Afterwards, I realized I didn’t have anything to go riding in unless I wore my bathing suit again, and that just seemed gross, so I asked Bit if she had something I could borrow. She gave me a pair of black Soffee shorts and a black tank top.
“It’s better to wear dark colors, so the boys can’t see through them once you get wet,” she said. “Do you have tennis shoes?”
“No.” I never wore tennis shoes in the summer.
“You’ll need some, what size are you?
“Eight.”
Bit dug in the bottom of her closet, searching for shoes that matched and finally came up with an old pair of pink and white Nike’s.
“You do have socks, don’t you?” she asked like what idiot doesn’t have socks? I shook my head no. I had no reason to pack socks; I didn’t wear them with my sandals. Bit pulled her dresser drawer open and tossed me a pair of white ankle socks. “Thanks,” I said and went to change.
Dana caught me in the hallway. “Can we talk for a minute?” she asked, her expression drab. “Sure,” I said, cautiously, hoping I hadn’t done anything wrong.
Dana walked to her bedroom and held the door open for me. Her room was bigger than the others and had nicer furniture. It all matched, and she had a pretty, beige, embroidered duvet and feather pillows on her bed. For an instant, it made me miss all the nice things I had at home.
“Are you and Mason sleeping together?” Dana asked, which made me choke on my own breath.
“Um, no…what Garrett said last night—we were just kissing,” I added quickly, feeling my skin flush in embarrassment.
“The reason I asked is, I wanted to make sure you were protecting yourself.”
I swallowed hard.
“Do you have condoms?” she asked.
“Me?” I screeched.
“Yes, you,” Dana snickered. “You can’t assume that the boy will always have them, and you don’t want to get so hot and bothered that you do it without protection, and risk pregnancy. Pulling out doesn’t always work. That’s how I got pregnant with Garrett.” I couldn’t believe she’d just said that to me. My face couldn’t have been any redder.
“I keep these around for my kids, so they never run out,” Dana said, taking a box of condoms from her nightstand. She took a few out and handed them to me. “Just in case,” she whispered. “Thanks,” I said faintly, a forced smile on my lips.
I hid the condoms between the mattress and box spring in Garrett’s room. I knew Dana had a point. I was the only person who could protect me, and it was better to be prepared than not, but I did not want to hear her talk about pulling out ever again.
I was fifteen when my dad and I had our official birds and bees talk, and I swear it was less embarrassing than the conversation I’d just had with Dana, although it was incredibly shorter. My dad wanted to go into immense detail and show off his knowledge of reproduction terminology.
“Dad, I’ve heard exactly the same thing at school,” I protested.
“Maybe, but you’ve never heard it from me,” he volleyed back.
“I don’t need to hear it from you. I’ve already heard it. I know how I can get pregnant—something I don’t plan on doing until I’m, like, thirty.”
“Best laid plans…”
He continued with his speech, and I almost fell asleep twice, but I had paid attention during the part about birth control. Especially the part where he said I should be on some as backup of course because I always, always, always needed to use a condom. He’d just never come out and said that I needed to provide them. He took me to a female gynecologist and after discussing it with her; I decided to use an IUD (intrauterine device) because it was the easiest option for me. I could barely remember to take my vitamins and wasn’t going to trust myself to take a birth control pill every day.
When Mason pulled up, I went outside to see him, and was slapped in the face by the nasty image of Dixie climbing out of the passenger side of his truck. She smirked and bumped my shoulder as she walked past me. She went inside and I stood there frozen, stunned. When Mason saw me, he said, “I only gave her a ride.”
“She threw freezing water on us yesterday and called me a slut!” I lowered my voice, “We almost had sex last night, and today you’re giving your ex-girlfriend rides. I knew I’d be thanking Garrett for stopping us. I’ve never been more grateful for anything in my life,” I spewed.
“Please don’t, this is what Dixie wants—us fightin’.”
“You must want that, too. Or else you wouldn’t have driven her over here.”
“She got in the truck while I was loadin’ the four wheelers. I didn’t offer, and I sure as shit didn’t invite her. But what was I supposed to do, drag her out of my truck and give her a reason to call the cops on me with some bullshit story that I’d been rough with her?”
I wouldn’t have put it past her, but still.
“You can’t let her bully you.”
“My hands were kinda tied, Kat.”
“Well mine aren’t,” I said.
Adrenaline leading me, I rushed inside and put my finger in Dixie’s face and said, “Just know that I’m not putting up with your middle school bullshit. You better not pull anything with me today because I am not afraid to kick your ass.” This was a complete lie. I knew if she wanted to, Dixie could easily beat the crap out of me, but I thought if she thought I wasn’t afraid for that to happen she might leave me alone.
Garrett’s eyes went wide; his mouth fell open. “I love her,” Shelby told him.
Dixie laughed, hands perched on her hips. “You really don’t want to tangle with me, rich girl,” she threatened.
“I will if I have to,” I said.
“This bitch is gonna get me arrested today,” Dixie said, generally, like she couldn’t believe my nerve.
“C’mon,” Mason said. He was aggravated, and I began feeling embarrassed by my behavior. I shouldn’t have let Dixie get to me. Mason was right. That was exactly what she wanted.
“Who are you talkin’ to?” Dixie snapped at Mason. “You need to control your new toy over there. She started this shit.”
“Ladies, ladies,” Dana sang, coming down the hall from her bedroom. “There will be no trouble today because I’m gonna be around to make sure every one of you behaves.” She winked at me. “Now let’s load ‘em up and get gone. I’m lookin’ forward to a great day with my family,” Dana said, putting her arm around Garrett. Famous last words, I thought.
Chapter 15
Garrett drove a truck similar to Mason’s. His was red instead of pewter and a lot louder. He backed up to the garage in the backyard and Russ pushed open one of the partially rusted doors, taking everything he had to lift it. The old hardware appeared weak and in dire need of replacing. Russ hooked a trailer inside to Garrett’s truck. It held four, four wheelers covered in dried mud from the last time they’d been taken out.
Cody and Logan loaded two coolers filled with drinks and sandwiches that me, Bit, Shelby and Dana had made assembly line style after mine and Dana’s super fun condom talk.
Russ, Crystal, Dixie, and Dana rode with Garrett, and me, Bit, Shelby, Cody and Logan rode with Mason.
“Aren’t you the little firecracker,” Shelby said, smiling widely at me from the back seat.
“You and Dixie gonna wrestle in the mud later?” Cody asked, eyebrows lifted. At first, I wanted to laugh, but realized drowning me in a puddle of mud might have been just what Dixie had in mind.
“I’d love to see Dixie the Drama Queen get her ass whipped,” Logan added.
I knew I’d opened a fat can of worms and hoped no one actually expected me to fight Dixie. I just wanted her to leave Mason and me alone.
“I don’t think it’ll come to that,” I said.
“I think she got the message this mornin’,” Bit said. “She knows you’re not afraid of her.”
Mason’s forehead creased, his hands gripped tightly around the steering wheel. I hoped I hadn’t angered him by confronting Dixie
, but there was nothing I could do about it now. If I could turn back time, I wouldn’t be worrying about Dixie Laveau. I’d go back and warn my dad about what was going to happen to him.
Mason pulled over behind Garrett, near a rundown canoe rental place. It looked like an old general store you’d see in a western movie; grayed and chipped slat siding from years of neglect, missing shingles and a couple dirty, broken windows.
“Tommy’s brother, Vernon, owns this place, so we have free reign.” Mason said. “There’s a campground with trails up ahead and a good place to get wet over that hill.” He pointed across the street. “A couple miles down is the Pearl River. There’s a wide-open bank; we can ride through the water about a quarter mile before havin’ to get back on the trail.” Mason said, generally. He was talking to me, but not looking at me.
Once the four wheelers were unloaded, Dana took off. She carried the coolers since she was riding alone. Bit and Logan, Russ and Crystal, and so on followed behind her. I got on the back of Mason’s bike and held on to the cargo rack. He fired up the engine, and we fell in line with everyone else.
“You might wanna hold on to me. The ride’s a little rough at first,” Mason said. I scooted closer and put my arms around him. The smell of his cologne made me think of us last night, so close. Flashes of skin on skin and all that kissing. I shivered, jarring Mason.
“You okay?” he turned his head and asked.
“Fine, just had a chill.” In hundred degree weather.
The dirt trail was wide enough for two bikes to ride side-by-side if they wanted. The trail was rutted down in a few places from rain washouts and excessive use. Tall trees and thick brush lined the area. I held on tight to Mason as we flew down the path single file with Dana leading the way. There was something about the noise of the engines, our surroundings, and especially the speed we were traveling that made me feel free in a way I hadn’t in a long time.
When we reached a straight run, I let go of Mason and held my arms in the air. I heard Shelby shouting, and I wanted to shout too. “Woo,” I screeched, holding onto the o’s until my lungs were empty. It felt so good that I did it again. Mason laughed, but not mockingly, like he was glad I was having fun. I put my arms back around him and kissed the back of his neck.
After a while, we reached the riverbank Mason had told me about. Dana pulled aside and parked, allowing the boys to fly past her and skid us girls through the shallow edge of the water. We squealed and laughed and by the time we were done, all of us were soaking wet, but the cool water in that sweltering Louisiana heat was a relief. Dana watched us with a proud smile on her face.
Although I’d sworn I would never eat again after all the breakfast I’d gobbled down, I was hungry and accepted a sandwich from Dana as she passed them out.
“Everybody needs to go ahead and eat,” she said.
“And then the girls get to drive,” Shelby sang, waving her bologna and cheese sandwich in the air.
“Oh, hell no,” Garrett said. “Nobody drives my bike except me.
“That’s your business, but I’m drivin’ on the way back,” Shelby said.
Garrett slapped at Shelby’s sandwich.
“Stop shithead.” Shelby swatted back, hitting G’s arm. “If you make me drop my sandwich,” she threatened.
“What’ll you do?” he asked, his arms out, mischievous grin on his lips.
“You already know,” Shelby laughed.
“You’re right, not shit,” Garrett said, and snatched Shelby’s sandwich out of her hand and ran away with it. She chased after him laughing and cursing, making me laugh.
“They’re always like that,” Dana said, “have been since they were kids. Always pickin’ and playin’. They have their blowups sometimes, but get along for the most part. And always look out of each other when the time comes.”
“I’ve wondered what it would be like to have brothers and sisters. It was so quiet in my house growing up that being in your house was intimidating at first. I wasn’t used to sharing anything at home. I didn’t know what I was missing. I’m trying new things, having fun,” I gushed. “I’m eating bologna,” I laughed. “And not freaking out about nitrates.” Dana laughed too and put an arm around me. “A little swamp water can do a girl good. Knowin’ you’re enjoyin’ your time here—you don’t know how happy that makes me.”
Garrett ended up surrendering, and gave Shelby her sandwich back, but took a giant bite out of it first. She kicked water at him and ran away laughing. “Turd!” she called.
Watching Mason, I wondered what he was thinking. He sat sideways on his four-wheeler, eating his sandwich, not paying much attention to anyone or anything. I grabbed a Coke from the cooler, cracked it open, took a few swallows, and offered him the rest.
“Thanks,” he muttered.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
He gave me a slight smile. “Fine. You wanna drive when we head back?”
“You’d let me?”
“Why not?”
I shrugged. For whatever reason Garrett didn’t want Dixie driving his.
“I’ll show you how,” he said.
In the middle of Mason’s tutorial on how to operate a four-wheeler, we heard a scream and a splash and then Dixie shouted, “Garrett, you ass!” Garret laughed hysterically as Dixie stood dripping wet after having dried out once. I couldn’t help but think that G might have been a member of the karma police and he’d thrown her in the water just for me. Dixie forced water toward Garrett with her hands, splashing as much of him as she could.
“I’m sorry,” Garrett whimpered, his bottom lip stuck out. He opened his arms and folded Dixie into a hug, which she fought at first, but eventually gave in and hugged him back. She hadn’t bothered me since we’d left the Broussard’s—probably because she’d been focused on Garrett all afternoon.
All the girls drove back to the canoe rental place, except for Dixie. Garrett wouldn’t let her. Mason held the cargo rack instead of putting his arms around me. It made me wonder if it would have been too weird for him to hold on to me or if he just didn’t want to.
“So, how’d ya like it? “Russ asked me as we loaded the bikes back onto the trailers.
“It was fun,” I smiled. I’d do it again.”
“You did good,” Mason said, and looked at me for the first time the whole trip.
“Thanks,” I beamed. “I feel like I could work a chainsaw or something now.”
Mason laughed, “You’re not quite there yet. That’s a whole other area of expertise. First, you should know that you run a chainsaw, not work a chainsaw.”
“Okay,” I smiled. He smiled back and kissed my forehead before I got in the truck.
Chapter 16
When we got back to the Broussard’s, the girls worked in the kitchen, putting together a garden salad full of freshly chopped veggies. Dana made dressing by mixing olive oil, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, garlic, and old bay seasoning. It was good. The boys grilled burgers, and we ate spread out along the back porch.
“Man, that was good.” Garrett sat back and rubbed his abs. “I don’t think I’ve got any room left for beer.”
“It wouldn’t hurt you to take a break tonight,” Dana said.
“You’re right, Momma. I don’t feel much like drinkin’ anyway—too tired.” Dixie was sitting almost in Garrett’s lap. She’d been all over him since we’d gotten back. They whispered back and forth for a moment, and then Garrett said, “Actually, I think I am gonna call it a night.” He hugged Dana and went inside. Thirty seconds later, Dixie went in, too.
“G’s such a whore, Momma,” Shelby said.
“Too bad he don’t get paid for it,” Russ snickered. “None of us would have to work again.”
“I guess I’m getting the boot,” I said, sure that tonight Garrett would be staying in his room with the door locked.
“How about we all get the boot?” Shelby blurted. “Who wants to be in there with those two assholes anyway?”
“Shelby
Ruth!” Dana chided.
“Ha-ha. Middle name. You’re in trouble,” Bit chanted.
“You hush, Bitena Lee,” Shelby said, hands on her bony hips. It was the first time I’d heard Bit’s full name. I’d always figured that Bit/Bitty was a nickname because she was the youngest of the Broussard kids. Bit shot Shelby a bird. Shelby smiled like she enjoyed it.
“As I was sayin’,” Shelby coughed, “we could all stay in the tent tonight.”
“Aw, Shelby. You know what a bitch that thing is to set up,” Cody complained.
“We used to love it, and we haven’t camped in so long. It would be fun,” she whined.
“I’ll stay, but you have to set it up. Cody’s right,” Logan said.
“How hard could it be?” I asked. I’d seen people set up tents before. It didn’t look that hard.
Mason laughed.
“What?” I asked.
“Help her, you’ll see,” he said.
“Fine, I will,” I said, and stood up.
“Bit, you in?” Shelby asked.
“I guess,” she groaned.
It took everything all three of us had to drag the tent from the garage. The boys watched us struggle while casually drinking beer and playing cards at the teak table. I figured they thought they were teaching us a lesson or something, which made me even more determined to set up the tent in record time. Until I saw it, that is.
After witnessing the enormous pile of confusion unroll before my eyes, I looked at Mason. “Are you really not going to help?” I asked.
“Throwin’ in the towel already, Cali girl?” he grinned. “That’s not what I would’ve expected out of you.”
“She’s not throwin’ in any damn towel. Mind your own,” Shelby barked at Mason then looked at me. “Rule number one, Kat, never ask the boys for help. They won’t let you hear the end of it.”
The tent slept fourteen and had an attached screened-in-room that was large enough to be considered a studio apartment in New York City, and it was a pain to put up, but because Shelby and Bit had done it before, we were able to finish before the boys drank all the beer. It had still taken us an hour and a half.
Two Thousand Miles Page 7
