by Whitney G.
“Noted. What’s the second condition?”
“The one that might actually help you put your business skills to use,” he said. “My wife owns a floral store on Main Street that only makes a profit during the summer season,” he said. “I’ve been meaning to have some students complete a semester-long research project on it so I can get some answers on how we can make it profitable year-round, but –” He paused. “I don’t trust any of them. There. I said it. So, in exchange for a recommendation letter and an S-grade—”
“A recommendation and an A-grade.”
“I’ll still have to take a super hard look at the work you turn in if you want a real grade, Mr. Wyatt,” he said tersely, as if giving me another A would kill him. “Anyway, I’d like for you to do a thorough analysis of my wife’s shop for the semester instead of showing up to class and wasting my time. What do you say?”
I hesitated to answer, not wanting to give away the fact that his offer was perfect.
“I accept your offer, Professor Hughes.” I extended my hand, and he shook it. “What’s the name of the store?”
“Oh, right.” He opened a briefcase and handed me a business card. “It’s called The Silk Stem, and it’s right across from The Ripped Bodice. It’s that bookstore that only sells romance books.” He laughed. “I’m sure you have no idea where that is.”
I know exactly where that is...
AN HOUR LATER, I STOOD across the street from a pink and white building – looking up at the glittering silver Ripped Bodice letters.
I came here every few weeks out of habit, armed with a list of Rachel’s favorite authors. Since she made it a point to beg for a shipment of new books whenever we were on good terms, I always checked for new releases.
Sure enough, Rachel was already inside the store—staring at the New Releases shelf. She was dressed in bleach white shorts with a bright yellow tank top, and her hair was tossed to one side in loose curls.
All last night, while I was at a bar, I’d listened to all of my friends talk about “the new Semester at Sea girl.”
“Sexiest girl on campus. Hands down.” “Where the hell has she been, and who the hell is she dating?” “What do you mean she’s your roommate?”
Before I could make my way over, my phone sounded in my pocket. A call from my father.
Groaning, I debated whether I should answer it.
“Hello?” I caved before it went to voicemail.
“Hey there, son.” My dad’s voice sounded less condescending than usual. “How are you doing today?”
“Good. What’s up?”
“I’m wondering why you’ve canceled all your work hours at the site for the next few months. I logged into the system, and I can’t figure out why the hell you would ever think that this is okay.”
Spoke too soon about you not being condescending today...
“I have a new assignment that’s going to take up a lot of my time this semester. I need to get an A.”
“Son, in case you’ve forgotten, you’re on track to take over this business the moment you get your MBA. If you think for one second that anyone here gives a damn about whether you make a C or an A in your college classes, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“The grades are for me.”
“Yeah well, you can work at least fifteen hours a week, can’t you?”
I didn’t answer him. I didn’t feel like arguing about this today.
“You’ve been telling me the truth about completing the business degree, right?” He asked. “You’re not going to pull a fast one on me with a degree in that pansy-ass shit you were talking about last year, right? What was it called again? Creative penmanship?”
“Creative Writing.”
“Yeah, that.” He laughed. “The one that doesn’t make any money. I’ll try to find someone to fill your shifts over the next few weeks, but next time, a heads-up would be greatly appreciated. Anyway, let me run this week’s numbers by you.”
I didn’t listen to a single word he said. I muttered “Um hmm,” and “Yeah,” every few seconds so he would think I was paying attention.
My father had yet to admit it, but he lived vicariously through me. He wanted us to have the relationship he never had with his own dad. Wanted to hand over his company to me, in a way his father didn’t for him.
The idea of this was cool when I was younger — when I was tagging along to his construction worksites all week, dragging Rachel along with me to some of the more exciting meetings at baseball games. But as I grew older, I realized that although every subject in school came easy as hell to me, the only one I actually enjoyed was writing.
I told him this on my thirteenth birthday, showing him an essay called, “I Hate My Next-Door Neighbor,” but he never read it. Instead, he laughed and said, “If you ever plan on knowing what it’s like to get a girl, I highly suggest that you don’t tell anyone what you just told me about wanting to be a writer.”
So, I buried the thought and never brought it up again. But when I came to college, I couldn’t help but pursue it as my second major. And although I would never admit it, I enjoyed writing letters over the years; it kept my skills sharp.
“Can I expect to see you at the grand opening of the Perlman offices next week?” My father asked, finally done talking about the numbers.
I doubt it... “I’ll let you know later,” I said, watching a guy approach Rachel in the store. She smiled at him, quickly gave him her phone number, and blushed once he left.
“Hey, Dad.” I watched Rachel pick up another book. “I have to go. I’ll call you later.”
“You better, son.”
I ended the call and crossed the street, stopping when I made it into the store. The walls were freshly coated in pink, and with the exception of the cashier and Rachel, no one else was here.
“May I interest you in some erotica today, sir?” The cashier smiled. “Each purchase comes with a set of fluffy pink handcuffs.”
“I’ll think about it.” I smiled, and her cheeks turned red.
I walked over to Rachel, and she immediately turned around.
“Why are you in this store?” she asked, making her way to the register. “The sign out front says, No Romance Haters Allowed.”
“This place is across my senior research assignment.” I noticed light pink makeup on her eyelids. “And I’ve told you before that I don’t hate romance. Since you know flowers, I may need your help from time to time. If I can’t find someone else who I can tolerate better, that is.”
“Well, in that case, I’ll need your help giving me a ride to campus every day and not leaving me like you did this morning.”
“I’ll think about it.” I pulled out my wallet and paid for her books. “How are you adjusting to the first week of classes on land so far?” I held the door open as we stepped out of the shop.
“The classes are fine. The social life isn’t what I thought it would be.”
“Why not?”
“Because I think I’ve ruined my chances of making any life-long college friends since I was away for so long,” she said. “Everyone already has their set group of friends and we’ll all be going our separate ways in less than nine months.”
“Well, if you can’t make life-long friends, try making life-long enemies,” I said, smiling. “You’re great at making those.”
“Thank you for that excellent advice.” She rolled her eyes. “Always good to remember why the two of us will never be friends.”
“I’m always happy to remind you of that,” I said. “Just go to some more clubs and parties this week. It’s not that hard. Hell, you should probably go to one of the bars up the street right now and meet someone new. That would also save us from this conversation.”
“Does that mean that you’re not willing to give me a ride home?”
“It means that I’ll do it, but only if you can agree not to talk the entire way there.”
“Ugh. Fine.”
As we walked, I couldn’t help but
notice how every man who caught sight of Rachel did a slow and noticeable double-take, and for some strange reason, I felt some type of way about that.
When we made it to my car, I took one long look at her as she tossed her stuff onto my back seat.
“Why are you staring at me?” she asked, looking up.
“I’m not staring at you.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m waiting on you to remember how to ride in the front seat of a car and put on your damn seatbelt.”
“Would you like me to sit in the back seat, then?”
“If Greg’s stuff wasn’t back there, I’d highly suggest it.” I cranked the engine.
“Well, if you’re going to be like that—”
“You agreed not to talk,” I said. “If you don’t want a ride, feel free to get out. If you do want one, I would prefer driving in silence.”
She glared at me as she clicked her seatbelt.
She really is gorgeous as hell now...
Back Then: 15 ½ Years Old
(Well, Rachel is still 15 ½. I’m 16. It’s why I’m far more mature than she is...)
Ethan
SUBJECT: RIDING IN Your Car
Dear Ethan,
It’s bad enough that I don’t have a driver’s permit (By the way, no one cares that you got to take one of the last tests right before our county changed the age requirement), and my parents insist on me getting a ride to and from school with you every day, but the least you can do is not be rude as hell to me the whole time. You could at least give me time to get your car and not start driving once I step out the front door.
But you know what? Since I’m clearly the bigger person, I think the time has come for us to just be cordial with each other and nothing more. Since I’ll have to wait another year and a half to get my permit, do me a favor these next few months and don’t speak to me unless we’re in your car. And even then, anything other than “Hello” and “Goodbye” would be far too much.
Fuck off and Forget You,
Rachel
SUBJECT: RE: RIDING in Your Car
Dear Rachel,
First of all, it’s bad enough that we even know each other—the specifics of why don’t really matter. If you started stepping out of your house on time, I wouldn’t have to do that.
You’re NOT the bigger person at all. I told you that I wanted to be “just cordial” with you weeks ago before you snitched on me about seeing cigarettes in my room. Cigarettes that weren’t even mine. (Is your life really that dull to where you have to look out your bedroom window and into mine for entertainment?)
Your latest snitching stunt has ended any shit about us ever being cordial again.
Fuck off and Forget You, Too,
Ethan
PS—We both know you’re never going to get your driver’s permit because you consistently fail the written exam in Driver’s Ed. (Newsflash: The shit isn’t that hard)
PSS—Congrats on learning how to use spellcheck for the first time in an email this year.
SUBJECT: RE: RE: RIDING in Your Car
Dear Ethan AND Rachel,
Please log off your computer stations and report to the principal’s office right now. I’ve warned you two, time and time again, to stop using the school’s server to email each other these petty little notes.
Do you have any idea how this can be misconstrued as cheating? Any idea how reckless you two are?
You’re in the middle of taking an exam!
Forget BOTH of you,
Miss Washington
I STARED AT MISS WASHINGTON’S email from yesterday, wondering why she didn’t end our conversation sooner since we’d sent twenty-five emails before the one she decided to randomly interrupt.
Thanks to Rachel’s pettiness, we’d been forced to leave school via an afternoon suspension for the rest of the day, and today was supposed to be a “fresh start.”
And of course, she was late.
I honked my horn at 7:05, knowing that she was just standing in her living room and staring at the clock. Waiting until her “preferred” pick up time of 7:15.
At exactly 7:15, she opened the door and let up her flimsy umbrella, rushing across her front yard and into my car.
“Would it kill you to pull all the way into my driveway?” She shook her hair, getting water all over my dashboard. “Especially on the days when it rains? That’s what a true gentleman would do.”
“I never said I was a gentleman, especially not for you.”
She rolled her eyes and buckled her seatbelt. Turning up the music, she pulled a bag of donuts from her backpack and handed it to me. I pointed to the fresh cup of vanilla coffee I always picked up at the new corner cafe for her.
Even though we were hardly ever on speaking terms, we had an unwritten rule between us for the morning drives. She was responsible for getting breakfast the night before and I was responsible for picking up the hot chocolate (Well, coffee for her) before I honked at her house.
We didn’t have to like each other to adhere to that at all.
I headed to my girlfriend Valerie’s house and pulled into her driveway. (I was a gentleman for her.) I let up an umbrella and walked to her porch, smiling at her bright pink dress and grey raincoat.
“Morning, Ethan.” She blushed and kissed my lips.
“Morning.” I returned her kiss and grabbed her backpack.
“Wait, before we go can I show you something?”
“Now?” I looked at my watch. “We’re going to be late if we don’t head out at this moment.”
She kissed me again and bit my bottom lip, whispering. “It’ll be worth your while. I promise.”
I sighed and obliged, following her inside her house and into her living room.
“What do you think?” She pointed to two canvas paintings. One of them was a picture of a couple kissing (I thought...) and the other was of the new hotel that was across from our high school.
“I painted ‘us’ as a present for you!” She smiled. “And since that hotel always distracts us during lunch I decided to paint it for you, too. You want to put them in your car now or later?”
“Later,” I said, quickly softening my tone. “I mean, it’s raining outside and I don’t want them to get wet.”
“Oh yeah.” She smiled. “Good point.”
I held back a sigh as she covered them with a sheet. Rachel would never stop talking shit about those pictures if she saw them this morning. Mostly because Rachel knew how to draw better than anyone in our school and she never let me forget it.
Ugh. Rachel’s good at almost everything. Except spelling...
“Okay!” Valerie kissed me again. “I’ll bring them to your place this weekend.”
We took our time walking to the car and I opened the back door for her.
“Ugh!” She huffed and slid onto the backseat.
I didn’t bother asking her what was wrong. The rain was falling even harder now and we were now running late thanks to her anyway.
As I pulled onto the street, she cleared her throat.
“Ethan,” she said, sighing. “Why does Rachel always get to sit in the front seat of your car?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, why is it that Rachel—the girl who is not your girlfriend, is always in the front seat when you come to get me?”
I looked at her through the rearview mirror, noticed that her arms were crossed and her face was beet red. “It’s because Rachel lives next door to me and she’s always sat in the front seat since I got this car.”
“That’s not a good reason, Ethan.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “I’m your girlfriend and you claim that she’s your so-called enemy, but you sure do treat her better than any enemy I’ve ever had. You treat her like she’s your best friend—more than just your best friend.”
I rolled my eyes. This was the third time she’s picked a fight with me about Rachel and I wasn’t sure what else I could say to convince her that Rachel was just Rachel.
There was nothing but hat
red between us and there always would be.
“Don’t you think this is messed up, Rachel?” She was still talking. “How would you feel if your boyfriend—Well, girlfriend because you’re a lesbo right?”
“I’m not a lesbian.” Rachel shook her head, looking completely unfazed.
“Well, that’s what the rumors around school say. Based on the way you dress and the fact that you only hang out with guys, I’m certain you can see why people think that way. Not to mention the fact that you don’t have a single girl as a friend.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Would it bother you if I sat next to my boyfriend, please?”
“Whatever.” Rachel unbuckled her seatbelt when we approached the next red light and climbed into the backseat. Valerie took her time letting up her umbrella and stepping outside to take two whole steps to get into the front seat.
She kissed my cheek before buckling her seatbelt and smiled as I drove away. Then she picked up the donut bag. “How sweet of you, Ethan! Did you get these donuts and that coffee for me?”
“Actually, those are me and Rachel’s donuts,” I said. “Do you want me to stop somewhere so you can buy yourself some?”
She gave me a blank stare, and then her face reddened. “Are you fucking serious?”
Track 8. ...Ready for It? (3:11)
Rachel
THERE’S A SOUNDTRACK to this town that I’ve always known by heart. It’s a compilation of sounds with special, real-world lyrics that I’d recognize anywhere. The morning tracks are always a mix of waves hitting the shore or tourists scattering across the beach to stake their claims on chairs. In the afternoon, the tracks slowly give way to the loud laughter and horns from the trolley lines, with the hard beats of residents ordering ice cream cones and cold coffee. And at night, the final tracks steal the day when the sand softly sifts back into place, and the couples share secret kisses on the beach.
