I turned on the spot and noticed how far away Annie really was standing. She was at least ten feet back, keeping as far away from the ledge as possible. Even with her oversized sunglasses and enormous amounts of makeup, the paleness of her face was obvious. A tall, but narrow concrete tower was holding her weight as she leaned up against it, arms folded across her chest. Even though she looked and sounded sick, a faint smile spread across her lips as she saw me turn to face her.
“Oh come on Ann, they have guard rails for a reason!” I joked.
“Yeah, yeah, you go ahead and enjoy it for the both of us then.”
I shook my head and turned back around, refocusing my eyes on the rapidly tumbling water spewing out from the massive concrete structure. At that moment, a strong gust of wind blew up as the refreshing scent of fresh river water filled the air. “So I read online that Hoover Dam provides power to Vegas and even LA, isn’t that crazy?”
“Wow,” she said lazily. “That’s amazing. But, the fact you know that doesn’t surprise me Zoe. I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it!” I replied cheerfully. Turning back to face her, I spread my arms out and rested them on the guard rails, and leaned back, putting my full weight against the protective concrete barrier. “How’d you come up with this anyway?”
“I uh,” she said uneasily, turning a shade of light green. “I know how much you love these historical monuments.”
As she spoke, her hands clasped onto the stable tower even tighter.
“You know me way too well,” I said with a half smile.
“Why don’t you come away from there for a few minutes?” she asked nervously, her voice breaking with each word.
I took a deep breath of the fresh air and gazed back out at the natural beauty that encircled us. Rugged, dusty brown colored mountaintops spanned all around on every side, as the Colorado River flowed smoothly at the basin. It was a strange sight, as the turbine engines ruffled the flow of water within a few hundred feet of the dam before the river calmed down again. The sky was a picturesque light blue, without a cloud anywhere to be seen. It was an ideal desert setting, with rich warm colors and a glaring sun, which basked down onto the hundreds of tourists scattered on top of thousands of tons of concrete.
“You want to take a walk then? Check out the rest of it?” I asked, as I walked away from the edge.
“Sounds great,” Annie exhaled.
The air wasn’t as warm as it had been in Vegas, but the sun was still doing its best job at blinding us. As we walked along the path around the dam, everyone we passed seemed to be in a cheerful mood either sporting ear-to-ear smiles or joking pleasantly with their companions. Being with Annie just made it seem that much more perfect.
“So, have you had a good birthday so far?” Annie asked, as the color slowly returned to her face.
“It’s been wonderful,” I said. “One of the best birthdays ever.”
“I’m glad to hear it! Are you completely surprised though? That was the main thing I was going for with all of this.”
“Oh yeah, definitely surprised. Not even Steph gave it away. She kind of hinted at something, but never said anything about what you actually had planned.”
“Thank god,” Annie breathed, sounding very relieved. “She was the only one who knew where we were going. I was talking to her about you and your birthday, and she kind of helped me figure this all out. There were a few times that I got a little worried she would let something slip though.”
“Nope, didn’t give anything away. I’m glad she didn’t, because this is just incredible,” I said in awe, gazing back down at the calmer, more serene river far below. Unlike the other side, where the powerful turbine engines spewed water all over the place, the opposite side had a comforting stillness, where the bright sun reflected beautifully off the ripple-less top.
“Well, I guess you’ve had the perfect birthday so far. Our trip out here, the photo, going to classes, shoot, you even got a full night’s sleep!” Annie exclaimed. “What else could you want?”
Her mention of the word sleep triggered some type of automatic recall system in my brain. My thoughts instinctively jumped right back towards my most recent dream. The images of my parents’ proud faces and the look of innocent joy that was cemented on my younger face rotated in and out of my mind like a slideshow. A profound sense of yearning invaded my heart, which replaced any feelings of happiness that my birthday had created. I could feel the smile on my face slowly break down into a gloomy frown.
“What’s wrong?” Annie asked.
“It’s nothing,” I said quickly.
“Not this time,” she snapped back. “You always do this! One minute everything is going great, and then the next minute, you close up shop. Your mood swings are getting out of control.”
I sighed deeply, barely able to look Annie in the face. “Is it really that noticeable?”
“Uh, yeah,” she mocked. “I love you Zoe, and you’re my best friend. But, if you don’t start talking to me, I’m going to have to hurt you.”
“Alright,” I surrendered. “It’s just that I had another dream this morning, and it was really strange.”
“Oh,” Annie said, looking surprised. “What was it about?”
“It was my 9th birthday and my parents had given me that pink bike…”
“Man! I loved that bike!” she exclaimed loudly, cutting me off. “It was so cute, I was always jealous that you had the pretty pink one and I got the ugly mustard yellow one.”
“Ann, focus! That’s not what I’m getting at here!”
“Sorry,” she whispered. “What was it then?”
“It was what my parents said after they gave me the bike that was weird. They were talking about how I was special, and that being with your family was the only way for things to work out.”
“Work out? What do you mean?”
“I don’t know! But it got even weirder. My parents started talking about how we were being watched or something. And then they said that being with you guys was the only way for him to get involved. It was so crazy Ann.”
“Who do you think they were talking about?”
“I dunno,” I shrugged. “For a minute, I thought maybe it was Professor Woodward, but there’s no way that’s possible. My parents didn’t have any friends besides you parents.”
“Yeah…” she trailed off. “That is weird.”
“I know. That’s the reason why I always get so moody. This is the type of stuff I dream about. It happens all the time!”
“Well, it’s a good thing it was just a dream,” Annie said, trying to lift the mood. “Trust me Zoe, there’s nothing wrong with you. Besides, you know my parents. There is absolutely nothing exciting or special about them. They are boring, regular people.”
“They aren’t that bad!” I shot back, thinking for a moment. “But, maybe you’re right. I guess it was just a dream…”
“Exactly, just push it out of your head for now. You’ll sleep tonight, and have another dream that will make you forget all about this one. I mean, it’s your birthday. Why would you want to dwell on some crazy dream?”
“You’ve got a point,” I sighed. Maybe she was right. Pushing it out of my head for the time being did seem to be the best idea.
“Alright then, let’s change the topic. How have things been going for you lately?”
“Sheesh Zoe, you make it sound like we haven’t seen each other in months!” Annie laughed.
“Humor me,” I said. “How’s school?”
“It’s fine.”
“That’s it? Just fine?”
“Okay, better than fine. I can’t remember the last time I’ve actually done this well.”
“You’re putting actual work in Annie. I told you good things would happen if you just applied yourself a bit.”
“Whatever Zoe,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You’re such a nerd. It’s just school.”
“Hey, I’m proud of you, is that such a bad thing?”
I knew exactly where she wanted to go with that. Even though she seemed to be on the right path academically, my efforts to shift her priorities still didn’t seem to be working.
“Fine, how’s Liam?” I said curtly.
Annie suspiciously eyed me for a moment before she caved. “Things have been awesome. You have no idea how amazing he really is Zoe. He’s easily the hottest guy I’ve ever been with, and he treats me like royalty. That’s why I haven’t been around much lately. He won’t let me leave his sight! It’s been perfect,” she said dreamily.
Suddenly, Simi’s comments from earlier in the day invaded my head. She had confirmed all of my worst fears. He was bad news, and Annie was going to be the next victim in his game. There was nothing left to do than tell Annie everything Simi had told me.
“Look, there’s something I think you should know about Liam,” I said apprehensively.
Annie rolled her eyes as a frown replaced her look of excitement. “What is it this time Zoe?”
“First, remember that I’m not saying this to hurt you. I’m saying this as your friend.”
“Fine,” she said, as a trace of anger invaded her voice.
“Alright, I had breakfast with Simi this morning and she had some interesting things to say about him.”
“Such as?”
As she said it, her hand grabbed my arm and pulled me into a full stop just as we crossed the state line between Arizona and Nevada.
“Wait, why are you willing to listen if Simi has a problem, but if I have any issues, you just cast them off?”
“Shut up Zoe, what did she say?”
“She just wanted me to warn you that he’s a womanizer. He gets what he wants from girls and then he ditches them,” I said angrily. “That’s why I wanted to tell you. I don’t want you to be next on his list.”
Annie stood frozen on the spot for a minute as I could feel her eyes boring into me from behind her dark glasses. A large tour group passed by us before Annie spoke again.
“Whatever,” she said, releasing her grip on my arm. “What does she know anyways?”
“Um, they did spend a lot of the summer together. She probably knows as much about him as you do.”
Out of the blue, Annie started to chuckle. Her expression shifted instantly as she looked very upbeat and happy.
“Why are you laughing?” I asked dubiously.
“Oh nothing, it’s just that Liam warned me that she’d say something along those lines. He told me that she’s bitter that he never asked her out while they worked this summer. Apparently, she’s really jealous of him, and as a result, of me. I don’t blame you Zoe, she’s only using you to try and break Liam and me up,” she said rather condescendingly.
“I can’t believe that,” I replied quickly. “Simi doesn’t do that kind of stuff. She’s nice, why would she want to do that?”
“Dunno,” Annie shrugged. “But I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“I’m sorry Annie, but I can’t just disregard what she told me. There’s something about him that doesn’t sit well with me. He’s no good for you and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Okay, I think we’re done here,” Annie said, her voice sounding completely indifferent.
“Wait, what?” I asked, caught off guard.
“It’s time to go home; I don’t want to hear anymore of this crap.”
“I’m sorry Ann, but I think it’s for your own good.”
“Sure,” she said. “You keep thinking that Zoe.”
I’d never seen Annie so furious before, especially at me. Normally she had a sweet disposition when it came to my thoughts or advice. Even with other guys I never approved of, she always just brushed my ridicule off with a soft smile and reassurances that everything would be okay. This was different. She continued her silent treatment the rest of the walk to her car, then for the entire drive home. For the whole ride, my thoughts stayed directly on Liam, wondering what exactly made him so special to keep Annie completely enamored.
“I’m sorry I snapped at you,” Annie mumbled, as her car came to a shuttering stop. The sun was slowly sinking on the horizon behind our apartment as a beautiful array of orange, red and purple filled the sky.
“No, I’m sorry. I was out of line back there. I don’t know what got into me, “I said, somewhat shaken. “If you’re happy though, that’s enough for me. I promise there will be no more confrontations.”
A half smile crossed her face as she leaned over and gave me a light hug. “Thanks Zoe. It’s just that I don’t need you to protect me; I need you to support me. You know that I can take care of myself.”
“I know, it’s just habit I guess.”
“Don’t’ worry about it, let’s just put it behind us, okay?”
I nodded.
“Anyways, I think I’m going to head over to the Beta house. I told Liam I’d swing by after we got back.”
“Oh, okay,” I murmured as my eyes fell to the floor of the car. “Have fun.”
“Happy Birthday, I hope you had fun today!”
“Yeah, it was great. Thanks.”
As we exited the car, Annie walked down the street, turned the corner, and was gone. I stood at the foot of the stairs for another moment, wondering if our fight was truly over, or if it was just the beginning of a long battle that would eventually do major damage to our friendship. Fear began to rise in my heart as the thought of him possibly stealing my best friend away slowly sank in.
The weekend flew by uneventfully. Annie’s bed was in its all too familiar disheveled state as I woke on Monday morning. I gazed around her lonely room and a strong feeling of anxiety and depression sank in. She was staying away from our home because of my incessant berating of Liam. I couldn’t help but think that keeping my big mouth shut would’ve been a better idea. If Annie wanted me to be more supportive than protective, I’d do it. Anything would be better than the emptiness I felt the longer she stayed away.
I got my things together quickly, trying to refocus on the new week. There had been so much drama since my last class that it started to feel as though I had forgotten and abandoned the real reason I was in school. A day full of Philosophy, Perspectives and Professor Woodward’s class seemed to be the perfect cure for my ills. The warmth of the morning no longer surprised me as I stepped out of the apartment. As I locked the door and turned around, my heart skipped a few beats as Liam’s brawny but scruffy figure stood at the base of the stairwell. Both hands were buried deep in his knee length khaki shorts, and the short sleeved, black polo shirt he was wearing hugged his toned figure, giving off a slight preppy vibe. He didn’t say anything. Instead, his thin lips were curled in a mischievous way. The sound of my flip-flops smacking each stair broke the eerie silence that had developed.
“Annie’s not here,” I said offhandedly.
“Of course not, she’s back in my bed. I’m actually here to talk to you,” he replied smoothly, as a bony hand ran through his shaggy, unkempt hair.
“I’m kind of in a hurry this morning.”
“This won’t take long.”
The tone of his voice was rather disheartening. He didn’t sound angry or excited, there was just a stillness that made it seem like he was in charge. I took a big gulp and pushed by him as the surprising fragrance of roses filled my nostrils. There was a masculine scent to the cologne and it made me somewhat lightheaded. Ignoring it, I continued to walk towards campus, with Liam in tow.
“Happy birthday,” he finally said as we stopped at a crosswalk.
“Thanks,” I sharply replied.
“Annie told me what you guys did, sounded kind of lame for a birthday party though.”
“Don’t you need to tell me something?” I asked as my cheeks started to get warm.
“Yeah, it actually has to do with that little trip you guys took on Friday.”
After a few cars passed, t
he walking figure lit up across the street. My long legs extended out further than a normal stride as I wanted to get some distance between the two of us.
“What about it?”
“Apparently you gave her a little warning?” he inquired, sounding calmer with each word. He was keeping pace with each step of mine, which caused me to slow down. I could only imagine how goofy and unnatural it looked.
“Oh, so it is true?”
“What? I didn’t say anything,” I shot back.
“You slowed down quite a bit there, maybe I touched a nerve?”
“Yeah, I did give her a warning, so what?”
“Haven’t we been over this before? Didn’t you already talk to me and give me the big speech about being good to her, not hurting her and all that other crap?”
The more intense the conversation got the calmer and more relaxed he became. Each word he said seemed to ignite some invisible angry button deep inside me. He was building up to something, like a volcano slowly brewing for the right time to erupt.
“That was to you though, I had to tell her myself,” I said through gritted teeth.
“She didn’t take it so well though, did she?”
“Look,” I demanded, coming to a sudden stop. Liam stopped with me, but looked more amused than anything. “Annie means everything to me. There is nothing more important to me and when someone like you comes along, it makes me nervous.”
“What makes you so nervous? I haven’t done anything bad to her, have I? She’s still safe and sound. I’m just struggling to see why you despise me so much.”
“I don’t trust you!” I bellowed. “Haven’t you gotten that through your thick skull yet? The way you treat people is just sickening. I’ve already told you that I’ve seen other guys come and go in her life and it all ends the same way. You’ve done nothing and said nothing that makes me think that you’ll be any different. But, for some reason, she’s totally enamored with you and it scares me to think about what will happen when you break her heart.”
“Whew,” he whistled. “You really do have a way with words don’t you?”
Common Ground (The Common Ground Trilogy Book 1) Page 9
