pointed to a painting of the sunset on the wall. I recognized the barn in the painting. It stood just outside of town.
“Wow. That’s one of the best I’ve seen so far, besides yours, of course.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t enter my painting thinking I was going to be the best. I just wanted to share my art with people. Besides, it’s good marketing.”
She turned away so I couldn’t see her face, but I knew her well enough to sense the lie and disappointment in her voice. She clearly thought the painting of the barn was better than hers of Lady. I didn’t agree, though. Something about the colors in the sunset weren’t right.
I followed Alaina down the aisle and past paintings, drawings, photographs, printmaking, macramé, and tons of other works of visual art. There were even a couple of ceramics lined along the tops of the shelves where the library’s featured books usually sat. Her enthusiasm grew the more we walked.
Slowly, more people trickled into the building to see what type of artistic talent our town residents brought to the community. The room began to buzz with chatter.
“This is awesome,” I told Alaina. “Lots of people will see your painting and love it.”
“That’s why we have to vote.” She took my hand excitedly.
At the front of the library, they had a poll going, asking you to vote on your three favorite pieces of art. Alaina handed me a card and a pencil to write down my favorites.
“You don’t have to vote for mine,” she told me humbly, but she knew I’d vote for her anyway. It wasn’t just that I was her best friend; I actually really liked her painting.
I wrote down two other votes, one for a painted ceramic, and one for a photograph of a flower garden. I slid my piece of paper into the box where they were collecting votes, and then I turned to Alaina. “So, what do you get if you win?”
She deposited her vote and then adjusted the headband in her hair. “Bragging rights, I guess.” Her eyes scanned the room. “I think I should go talk to some people. Oh, look! There’s the guy who told me about it. I should thank him.”
Alaina hurried off, leaving me unsure of what to do next. I slumped into a chair in one of the reading areas to wait for her. I glanced around, and that guilt for not entering one of my own drawings fell over me again. This night would have been a lot more fun if I had participated, but instead, I sat distanced from it all in my own little corner.
To kill time, I pulled out my phone and texted Logan.
How’s the game?
I was never really one for following sports, but if it wasn’t for Alaina’s art night, I’d be there with Logan just so I could spend more time with him. Last Friday was an away game, and Logan didn’t have to play at those, so we’d spent some time together. Tonight, though, he was stuck playing in the band and couldn’t make it here with me.
Haven’t even started yet, he texted back.
Having any fun?
As soon as we start playing, I will be. You should come.
My heart fell. Sure, I wanted to support Alaina, but now that I’d already made it to her art night, I wondered if I could skip out on the rest of it and spend time with Logan. Except Alaina was my ride. I glanced toward her and noticed Jordan had arrived. He stood by her side, and they both laughed at something the old guy across from them was saying. He must have been the guy who encouraged Alaina to enter her painting. Now that Jordan was here, there was no chance Alaina would be leaving any time soon.
Sorry, I texted. You know I’m hanging out with Alaina tonight.
Yeah. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow.
My pulse quickened. A whole day with Logan outside of school? Sign me up!
I’d love to. What do you have in mind?
Surprise?
I didn’t particularly like surprises, but a surprise from Logan was better than nothing at all.
Sounds like fun, I answered.
See you in the morning, babe.
Can’t wait.
Alaina seemed drained by the time the night was over, so much that her eyes began drooping on the way back home.
“You okay?” I asked.
She blinked a couple of times. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.” She pulled into my driveway.
I hopped out of the car. “Thanks for the ride!” I waved back at her and hurried into the house.
After dropping my purse onto my desk and falling onto my pillow, I realized how tired I was. I breathed a heavy sigh and dragged myself to my dresser, where I pulled out my pajamas. Once I lay back down, I fell asleep almost instantly.
***
Logan rang my doorbell the next morning just as I pulled on my jeans after getting out of the shower.
“Can you get that?” I yelled down to my dad, who I knew was sitting in his home office next to the front door. “It should be Logan.”
“Are you sure you want me to get it?” he called back up the stairs. “I might embarrass you.”
Heat rose to my face. He was only teasing, but he was also right. I quickly threw a t-shirt over my head and raced down the stairs past my dad, who already had a finger on the door handle.
“Never mind, Dad. I’ve got this.”
He strolled back into his office with a laugh.
I pulled the door open. Logan’s smiling face made my knees go weak. I didn’t even care that my hair was still wet and I didn’t have any makeup on. I pulled him into a hug as soon as I saw him.
“I missed you,” I whispered into his ear, even though we saw each other at school yesterday. Somehow, that seemed like ages ago.
He squeezed me back. “I missed you, too. You don’t seem ready to go.”
I pulled away, but the smile on my face didn’t waver. “I’m almost ready. Let me go brush my hair.”
Logan stepped into my house, and I raced upstairs and threw my hair into a ponytail in record time. I quickly slipped on my flip flops and grabbed my purse from where it sat on my desk.
I adjusted the strap on my shoulder at the bottom of the stairs. “Ready?”
Logan nodded before taking my hand.
“Dad, I’m leaving,” I called into the next room. “See you sometime tonight.”
“Okay,” he replied. “Don’t be home too late. Have fun!”
On my way to Logan’s car, I realized something. Normally my parents asked where we were going and what we’d be doing, but my dad didn’t this time.
I slid into the passenger seat. “Does my dad know about the surprise?”
Logan’s lips twitched into a smile. “I told him while you were upstairs.”
My eyes widened. “He talked to you? He didn’t say anything embarrassing, did he?”
Logan pulled out of the driveway. “Of course not, babe. What would he say anyway? You have nothing to be embarrassed about in front of me.”
I buried my face in my hands at the thought of my father talking to my boyfriend. Once I dropped them, I spoke. “I don’t know. He’s my dad. He’s bound to come up with something.”
A laugh escaped Logan’s lips. “You have nothing to worry about.” He squeezed my hand for reassurance.
I squinted out the window to see if I could tell where he was taking me. “So, where are we going?”
Logan circled his thumb on the back of my hand. “I told you, it’s a surprise.”
“You and your surprises,” I complained before shooting him a teasing smile.
We drove out of town, and after another fifteen minutes, Logan turned down a road I’d never been down. I studied the scenery, wondering where he could possibly be taking me. A thick forest lined the road, and the long stretch in front of us didn’t seem to show any promise. We passed by a couple of houses, and I half expected him to pull into one of the driveways, but he continued driving along the narrow road. He turned a couple more times, but I d
idn’t bother prodding him about where we were going. I knew he wouldn’t tell me anyway.
When he turned down a dirt road, I finally spoke up. “Logan, are you lost?”
He glanced at me before looking back at the road in front of him. He bounced in his seat with every pot hole we drove over. “Of course I’m not lost. Don’t worry; we’re almost there.”
The trees didn’t seem to end, but the road did. It widened into a circle, either for turning around or parking; I wasn’t sure. At first, I thought maybe Logan was lying and he really was lost. Maybe he was going to turn around and find a way back to the main road. Instead, he stopped the car at the end of the road and shifted it into park.
“This is it?” I scanned the trees.
Logan reached into the back seat and pulled his backpack onto his lap. “Yep.”
“But there’s nothing here.”
He opened his door and stepped out of the car, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “Sure there is. Come on.”
I warily followed him out of the car. He held his hand out to me, so I grabbed onto it while he led me over to the trees. I looked around again, trying to spot an indication of what we were doing here. When my eyes fell back in front of me, I noticed a long stretch of dirt cutting its way through the trees. Sunlight streamed through the canopy, casting rays of light on the narrow trail. Logan released my hand to walk in front of me. He talked while we walked, mostly about music. It helped occupy my mind, so I didn’t focus on how far we’d gone. When my feet started to ache in my flip flops, though, I began to notice the distance.
If he didn’t have to keep it a surprise, I thought, I would have worn better shoes.
I didn’t say anything out loud because in the next moment, a distant noise caught my attention. I stopped in my tracks. After a few paces, Logan noticed I was no longer following him.
“Do you hear that?” I asked. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. It almost sounded like a strong wind rustling through the trees, but there was only a light breeze.
A grin broke across Logan’s face. “Come on. We’re almost there.”
He quickened his pace, and even though I was starting to form a blister on the side of my right foot, I followed just a step behind him. Soon, the trees began to thin. The sound I’d heard a moment ago grew louder. A split second before I saw the water, I realized what it was. Logan and I emerged into a small clearing along the banks of a river. A couple of yards upstream stood a small waterfall. It was only a few feet high, but the way the river twisted through the surrounding greenery was breathtaking.
“Wow,” was all I could say.
“Pretty, right?”
I couldn’t tear my gaze from the landscape even as Logan took my hand to pull me further into the clearing.
“How did you find this place?” I finally asked.
He shrugged. “It’s not exactly a secret. It’s a public place, but I guess people don’t appreciate it as much as they used to. My family used to hike out here once a year or so just to enjoy it.”
I was so focused on the scenery that I hadn’t noticed Logan start to unpack his backpack. When I finally looked over at him, he had a small blanket laid out in front of the river.
“Sit down,” he encouraged.
I kicked off my flip flops next to his blanket and sank down onto it, crossing my legs. Logan sat across from me and dug into his backpack. He pulled out three plastic containers and set them between us before grabbing two plastic bags from his pack. He handed me one of the bags, and I stared down at the sandwich in it. My heart fluttered at the sweet gesture.
“All this was about a picnic?” I asked.
Logan nodded. “You don’t like tomato, do you? Because I didn’t put it on your sandwich.”
I smiled back at him. “You’re so sweet, and you’re right. I don’t like tomato.” I unwrapped my sandwich and bit into it. A light breeze blew through my hair during the silence that followed. I inhaled the scent of nature around me. “It’s really peaceful out here. Thanks for bringing me.”
Logan shifted to lean on one hand while his other held his sandwich. He gazed out toward the water. “It really is. That’s why I wanted to show it to you.”
“What’s in the containers?” I gestured toward them.
Logan smiled before swallowing a bite of his sandwich. “If you’re still hungry, I have potato salad, some mixed fruit, and some of my mom’s famous Rice Crispy bars.”
“Mm, Rice Crispy.”
Mostly, we sat in silence, listening to the flow of water next to us and enjoying the beautiful weather. After we finished eating and Logan packed his food away, I shifted closer to him, and he took me into his arms. We lay together on the blanket and stared up at the sky. His arms warmed my body—both inside and out—like it was where I was meant to be.
“That one looks like a butterfly.” He pointed to an approaching cloud.
“Agreed, but check out that one. It kind of looks like a unicorn.”
Logan tilted his head. “I guess I can see that. Now the butterfly just kind of looks like a blob.”
I laughed. We lay there for what must have been hours, just talking and imagining shapes out of the clouds. A chill overcame me when he finally pulled away and announced that it was time to pack up and head back to the car. I didn’t want to; I wanted this beautiful day to last forever.
“Wait,” I said before he could stand.
He stared back at me expectantly. I didn’t really know what I had stopped him for, but I didn’t have to think long about it. I leaned into him and wrapped my arms around his neck. I felt his body relax when our lips touched. What felt like far too soon, we drew away from each other and stood. My blister ached in reminder of the long walk back.
When we reached the car, I grabbed my purse from the floor near my feet and set it on my lap. “Does our date really have to be over?” I asked in disappointment.
Logan’s soft eyes met mine. “Of course it doesn’t, but we’ll have plenty of time to spend together next weekend at the homecoming dance.”
A surge of adrenaline shot through my veins at the reminder. “Crap!” I shouted louder than I intended. I quickly dug into my purse in search of my phone.
Logan started up the car and glanced over at me. “What’s wrong?”
“I completely forgot! I was supposed to meet up with Alaina, Emily, and Holly to go dress shopping today.” I pulled my wallet from my purse to give myself more room to search for my phone. Why hadn’t Alaina sent me a text reminding me? I wondered.
Logan drove down the dirt road. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. Do you want to see if they’re still shopping?”
Finally, my hands clamped around the phone, and I pressed the home button to wake it up, but the screen remained blank. My face tensed so much that I began to form a headache. I couldn’t believe I’d ditched my friends. “I was so tired last night that I forgot to charge my phone. It’s dead. Can I use yours to text Alaina?”
Logan pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to me.
I began typing a message before I noticed the small symbol at the top of his notifications bar. “Dang it. There’s no service out here.”
A couple of minutes later, a bar finally popped up, and Logan’s phone chimed several times.
“Who texted me?” he asked, giving me permission to read the messages to him.
One was from Jordan that I didn’t read, and the other three were from Alaina. She asked Logan if he was with me or knew where I was. I quickly texted her back explaining how my phone died and I forgot about dress shopping.
Are you still shopping? I texted.
We’re already done. I called your house, and your parents said you were with Logan, so we went shopping without you.
I’m so sorry.
Alaina didn’t text back, and I wasn’t sure if that was a sign of forgiveness or because she was mad at me. My gut told me it was the latter. Guilt overcame me, and I asked Logan to drive me home.
/> I sulked into the house. In my bedroom, I plugged my phone in and waited for it to come alive so I could check the messages Alaina sent. She started by asking if I needed a ride, then told me she was waiting for me at the mall, and then asked several times where I was. I slumped to my bed, feeling a sickness in my stomach for the way I had ditched my friends. It was so unlike me to forget about them.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. I didn’t think anything of it until I heard Alaina’s voice echoing up the stairs along with my father’s. I exited my room and slunk down the stairs to greet her, praying she wasn’t too mad at me. Her arms crossed over her chest, and she raised an eyebrow at me. Nobody said anything as she headed past my dad and followed me up to my bedroom.
I plopped down on my bed. “Alaina, I’m really sorry.” I knew I deserved whatever lecture she was about to give me.
She stood in my doorway with a stone cold expression on her face. Her arms never dropped from their position over her chest. “I’m not mad that you spent the day with Logan,” she finally said. “I’m mad that you didn’t tell us about it and just ditched the rest of us.”
I hung my head guiltily. “I didn’t mean to. I forgot about it. We hung out last night, and you didn’t mention anything about it. I just forgot.”
“I was tired last night,” she pointed out in defense. “Besides, it’s not like you to flake like that.”
A brief pause filled the silence, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I didn’t have any real excuse.
Alaina pursed her lips when I didn’t respond. She sighed deeply like the next thing she was about to say was too difficult for her. She managed to spit it out confidently. “You’re changing yourself too much for Logan.”
My gaze flew to hers. I was not! How could she say something like that? “I’m not changing. I’m still the same old Maddie.”
Her brows shot up. “The same old Maddie? The one who stops drawing and forgets about her art homework? The one who’s all of a sudden interested in music when she’s never cared about it before? The one who ditches her friends without telling them where she is?”
