Gravity (Free Falling) (26 page)

Before now, I’d never really paid much attention to Trevor.  He and
AJ shared very few similarities other than their nationality.  He was maybe just as tall, but wasn’t nearly as attractive.  His slight overbite and awkward posture, made him a less qualified stand-in for the real thing than I’d imagined. 

I replayed my run in with Leila
in my mind.  There was definitely the possibility that she’d pull something tonight.  I could only hope that AJ’s threat would make her back off.  After all, it seemed to work pretty well at lunch today.

Just then
, I saw AJ’s black car pull up behind me.  He refused to let me carry my own bag as we walked to the door hand in hand.  Mr. Holmes answered with the same enthusiasm as before.  “AJ!  Samantha!  It
is
Samantha right?”

I smiled.  “Yes, but you can call me Sam.”

              “It’s great to see ya again!  You kids get comfortable.  I’m just getting everything ready to throw on the grill.  You can take your things downstairs, but everyone’s already out back.”

The
fire was already blazing.  Everyone was huddled around carrying on their usual cheerful banter.  “What’s up AJ!” Karl yelled.  “Sam!  Glad you decided to come.”

             
There were a few empty seats near Randy so we sat down next to him.  Deanna walked over, grinning from ear to ear.  “Hey!  You made it!”

             
“Yeah, it took a little finesse, but I got my mom to let me out.”

             
“Good.  We’re gonna have a great time,” she replied.

I smiled back Just before
Deanna turned to walk back over toward Karl.  Across from me, through the fire, I could see Leila staring directly at me.  As the flames danced wildly just like her red hair, they seemed to engulf her face.  I didn’t shy away from her gaze.  There was a hatred simmering between the two of us, no doubt about that.  I wanted more than anything to X her out of the picture altogether, but I didn’t see how that could happen.  We’d somehow have to learn to coexist, but that’s like telling oil to mix with water. 

             
“Come and get it!”  Mr. Holmes yelled from the picnic table where he’d prepared a large spread fit for royalty.

Randy was the first one there with his plate in hand
, looking over the food like he hadn’t had a thing to eat in days.  Without hesitation, he reached forward with his heart set on the large burger before him.

             
“Get back boy!  Didn’t your momma teach you any manners?”  Mr. Holmes asked gruffly before turning to address me.  “Ladies first.” His tone was far more gentle now, his heavy southern drawl slowing his sentence.   He handed Deanna and I a plate and I saw his eyes look up without lifting his head.  Leila was coming toward the table and Mr. Holmes rolled his eyes and sighed.  “Even the crazy ones,” he mumbled in a voice low enough that I knew he didn’t intend for anyone to hear.  I laughed quietly to myself and went on about my business.   

Nearly an hour later, Randy was the only one still eating.  He’
d fixed three or four plates and was finally showing signs of slowing down.  It amazed me that this boy, who couldn’t weigh more than 140 pounds even at his height of over six foot, could eat so much.  The others stared at him as he inhaled his last hotdog in less than a minute. 

             
“Does he eat like that all the time?”  I asked.

             
AJ nodded and laughed.  “Yeah, when we order pizza, we make sure that he has one to himself.  Even then we still have to fight him off from eating ours.”

It just didn’t seem possible.  I smiled at Randy as he wiped the ketchup and mustard from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. 
He didn’t even seem embarrassed when he let out a belch loud enough to startle those sitting close by.  I couldn’t control my laughter anymore.  Deanna, grossed out by his actions, rolled her eyes and turned her chair around so that her back was to him. 

We sat outside until about ten or so before packing up and going back in the house. 
Once downstairs, Deanna suggested that she and I play cards to keep ourselves busy while the guys hogged the TV playing their videogames.   

             
“So, has Leila said anything to you yet?”  Deanna asked in a low voice as she shuffled the cards.

             
“No, I’m not expecting her to,” I replied.

             
“Did AJ tell you what he said to her?”

             
“No, why? Did you hear something?”  I asked.

             
“Well, I don’t know the details, but Karl was with him when he called her and he said it was pretty brutal.  When it was all over with she was crying and everything.  Karl said he could hear her through AJ’s phone.”

It made me feel go
od that he stood up for me.  Leila
needed
to be put in her place.  I tried to fight back a smile to no avail.  “Good.  She deserved it!  I
hate
her!  I mean, what kind of nut job would go through all that trouble to hold on to someone who doesn’t want them?”

             
“Well, Leila’s a special brand of nut.  One of a kind.”

D
eanna and I burst out laughing prompting Leila to roll her eyes at us.  She didn’t hear our conversation, but she appeared to be annoyed by my and Deanna’s friendship nonetheless. 

We played a few games of War and Slap Jack before the guys
finally turned off their game.  Karl walked over to the table where Deanna and I sat.  “What do you guys wanna do? Truth or Dare is out I guess,” Karl said as he glanced momentarily at Leila.  “Ding Dong Ditch, a movie, Spin the bottle.”  The words were barely out of his mouth before Deanna gut punched him, giving it all she had.

             
“What the heck was that for?  You know I was kidding,” he said in a strained voice as he doubled over in pain.

             
“You’re stupider than I thought if you have to ask that question,” Deanna responded in a calm voice as she continued to stare at her cards.  Their relationship was functionally dysfunctional and it worked for them.  She was feisty and even though she seemed to be the more dominant of the two, he seemed to like it. 

He was eventually able to stand upright again.  “I
hate
when you do that,” he said before kissing her on her forehead and walking away.

We finished up that hand and both went to join A.J and Karl on the couch.  It was
a little after 12 a.m. and Randy decided to put on a scary movie that he brought from home.  Trevor was sitting in a ratty old recliner with Leila perched on his lap.  She stared at the movie, but it didn’t look like she was paying it any attention.   

When
it was over, everyone took turns changing for bed and setting up makeshift sleeping pallets from the pile of blankets Karl brought out.  I wasn’t keen on sleeping in the basement, but everyone else seemed to be comfortable so I didn’t make a fuss.

Call me crazy, but I felt the need to keep a close watch on Leila.  She hadn’t come back from changing yet, so my eyes were glued to the steps, waiting for her to return.  
Eventually, I saw her red pale legs showing through the darkness at the top of the stairs.  Part of me wished that she’d just left and gone home, but no such luck.  She pulled a blanket from the pile and laid it out a little closer to mine than I was comfortable with.  She sat and stared off into the distance at nothing in particular.  Deanna was dozing off as she waited for Karl to find a radio station that was playing soft music.  When he was satisfied, he smiled and walked toward the light switch.  Just before we were plunged into darkness, Leila snapped her head in my direction with a wild look in her eyes.   

I c
ouldn’t even see my own hand in front of my face, but here wasn’t much I could do.  I was tempted to grab my phone and shine the light on Leila just to see what she was doing.  That look she gave me meant something and now that it was dark, I felt vulnerable.   But all of a sudden, I had a new concern.  This was the first time I’d ever slept next to a boy and I was a little more nervous than I thought I’d be. 

AJ
turned toward me and wrapped his arm across my stomach, startling me a little.  His warm breath on my skin calmed me down and excited and me all at the same time.  The room fell silent pretty quickly as each one drifted off to sleep.  I still wasn’t totally convinced that Leila was a safe distance away, so I lay there wide awake trying to make out shapes in the dark.  As AJ apparently felt himself being overcome by sleep, he kissed my shoulder once and quietly whispered the words, “I love you,” in my ear.   Our intimate moment was interrupted by the sound of someone’s piercing scream, and I knew that it could only be one person.  Leila had awakened everyone with her shrill cry. 

             
“What the heck is her problem this time?”  Karl growled.

             
“Who knows?  Why is she even here?”  Randy grumbled from the sofa.

I heard Deanna sigh in irritation as she made her way to the light.  When she flicked it on, I was surprised to see Leila standing over
AJ and me.  She had mascara stained tears flowing down her face.  She had apparently been listening to us and that triggered her emotional outburst.  Her eyes shifted back and forth crazily between AJ and I, then, without warning, she let out another blood curdling scream that seemed to fill the whole house.  Her hands were raised up to her head and gripping her fiery red hair as she ran up the stairs, slamming the door behind her.  Trevor looked around at all of our faces, searching for some explanation for Leila’s breakdown.  No one said a word.  He rubbed his eyes and then ran up the stairs after her. 

A minute later Mr. Holmes was in the basement with a bewildered look on his face.  “What the heck was that all about? 
Someone had better be hurt.”

             
“No, Dad.  Leila’s just psycho,” Karl explained.

             
“I don’t know why you all keep inviting that wacko here anyway.  She’s not right in the head.”

             
“No one
invited
her.  She just comes along with Trevor,” Karl stated.

             
“Well, she can’t come here anymore.  I can’t control whether you all hang out with her otherwise.  That’s your business, but don’t bring her back here,” He rattled off, his southern accent heavier than before.

He returned to his room
mumbling incoherently and the rest of us sat around.  One by one everyone drifted back to sleep except for AJ and me.  We laid there in each other’s arms, but said nothing.  I don’t know how much time passed, but it felt like hours before I finally dozed off in his arms.

The next morning, I couldn’t help but to wonder what
AJ made of Leila last night.  I could tell that something was on his mind, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it was. When I made it home I considered calling him, but decided against it.  He probably needed his space to work through whatever he was dealing with.  I plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV to keep my mind off it. 

Somehow my thoughts drifted to Antonio’s
return to school tomorrow.  The last time I’d talked to him, I’d hurt him yet again.  He must hate me by now.  I sighed and slouched down into the couch and put my feet up on the coffee table.  I hadn’t totally fallen out of love with Antonio, but he and AJ were the difference between what I wanted……and what I
needed
.  While Antonio was absolutely wonderful, I found myself unable to live without AJ from almost the first day I noticed him.  It was as though we were
supposed
to run into each other in the hall that day. 

I was
n’t even sure what it was fair for me to expect from Antonio.  I desired his friendship, but it seemed like that was an impossible thing to hope for.  Friends don’t do the things to one another that I’ve done to him.  As much as I wanted to be in his good graces, I didn’t believe it would ever be so.  I sighed at this realization that I’d lost a great friend and could do nothing to gain his trust again. 

 
              I left Karl’s and came home at around 11 a.m.  Time passed in slow motion that day.  I’d cleaned my room and bathroom, watched TV, put away my clean clothes, read a little, and it was still only 3:00.  Feeling like a little fresh air would do me some good, I headed outside to sit on the porch.  I thought about AJ again and decided to go ahead and call him this time.  He didn’t answer.  Things were a little awkward between us after Leila’s outburst. 
Was he avoiding me
?  My question was quickly answered when my phone began to ring.  “Hey.”

             
“Sorry I missed your call.  I got to it right when you were hanging up,” he apologized.

             
“It’s cool.  Just checking on you.  You seemed like something was wrong earlier.”

He waited a moment before answering.  “I was just thinking.”

              I watched traffic pass as I waited for him to continue.  “About?”