Marissa smiled. He was right. She couldn’t stand people throwing money away for stupid reasons. Her mother’s solution to any problem was always to throw money at it. Never in a million years would she trade this sweet picnic in the woods for a large, expensive dinner at a fancy restaurant.
After lunch, they went for a walk by the lake. They talked about everything. Marissa learned that Chad wanted to get his grades up enough to get a wrestling scholarship at UW-Madison. She was thrilled to discover that he could be only an hour away from her the next year. He learned that she had been to five different schools before third grade. In third grade, she had met Melissa and told her mom that she refused to change schools again, no matter how much she hated the cliques in her small school.
Chad admitted that the scar on his cheek that Marissa had noticed the first day they met was from a fight when someone pulled a knife on him. She was concerned, but he assured her that it was a fight over drugs and wouldn’t happen again.
When they left the park, they drove around for a while before Chad stopped at a sprinkler park.
“If we go back home with your hair looking so perfect, your aunt will never buy the water park story,” Chad explained.
The couple spent the next forty-five minutes running through sprinklers. When they got back to the car, Chad turned to her.
“I really hate to ask this, but do you still have that Vicodin that I didn’t want earlier? Those sprinklers hurt like hell.”
Marissa looked down at his hands. They were bleeding again. She dug through her bag until she found the almost empty pill bottle and handed it to him.
“How many are in there?” he asked.
“Just one. Chris told me one in the morning and one at night, and not to keep more than one on me,” she explained.
“I’m changing that. Don’t give me more than one a day, and only if I really need it.”
Marissa nodded. Chad took the pill and began driving. An hour later, they were at Chad’s old house to pick up Brayden. Once they left, Melanie started walking the baby to their house.
~nineteen~
The rest of the weekend was quiet. Chad struggled through the pain to get his physics work done. By Sunday night, all of his missing assignments were complete, and he was confident that he could pass his finals, which were starting the next day.
The week flew by. Marissa spent her days with Anthony and evenings with Chad, Brayden, and sometimes Melanie. Occasionally, even Chris would stop over and hang out. Without homework to work on, they were able to spend their time in the basement, watching movies or listening to music.
On Thursday, Marissa was in the basement with Anthony when Chad came home.
He ran towards her, lifting her into a hug. “You are amazing!” He kissed her. Before she could say anything, he handed her a piece of paper.
It was his report card. There was no grade lower than a B, and he even managed to get an A- in algebra.
“This is great!” she exclaimed. “We have to celebrate!”
“Just the two of us,” he told her. “It’s the last chance we will probably get. Now that school is over, that means you will be leaving,” he reminded her.
Melanie and Brayden agreed to watch Anthony while Marissa and Chad went to dinner. After dinner, they went for a walk by the lake. Marissa wanted the night to last forever, but eventually they had to go back home.
The next day was the first day of summer vacation for the boys, so they spent the day at the park; the boys playing football, and the girls sitting on the sidelines with Anthony.
“Hey Mel, take my place,” her brother Chris shouted as he jogged over to the girls.
“About damn time,” Melanie said, running to join the guys.
Chris leaned against the boulder. “Again, I just want to tell you how sorry I am. You have really been a great influence on my brother. I don’t think he had ever gotten an A before, especially not in math. I’m really glad he found someone like you.” He took a drink of water. “Has he been back to the cave at all?” Marissa shook her head. “That’s good. There is nothing left there, but just being there might set him off again. He’s going to have to face it eventually; it’s just not a good idea right now.” Without waiting for a reply, he ran back into the game.
Once Chris returned to the game, Chad took a break and ran over to Marissa. “Looks like my brother is coming around. I’m going to be so lost without you here all the time; I will drive out to the campground every day if you could get away.”
“I don’t spend much time in the camper when I’m there,” she told him. “When it’s nice out, I’m usually walking around, sitting at the playground. And we will come in to visit Lynn once in a while too.”
Brayden jogged over to the couple. “Get back in the game,” he told Chad, reaching for a bottle of water. “He is going to be so lost without you,” he told his cousin once Chad had ran off.
“I will be too,” she admitted.
“I’ll admit, I didn’t like it at first, but I’m glad you two are together. I don’t think I have ever seen him this happy.”
The afternoon continued the same way, someone always sitting out and talking to Marissa and rotating back in for someone else.
The sun was beginning to set when the game stopped. Some of the guys left the park, leaving Marissa, Chad, Anthony, Melanie, Brayden, and Chris. They crowded at the boulder, watching the sun set over the lake.
Not wanting the night to end, everyone decided to go back to Brayden’s house for the night. With Anthony asleep in Marissa’s room, the teenager’s blared music, danced, and talked all night.
Marissa was exhausted when Chad followed her to her room so he could bring Anthony down to bed.
“This might not happen again,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Chad put his semi-healed hands on her face. “Think of it as practice for the end of the summer. We will find a way to get through it.” When he kissed her that time, Marissa didn’t want it to ever end. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close.
He broke the kiss too soon for her, and she leaned in to kiss him again. He put his finger to her lips. “I can’t,” he told her. “You should get some sleep. I will see you tomorrow before you leave.” He picked up the sleeping baby and left the room.
Breathless and heart pounding, Marissa crawled into bed. She knew she shouldn’t be feeling the way she did so soon into the relationship, but she couldn’t help it. She fell asleep thinking about Chad.
Once Chad got Anthony settled in bed, he stood in front of an open window, smoking a cigarette, still breathless from the kiss.
“Something wrong?” Brayden asked.
“I don’t know,” Chad answered. “I think I’m falling in love with her.”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
“I’m terrified,” Chad admitted.
“It is definitely the scariest, but best feeling in the world,” his friend told him.
Chad ignored the fact that Brayden had just admitted he was in love with Melanie. “What if I do something to screw it up? What if I tell her, but she doesn’t feel the same way?” Chad was rambling.
“Calm down, bro,” Chris said as he approached. “We all know you love each other. We can see it. Just tell her.”
“I think you should wait a while,” Brayden argued. “Seriously, you guys have only been together, what, two weeks?”
Chad agreed with Brayden. Has it only been two weeks? he thought. It seems like much longer. So much had happened in those few short weeks.
Chris and Brayden went back to playing video games. Melanie was asleep on the couch. Chad grabbed a blanket and stretched out on the floor, where he drifted off to sleep.
~twenty~
The next morning, Chad woke up to Marissa curling up next to him on the floor, putting her arm around him and kissing the back of his neck.
“I could get used to this,” he mumbled, moving his arm so he could hold her.
“I wish. I jus
t came down here to tell you goodbye,” she told him sadly.
Chad sat up. “Already?”
Marissa nodded. “My stuff is already in the truck.” She put her arms around him and didn’t want to let go.
“It will be okay,” he told her.
A honk from outside told her it was time to go. “Goodbye,” she told him, turning to leave.
“I’ll see you soon,” he assured her.
Marissa spent the morning getting settled in the camper. After lunch, she told her grandparents she was going to the playground. She grabbed her bag and started walking.
The playground was on the opposite side of the campground. When she got there, she climbed to the top of the highest slide and pulled out her notebook.
She sat in the same spot, scribbling in her notebook and watching as cars drove by. As the sun began to set, she climbed down and walked back to the campsite. She was disappointed, but she didn’t really expect Chad to make the drive on the first day.
After dinner, she disappeared into the camper to read until she fell asleep.
The next few days went by. She would go to the playground after breakfast and stay until lunch. After lunch, she would go back. After dinner, she disappeared with her book.
On Wednesday, the fifth day that Marissa had been gone, she stayed by the campsite after breakfast. She had planned to stay after lunch as well, until she saw the dark blue Firebird drive by.
She grabbed her bag and ran the opposite way down the street. The car was parked next to the playground when she got there.
Marissa dropped her bag and sprinted toward Chad as he got out of the car. She threw her arms around him with such force, that they fell back onto the grass.
“I’ve missed you so much! I was afraid you were never going to show up,” she told him.
Chad leaned in and kissed her. “I was here this morning, but I couldn’t find you. Come with me.” He took her by the hand and led her toward the playground equipment. He ducked under a slide where he was completely hidden from view. Marissa noticed a folded piece of paper sticking out of a gap in the bottom of the slide. She pulled it out and unfolded it.
Marissa,
I hate that I haven’t been able to see you. I got a part time job, and I’ve been busy. I’m sorry I missed you today, but I’ll try again soon.
Chad
“Where are you working?” she asked, folding the note and putting it in her pocket.
“Lynn got me in at the store,” he told her. “And she offered to watch Anthony while I work.”
“That’s awesome!”
“I don’t have much time. I just got off work and decided to try driving through here again. I had to see you.”
“When will you be back?” she asked.
“Probably Friday or Saturday.” He pulled her into another kiss. “I have to go.”
Marissa leaned in and kissed him again, and she tried not to cry as he drove away.
Over the course of the next six weeks, Chad met her at the playground at least twice a week. Sometimes he was alone. Other times, he brought Anthony or Brayden.
“You’re coming back to the house this weekend,” Brayden told her as soon as he saw her one day in July.
“Really? Why?”
“Because I told Lynn that I wanted my little cousin around for my birthday,” he told her.
Marissa had lost track of the date. If Brayden’s birthday was so close, that meant it was the end of July. She would be going back home in less than a month.
“I’m off work all weekend, and Saturday is our two month anniversary,” Chad pointed out. “So Brayden needs to have a birthday party.”
Has it already been two months? Marissa hadn’t seen Chad much in the last few weeks, so it didn’t seem like that had been together so long. They had missed chances to meet so much, it seemed like most of their conversations were notes tucked in to the slide.
“I have the whole weekend planned,” Chad told her. “But I won’t have a chance to come back this week.”
Marissa nodded. She could wait three days. “I have to head back soon. Grandma will probably come looking for me if I miss lunch,” she told them.
“I’ll see you in a few days,” Chad said as he kissed her.
“I can’t wait.” She said goodbye to her cousin and her boyfriend and headed back to the campsite.
She tried to hide her excitement that evening when her grandma told her she would be staying in town for the weekend.
The next few days drug on slowly. Marissa tried to stay busy, but she was too excited to think of anything other than the upcoming weekend. She couldn’t wait to see what Chad had planned.
Friday couldn’t come soon enough. Her aunt was supposed to pick her up in the afternoon. Marissa spent most of the morning making sure she looked perfect. She changed her clothes four times before she settled on her usual jean shorts and a hot pink halter top.
Shortly after lunch, Chad’s grey Camry parked in front of the campsite. Marissa had to resist the urge to run to Chad as he and Brayden stepped out of the car. Chad explained to her grandparents that Lynn had asked the boys to pick up Marissa as his introduced himself as Chris.
“You’re not the one with the kid are you?” her grandpa asked.
“No, sir, that would be my brother,” he lied.
“Good. I don’t want my granddaughter around someone like that.”
Marissa could tell Chad didn’t like having to lie about who he was, so she told her grandparents goodbye and ran out to the car.
“So why the lie?” Marissa asked, reaching for Chad’s cigarettes once they drove away.
“Everyone knows my reputation. Do you honestly think they would have let you leave with me? Everyone knows Chris is the good one.”
“Good point.” Marissa leaned back in her seat, smoking her cigarette. “So what’s the plan?” she asked.
“We are going to have a party tonight,” Brayden told her.
Marissa froze, wondering if that was such a good idea.
Chad noticed her reaction. “Relax. It’s a nice, normal, high school party. Dancing, hot tub, maybe a little beer. Chris is throwing it at our parents’ house, since they are out of town. He sure as hell will not allow any drugs, which is why we put him in charge.”
Marissa relaxed. “Where is Anthony?” she asked.
“Lynn and Frank took him in to Minnesota for the weekend,” Brayden explained.
“So they are letting me stay with you guys, alone, all weekend?”
Chad smiled. “I couldn’t believe we got so lucky either, but Brayden insisted on having you at his party tonight, and their trip was already planned. I guess they trust us.”
Marissa couldn’t believe it. She was able to spend to entire weekend with Chad. “So you told me what we’re doing tonight, but what about the rest of the weekend? I thought you had it all planned out.”
“I do,” Chad told her. “But, it’s a surprise.”
Chad pulled into the driveway of his old house. He opened Marissa’s door and held out his hand to her. She took it and walked into the house with him.
Chad led her into the basement. “This was my old room,” he explained. “And tonight, it will be out party room.
Marissa looked around. The room was huge. Near one wall was a pool table. The other side of the room housed expensive looking stereo equipment. They were standing in front of a hot tub. A large TV hung on the wall opposite the hot tub. “This is all yours?”
“There’s more.” Chad took her hand and pulled her through one of the two closed doors in the room. This room was mostly filled by a king sized bed, but there was still enough room for another large TV. “The other room was my bathroom.”
Many times, Marissa forgot Chad was rich. Standing in this basement made it obvious just how rich he was.
“Chad, need you up here,” a voice called down the stairs. “We have a problem.”
Chad and Marissa went upstairs and found Chris standing with one of
the guys they played football with.
“What’s up?” Chad asked.
“Aaron seems to insist we can’t have a party without beer.”
Chad shrugged. “It really doesn’t make much of a party without it. Just take car keys at the door like we used to. Problem solved.”
Chris stopped his brother when he turned to walk away. “You going to be okay around it?” he asked.
“Beer was never a problem. I can have one or two and be fine. Keep drugs and hard liquor out of here though.” He turned back to Marissa.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea?” she asked.
“Honestly, if you tell me not to drink tonight, I won’t. Otherwise, I’m not driving anywhere. You can even have these to make sure.” He handed his girlfriend his keys.
“I’m not going to tell you what to do,” she told him. “If you think you can handle it and limit yourself, fine. If you can’t and you start to get drunk and stupid, I will probably walk to Lynn’s.”
He reached out for her. “I need to know I can control myself and not fall apart every time I’m around something that I used to have a problem with. No more than three tonight, I promise.”
“It might not be a bad idea,” Chris spoke up. “But no more than three. I have already proven I can kick your ass if you get out of control.”
“And I’ll help,” Brayden had walked in behind them.
“Okay, we’ll keep drinks in the kitchen. Chad, can you get music set up downstairs? Mel and Brayden are working on snacks. We have about an hour before people start showing up.” Chris disappeared out the front door to help carry in beer.
Marissa followed Chad back to the basement and watched as he hooked up speakers and various other electronics. When he finished, he started playing dance music.
“Not my favorite either,” Chad laughed when he saw the look on Marissa’s face. “But it will get the party started, and I will be able to play some real music later.” He started changing the volume as the doorbell rang. “Can you do me a favor and make sure my bedroom is locked?” he asked Marissa. “And don’t lose my keys, because I would like to get in there eventually.”
Summer Love (First Love Book 1) Page 7
