No Turning Back

by Casey Peeler

  “Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Char-coal! Happy birthday to you!”

  “Well, if that isn’t a way to start my mornin’! Thanks Cash. I love you! I knew you wouldn’t forget!”

  “Ain’t no way in hell I’m missin’ your eighteenth birthday. So, how’s the party gonna be tonight?”

  “Well, for starters they decorated my door after I went to sleep last night and all the girls are going crazy with outfits, decorating, and drinks. They have tried to be discrete, but they are so obvious. I think we are going out for supper tonight.”

  “That sounds like fun. I hate I’m going to miss it. You know, this is the first birthday that we aren’t going fishin’ and hanging out at the club? I guess we can do that next weekend, huh?”

  “You bet! I gotta get to class. Thanks Cash for not forgetting.”

  “I’ll never forget you Charley, never. I love you, too.”

  After Bio, I meet Joe at the picnic table as usual to work on our project. He has added one more to his list. I gotta catch up!

  Unique facts about Charley:

  1. She lives on a farm

  2. She set 3 records at her school in swimming, all state, and didn’t want to swim in college (weird)

  3. Eats roadkil unique animals (squirrel, opossum, deer, goose, and turkey)

  4. Goes hunting, fishing, and cleans everything she catches

  5. Enjoys being outdoors

  6. Has used the same pair of goggles for 4 years

  7. Best friend is Cash and she calls him Cash Money

  8. Flip flops or Arait boots are her preferred type of shoes

  9.That girl got moves!

  10.

  As I finish reading the list, I look up and realize that Joe is sitting there with a hot pink envelope.

  “Happy birthday, Squirrel. I know you said you didn’t want anything, but I just couldn’t resist.”

  I take the envelope and open what I think is a card. That’s when two tickets fall out, and I realize it’s not just a card. It’s a piece of construction paper with cutout letters that read:

  HappyBirthday Squirrel!We’regoing tothezoo!

  I grin from ear to ear. I freakin’ <3 the zoo! All those animals! I just want to take them all home to the farm!

  “I take it that you like it?!” Joe says quietly.

  “I love it! Thank you so much Joe, but you didn’t have to do this.”

  “See, this is where you are wrong. I know you love animals, even though you eat strange ones for dinner. I also know that you love the farm and taking care of the animals. I thought what a great way to surprise you for your birthday and Freshman Seminar.”

  “Oh, I get it. Kill two birds with one stone, huh?”

  “No it’s not like that, but the more I thought about it, I figured it would work both ways. So, I guess I kind uh, yeah, it was kinda like that.”

  He is too cute when he gets caught off guard.

  “So, when is this trip?”

  “Well, I was thinking maybe we could go tomorrow?”

  “Awesome! Thanks, Joe!”

  “No prob. Hey, we gotta game this afternoon. You should come check it out.”

  “We’ll see. Honestly, I don’t even know what the hell lacrosse is?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Never even heard of it till I got here. I know the basic sports: football, baseball, soccer, golf, swimming, but never heard of lacrosse.”

  “You’ve gotta come. Game starts at three and bring the Kluft girls,” he says with a wink.

  I’m not going anywhere without them, and he knows it.

  We finish what we can of the project before going separate ways.

  I walk on the hall and now the entire hallway is decorated. There are streamers and balloons everywhere. I spy Tori and Georgia at the end of the hall finishing up.

  “What are y’all up to?” I holler at them.

  “Ya know, getting ready for an awesome Kluft second floor par-tay!” Tori says.

  “Well, I can’t wait. Hey, y’all wanna go to the lacrosse game this afternoon?”

  “Sure, I haven’t ever seen one of those before,” Georgia states.

  “Girl, I’m with ya. Joe asked if I would go to the game. I don’t even know what to expect.”

  “Okay, let me give ya a little quick lesson. There are two teams.” Georgia and I look at Tori like we aren’t complete idiots. “Each team uses sticks to pass a ball down the field. The goal is to score into a goal. It’s kinda like soccer in a way, but not really.”

  “You made that about as clear as mud, Tori,” I say before walking into my room.

  Mom, Dad, and Tessa call to wish me happy birthday. Mom said to make sure I check my mail today. I don’t know why I hadn’t even thought about that. I’m also starting to wonder why I haven’t heard from Piper today. It’s not like her to forget my birthday. Wonder what’s up with her? I’m not sure if I have enough time between now and the lacrosse game to check my mailbox, so I decide to wait until after the game.

  I take a few minutes to freshen up before going to the lacrosse field with the Kluft girls. We find a seat on the bleachers, and that is when I notice the goalie. There isn’t but one person that looks that good on campus. His name is none other than Jackalope Joe. He looks my direction and waves his stick.

  The game is pretty neat. I just can’t believe I haven’t heard of this sport before. It’s like football meets soccer. I love the players’ uniforms. The guys are padded on top and we all get a good look at their asses in those shorts.

  The game is an easy win. We stand around a few minutes then begin to walk back to the dorm. As we are walking, I remember that I need to go check the mail. I’m betting there is an awesome present in there.

  “Y’all, I gotta go check the mail. I’ll meet you in a few. K?”

  “I’ll go with ya,” Georgia says and off to the post office we go.

  The post office is very small. I have my little key, but see that there is a note to see the postmaster. I also notice some junk mail and a few envelopes. I’m thinking my grandma has sent me some moo-la-lee. Yes!

  I give the note to the postmaster, and she comes back with a huge box. I thank her and Georgia and I stop outside to throw away the junk mail. I glance at the envelopes, and that is when my heart stops. I know that handwriting beyond the shadow of any doubt. I feel every ounce of my being shake and I don’t know how to move, respond, or what to do next. It’s from Dylan.

  “Charley girl, are you okay? I think you might want to sit down for a minute. You don’t look so good.” She guides me to the steps and we sit down.

  “I have no clue what was in the mail, but I know it’s something because of this.” She motions up and down my body.

  “I…I… don’t know if I can talk about it.”

  “If you don’t, that’s okay, but I’m here if you need me. I promise your secrets are safe with me. Do you want me to get rid of it?”

  “Um, I better keep it. I’m just not going to open it until later. I’m not going to let it ruin my day.”

  As I’m trying to get myself ready to walk back to the dorm room, Georgia spots the name on the envelope.

  “Does that say Dylan Sloan?” Oh shit, this isn’t good. Of course, Georgia would know the name. I nod my head.

  “You know Dylan Sloan? He’s like the best butterflyer out there!” I can hear the excitement in her voice, and then she realizes that my mood isn’t changing.

  “Yeah, let’s not talk about him. He’s a real ass.” I pull myself together, and we walk back to the dorm. I can tell the wheels are turning in Georgia’s head.

  “Charley, I won’t say anything, I promise. I don’t know what happened and it’s none of my business, but I’m here if you want to talk about it or if I need to get rid of that for you.”

  “Thanks, I’ll be alright.”

  After all this mess, I decide to text Piper. This is just weird; she hasn’t called or texted.
/>   Me: Hellloooo long lost bff! R u alive?

  Seriously! WTF? Ten minutes and nodda. I still haven’t heard from her. I grab my shower caddy and decide to get this party started. It’s time forget about the envelope hidden in my closet.

  As I’m walking out of the shower, I notice that my door is open. Weird? Jenny is across the hall and just shrugs her shoulders. I’m assuming that Crystal is coming in to pack her bag for the next week at Lucas’. I open the door, hear a squeal, and almost get attacked! The squeal lets me know it’s Piper.

  “About damn time you got outta that shower! I was about to keep driving to Grassy Pond.”

  “You better be glad your ass showed up! I was starting to think you forgot about me with your new Army brat roommate,” I say with my hands on my hips holding my bath caddy.

  “You know I couldn’t forget this day! You only turn eighteen once! By the way, I’m totally shocked that Cash hasn’t shown up yet. Y’all are like inseparable on days like today!”

  “He called me first thing this morning. I knew he wouldn’t forget.” I am grinning from ear to ear. “We’re doing our usual next weekend when I go home for the Dixon-West game.

  “Sure ya are!” She says with a smirk.

  “I told you we’re taking it slow. In fact, we’ve agreed to just live our lives. See what happens. I love him, but I like Joe, too. Oh, you’ll meet him after while.”

  I get dressed in a pair of white skinny jeans, emerald green tube top with gold accents around the neck and a pair of gold flat sandals. I roll my hair and let the curls hang loosely and add a few accessories. I know I need to introduce Piper to the hall. I also feel like I should tell her about the envelope. She knows what happened. Well, most of it. I just don’t think I need to bring it up. I’ll deal with it soon enough.

  I introduce Piper to the Kluft girls, and we decide to eat at Texas Roadhouse at the Mills. We all look smoking hot, and we have the cutest waiter. I order my favorite, steak and double salad. That ranch dressing is ah-maz-ing! Of course, they embarrass the hell outta me singing, but it’s okay. That means free dessert!

  We arrive on campus with leftovers and smiles. I absolutely love these girls. I can’t imagine Southern without them.

  We all take a minute to check the mirror before finishing setting up for the party. Jenny turns on the music in her room. I sure hope we don’t get written up for this because our RA can be a bitch. We’ve noticed that she hasn’t been around a lot, which is a great thing, especially tonight.

  Around 10 p.m., people start to show up on our floor. All of our dorm rooms are wide open. Caroline is hiding the alcohol in hers, Jenny and Cassie are in charge of the music, and all the other girls have their doors open and ready to shut it down quickly if campus police shows up.

  We all take our red Solo cups and drink a little bit of Caroline’s PJ. I decide to let my hair down tonight. I’m safe in my dorm with my best friend and a group of girls who have my back.

  Everyone is enjoying the music, dancing, and drinking. In fact, I think we might have a miniature Hank’s Tavern on our hands. Piper has found a guy to eye. We finish our drink before she makes her move on him. I turn to get a refill when I hear someone whistle.

  “Damn, Squirrel! I think it should be happy birthday to me instead of you!” Joe says as he moves into Caroline’s room to get some PJ as well.

  “I try. What can I say? Lookin’ this good takes work.” I wink at him.

  “No so fast. I think that I need to give you one more birthday present.” I look at him like he has got to be kidding.

  He closes the space between us, takes my drink from my hand and puts both of our cups on the table. Then he places his hand on my cheek, smiles a wry grin and then proceeds to act like he is going to kiss me. I am totally caught off guard by a hand slapping my ass. I jump outta my skin and scream.

  Joe is bent over laughing, “Squirrel, everyone needs a good birthday spanking!”

  I honestly think I could crawl in a hole and die! Here I was thinking about getting a kiss but I get a big ‘ol handprint on my ass instead.

  “You were just lookin’ for an excuse to touch my ass!” I say as smart ass as possible with my arms crossed.

  “Maybe, and maybe you thought I was gonna give you a birthday kiss instead?!” He grabs our cups, hands mine to me, turns and walks back into the hallway. I am left standing there like a freakin’ idiot.

  The party is a hit. I think that the Kluft second floor girls have made a name for themselves. We decide to quiet down about 12:30 ‘cause we sure don’t want to deal with the Dean. Piper has decided to venture off with Nick, one of Lucas’ friends. I know she won’t be gone all night. She’s not one of those girls.

  Joe and I have talked on and off all night. Our conversations are so easy. I don’t know if it’s the PJ or just us, but I really want him to stay a little longer.

  “Hey Joe, you can hang out if you want? I’m just gonna try to chill out a little before going to bed. We got a big day tomorrow at the zoo, ya know!”

  “I’d be glad to. I can’t wait for tomorrow. What’s your favorite animal?”

  “That’s easy. The elephants! I just love them.”

  “Squirrel, I hate to tell ya, but those are some ugly creatures. Personally I like to see the tigers.”

  “Oh, that’s original. I totally pegged you for a tiger-lion type guy.”

  We sit on my bed and watch a little TV. Before I know what is going on, I’m lying on his shoulder with my eyes feeling heavy. That is when he pulls me into his arm and I doze off. I wake to him positioning me on the bed. He kisses my forehead and whispers to me. “I’ll see you at nine.” He brushes my hair out of my face, turns out the light, and goes to his dorm. Such a gentleman.

  Chapter 8: Dixon-West Game

  I wake up feeling like I’m in a fog from last night’s events. I guess that is what happens when you let loose and drink Caroline’s famous PJ. I glance at my phone. 6:45 a.m. I also realize that Piper is asleep on Crystal’s bed. Wonder when she came in? I still have time left to sleep before going to the zoo. I set my alarm for 7:30 a.m. and roll back over.

  At 7:30 a.m. there is that god awful noise again. As I jump out of bed, Piper mumbles something. I then head to the shower. I’m super excited about the trip to the zoo with Joe. This is a great birthday present and a way to knock one more item off the Freshman Seminar list.

  When I return to my room, Piper is getting ready and packing her bag. I really hate she’s leaving so soon.

  “Pipe, I wish I had known you were coming. I can cancel the zoo trip if you want?”

  “Nah girlie, I need to get back to the beach anyways. I just couldn’t miss your birthday.”

  “Well, I can call Joe and cancel. You could go to Hank’s tonight with us. You’d feel like you were at home.”

  “Don’t cancel. I can tell he really likes you. I’ll plan a weekend trip soon. You still going to the Dixon-West game Friday?”

  “I’d planned on it. Are you?” I look at Piper after pulling my tank over my head.

  “ I’m not sure, depends on what’s going on. It’s so far. I mean I’d love to hang out with everyone. I want to see if Cash planned to go ‘cause if so I’ll probably stay at school.”

  “Oh.”

  “Charley, if you really want me to I will, but I figure you and Cash will need some alone time. I just want to make sure he will be there in case Dylan shows up.”

  The sound of his name makes me want to puke. I must have gone a little white in the face because Piper is pulling me into a hug.

  “You okay?”

  “Yup.” I debate telling her about the envelope. I vote to keep that to myself for now and take it home next weekend. Cash and I can deal with it together.

  Piper waits for me to finish getting ready, and then I walk her out to her car. I hug her and feel like I could cry. I’m not sure if it’s the envelope, her leaving, or her not coming home next weekend. I just feel like we’re pulling apart, bu
t isn’t that what college is about? Discovering who you are and moving forward? I just hope that Piper and I can stay as close as we always have been.

  I go back to my room and text Cash. I want to tell him about my party.

  Me: Morning $!

  Cash: Hey Char-coal! How was party?

  Me: Fantastic & Piper was here!

  Cash: :)

  Me: U ass! U knew!

  Cash: Y do u think I didn’t show up? If she hadn’t I would have been there instead! Didn’t want 2 ruin girl time