No Turning Back

by Casey Peeler

  We turn down the music down and finish getting ready. I grab my pre-game shirt and toss an old t-shirt to Piper before we make our way to Caroline’s room. As we enter, Tori, Anna, Jenny, Cassie, Georgia, Caroline, and a few lacrosse guys are there with beers and cups in hand. Piper takes a twenty dollar bill from her purse before handing it to Caroline and taking Blue Tarantula Tequila and Margarita mix off her hands. I look at her like what the hell? She turns and mixes two cups then hands one to me. I look at Cash, and he smiles. “Tonight’s your night, Char-coal. I’m here; have fun.” I can’t quit grinning. I have Cash and Joe to protect me. I’m definitely going to enjoy my night. I take the cup from Piper, and we cheers to our night.

  Things get a little rowdy in Caroline’s room. The lights are down, music is up, there’s a little bumping and grinding, and I have to say I’m starting to get past tipsy. Cash has kinda hung back and just watched. I can’t help but walk over to his fine ass and sit myself right on his lap and run my fingers through his hair. He looks up at me as if he is searching for words.

  “Char-coal… you might wanna slow down, if you want to make it to Hank’s tonight.” I look into those eyes as I take a long sip of my margarita. Cash just shakes his head before saying, “I think somebody’s gonna be sick tonight.” I shake my head no.

  I’m pulled from my thoughts when Hayden arrives in the room. “Hot damn! Who’s this hot looking country boy?” No filter at all. “Charley, if it’s who I think it is, I’m moving to Grassy Pond ‘cause they don’t grow them like this in New York!” She walks across the room and makes sure to shake what her mama gave her when she walks by Cash to get a glass of Caroline’s PJ.

  We finish our drinks and make our way to Hank’s Tavern. The Love Machine is waiting out front. I start to walk towards the Astrovan when Cash grabs my hand and starts to pull me toward his truck. I shake my head no. He is going to have to experience Hank’s like the girls of Southern.

  “Get your ass in the Love Machine, Cash Money. This is how we roll, and if you’re going to Hank’s, this is how it happens.” I wink.

  He whispers in my ear, “What if you get sick?”

  “I’ll be alright. I’m not going to puke.” Even though everything inside my body says that I will have a date with the porcelain throne later tonight.

  Cash gives in and we make our way to Hank’s. The Love Machine makes three turns before we see Hank’s in the distance. I’m so excited. I glance at Piper, and I can see that she is, too. She’s only heard me talk about it, but I know it’s a place that anyone from Grassy Pond would appreciate.

  Sarah pulls the Love Machine into the gravel parking lot, puts it in park, and we pile out. Cash takes my hand and helps me out along with the other girls that remain in the van. He’s such a gentleman.

  “Damn, I gotta piss!” Hayden exclaims.

  “Well, hold it ‘cause it’s like a minute walk to the facilities,” Tori says.

  “Tori, I’d almost rather piss out here. Regardless, there’s no door!” We all laugh at Hayden, but Piper looks at me like we can’t be serious. I smile and shrug my shoulders. We walk across the parking lot and enter the glass doors. The smell of must, stale beer, and sweat penetrate my nostril. Yup, we’re at Hank’s. We make our way to the cashier, turn over our IDs and five dollars, and enter the last glass door. Wait, they didn’t mark us with an ‘X’? You would think the glass door would help keep the smell out of the foyer, but it doesn’t.

  Hayden leads the way trying to make the mad dash to the restroom. The rest of us follow behind her. We enter into the large dark room and make our way to the restroom. I look at Cash, and he totally understands that this is complete routine.

  “Ohmygosh, Char! You weren’t freakin’ kiddin’! There is no damn door on the last stall. What do you do? Have someone stand in front of it?” Piper says in disbelief.

  “Yeah, but the best part about using it is you can walk in, pee, and be back on the dance floor without the wait.” She laughs because she knows I have a point there.

  “Anyone got a black marker?” Tori asks, and I look at her like it’s not a meet. She points to the top of her hands.

  “Awwww, I get it! Over twenty-one have an ‘X’ tonight! Sweet!” Piper says as she pulls one from her purse. I told her to leave that thing in the van, but now we are all glad. We mark an ‘X’ on each hand and make sure it’s dry before leaving.

  We trickle a few at a time out of the restroom and make our way to the dance floor. As I walk out of the restroom, I see Cash propped against a stool near the bar and Joe is nearby. Piper and I make our way over.

  “Hey Joe, you remember Piper, don’t ya?”

  “You bet I do, Squirrel. Good to see you again, Piper.” Joe smiles at her as he looks her from head to toe. I glance at Cash who knows exactly what I’m thinking. Maybe just maybe, Piper and Joe will hit it off tonight.

  “What’s that on y’all’s hands?” Cash asks.

  “The idiots around here thought it would be a good idea to make an ‘X’ on your hand if you’re twenty-one. Well, they didn’t think about a black Sharpie, did they?” I say.

  “Y’all are too smart for your own good,” Cash says as he pulls me close to him.

  Hank’s is starting to get crowded. The baseball team is in their normal sweats as usual, trying to keep it casual or heck it could be ‘cause it’s easier to get a feel that way. Who knows? I can see that Piper is starting to get antsy. I grab her by the hand and lead her to the dance floor while I motion for Cash to talk to Joe about Piper.

  We saunter across the room until we hit the laminate wood-looking floor. Hayden, Sarah, Georgia, Tori, Caroline, Jenny, Cassie, and Anna are already shaking their groove things to “Blurred Lines” when we walk up. We don’t miss a beat and join them. Piper is surveying the scene as I start to laugh at her.

  “What?” She asks as she tries to keep in rhythm with the song while talking.

  “You know what! Don’t play stupid…. You totally like Joe, don’t ya?”

  “He’s totally hot and got that hot surfer thing going on. I mean. You have home field advantage on that, but I know Cash Money isn’t going to let him near ya tonight.”

  “True.”

  We continue to dance as the songs bleed through to the next. Piper excuses herself from the group and makes her way over to the DJ. Wonder what she’s up to? She walks back smiling and starts dancing again. Cash and Joe have made their way to the dance floor and waste no time trying to fight over me. I can’t help but laugh. It’s a freakin’ Charley sandwich with one in the front and back. I just decide to go with it. Piper continues to dance with the girls then the song changes to “Hell on Heels,” and I start freakin’ going crazy. Both Joe and Cash take a step back as I make my way toward Piper. We proceed to dance and sing every word together. The floor has cleared a little, but we don’t care. That’s our song, and by the end, the Kluft girls are singing along. When it ends, Piper and I hug each other tight. She’s so important to my life, and I can’t imagine her not in it.

  We all need a drink after the dance party. I think we might as well put the ‘X’ on our hands to good use. I look at Piper, and she is thinking the exact same thing. We walk to the bar and ask the guy for two Bud Lights, pay, and walk back towards the floor.

  The remainder of the night is full of hot and sweaty dancing between the girls of Kluft, Cash and me. Piper has made a few rounds with a guy from each team at Southern- basketball, baseball, golf, and ended with lacrosse…. Joe.

  As the night comes to an end, we begin to try to sober up by drinking water while still on the dance floor. The night at Hank’s ends as usual with “Let’s Get it On.” There are so many hormones flying around this place it’s a wonder half of campus isn’t pregnant. I look to my right and see that Joe and Piper are dancing like they have been together for years. My eyes travel back to Cash, and they fall deeper and deeper for a guy that has been my heartbeat since I was four. He smiles at me with that crooked little grin, pu
lls me in tight as we move to the music, and brings his lips to mine. At that moment, I forget that we are at Hank’s, that I’m supposed to be learning to be independent, and think the only thing I want is to move home, work on the farm, and have little Cash babies.

  The song ends, the lights turn up, and people scatter, like when the police show up at an underage party. I walk back to the Love Machine with sweat dripping from my brow and every other place on my body, but I don’t sweat it because everyone else is the exact same way. We climb into the van. This time Joe is beside Piper. I know exactly where this is going. She’s going to his room tonight. The ride back to campus is a lot quieter than our ride to Hank’s. Sarah pulls up to the stoop, and we pile out. She waves bye as Hayden yells out the window about not doing what she wouldn’t do or something like that.

  There are a few people on the stoop, and we decide to hang there for a few minutes to cool off. After about ten minutes, I’m ready to crash. I look at Cash, and he reads my mind. He puts his arm around my waist and tells everyone we will see them in the morning. I look at Piper who motions to Joe. I nod.

  Cash and I make our way to my room after I walk up to make sure Misty isn’t around. I sure would hate to get busted. I give him the all clear, and we enter my room and turn on the lamp and TV. I excuse myself to change and wash my face and as much of Hank’s off me as I can.

  I return to find Cash cuddled underneath the covers. I lift them and slide in. I snuggle close to him because I know tomorrow he will have to go home. As we watch, Fast and Furious, he pulls me tight, kisses my neck, and before I know it the sun is shining in my window. I have got to pee. I start to move, but my head is pounding. The kinda hangover that if you take a step it feels like your head is a step behind you? That’s exactly what’s going on this morning. I make it to the restroom and return to find a text from Piper.

  Piper: Come open the door.

  Me: On way

  I struggle to make it down the hall, steps, open the door, and follow the same path back to my room. When we get back, Cash is up and sliding on his jeans.

  “Mornin,’ Piper.”

  I walk to my closet and grab a pair of jeans and long-sleeve shirt.

  “Piper wants to go eat before she leaves. You wanna go, too?”

  “What kinda question is that? Food is involved. Yes, I wanna go. I just hate for us to drive three cars. Why don’t you see if some of the girls or Joe wants to go?” He looks right at Piper and her face gets red as a beet. They totally did something. I make a note to ask her later. I text Joe, and he meets us out at the stoop. Georgia and Caroline are the only ones awake, so they hurry and come along with us. We take three cars: Piper and Joe, Georgia and Caroline, and Cash and me. Our breakfast at IHOP is fabulous, but it could definitely be due to the amount of alcohol that I consumed last night.

  After breakfast, we make our way to the parking lot and say our goodbyes. I hug Piper bye. She hugs the girls, Cash, and saves Joe for last. She wants to make sure she saves the best for last. That is exactly how Piper works. I look at Cash, and we laugh quietly. He pulls me into his arms and wraps them around my body. I feel completely safe and secure. I glance into those eyes and meet his lips. We pull apart, and I want to cry. I don’t want him to go.

  “So, Char, you still coming home opening day?”

  “I can’t ‘cause of practice, but you better be ready Thanksgiving. I’m going as soon as I get home that Wednesday, and you better not be in my stand!” I push my finger into his chest as I say the words.

  “I know better than to mess with you and that stand. I’ll see you soon. I plan on going to the Livestone meet.”

  “You know you don’t have to do that. But I’d love it if you were there.” He pulls me into his strong embrace once more before pulling away. We walk hand in hand as he walks me to Georgia’s car. He opens the door, I slide in, and he kisses me one last time before turning around and walking to his truck. As cheesy as it sounds, I hate to see him go, but love to watch him leave.

  Chapter 13: Study Day

  The next two weeks are on cruise control. Practice, class, Hank’s, practice, class, and Hank’s. The meet with Livestone is this week. Coach, my teammates, and I are pumped beyond words. The air has the feel of winning each time we are in the pool. The meet is on Tuesday before Thanksgiving break. My plan is to leave first thing Wednesday morning; in fact, everything is packed and ready to go home. That deer stand is calling my name, and it has been for a week now.

  Tuesday morning, I go to class and prepare to leave for the meet at noon. Joe comes by to wish me luck and wants to know if I’m still going to be able to drop him off at the airport on my way. I am, but he just better be ready to go at the break of dawn tomorrow.

  We make our way to Livestone, which is about a two-hour drive south. When we pull into the gym area, I automatically start smiling from ear to ear when I see Cash’s F250. I try to hide my excitement, but Georgia spots it easily. She begins to sing, “Charley and Cash sitting in tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g.” I take my swim bag and toss it at her. He waves, and I make my way to the locker room. This meet is no different than the exhibition meet two weeks ago. In fact, we shaved a tenth of a second off our relay, and my 200 meter backstroke was smoking. Needless to say, we beat Livestone with no problem. I honestly think we could have done that in our sleep. I have no idea why Coach was so worried, but regardless, she’s the happiest I’ve ever seen her.

  “Girls, that was unbelievable! That calls for supper on me tonight. What y’all want?”

  We take a minute to look at each other before answering in unison, “Texas Roadhouse.”

  “You got it! Now get out of those suits and let’s hit the road!”

  As I start to walk toward the locker room, I glance down the hallway to see Cash propped against the wall. I bypass the locker room and walk to him. Well, more like run. He meets me with a hug and tells me how proud he is of me. I tell him the plans of the team. He doesn’t want to keep me, so he pulls me in tight and gives me a hug before leaving.

  After he leaves, I hurry to the locker room to change. Most of the team is ready. I try to hurry, but not before I get the third degree from Tori. I swear she never quits. We make our way back to the Southern bus and later pull into the Texas Roadhouse close to campus. Of course, we still request our usual section.

  At supper, we laugh, joke, tell on each other, and even Coach tells a few stories of her own. This is a family that I am proud to be a part of, but I can’t wait to get back home to my own family.

  Me: B ready by 9

  Joe: K

  Joe is true to his word and is waiting at the Honda at nine. I put my last minute items in the car, and we make our way to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

  “Hey Squirrel, thanks for the ride to the airport today. I really just didn’t want to leave the Jeep there. I wish my flight was earlier, but I’ll take what I can get for twenty bucks. I know how you feel about the big city.”

  “Joe, you know I don’t care as long as I’m not downtown, and the airport is right off 85.”

  Once Joe and I hit I-85, it’s smooth sailing. I crank up the radio and put the Honda in the wind. Joe enjoys my singing to Blackjack Billy’s “Booze Cruise.”

  “Hillbilly margarita? Do you really have those?” Joe asks quizzically.

  “You bet we do. I mean, I don’t drink them, but that’s a common request at Turtle’s from the regulars.”

  I approach the exit for the airport and decide to act like I have a little class. My nerves start to get to me ‘cause I have never been here before and there are signs everywhere. Where do I go?

  “Squirrel, my flight is American Airlines.” He points to a sign overhead that shows where to drop off. I make my way to American Airlines’ terminal and drop off Joe. I put the car in park, and we both step out. Joe grabs his bag from the back seat and places it on the walkway. He then makes his way to me and gives me a hug.

  As he pulls away, he says the words I’ve nee
ded to hear since I drove into this place. “Squirrel, follow the exit terminal signs and then just look for I-85 South. You’ll be fine. Oh, and tell Piper I said hey.”

  “Thanks, Joe. I was a little worried, and of course, I’ll tell her. You like her, huh?” He smiles and grabs his bag. He is totally avoiding the conversation.

  “I’ll see you on Sunday around five at the same place, okay. If the flight is late, I’ll text you before I leave.”

  “Got it! I’ll see ya Sunday.” I walk back to the driver’s side, look up, and wave bye. I get back in the Honda and put it in the wind.

  I arrive in Grassy Pond by eleven. That is enough time to eat lunch, take a ride to check my stand, and relax a few minutes before hunting this afternoon I think to myself. Tessa, Mom, and Dad are sitting on the front porch when I arrive. Tessa hands me a Choice Cherry Gold. That girl knows me like only a sister could. Dad grabs my bag from the car and takes it to my room, Mom, Tessa, and I make our way to the kitchen and fix grilled cheese sandwiches and vegetable soup for everyone. Dad comes back down stairs, and we eat as a family. We talk about school, swimming, Tessa and Dustin, the farm, and hunting.