Along for the Ride

by Casey Peeler

  “Dang right we are,” and as we’re about to walk toward a few other people from school, someone grabs me from behind and I turn around swinging.

  Stopping mid-swing, Laurel squeals. “Girl, you can’t do that to people!” Laurel starts to laugh and I embrace her in a hug. “Oh and what was that waiting until the last minute crap?” I give her the eye. She shrugs, smirks, and looks to Chase. “Hey, Tyler, way to wait until the last minute,” and I notice Laurel’s face freeze. That hussy!

  “What you mean?” he asks and Laurel loops her arm through his.

  “Oh, nothing. Let’s dance. What y’all say?”

  “Sounds like a good plan to me,” Chase jumps in to her rescue.

  Walking to the dance floor, Chase holds my hand and pulls me in to two-step. He places his hand on my back and holds the other mid-air as he leads me around the dance floor. I’m honestly not sure how long we’ve been out here but as a slow song comes on, I pause and look up to him.

  “It’s just a dance, Bella Blu, but if you don’t want to, we don’t have to.”

  This is me being stupid. It’s one dance. One that is a small mark on my timeline of life, but why do I feel like it’s so much more…to him?

  Chase

  As the sound of a perfect slow song begins to echo through the cool night air, I pull her into me and we sway to the beat of the music. Glancing down to her, she looks up at me. Right now, the most beautiful girl in the world has her eyes on me and I’m burning this moment to memory. Resting my forehead on hers, she smiles and I don’t care who’s watching in this moment. For tonight, Bella Blu is mine, and it’s okay to live in this fairy tale for one night.

  When the song comes to an end, I kiss the top of her forehead and she smiles once more, then the speakers begin to play the newest country line dance and she’s whisked away from me by Laurel. Looking at her move to the middle of the dance floor, she’s laughing and all I can do is stand on the sidelines and watch.

  “You know, you really shouldn’t gawk in public,” looking to my right, I see Beau.

  “What, you’re actually going to acknowledge us now? I feel so privileged.”

  “Shut up. I’m trying to let you have your date with my sister, and I have to give you credit. You might be onto something.”

  Turning to look at him, I know I didn’t hear him right. “What did you say?”

  “Listen, she’s my sister and your best friend. I’m not saying she’s going to give you a shot but the way she’s acted tonight is different. Maybe she’s afraid it will ruin y’all or somethin’.”

  “Well, I’m not going to push anything. Y’all going to the trestle tonight?”

  “Nah, there’s a party at Marty’s. Y’all should go.”

  “Maybe,” I know good and well we’re not going.

  When the song ends, Belle makes her way back over to me and her brother. He tells her about Marty’s and she seems excited. Man. That’s not what I wanted to do, but the moment he walks away she turns to me.

  “Please tell me we aren’t goin’.”

  “It’s totally up to you,” trying my best not to smile.

  Belle

  Chase is trying to refrain from smiling, but it’s not working. A party at Marty’s isn’t where I want to go tonight. I want to hang out on the trestle because that means my brother and his idiot friends won’t be there getting drunk. Instead, we can hang out there and enjoy the peace and quiet.

  “Let’s get something to drink.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Chase and I walk to the concessions trailer and he orders us both a sweet tea. We stand to the side as Laurel and Tyler approach us.

  “What y’all up to?”

  “We’re ‘bout to head out. Please tell me you’re not going to that party.”

  Laurel cuts her eyes at me, “No, we actually wanted to see what y’all were up to.”

  On the count of three, we look at each other and say it in unison, “Trestle!” Chase and I ditch our drinks and walk as fast as possible from the dance without causing too much of a scene, but as soon as we are out of the way of others we take off in a full out sprint. Jumping in the truck, he throws it in reverse as I close the door and spins his tires in the gravel as he drives like a mad man toward the trestle.

  “You really think we’re going to beat them?”

  “I bet you a kiss we will.”

  “You’re on. 'Cause this dress can’t get wet.”

  “Guess it’s a win either way for me.”

  I'm confused, then it hits me—skinny dipping. “That is so wrong on so many levels.”

  “Not like we’ve never done it before.”

  “Chase, we were nine. I didn’t have boobs then.”

  “I know,” he raises his eyebrows. Pushing his shoulder, the truck swerves and I realize how stupid we’re being. Looking in the rearview I see a truck behind us, but we’re still ahead. Pulling into the grass, Chase kills the engine and we run like we’ve stolen a twelve-pack from the mini-mart.

  Running through the opening, we don’t stop until we reach the trestle. We both pause and try to catch our breath, but when he looks at me, I know what he’s thinking. He won, but then we hear someone behind us and it’s Laurel.

  “Where’s Tyler?”

  “Oh, I left him. I’m not jumping in this dress.”

  “Told you, Chase! These dresses aren’t made for water.”

  Tyler comes into view. “Y’all care to explain?”

  Laurel and I face him, hands on our hips, “Jump, mofo, jump!” His eyes get big as he looks to Chase and he nods in agreement.

  “Fine,” within a moment he’s standing in the middle and on the count of three, he’s flying in the air toward the water. With a splash, we look over and see that he’s surfaced.

  “You a'ight?” Laurel questions.

  “That was awesome! I’ll be up in a second.”

  While we wait for Tyler to reach the top, Chase starts to walk back to the truck for the beer. “Hey, Chase, there’s a twelve-pack in Tyler’s truck.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t?” I ask.

  “Didn’t what? Me? I didn’t do a thing. That box of beer was sitting all alone outside the mini-mart.”

  “Laurel! You can’t steal beer.”

  “Why not? I left Mr. Toney a note and ten bucks cash in its place. That’s not stealing; it was more like a drive-thru.”

  “At least tell me you didn’t leave your name on it.”

  “Nope, this girl is high class white trash. I’m smarter than that!” We both begin to laugh as Tyler comes and takes a seat beside us in the middle of the trestle and Chase appears in the distance.

  “Awe, isn’t that sweet. He even brought you a towel,” I motion toward him.

  “Thanks, man.”

  The four of us sit out there in the middle of the train trestle until midnight. When Laurel’s phone begins to ring, I know what’s coming. She’s late for curfew and that means this is her last night of fun for a while.

  “You better get home.”

  “Why? I’m already in trouble. Might as well live it up,” she says, opening another beer.

  Taking it from her, I take a swig and she grabs it back. “Let me finish this one and we’ll go.”

  Tyler crushes his can and tosses it into the box, “Nah, let’s go. I don’t want to have your dad mad at me any more than he already is at this point. Bye, y’all.” Laurel pouts but Tyler doesn’t give in. She reluctantly tells me bye and they disappear into the night.

  Once they are gone, Chase and I sit there in silence as we share the twenty-two-ounce beer can. “So…you really didn’t want to go to that party?” I ask him.

  “Nah. Who wants to watch a bunch of country bumpkins get drunk and act stupid?”

  “Good point,” taking another swig of beer, the can is empty. “Hey, Chase,” and as he turns to me, I make good on my bet. My lips find his, and it’s not like I imagined at all. It’s not like kissing my brother; instead, it’s magic
al. His hand goes behind my neck, but that’s when I feel it. The rumble of the wood beneath us.

  Both of our eyes pop open and it’s time for flight or fight. Jumping up from the middle of the track, Chase grabs my arm as I start to run.

  “There’s not enough time. We’ll never make it.” Tears start to stream down my eyes as the boards beneath our feet move faster. Nodding, I know what we have to do. Jump for our lives. “Bella Blu, I’ve got you.” Taking my hand in his, we walk to the edge. My breathing becomes erratic. “Hey, it’s like any other time. Okay? We’ve got this.” As the sound of the whistle builds, the headlight comes into view, “One, two…” and before we get to three, we’re free-falling into the air with the sound of an oncoming train approaching. My boots hit the water first, then my dress engulfs my face as it collides with the water. Struggling to find myself, I push toward the surface and lose Chase’s hand. Popping up from the water, I gasp as his arms wrap around my midsection from behind.

  “Shhhh, I’ve got you. We’re okay,” Chase swims us to the edge as the stillness of the train trestle is interrupted by the flash of a night train. Turning to look at Chase, I can’t keep it in any longer and the tears begin to fall. Without saying a word, he slides me onto the bank and continues to hold me in his arms. Wiping my wet hair from my face, he looks me in the eyes. “Are you okay?”

  Taking a deep breath, I reply, “Yeah. You?”

  “Yeah. Come on, let’s get out of here.” Standing, I’m a nervous wreck. Looking down at my favorite boots, I’m madder than a hornet. They are ruined. “Bella Blu, they're just boots.”

  “I know, but they were my favorite.” He starts to laugh. “What’s so funny?”

  “The fact that earlier tonight you were more worried about the dress, but now, it’s the boots. That’s why I love ya.”

  “Mama’s gonna kills me.”

  “Nah, come on. I’ve got a change of clothes in the truck.” Removing my boots, I hold them and we walk toward the truck. As we try to clear the top of the incline, I slide down, but Chase grabs my hand and pulls me up. His eyes tell me I’m safe. We don’t say a word as we walk to the truck.

  Chase opens the extended cab and pulls a shirt and shorts from under the seat, and then starts to laugh. “What’s so funny?”

  “Why is there a pair of your bikini bottoms in here?”

  “I might have stashed them in here in case I needed them.”

  “But where’s the top?”

  “I don’t know. Give them here and your shirt. Those shorts will fall off of me.”

  He tosses them to me then unbuttons his shirt, slides off his pants, and slides on those shorts. “You okay?” he questions.

  “Yeah,” I state as I walk to the other side of the truck, but quickly I realize that’s not the case. When did Chase get a body like that? Tucker Jones has nothing on that set of abs. Wait, what’s wrong with me? Trying to unzip my dress, it gets stuck a fourth of the way down and there’s no way I can do this myself. “Chase, can you please help me?” He walks around, avoiding eye contact at all cost, unzips it like a champ, and goes back to the driver's side. I let out a sigh of relief. What am I thinking? The kiss, train, jump, and him combined all have me a wet mess…literally.

  Chase

  Sweet baby Jesus. Get yourself together because this night is one for the books. She was totally checking me out. Do I have a chance? Taking a seat behind the wheel, deep breaths are my main focus as I wait for her and try to avoid my mind thinking like the horny seventeen-year-old I am. Opening the lid to the console, I pull the other tallboy from there. Hot or not, it’s needed after a night like tonight.

  As her door opens, I pause mid-gulp as she slides inside. If I thought she was beautiful before, it’s got nothing on her in this moment. Her hair is soaking wet and now pulled up into some messy bun type thing, my shirt, and her bikini bottoms are in clear view when she takes a seat.

  “What?”

  “You’re beautiful, Bella Blu,” it pops out before I can stop it.

  “Seriously, Chase, that’s not funny. I look like a drowned rat,” she says, taking the beer from my hand and taking a sip.

  “I’m not kiddin’,” she takes a larger drink this time before looking my way. Her eyes land on mine and stay longer than they should, “What? We about lost our lives back there. It’ll make you think twice before keeping things inside.” She hands the beer back and I take another drink. Continuing to pass it back and forth, we don’t say a word for what feels like an eternity before she breaks the silence.

  “What did you think about when you heard the train?”

  “I got cock-blocked.”

  She smiles and looks at me, “I’m being serious.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Stop it,” she laughs and it is as magical as her singing. “Like, did your life flash before you or anything?”

  Pausing, I think and then choose my words truthfully, “Save Bella Blu, that’s all I could think about.” Refusing to look her way, I hear the middle console rise and her body move next to mine. She rests her head on my shoulder and wraps her arms around my waist, but doesn’t speak. “What about you? What were you thinking?”

  Feeling her smile, I look down to her as she looks out the windshield. “That kissin’ you wasn’t like kissin’ my brother at all,” silly laughter begins to fill my truck cab.

  “I’d hope not. We’re not kissin’ cousins or anything like that, but wait, what does that even mean?”

  She looks up at me and smiles. “I’m not sure, but can we try it again?” She bites the corner of her mouth, turns up to face me, and leans in. As her perfect lips find mine, they are slow, steady, and I can’t believe this is happening again. My hand grazes her arm and guides its way to her waist. She moves and it’s like we forget who we are. Taking her in my arms, I lean her across the front seat of my truck and kiss her like my life depends on it. Her hand roams my chest and my heart is beating like crazy. Continuing to kiss her, my hands begin to follow her moves. She runs her hands through my wet hair. She pauses and I look at her. “What?”

  “I’m admiring the view,” her smile radiates through the truck and I lean down to her again. Trailing kisses down the side of her neck, my dang conscience begins to speak loud and clear. Pulling back, she tries to bring me back down to her but I manage to sit up. She follows, but instead of staying on her side she straddles my lap. Who is this girl and what took her so long? She looks into my eyes as I brush her hair back, “Bella Blu, once we cross that line, we can’t go back. I won’t survive.” She doesn’t answer, but instead kisses me with intention. Leaving this in her court, my lips dance with hers and as my hands begin to roam up her body once more, she pauses, covers her face with her hands, and doesn’t say a word.

  “What are we doing, Chase?” In this moment, I know it’s over. She won’t let us out of the friend zone even if she wants it as much as I do.

  Taking my hands, I remove hers from her face, “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You made my dreams come true,” I'm hoping she’ll laugh. “You are nothing short of amazing, but we both let our emotions get in the way tonight.”

  “What happens once I go home tonight? Do we act like this didn’t happen?”

  “Bella Blu, it’s in your court. I’d love for you to be my girl, but regardless of what you decide, you’ll always be my best friend.

  “Thank you, Chase,” she says as she leans in and kisses my lips goodbye.

  Chapter 1

  8 years later

  Belle

  “Come on, Laurel! We’re gonna be late!” I holler down the hall of our cracker box of a house.

  She walks out of her bedroom with cutoffs and a tank that looks like it’s been spray-painted on. “What?” she announces as she grabs her purse and we hear the horn of Chase’s truck honking nonstop. “I don’t know why he’s in such a dang rush. They can’t get the party started without us anyways.”

  “Good point, but you know he gets his mac
ho panties in a wad if we are two seconds late.” We both make our way out the door and I grab my guitar on the way as Laurel locks up.

  As we hustle toward Chase’s truck, he’s got the window down and is telling us to hurry up. Laurel begins to walk at a snail’s pace as I gently toss my guitar in the back seat, then sit shotgun of his extended cab. Closing the door, I see that she’s still taking her time. If she doesn’t come on... Quickly, I move toward Chase, who is confused as I invade his space.

  “What in the world, Bella Blu?” he mumbles as I stick my head out the window, using him as a prop.

  “Hey, cracker, come on! Some of us gotta make some money so hurry up!” I say with a laugh.

  Laurel glances over her shoulder like she’s looking at her own butt. She’s crazy, but gosh I love her.

  “I guess you’re right!” she says with a smile and picks up the pace. I laugh a little harder as I push myself off the window sill and Chase’s shoulder. As I do, I lose my balance and quickly go to catch myself. Without realizing what I’m doing, my hand lands directly at six and I’ve totally just copped a feel of Chase’s junk. He lets out a whelp and quickly moves my hand. “Ohmygosh, I’m so sorry,” I say as I ease myself back into my seat.

  Chase takes a few deep breaths to undoubtedly get himself back together. “Dang, Bella Blu. If you wanted to get in on the action, all you had to do is ask.” Looking at Chase, he’s different than he was as a kid. He’s every definition of tall, dark, and handsome. He not only works day in and out with his dad in construction, but works as a bouncer at Joe’s. Needless to say, even though he’s my best friend, I can’t help but notice the guns as arms and a washboard stomach that will make you think twice about crossing out of the friend zone. Oh wait, we’ve been there before and there are moments I try to erase that memory, but it’s impossible. It was the most eventful night of my life in more than one way.

  As he begins to laugh, I punch him in the shoulder, but dang it hurts my hand. I want to curse those hard as a rock muscles and the manual labor that built them. Bringing my hand back a second time, he grabs it and holds it in place. Why does he have to be so strong? All of a sudden, I hear a teacher voice behind me.