Garret

by Allie Everhart

  “Oh yeah, you definitely need more practice,” I tell her. “We’re gonna have to do this a lot in order for you to get it right.”

  She doesn’t respond, but I see her smile, her eyes still closed. I lean down and kiss her head and breathe her in as my heartbeat returns to normal. We remain there a little longer, then go back to the dorm.

  I walk Jade to her room, then say goodbye and go upstairs. I’d love to spend more time with her but I want to give her space. Take this slow. Let her gradually allow me back into her life.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The next night I stop by Jade’s room after dinner. I know I need to give Jade time to forgive me and accept me again, but I also know nothing will happen if I wait for her to come to me. So I need to take the lead on this. I need to be the one inviting her to hang out with me. She can always tell me no, but if she does, that tells me I’m not doing a good enough job. And so the challenge to win Jade over begins again.

  I knock on her door. “Jade? Are you in there?”

  She opens the door. “Hey, Garret. What do you need?”

  “I was just coming down to say hi. Can I come in?”

  “Um, yeah, I guess.”

  I walk in and see wrapping paper on the floor next to a cardboard box. And on her bed is a pile of stuff; long-sleeve t-shirts with the tags still on, some small bags of potato chips, gum, and a box of chocolate snack cakes.

  “What’s all this?” I ask her.

  “It was for my birthday.”

  “Your birthday? When was your birthday?”

  “It’s today.” She picks up some of the wrapping paper.

  I get in front of her. “Today is your birthday? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Why would I tell you?” She walks around me to the trash can. “It’s just another day.”

  Another day? Is she kidding? Why the hell didn’t she tell me this last night? I would’ve planned out the whole damn day. Made it the best birthday she’s ever had.

  She tries to walk past me but I step in front of her. “It’s not just another day. It’s your freaking birthday! Are you going out with Harper later?”

  “No. She has class. I didn’t tell her it’s my birthday.”

  “Why didn’t you tell her?”

  She sighs. “Because I don’t care that it’s my birthday. It doesn’t matter.”

  My heart sinks hearing her say that. Why would she even think that? Of course it matters. Has she never celebrated her birthday? From the way she’s acting, I’m thinking maybe she hasn’t, which makes my heart sink even more.

  “It matters to me. And we’re celebrating whether you like it or not.”

  “Garret, I really don’t want to.” She sits at her desk and opens one of her textbooks. “I’m just going to do some homework and go to bed.”

  Homework? On her birthday? Yeah, not gonna happen.

  I slam the book shut. “You are not doing homework on your birthday.” I take her hands and pull her up from the chair. “I’m getting you out of here. It’s only 6. We have all night. I’ll take you to dinner, a movie, whatever you want.” I try to think of where to take her. Someplace I know she likes. “I’ll take you for pancakes at Al’s. They serve them all day and we’ve missed all those Sundays. What do you think?”

  “I think you’ve lost your mind. You’re way too excited about this.”

  “Because it’s your birthday. It’s a celebration. And you’re not spending it in your room doing homework.”

  She hesitates, then says, “Okay, I suppose I could go out for pancakes. But I’ll pay for myself. Frank gave me birthday money.”

  “Al gives you a free meal on your birthday. You just have to show your driver’s license.”

  “Really? That’s awesome! You should have told me that before. I would have said yes right away.”

  I laugh. “I know another place that offers birthday freebies. We’ll go there later tonight.”

  “What place?”

  “It’s a surprise. You ready to go?”

  “Give me a few minutes to change clothes and do something with my hair.”

  “Okay. I’ll be down in 10.”

  She follows me to the door. “You said you just came down here to say hi, not go out all night. Don’t you have stuff you need to do?”

  “This is way more important.” I smile and kiss her cheek. “It’s your freaking birthday, Jade!”

  I wished I’d known this earlier, but now that I do I’m making her go out and we’re not just going for pancakes. It’s her birthday and she’s not spending it alone in her room. If she tells me to take her back here, I’m not listening. I’ll take her anywhere else she wants to go, but we’re not coming back here until later tonight.

  Our first stop is Al’s Pancake House where Jade gets the Colossal Combo, which is this huge stack of pancakes and they let you pick up to three different kinds.

  Jade laughs when she sees it. “Garret, look how high it is!”

  I watch her pour syrup over it. “I don’t think you can eat all that.”

  She shrugs. “Maybe not, but I’m gonna try. I’ll ask for a box to take home the rest.”

  “Jade, you’re not taking home soggy pancakes. That’s disgusting.”

  She’s not listening. She’s too busy cutting her pancakes and piling them on her fork.

  I just ordered a drink. I’m not that hungry. I’ll eat later when I take her for dessert.

  She eats half the pancakes, which is more than I thought she’d be able to eat. But it’s good. With all that running she’s been doing, she needs to eat. I wonder if she’ll keep running like that, even now that we’re friends again.

  “Those were really good but I think I’m done,” she says, pushing her plate aside.

  I wasn’t going to bring up my concerns about the running, but as we’re waiting for the check I decide to just mention it and see what she says.

  “So you’ve been running a lot, huh?”

  “How do you know I’ve been running?” She bunches up her napkin and drops it on her plate.

  “Harper told me. She said you go running for hours.”

  “I guess.” She takes a drink of her water. “I don’t really keep track of the time when I run. I just run.”

  “You shouldn’t run for hours, Jade. That’s too long.”

  “Why do you care how long I run?”

  “Because it’s not good for you. You could get hurt running that much.”

  She shakes her head. “I won’t get hurt. I ran all through high school and I never got hurt.”

  I reach over and slip my hand around hers. “Jade, why do you run for so long?”

  Her eyes dart to the table. “Sometimes I just need to, okay?”

  “Maybe you could cut back a little. Maybe just run for an hour.”

  She tries to pull her hand back but I hold onto it. “I can run for as long as I want, so stop bothering me about it.”

  The way she said it, angry and defending it that way, just confirms what I thought. Jade uses running like I use alcohol. It’s an outlet for her pain and her sadness. She can only stuff so much of those feelings inside. The rest she gets rid of by running.

  “Jade.” I wait for her to look at me. “You don’t need to run so much. Sometimes it’s better if you don’t.”

  She nods and her eyes wander back to the table.

  I lightly rub her hand. “I live right upstairs. Just knock on my door. Even if it’s two in the morning. I don’t care.”

  “Why would I go to your room?” She smiles and says it jokingly. She knows what I’m telling her but she doesn’t want to address it. “I’m not going to use your TV in the middle of the night.”

  “Why not? I watch TV in the middle of the night all the time. In fact, I’ve done it almost every night the past few weeks.”

  “You have?” Her face is serious now.

  “Yeah. I haven’t slept much.”

  “Me either.” She looks down at our joined hands.r />
  “Jade.” I pause until our eyes meet again. “When you feel like running, just come up to my room. We’ll watch TV. Or a movie. You said you wanted to see more of those movies in my box, right?”

  “Yeah, but I’m still going to run. I like to run.”

  “I know you do. But just not so much, okay? I have a lot of movies in that box and you’ll never see them all if you’re always on the track.”

  She holds my gaze for a moment. She knows I’m on to her. She knows I understand why she runs and why she can’t stop, and from the nervous look on her face, I can tell she doesn’t want me knowing that. And yet at the same time, she almost seems relieved that I know. Like it’s one less secret she has to keep.

  I know exactly how she feels. I know all about keeping secrets and I hate it. I don’t like living my life this way. Sometimes I wish I could just tell someone all my secrets and stop having to hide everything.

  I wish I could tell Jade my secrets. I want to tell her everything. But I can’t. And Jade’s not ready to tell me everything either. So for now, I’ll just keep trying to figure her out and help her with whatever it is she’s running from.

  She takes her hand back. “You ready to get out of here?”

  We go to the car and as I’m driving out of the parking lot, I say, “You do realize I’m keeping you out all night. You’re not going back to your room and studying.”

  “But I have to read biology and—”

  “We’re going to the movies.“ I turn left, heading toward the theater. “What do you want to see?”

  She grins. “Can it be a horror film?”

  “It can be whatever you want. It’s your birthday.”

  She knows I hate horror movies, so I’m sure that’s why she suggested it. She has to get even with me for making her watch that romantic comedy, even though I know she liked it.

  She tells me which movie she wants to see and I order the tickets on my phone so she won’t try to pay for hers when we get there.

  When we’re at the theater, I walk right past the ticket line.

  Jade runs to catch up to me. “Hey, where are you going? We have to get our tickets.”

  “I already got them.” I hold up my phone. “I accidentally hit the buy button when I was checking the times.”

  She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s what happened.” She hugs my side. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” I give her a side hug back. “So where’d you learn that?”

  “Learn what?”

  “That hug. That’s an advanced level hug. From the side? While walking? I didn’t teach you that. You been taking lessons from someone else?” I pretend to be upset.

  She laughs. “No. I just figured it out on my own.”

  “Huh. I’ll give you some points for figuring it out on your own but you still need to work on it.”

  “Hey!” She’s still laughing. “Don’t pick on me. That’s the first time I’ve ever done that.”

  “I’m not picking on you. I’m trying to teach you. Next time you try it, you gotta hold on tighter, like this.” I put my arm around her waist and squeeze her into me, then let go. “The walking while hugging adds an extra element of danger. You could easily trip over the person you’re hugging. Therefore, you need to hold on to them tightly for extra support. But not so tight that you both trip and fall down.”

  She tries to be serious. “That’s a very complicated hug.”

  “I know. That’s why I was so surprised you went for it like that, given your beginner skill level.”

  We approach the concession stand and I stop her, putting my hand on her shoulder. “Now you have to pick. Popcorn or candy? You only get one because we’re going out to eat again after this.”

  I’d buy her both the popcorn and the candy, but I think if I tell her she can only have one, she’ll be more likely to accept my offer.

  “I can only have one?”

  See? She didn’t even mention the fact that I’m paying for it. She’s too focused on the fact that I’ve denied her something.

  I’m slowly starting to learn the psychology of Jade. I have a long ways to go but I’ll figure her out eventually.

  “Yes. Just one. Candy or popcorn? Which is it?”

  “Hmm.” She goes over and inspects the candy case, then comes back. “Popcorn.”

  “You sure?” I smile. “You were eyeing that candy like you really wanted it.”

  “Nope. I want the popcorn.”

  We get the popcorn and go in the theater, which is nearly empty because it’s the middle of the week. The movie sucks, but the good thing is that every time someone’s about to be killed, Jade snuggles up closer to me.

  I shoved the armrest up before she sat down for this very reason. It’s the only reason I ever went to horror films with girls. This happens every time. I wasn’t sure if it would with Jade since she tries to be so tough. But her toughness disappears every time the scary music starts and a guy shows up with a knife. I put my arm around her and she stays huddled against my chest, her hand gripping my shirt.

  Yeah, I think we’ll be going to more horror films.

  Next we go to the train car diner I took her to when we first met. I go around and open her door. “Guess what you get free on your birthday?”

  “The Boxcar whatever?”

  “Jade! You ruined the surprise.”

  “You asked me! And it’s the only thing I know on the menu since you never gave me a chance to look at it.”

  We order the huge sundae. I can’t believe Jade can even eat it after eating all that other stuff. But she said she didn’t eat much all day so she was really hungry.

  As we’re eating the sundae, Blake calls.

  Jade sees me looking at my phone. “Go ahead and answer it.”

  “What do you want, Blake?” I sit back against the booth.

  “You going to the party on Friday?”

  I called Blake last night and made a deal with him. I agreed to go to parties with him if he didn’t tell my dad, or anyone else in my family, about Jade and me.

  “Yeah, I’ll be there,” I tell him. “But only if you keep your mouth shut.”

  “You gotta worry about more than just me. I’m not the only one who could tell your dad. You better watch where you go. When are you going out with her again?”

  I look at Jade. “It’s her birthday. I’m out with her right now. You got a problem with that?”

  “Not if you keep up your part of the deal. So will you be there?”

  “Yeah. See you Friday.” I end the call and put the phone on the table.

  “What was that about?”

  “I made a deal with Blake. If I go to some parties with him, he’ll stop telling my dad about us.”

  “I thought you weren’t going to worry about your dad anymore.”

  “I’m not worrying about him. I’m just trying to make things easier for us. And things will definitely be easier if Blake stops talking to my dad.”

  “What about Ava?”

  “She has a new boyfriend. She lost interest in me. She won’t say anything.”

  The truth is I’m blackmailing Ava to keep quiet. Last week I was at the gas station filling up my car and when I went in to pay, I caught Ava making out with the guy who works there. It was late at night so she probably thought nobody would walk in. When I saw her and the guy, I took a photo of them with my phone, saying I’d send it to her parents if she told my dad about Jade.

  Ava didn’t seem that concerned that I caught her almost doing it on the counter with a guy who was covered in tattoos and piercings. Maybe she’s tired of being the good little girl and wants to piss off her parents by dating Gas Station Guy. If so, my blackmail won’t work. But so far, she’s kept quiet. At least I think she has, given that I haven’t heard anything from my dad.

  I pick up my spoon and scoop some ice cream from the bowl. “So since you neglected to tell me that today was your birthday, I’ll have to give you your prese
nt later. Is there anything you want or should I just surprise you?”

  “No, don’t get me anything. Really. This was plenty.”

  “You ate for free all night. I only paid for the movie. And it was bargain Thursday so I hardly spent any money.”

  “Gifts don’t have to cost a lot, Garret.”

  “I know. But I like giving gifts and the movie doesn’t count. I want to give you something.”

  “Then I’ll let you spend $5. That’s it.”

  “I can’t buy anything for $5. That’s nothing.”

  “That’s your limit. If you can’t make it work, then I don’t want anything.”

  I nudge her foot. “You’re impossible. You know that, right?”

  “I prefer to say I’m a challenge.” She sets her spoon down. “I’m stuffed. You can have the rest.”

  I scoop up the ice cream at the bottom of the bowl. “You ate all the cookies.”

  “Because they’re my favorite part. And it’s my birthday.”

  “I know. I was just kidding. So you’re 19 today?”

  “Yeah. I’m kind of an old freshman.”

  “Me too. My birthday’s in August. I guess I already told you that.”

  “What did you do for your birthday?”

  I don’t want to tell Jade this because it makes me sound spoiled, like one of those rich kid stereotypes she has in her head. But it’s not like I asked for extravagant gifts for my birthday. My dad just gives me this stuff to make up for being a bad father.

  “I went to Cabo for two weeks and learned to surf from this pro-surfer guy. And when I got back we had a big party at the house and I got the car.”

  “Is your birthday always like that?”

  “They’re all a little over the top. But it’s not just me. Everyone around here has parties like that. Last year for Sierra’s birthday, her parents paid $300,000 for her favorite band to come play a couple songs. That whole party had to have cost a million.” I set my spoon in the bowl. “I can’t eat any more.”

  “It’s getting late. We should go.”