A Hope and a Chance

by Jennifer Foor

  “I don’t want no trouble.” He put his hands in the air, offering some kind of motion that he meant no harm to her, which was obviously a lie.

  “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now.” I didn’t have to raise my voice to get my point across. He’d been caught, and he knew he had to get out of there.

  I watched him back up until he reached the door to his rig. There was no way this guy was pulling her against her will to offer her assistance. No, he wanted to lure her into the back of that truck and have his way with her. I wasn’t about to let that happen.

  When he left without incident, I figured he was absolutely shady. I’d obviously arrived at just the right moment. He was most likely some type of criminal who didn’t want to get involved with the police.

  I knew how that felt.

  As soon as I watched that truck disappear down the road I turned my attention to Hope. She was still crying heavily with her hands covering her face. In almost slow motion I watched her body start to fall to the ground. My hands caught her before she was able to hit the hard asphalt, and all I could do was stand there on the side of the road wondering what to do next.

  I thought about taking her back to her father’s, but when I carried her to the passenger side of the car I noticed the vomit in the grass. When she darted out of the pool house I assumed she was frustrated and upset, but seeing that she was sick to her stomach confirmed she was having an incomprehensible time. I managed to get her reclined in the seat, and decided to wait it out on the driver’s side. There was no way I was abandoning her there all alone on this strip of the highway, and I wasn’t about to leave my bike either. It was the only thing I had left to my name.

  After making sure she was okay I found a good station on the radio, and turned the air on to blow on Hope’s skin. I knew she’d wake up and freak out, so I sat there mentally preparing myself for the shock.

  I couldn’t believe I’d gotten myself into this situation. My head found a semi-comfortable position on the steering wheel while I stared at the girl beside me. Her arms were covered in goose bumps from the cool air, and her hair was blowing in small strands across her face. Her breathing had calmed, and her cleavage protruded from the low cut sundress when her chest inhaled and exhaled. I tried so hard not to look, but I hadn’t been this close to another girl other than my sister in a very long time, and it made me feel uncomfortable. I was an adult, albeit I had no idea how old this girl was sitting next to me. I assumed she was close to my sister’s age, but the bow in her hair made her look like a teenager. The last thing I needed was for someone to get the wrong idea about why we were in this car alone on the side of the road.

  As much as I knew I shouldn’t want to do it, I leaned over and gently rubbed on Hope’s cheek. She was so beautiful, so vulnerable.

  “Hope? Hey wake up, Hope.”

  As soon as her lids began to open the screaming started. I imagine it derived from not realizing where she was or what was going on. I held my hands up and placed them on the ceiling of the car. “Whoa, wait a minute. You were approached by a stranger. I pulled over and got him to leave. I swear, that’s all.”

  She paused from screaming and fighting to get out of the vehicle and looked at me, finally remembering all that had happened.

  “You passed out. All I did was carry you to the car. I couldn’t leave you alone, so I stayed to make sure you were all right,” I explained.

  She looked down at her clothes, out the rear window of her car, and then back at her arms. “Did anything else happen?” I had no idea what she was implying.

  “With what? You mean did I touch you inappropriately?” If her father got word of her accusations I’d be homeless. It felt like she’d kicked me in the balls. I didn’t want to be accused of hurting another person again. I put my head down and frowned. “I promise you that I would never do that. If you’re okay, I think it would be best if I just got going, seeing as you seem to be fine now.”

  As I went to climb out of the car she reached for me, grabbing my arm and preventing me from exiting. “Wait. Please.”

  I sat back down and looked directly into those cobalt eyes. “What?”

  “If you hadn’t come, I don’t know what would have happened today. You may have just saved my life.” She was still holding my arm.

  I grabbed her by the hand and removed her hold on me. “I don’t know about saving lives, but I’m glad you’re out of danger, Hope. I guess maybe I’ll see you around.”

  When I climbed onto my bike I noticed Hope hopping over the seat to get to the driver’s side. She started her car and readjusted her mirror. I spotted her looking at me, but chose to ignore it. Maybe it was just a coincidence, or perhaps she was only thankful for me being there at the right time. It would have been a shame if something happened to her on the way home from such a problematic morning already.

  I decided to wait until Hope pulled away before I left, and when she finally did I realized that I’d forgotten all about wanting that pack of cigarettes.

  4

  My mother hounded me from the moment I stepped in the door. I swear she must have made a list of questions to ask when I came through it.

  “How big is the house?

  What does the slut look like?

  Does your father have any gray hair?

  Has he gained any weight?

  What kind of car does he drive?

  How old is the new girl?

  Was she nice to you?

  Are you going back there?

  Did he ask you to move in with him?”

  After a while I couldn’t take it anymore, and locked myself in my room. The last thing I wanted to do was rehash the great morning that I didn’t have with my father. All of her other questions were completely irrelevant anyway.

  Once inside the confines of my room, I inserted my ear buds and cranked up my music. My body plopped down on the bed while I stared at the ceiling. My day had started out horrible and eventually turned to shit. Within a matter of hours I was certain it had become one of the worst of my life. The only thing that made it more bearable was meeting Chance Avery.

  It would have been nice to have been formally introduced with his clothes on, but seeing his naked backside left me with good visuals to focus on during my current bout of depression. He was so muscular and I was certain he must be athletic. When he finally turned around I saw his face, and was amazed how handsome he was. A part of me just assumed he couldn’t be a whole package, but instead his brown eyes accented his dark hair. When he grinned behind that glass of liquor, I noticed how white and perfect his teeth were. That smile could melt a girl’s heart, and probably did quite often.

  I felt so bad about how I’d been around him. It was embarrassing to think back on how I reacted. The way I talked about his sister was uncalled for. How could he have sat there and listened to me making fun of her like that? Clearly he had more patience than I did.

  He must have pegged me as such a spoiled little bitch. It didn’t help that I had a stupid bow in my hair. The idea of him just assuming I was some little girl was disturbing. I’d worked so hard to become a woman, and failed to display it when it really counted. At least he knew I had to be sixteen to drive a car; not that seventeen was much better. I hated that my birthday was on the last day of the year.

  In my defense, I thought that when I pulled away from the house it would be the last time I ever saw him, but when he showed up on that motorcycle and saved me from that creepy man, I was flabbergasted. Talk about a knight in shining armor. Maybe he’d just been in the right place at the perfect time.

  Then my mind went on a swooning frenzy.

  I wondered how old he was. Did he have a girlfriend? Did he want a girlfriend? Maybe he was engaged? Maybe he was gay? He was definitely hot enough to be. Whoever was kissing him was lucky to feel lips like his touching them. I licked over mine just imagining it.

  I was so jealous, and I didn’t even know this guy. What was wrong with me?


  The thing was, I wanted to know him, but doing so would require me to go back to that house. I cringed at the thought.

  I had the whole summer ahead of me, and that was the last place I planned on spending my time. My father had been such a jerk neglecting to spend one single moment getting to know the daughter that he’d basically left behind. He lacked personality and compassion, at least where it counted.

  I promised myself that I wasn’t going to get upset over him anymore, but as the tension of today’s events overwhelmed me, I knew it was going to be impossible.

  I wasn’t ready to tell my mother the truth about the visit. My father hadn’t given me the attention or the emotional connection I assumed he would. What had happened to the man that used to pick me up and swing me around every night he came home from work? How could he not have missed me at all? She would be appalled by his actions, and it would open up a can of worms that I didn’t want to be involved in.

  Right now I wanted to scream. He broke my heart again and he probably hadn’t even noticed.

  I started crying into my pillow, because the walls were thin and I didn’t want my mother hearing me. The last thing I needed was her trying to start a war with my father. I wasn’t ready to see him yet, but I couldn’t bear to have him leave the state again.

  When I finally closed my eyes, I dreamed of nothing but Chance Avery. His tan skin and his big muscles wouldn’t leave my mind. I wasn’t sure that I even wanted them to. It was just a fantasy, but I appreciated the distraction.

  I could feel his eyes on me as we strolled through the green grass. His shirt was off, while he sported a pair of black swimming trunks. I looked down and noticed that I was in a skimpy bikini, although I didn’t feel embarrassed. He pulled me close, sheltering my view from the sun with his tall body. From the moment our eyes met I couldn’t stop staring. Chance took his fingers and brushed them over my lips, causing me to inhale deeply as I accepted his warm touch. I could feel parts of me beginning to react to such an affectionate gesture. His breath was closer, instigating me to hold my gaze and watch his face approaching, slowly, as his lips brushed over mine. Suddenly everything around us became silent.

  The wind had ceased.

  The birds stopped singing.

  There was nothing, but us.

  I woke up to my alarm clock buzzing. I’d forgotten to turn it off again. My hands finally made contact with the little bugger and the sirens stopped sounding in my ears. I couldn’t believe that stupid thing had kept me from feeling a kiss that I knew would take me to new heights. Sure, it was an adolescent dream, but it was as close as I’d ever get to the real thing.

  Just from habit, I reached over and picked up my phone. I’d already gotten six messages either late the night before or early in the morning.

  The first few were from my best friend Rylee.

  Hey Bitch, call me. We have plans for 2moro.

  Call me hoe!

  Where are you?

  One text was from my mother, asking if I got to my father’s safe.

  Everything Okay? Did you find the address?

  The last two were from my ex, Trevor. I’d ended our one-year relationship over six months ago, but he refused to take a hint. He was leaving for college and I couldn’t wait to have a huge distance between us. He was rich, coming from money his whole life. During our relationship I’d most always felt like a charity case, and he made sure to remind me when I didn’t. He’d pushed me into losing my virginity, even though I wasn’t ready, and then ended up cheating on me, because I apparently wasn’t good enough. That night was horrible, and I’d regretted it every day since then. Of course, after that I opened up a bit about my sexuality, knowing that I wasn’t the problem, but my partner most certainly was. Towards the end of the relationship when I was beginning to basically wonder why we were together in the first place, he’d become violent, scaring me a few times with his temper. Maybe my mother and I had some kind of hereditary gene that caused men to cheat on us and treat us horribly. At any rate, I couldn’t stand the guy, who in turn was convinced that he was put on this planet to be worshipped by women. Sure, he was handsome, but his attitude lacked compassion, and his brain was even smaller than his dick.

  Trevor clearly had issues about our breakup. It was obvious that his ego had taken a hit, and he’d made it some mission to get me back just to prove he could. I was too smart to believe he would change. He’d be an asshole for the rest of his life, and if I never saw him again it would be too soon.

  His first texts were the same thing he’d sent almost every day.

  I miss you, hot stuff. Please call me.

  His second was not what I had wanted to wake up to.

  I’ll see you tonight whether you like or not. Nobody stands me up!

  Wow! It seemed like a threat. I could have responded getting him all worked up so that he would hound me for the rest of the day, or I could pretend like his texts never even happened.

  I turned my attention back to Rylee before getting ready to shower. I was giving her free reign, which was never a good idea.

  Surprise me. Call me in a few hours.

  Rylee was wild, with no filter. She was the exact definition of crazy, and she loved every minute of it. I should have known she’d get us into in trouble.

  It had been a very interesting day, to say the least. Considering the last month of my life consisted of being around my sister and her father-figure boyfriend, it was definitely one I wouldn’t soon forget. In fact, I couldn’t stop thinking about Hope. Was I nice enough? Could I have come off as a douche? Would I ever see her again? Would she even consider talking to me if she knew the truth?

  The questions burned through my mind, as if something was forcing me to give a damn about something other than all of my problems. I had to say that it was a pleasurable distraction from my solitary life.

  When I’d arrived home all I could think about was her sweet smile and how petrified she looked on the side of that road. I didn’t even want to think about what could have happened to her if I hadn’t been there. We may have been strangers, but I’d never want a woman to be the victim of a heinous crime, especially after what I’d been through.

  She needed to be more careful. Just because there were a lot of country back roads, didn’t mean it was a safer place to be. She could be lying dead in a ditch. I’d saved her, which was probably why I couldn’t shake thoughts of the girl. She’d distracted me, causing me to smile for at least a few moments. No one could understand what something like that felt like after so long. They couldn’t know the hardships that I faced to carry on every day, living with such a dreadful past. My life may have been ruined, but a simple smile at least calmed my soul.

  I turned on the local baseball game and plopped down on the couch. I’d finished off the bourbon three hours ago, and all that was left in the fridge was a can of cola and two more bottles of water. I would have to go into town tomorrow and grab some groceries. We’d been there long enough for me to start being independent. I couldn’t continue to rely on my sister for everything.

  I needed to get it through my head that my past was buried two states away from here. Nobody knew me, and I could possibly start over fresh, finally again after so long.

  Just knowing that scared and excited me at the same time. I hoped that this would be the opportunity that I needed, God knows I’d waited long enough for it.

  I don’t know how long I stayed awake after cozying up on that old couch. One minute I was watching the game, and the next I was driving on my motorcycle with a very sexy lady on the back. We pulled over to what looked like the same patch of woods that she’d been at earlier, except this time we were all alone. Once her helmet was removed she attempted to straighten out her hair. I broke the distance between us, and reached up grabbing the edge of the ribbon and pulling it out of the bow she’d tied. Her hair fell down over her shoulders, while our eyes remained fixed on each other. Hope opened her lips to speak, but I didn’t let her. I had to taste
her, to feel what it was like to kiss someone again, after so long.

  When I woke the next morning, I felt unrested. The majority of the night had been filled with dreams of Hope. Before I became some pedophile, I needed to find out everything my sister knew about her. I couldn’t believe she’d been holding out on me. Why hadn’t she mentioned that Mark had this smoking hot daughter? She obviously knew that she was coming over yesterday, but insisted on calling her “an important person”. I had to wonder if my dear sister was purposely keeping her away from me. It was probably because she was a minor. I didn’t know any girl my age that wore ribbons in their hair.

  I hadn’t seen any pictures of her hanging around the house, though most weren’t hung yet. Buffy said they still had a huge storage unit that they needed to unload, so perhaps they were in there, but it was still strange. Why keep it a secret? Did they really think it was necessary to hide her from me?

  I started feeling like they didn’t trust me at all. Normally I wouldn’t have cared, but after everything that had happened, I couldn’t help but feel a little bent out of shape about it.

  When I heard the door open and close I sat up, realizing I was still on the couch instead of in my bed. I picked up my cell phone and noticed it was near ten in the morning. My sister came prancing in like she’d been up for hours. “Good morning, sleepy head. Time to get up. Mark and I have big plans for us tonight.”

  She handed me a cup of coffee, and I could tell from the color of it she’d added cream and sugar just how I liked. “Thanks for this,” I said, as I took my first sip.

  She sat down beside me and put her hands on her knees. I had to let out a chuckle when I noticed her entire outfit was pink.

  “What’s so funny, little brother?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing really. I was just thinking about something that happened yesterday. On television.” I added the last part so she would let it go.