Becoming Ella: An Opposites Attract Romance

by Mia Evans

  Will offers a hand to help me, but I don't take it. Instead, I squirm out awkwardly.

  When I am out, standing in front of him, Will doesn't break eye contact, but I do.

  "You've got to work on your tag skills," is all he says.

  It's unspoken, but both of us seem to know that our time here is done. I feel like I ruined it. Like I should have told him to get off me instead of lying there and clearly being more interested than him. I feel stupid.

  "I should probably get home," I say, wrapping my arms tight around myself.

  "Yea, probably."

  We exit off the playground in silence and are silent for most of the walk home.

  "My mom is probably gonna be mad," I say as we get closer to my house.

  "Why?" Will asks, genuinely confused.

  Another clear example of how we are two very different people and come from two very different families.

  "Well, I didn't exactly tell her that I was going to be out late, and I never go out late."

  "Maybe she'll be happy for you then?" Will offers, laughing when I roll my eyes. "In all seriousness though," he says, "it was really nice hanging out with you tonight, Ella."

  When he calls me that, heat spreads throughout my chest.

  "It was nice hanging out with you too, Will."

  We are passing his house, which means we will be at my home in just a couple of minutes.

  I wonder what I'm going to be walking into. Will my mother be passed out asleep on the couch? A loud Western blaring? Then, I could pretend like I've been home for hours and her movie was just that good that she didn't notice. Or will she be sitting on the couch waiting for me? I hope it's the former.

  "Hey, what are you doing this weekend?" Will asks, stopping when we are halfway between his house and mine, the Davidsons. I'm glad that they aren't on their porch because they are close with my mom, and they would tell her everything they see and hear between Will and me.

  "Just working on school," I lie.

  I lie because I feel that Will is about to ask me to do something, and I don't know if I should push my luck. I can't go a couple of hours without making a fool of myself, and ever since that moment on the slide, things feel different.

  Will raises his eyebrow. He doesn't buy it.

  "Go camping with me," he says.

  "Go camping?" I laugh.

  Out of all the things I thought Will would invite me to, camping was not one of them. Camping implies that we would be driving together, out of town, potentially for hours. Together. Maybe alone. In his van. Or maybe he would bring friends? Yes, that's probably what it is — a camping trip with him and a group of his friends.

  "Yes. Go camping," Will says again, casually.

  "I've never been camping before."

  "Then you really need to come."

  "I work on Sunday."

  "I thought you only worked three days a week?"

  He remembers.

  "Normally I do, but one of my friends asked me to pick up a shift for her, and I couldn't say no. So I picked up her Sunday night shift."

  He nods and hums, thinking that over.

  "We'll just be gone for the weekend. If we leave early Saturday, we will get there Saturday afternoon. Then, we camp that night, stay there until Sunday afternoon, and then I'll get you back in time for your shift. You might be tired, but it'll be worth it. Promise."

  Looking into his eyes, I immediately know that he's right. A huge part of me wants to give an enthusiastic yes, but the logical part of me doesn't.

  "How far ahead are you in school?" Will asks.

  It's strange how well he knows me already.

  "Through July," I admit.

  "Yea, you're going camping with me," he says, nodding more to himself than me.

  "Is that so?" I laugh.

  "Mhm. I'll pick you up at nine on Saturday. How does that sound?"

  "I really don't know if I can, Will."

  I hate how lame I sound, but it's true. If my mom knew that I was going on a camping trip with Will Keely, she would flip. She would question my sanity and hound me relentlessly.

  "Corren, you are an adult. Just tell your mom that you're staying with a friend or something."

  True. I guess I could say I'm hanging out with Violet. I know she would cover for me.

  "Or say that a lot of your coworkers are going on this weekend getaway, and you really want to go with them."

  That's an even better idea.

  "You're trying to get me to lie to my mother, Will Keely?" I tease.

  He smirks. "Why yes, Ms. Corren, I am. Because I know that we will have a fantastic time. And now, knowing you've never been camping, I must make sure that you are properly exposed to camping. It's a rite of passage for every Wisconsinite."

  "A rite of passage, eh?" I laugh, unable to help how giddy being around Will and joking around with him makes me feel.

  "Yes. A rite of passage. And who are we to mess with rites of passages?"

  I shrug. I can tell by the look on his face that he knows he's got me. But that still doesn't get rid of how nervous I am about it.

  "My friends are going to be camping out at Great Mountain Bear, and they invited me to join them. How about I tell them that we're both coming? And then you can meet my friend who self-publishes."

  I feel my excitement wean a bit. The thought of it being just Will and I was nerve-wracking. Going with his other friends is even more daunting. Regardless, I push through that and agree to go.

  "I think that I need to start thinking of a place to tell my mom my coworkers are going."

  "Tell her they just want to go on a short weekend road trip. It's kind of the truth. Easy peasy."

  "My mother and "easy peasy" don't go together," I laugh. Will chuckles too.

  "Just think of all the fun we're going to have, Corren," Will smiles, running his hand through his hair.

  I believe it, even though I feel like I could throw up with how nervous I am. I need to call Violet later. She'll be able to help me not make an ass out of myself on this trip.

  "Give me your phone number, and we can talk about it more tonight," Will says.

  Will hands me his phone, and I put my information in, trying to breathe through the thick heat that just traveled from the pit of my stomach to my throat.

  "Talk to you soon, Ella," Will smiles, and before I realize what he is doing, he leans down and wraps his arms around me, squeezing me tight.

  My face smushes against his chest as he holds me securely against him. I have to remind myself to breathe as I can feel his warmth spread across my front.

  After being dazed for a couple seconds, I hug him back, leaning up on my tiptoes to close some of the space between us.

  All too soon, Will is pulling back. "Keep the hoodie," he says, heading towards his van. "It looks better on you."

  My legs feel shaky as I walk the rest of the way home. I look back, and Will waves his phone at me, right when I feel my phone buzz in my pocket.

  Excitement flutters in my stomach as I unlock my house, trying to be quiet as I creep in.

  Just like I had hoped, my mom is sound asleep on the couch, a Western blaring around her. Tiptoeing further into the living room, I mute the TV and grab a cozy afghan off the opposite corner of the couch. I throw it over her, tucking it in around her feet.

  I study her in her sleep for a second, thinking back to when we had a better relationship.

  We would sit on the couch together, taking turns picking what to watch, and if we couldn't agree, we would do rock paper scissors. Sometimes we would even order pizza.

  I wish that we could be like we were back then, and I could plop down on the couch next to her, shake her awake, and tell her about my night with Will. I know that if I were to do that, she would ask if I've gone crazy, hanging out with Will Keely. After all of our — her — hard work, I need to keep my shit together.

  So I stare at her for another second before I quietly go to my room.

  I ke
ep Will's hoodie on as I climb into bed. I cozy into the fabric as I replay moments from tonight. The feel of Will's hands on my collarbones, laughing with him, feeling more carefree than I have in a really long time.

  Then, I remember that Will texted me.

  Will: I still can't believe that you've lived in Wisconsin for your whole life and have never gone camping.

  I smile, my heart beating faster again. I can't remember how long it's been since I've been this excited to look down at my phone. This all feels exciting, so new, so exhilarating.

  And I love it.

  Even though I shouldn't.

  9

  The next morning, I sleep in. And it feels amazing.

  When I wake up, I almost can't believe that all the conversations Will and I had last night actually happened. In fact, the whole thing -- going to the playground, chasing each other on the equipment, getting so close that I felt his warm breath across my cheeks feels like a dream more than reality.

  I know that I shouldn't have let it get that far, not that Will seemed to even notice, but I know that I need to stop myself from thinking that way about him.

  Before I can ponder my thoughts and feelings on Will any longer, my phone starts ringing on my nightstand. I reach over—an incoming FaceTime from Violet.

  "Hey, girl," I smile, taking in Violet's sunny face.

  "Babe!" she cheers.

  "What's going on? Are you okay?"

  I'm not unhappy to see her, but usually, Violet isn't up at this hour. And she doesn't have class today, so it's especially peculiar that she would be up before noon.

  Violet snorts and rolls her eyes. "What? I can't call the love of my life and start her day off right?" she asks, sticking her tongue out at me.

  I chuckle with her and yawn as I stretch my arms above my head. "Sorry. It's just, I normally never hear from you at this hour."

  Violet shrugs, and I can see that she is entirely ready for the day, makeup, hair, outfit, and all. That's even stranger. I wonder if a guy's had anything to do with it.

  "Well, I'm going to be going on a breakfast date this morning, and I'm particularly excited about it."

  "Oh?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

  Since BigDickMatt, Violet and I haven't talked about any guys. Which it's only been a couple of days, but historically, that's a long stretch for Violet to go without seeing someone new to fawn over. Also, it's odd that she hasn't told me anything before arranging a date. Usually, I'm the first to know if a guy even looks in her direction.

  "Yea, this guy in my class, he asked me to study with him a couple of weeks back. I didn't tell you because, at the time, I was still into Matt, and I didn't even consider him that way. Honestly, I don't really think much will come of this breakfast, but I thought it would be nice to get out and get my mind off Matt."

  "Yea, that sounds like a good idea," I say, padding out of my room to start coffee in the kitchen.

  I lean back against the counter as the brown drip starts.

  "You're off for the next couple of days, right?" Violet asks, sipping from her own thermos.

  I nod. "I go back Sunday."

  She smiles big. "That's awesome. What do you think if I came home and we hung out this weekend? I haven't seen you in ages, and I miss you."

  "Aw, I miss you too, girl," I say.

  Thinking of Violet coming home and having a fun weekend with her is tempting. I consider accepting those plans and going back and telling Will that I'm genuinely busy. However, that idea doesn't feel as good as it normally would.

  "What's going on, Elly? You look weird."

  I snort at Violet's brutal honesty. "Thanks," I laugh, pouring my coffee into a mug.

  Violet rolls her eyes. "You know that's not what I meant. You're the hottest girl in this world. But you look like you've got something on your mind. What's up?"

  I chuckle at her over the top compliment. Violet's always been the best hype man a girl could ask for. And I can't deny that she knows me better than anyone else on this planet. She sees right through me all the time. Which I'm partially glad for. I've been dying to unload to her about Will since I got home last night, but it also makes me nervous. Almost like telling her all of it will make it really real. And I'm almost sure that I know what stance Violet will take.

  When I fail to dive in right away, Violet starts getting antsy. "Girl, you better spill right now. The suspense is killing me! I can tell that something is up!"

  I look her dead in the eyes through the camera. "Will and I hung out last night," I say.

  Violet's face lights up. "Don't you dare make me pull details out of you. Keep going. Tell me everything!" she demands.

  I laugh and settle into a chair before starting with every event from last night. Violet interrupts me at least a dozen times to interject something, and I can tell that she's beyond excited for me.

  "He asked you to go camping with him?" Violet shrieks, jumping off her bed. For a second, I think she's going to burst into dance or song like they do in a corny movie, but she just jumps up and down excitedly.

  "Yea," I say, downing the rest of my coffee. "I don't know if I'm going to go yet, though."

  Violet stops dead in her tracks, and even though we are talking over screens and she is close to a hundred miles away, her glare takes my breath away. I haven't seen her look this serious in a long time.

  "Eileen Corren, you cannot honestly be telling me that you are considering turning down Will Keely on his camping offer," she starts.

  I knew what her stance would be before I told her, but that didn't mean I was any more prepared to deal with it. I don't know what to say to her.

  "Oh, no, you're not going to shut down on me now!" she says. "What are you thinking? Tell me three good reasons why you're even considering turning this down."

  I sigh. "We're complete opposites, Violet. I'm nothing like him. The thought of going on this trip with him and his friends, who are going to be just like him, is terrifying. I'm going to be the odd, lame one out."

  "Elly, you're not lame," Violet protests. "Just because you don't live in a van doesn't mean you're lame. And clearly, Will doesn't think you're lame. He wouldn't want to hang out with you so much and have you mostly all to himself if he thought you were lame."

  "He's probably just wanting someone to pass the time with before he gets back out on the road."

  "You told me that he wasn't working on anything with his van anymore, though."

  "What does that matter?"

  Violet looks at me like I'm stupid. "If he's all done fixing up his van, he could have already been out on the road. Will clearly does what he wants and goes where he wants. If he wanted to be gone, he would be."

  "So? I don't get what your point is."

  "Have you considered that maybe he's staying in town because of you?"

  Even though I know it's not true and that it's just Violet being her hopeless romantic self, my cheeks flush at the idea.

  "See! Look at that blush. It totally could be, Elly."

  "I hardly know him, Violet. The idea of spending a weekend with him is terrifying. I mean, what would we even talk about? The things we do know about each other don't line up. Our lifestyles couldn't be more different."

  "Well, you'll get to know him when you go. And you'll get to learn more about his lifestyle when you go. You won't know unless you go, Elly."

  "When I go? Why do you sound so convinced that I'm going to be going?"

  "Well, I can't make you do anything, but I sincerely hope that you do end up going, Elly. You need this. You need to get out of that house, and for one weekend, you need to put your to-do list down and just let yourself be. Go out and have some fun."

  "I don't know, Violet. It's a lot. I'm overwhelmed just thinking about it."

  "The only difference between fear and excitement is your attitude about it," Violet quips. She winks when I roll my eyes at her cliche statement.

  "Look, babe," she starts again. "You're always saying that you love li
stening to my stories because you get to live through them. Now is your opportunity to make some stories that you can live through. I really think that you should do this. From what I remember, Will Keely is one of the nicest guys on the planet. Even if you go and it's awkward and a complete disaster, you can always look back and feel proud that you did it. If you don't go, you could really end up regretting it."

  I hate how right she is. Even though I'm terrified and anxious, there is a part of me that is curious and excited to see what could come from this weekend. And the idea of depriving that part of myself physically hurts. I've done it a lot in my life, but this time, it feels different.

  And that's when I know that I need to do this. Violet is right. I need to stop living through her stories and life all the time and go out and make some of my own stories and find excitement in my own life.

  "You're right, V. Even though I'm scared as hell, I'm going to go."

  Violet jumps up and down and does a happy dance. "Awesome. I'm so glad to hear that, Elly!"

  I smile and agree with her. We talk for the next hour until Violet says that she has to leave for her date. I promise her that we'll talk later, and we blow each other kisses before she hangs up.

  Now in the silence of my home, my decision feels a little more daunting, but I force myself to go into my messages with Will before I can change my mind.

  Me: I've made up my mind. I'll go camping with you.

  He responds immediately.

  Will: Glad to hear it, Corren.

  It's simple, but it sends fire through my belly nonetheless.

  I think about texting more, but I figure that's enough bold action for the morning. I turn my phone on silent and head into my bedroom.

  Before Will and the camping ideas filled my mind, I was excited for these couple of days off work because I knew it would mean I could get some writing time in.

  Hyped up on coffee, I grab my laptop and open the most recent chapter of Because of You. I already know what I want to write next for Kya and Felix. I'm especially excited because I should be able to finish the story today.