Falling - On the Banks of Lake Saint Clare (Falling - Book One) (16 page)

“Where the hell did Gabriel come to be suspect?” I asked
,
not even remembering Gabriel at the party.

“You aren’t even paying attention,”
Abbie
whined. “Ok, if you take evidence M and add it with…..”

Chapter
10

The next two weeks Michael, Derek, and I were inseparable. Michael would pick me up in the mornings to watch him and Derek play basketball, and then off to the ballpark for baseball practice. Afterwards, we either went to Michael’s house or to
Dairy Lane
. I still spent time with the girls during practices, but like my Mom predicted, I wasn’t spending as much time with them as I had before. They never complained or didn’t seem to realize.

Erica’s list of sex partners had risen to 6
,
and
Kaitlyn
and
Abbie
were about to call the church to plead for an exorcist to remove her demon inside her.

“Trust me,” she said, while we were watching ball practice, “I sure thought there was a demon inside me the other night with, hmm, gosh, wow, I am blank. Oh! Red Jeep guy. What’s his name?”

“Josh,”
Kaitlyn
said in a hateful tone. “You are going to hell, you know
,
” she added.

“I’m enjoying the trip before I go,” she smiled, raising her brows.

“You really need to go get on the pill or something,” I said, wondering if she had even thought about it.

“Awe, good point,” she said. “You want to go with?”

“I’ll take you, but I haven’t really put much thought into it for myself.”

“You and Michael aren’t fucking yet?” She asked.

“Erica,” I said, getting mad, “Stop talking so loud. No, we haven’t.”

“Sorry,” she said, not sounding sincere, “I just know I would have screwed that hot dude the first night.”

I got up and started walking down the bleachers.

I heard her say, “What’s up with her. That was technically a compliment.”

I walked over to my car and leaned against it, watching Michael sitting on 3
rd
base waiting for practice to start back up.

“Why aren’t you with your friends?” Brad
asked
, leaning against the car beside me.

“No reason, just wanted to walk around.”

“I got a few minutes. I can walk with you if you want.”

“Thanks, but I really just wanted to get away from them for a minute. A little of Erica goes a long way anymore.”

“Awe,” he said. “I understand.
“Hey
Alex, I really wanted to tell you how sorry I am about the other day. It didn’t dawn on me that the diet coke would upset you. I truly bought it for you because I knew that’s what you drink. I didn’t mean it as a cruel joke. It was very stupid of me. I really wish we could move past all the craziness the past few weeks and become friends again. Anyway, can you accept my apology?”

I couldn’t tell if he was being honest or messing with me, but I knew it was just way easier to say I did forgive him than to make him angry and stir up more trouble between Michael and him.

“Sure Brad. It’s forgotten.”

“Friends?”
H
e asked, holding out his hand.

For some reason, I didn’t want to touch his hand, but yet again, I knew it was the easier way out.

I reached over and shook his hand. He held on to it, looked at my eyes, and smiled, “When Michael gets tired of you, I’ll be there.”

He dropped my hand and walked off. A chill ran through me. I shuddered, seeing him walk onto the ball field.

“Hey!” I looked up and saw Michael leaning against the fence, his hands above him hanging on
the chain links
like the day he had called me down to ask me about the party. It had been at least a month and he still made me feel so amazingly excited just looking at him. He kissed his finger and pointed at me, sending my heart racing.

I loved talking to him on the phone before I fell asleep at night
.

“What’s you
r
death row meal?” I asked one night on the phone.

“I wasn’t aware I was found guilty yet.” I could always tell by his voice when he was smiling. 

“You aren’t yet, but it’s not a bad idea to go ahead and plan it early just in case. Ok, I will rephrase it, hypothetically, what is your death row meal?”

“Umm, wow, you ask the tough questions. I guess I would say a rib eye, a big greasy
hamburger,
and I guess for dessert, if I can’t choose you, I’d have to say cheesecake. What’s yours?”

“I’d say fried shrimp, not the small ones, but the big ones, a biscuit with lots of butter and maybe some French fries with gravy on them. Although, yours sounds better than mine. Can I share yours?”

“Absolutely. Hopefully we will get the governor to call right after we eat. Hate to pass up a good meal.”

I loved being around Michael and Derek. They were so funny and made me laugh so much. I wanted to do what my mom said and not neglect my friends, but if I hung around Erica, it would mean fighting off her date’s best friend. It was bad enough when she had the make out sessions with them, me getting stuck with the friend. The friends always thought that I needed to be giving some action away. I knew if she was going all the way with these guys now, I would have to physically fight the friends off. I had no desire to spend time away from Michael to spend useless time with Erica entertaining her friend’s rejects. She finally got the hint and
usually didn’t ask anymore
.

Kaitlyn
and
Abbie
had each other and were quite content just coming to the
ballpark
and hang out. They met us at
Dairy Lane
after
the
games and practices all the time. So, I didn’t feel like I was neglecting the
m
per say, just taking a long coffee break away from them.

Chapter 11

“I have a date tonight with a guy I met at
the Double D
the other day,” Erica said, walking into my house.
“Wanna
double
? He said he’s got this cute friend that I can set you up
with
.”

“He actually called his friend cute?”

She looked puzzled for a sec, “That is weird, isn’t it?”
             
“Yup. Nope. I don’t want to but thanks for offering, Sounds like I might regret the decision later in life,” I smiled.

“Well
Monty
is a doll. Not sure what his friend looks like. Maybe Kat or
Abb
will go.”

I looked at her wondering why all of a sudden she was abbreviating their names.

“
Kaitlyn
is going to
Oklahoma
with the family.”

“So,” she said, sitting down on my bed. “What’s the skinny? Does Michael say that all the time?”

“Why would Michael say that?”

“It’s urban slang.”
             
“Have you ever looked at Michael? Do you really consider him urban?”

“Just assumed he was tight with urban.”

I laughed, “I have no idea what you even mean by that, but I will be sure to ask him.”

“I can’t believe you haven’t done him yet. You really should. After I did it with
Matt
, I’ve wanted it all the time. Just can’t even wait till I can get it again. I thought I was going to do it with Derek, but for some reason, he had a dozen excuses why we couldn’t do it.”

“Would you stop saying ‘do it’?” I pleaded.

“What do you want me to say fornicate?”

“I don’t know what I want you to say. I just don’t want you to talk about it right now.”

“Ok, I understand. When you and Michael fornicate, you will feel differently and want to talk about it.”

“I’m sure I won’t.”

“You used to talk about it all the time. I can tell you everything you need to know. You won’t have to read it from a book like we used to. There won’t be any surprises or mysteries.”

“It’s different now. I really care a lot for Michael. I want the mystery. I want the excitement and romance. I don’t want meaningless sex in the backseat of the car. I want it to be so memorable that I will smile every time I think about it.”

“Life isn’t a fairy tale, Alex. Good luck finding that.”

I wanted to tell her that I did find it, remembering the first kiss I had with Michael always made me smile and feel warm inside. How could every milestone with Michael not be just as memorable?

“I think I will beg
Abb
to go.”

“I don’t think she will. You know nothing about these guys. Who are they?”

“They drive a nice car
.
”

“Well then by all means, they are safe,” I said, wondering if that was all she had to convince me.

“
Monty
said something about having jobs and they are in c
ollege, so they should be fine.”

“
I am sure that no guy that has a job in college with a nice car has ever committed any crime.”

She sighed, “Stop being a mom. It will be fine.”
             
I sat on the porch swing waiting for Michael to show up to spend the evening with me. I saw him pull into the driveway and watched him climb out. I wondered if this feeling of ecstasy would always be there when I saw him. He sat down beside me and kissed my check “What you doing out here?”
H
e smiled.

“Just w
aiting on you.”

“What did you
do
today? I missed you,” he leaned over and kissed me.

I smiled. “I went over to Erica’s for the afternoon to talk. She said you should be tight with urban. I thought that was really funny.”

“Oh, I can be urban, sistah.”

“Yeah right.”

“Yo ah wuz thinkin` dat tonight we's would either go ta da movies or git some chickn 'n waffle an' hang out at da crib. Either iz fine wif me. Ah'd hang out at da crib so we's can jive but if its uh movie you wants uh movie you git.”

“That was so hot,” I laughed.

“You need a translation?”

“I’m good,” I smiled. “Mom is bringing home pizza. You want to sit here like old people and talk all evening?”

“As long as you don’t get boring,” he said, starting the swing moving.

“No guarantees.”

I watched the neighbors down the block walking their dog by the house. They paused and looked at us sitting on the swing. I waved as they kept looking at us. They said something to each other and slowly moved on. They kept looking back at us. It was extremely obvious.

Michael waved and yelled, “How are you two this evening?”

When they didn’t answer, he yelled again, “Good? You good?”

They looked at each other and started walking faster, not looking back

“
That was weird,” I said.

“We will get that a lot. The
freak stares
?”

“Why? We don’t look like freaks, do we?”

“Uh yeah,” he laughed. “Not make money freaks but stop-and-stare-and-talk-about-us freaks. Have you taken a look at us from other people’s eyes? We don’t fit the norm of the couples in this town, do we?”
             
“
I suppose.” I thought about it when we went to the zoo, people reacted the same way. I just thought it was because Michael and Derek were so tall. But this couple wouldn’t have noticed just how tall Michael was since he was sitting.

“You suppose?” He asked. “So this fine black ass isn’t worth a few stares?”

“I didn’t mean that,” I smiled. “It is going to take some getting used to. I am not used to freak stares like you. I am sure you have gotten them your entire life.”

“Oh you be sum funny white girl, you be.”
I leaned against him, putting my feet up on the swing feeling it slowly rocking back and forth.

“What’s this?” He asked, pointing at my feet. “You making me do all the work?”
“
My feet won’t touch the ground,” I smiled, feeling his arm wrap around me.

“We really have to do something about your height. It’s going to get quite annoying,” he said, kissing the top of my head.

“You kids hungry?” Mom asked, getting out of the car.

“
Of course
,” I said, getting off the swing to help.

We helped mom take the pizzas in the house and took one back out on the porch with us.