Seasons (4 page)

“You don’t want to spend your weekend studying when you don’t have to.”

“I wouldn’t be studying for me, I’d be helping out a
friend.
” He winks at me.

“Look, Charlie. I would love a study buddy, but I’m sure you have a party or something this weekend you’d much rather be attending. Besides that, I actually need to study. Just, study. So if you’re thinking you’ll come over and
study,
then you’re going to be seriously disappointed.”

“Brynn, all my friends have to take the finals because, let’s face it, they’re not the brightest, so they didn’t get the finals pass. They will all be studying this weekend and praying to pass their finals so they graduate next week. Besides that, I told you before we could just be friends,” he says looking a little wounded. “I’m trying to be friendly and offer to help you study. Diaz’s finals are killer. I’m going to make sure you get an A so you don’t blow your perfect GPA,” he says, smirking.

“How did you know that I have good grades? Maybe I’m a total dip, and you’ll just be wasting your time all weekend.”

He laughs and retorts, “Your picture has been on the honors wall every semester for the past three years.”

Holy crap
. There are a bunch of students’ geeky pictures on the honors wall. I can’t believe he would have noticed mine. “Okay, so maybe I know some stuff.” I smile. “Fine. You can come over and help me study since you’re such a nice
friend,
and I could use a little extra help with Spanish.”

“Tomorrow afternoon? I could drive you home from school,” he offers.

“I suppose that would be all right,
friend.
See you tomorrow,” I say and turn with my things to go meet Mel at her car.

*   *   *

Friday drags on painfully slow as it’s the last full day of school for the year. Every class is a huge review/study session for the next week’s finals.

I finally get to my locker at the end of the day. I’m putting every schoolbook I own into my bag when I notice Charlie down the hall at his locker. He’s cleaning it out while a cute, bubbly, and very popular girl named Gina is animatedly chatting him up. He puts the last of his stuff in his bag, removes the lock from his locker, and closes it. She reaches up on her tiptoes, kisses his cheek, and hugs him simultaneously. He says goodbye to her and starts heading in my direction. I snap back to what I was doing and pretend like I hadn’t noticed them. I shove the last notebook that will fit into my bag as he reaches me.

“Ready to go?” I hear as he comes up beside me.

“Yep,” I say grabbing one last book out of my locker before closing it. He takes the books from my hands. “You know I can carry those, right?” I ask in mocking tone.

“Yeah, but so can I, and you have a heavy backpack already weighing you down there.” He nods at my monstrosity of a backpack holding everything I could fit in it. I notice him looking at me, and then he shakes his head, sighs, and looks away. I look down and notice the heavy backpack is pulling my shoulders back, causing my boobs to push out, and showing much more cleavage than I had intended when I dressed this morning. I yank at my white tank in an attempt to conceal the girls a little. I have had boobs since I hit puberty at twelve, and they aren’t easy to conceal short of a turtleneck. Showing up to sixth grade with a C cup made me quite a bit more popular. They seemed just to appear one day, along with a curvy set of hips. I know this
sounds
like it’d be a good thing, but the only problem was that most guys just wanted under my shirt or in my pants. I’m not the most popular girl in school or anything, and I don’t do the whole clique thing. I’m friends with select people from the various social groups, based on if I like them or not, and not because of who they hang out with.

I follow Charlie out to his truck, and we chat about the last day of school on the way to my house. I can’t help but watch his mouth as he talks. He has these gorgeous big perfect lips and a broad square jaw. When he smiles, his teeth are white and perfect except for one bottom tooth that is just slightly tilted. It surprises me how natural it feels talking to him on the drive. It’s as if we’ve been friends for years. His low voice is…soothing.

We get to my house and walk through the front door. The storm door, of course, slams behind us. Charlie follows me into the kitchen. “Do you want anything to drink or a snack?” I ask as I drop all my stuff on the kitchen island.

“Milk?” he questions.

“Suuure?” I question back opening the fridge.

“What? It does a body good,” he defends.

I laugh and pour him a glass of milk and grab a bottle of water. “Let’s set up in the living room? I’m just going to go throw some shorts on really quick. Make yourself at home,” I say before heading upstairs to change out of my long split, cotton skirt. I throw on a pair of jean shorts and bound down the stairs to find Charlie relaxed on the couch looking through my textbook. He looks up and a small smile slowly creeps onto his face when he sees me.

We study for the next couple of hours. “Ir—voy, va, vas, vosotros, vamos, van conjugates?” I ask as I hear the telltale storm door slam.

“Very good,” Charlie says, and we both look over to see my mom come into the living room.

“Brynn? I’m ordering a pizza for din...” She trails off when she sees Charlie and me. “Oh, I didn’t realize someone was here. Hi, I’m Brynn’s mom, Cathy.”

“Mom, this is Charlie. He’s helping me study for my Spanish final,” I say giving her the
please don’t say anything embarrassing
look.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Carsten,” Charlie says getting up and reaching out to shake my mom’s hand.

“Nice to meet you, too, Charlie. Call me Cathy,” she says accepting his handshake. “I’m about to order a pizza, and you’re more than welcome to stay for dinner. I’m going to run up and take a shower, B. I’ll leave cash on the counter for the pizza guy,” Mom says giving me a wink and then fleeing the room.

“Your mom seems nice. You look a lot like her,” Charlie says.

“Yeah, that’s what everyone says.”

“Will your dad be home soon?” he asks and I cringe.

“No…my parents are divorced,” I say shyly.

“Oh, I didn’t know. I’m sorry,” he adds sadly.

“It’s okay. he lives with his dental hygienist, Barbie. I haven’t spoken to him in an about a year. It’s just me and Mom and Brett, but he’s away at college most of the year.” I rip a corner off a notebook page, ball it up and throw it at his temple. “Don’t. Don’t give me the pity eyes. Really. Lots of people have divorced parents. It’s totally fine,” I say trying to convince both of us.

He throws his dimpled smile at me as he says, “Barbie? You’re kidding me, right?”

“Oh, no, but I wish I were!” We both start to laugh, and I start toward the kitchen to get out things for when the food gets here. Right on cue, the doorbell rings startling me. I grab the money off the counter, and Charlie follows me to the door. I open the storm door to a familiar face—and, unfortunately, he’s not holding a pizza.

“Brynn, hi.”

“Ian, what are you doing here?” I’m shell-shocked. I hadn’t expected to see him, well, ever again to be honest, let alone at my front door. “Does your girlfriend know you’re here?” I ask snidely.

“She isn’t my girlfriend. She’s just a girl, who is a friend. Brynn, I miss you.”

“Hi, I’m Charlie. Nice to meet you, Ian was it?” Charlie says stepping out of the shadows. I had almost forgotten he was there. Ian looks in astonishment from me to Charlie.

“Who the hell is this? That was fast, Brynn.”

Now I’m pissed. “Really, Ian? Because you didn’t seem to have any issue sucking face with some tramp at the party last week when we were supposedly together! I don’t know where you get off coming to my house, unannounced and accusing me of anything. I’m single, and I can see or do whoever I want!”

“It was just a kiss at some party! It meant nothing!” Ian practically yells.

“Look, man, she obviously doesn’t want anything to do with you. Besides, seeing as Brynn is my good friend and all, I wouldn’t let her date a douche like you, even if she were still interested because a real man isn’t going to cheat on her with some skank at a party. I suggest you turn around, get back in your car, and drive away.” Whoa. Did he just tell my ex-boyfriend off? Charlie is so incredibly sweet, but he has demonstrated a crazy protective side twice now. Ian stands there glaring at Charlie, probably debating whether or not he should fight him. Charlie is standing next to me looking extremely intimidating at six feet tall and solid, lean muscle.

Ian must have decided he wouldn’t win this one because he backs down. “Whatever, I’ll come back when we can talk alone, Brynn.”

“There is nothing to talk about, Ian. We’re done.”

“Brynn…”

Charlie cuts him off. “Beat it, geek. She’s not interested.”

“Fuck you,” Ian barks back as he gets in his car. At this point, I’m doubled over laughing.

“Did you just say ‘beat it, geek?’ That was awesome.” I’m crying I’m laughing so hard. I don’t notice Ian’s car disappear.

“You want that ass clown showing back up on your doorstep?” He seems extremely proud of himself.

“Nope, not even a little bit.” Headlights illuminate my driveway again. Luckily, this time the person that exits the car is holding a pizza and a two-liter of soda.

Mom, Charlie, and I eat dinner and chat. It feels comfortable. He and Mom get along great. After we finish, Mom excuses herself and goes upstairs.

“Favorite movie?” I continue my questioning from dinner.

“Braveheart, hands down!”

“Noooooo, really? The ending is a nightmare! Plus, he’s supposed to be sooo in love with his wife, but she dies and what does he do? The next minute, he’s banging some brunette.”

“Wait, you don’t like Braveheart? I don’t think we can be friends anymore,” he says playfully nudging my shoulder. We both stop laughing, caught in some sort of staring contest. Something kinetic passes between us. I’ve never laughed as much as I have with him tonight simply studying and eating pizza. It doesn’t feel like an awkward first date or a new friend. He feels like an old friend.

“Maybe I’ll give it another shot,” I say in an almost whisper, and then I mentally scold myself for staring at him like some sort of deranged fangirl. “It’s getting late,” I say again, trying to recover.

“Yeah, I should probably get going. I’m having a few friends over to swim tomorrow. I think Austin already invited Melanie. You should come with her.”

“I really need to study for finals.”

“You do not need to study the entire weekend. Take a break, come for a swim, and then you can come back to the cave to study, sunshine.” He’s mocking me.

“Maybe I could take a break. We’ll see.” I sigh. “Charlie, my grades are really important to me. I really appreciate you helping me study. School doesn’t just come easy for me. I work my ass off for my grades, mostly because I want to get into a good college. I don’t want my mom to have the added stress of having to pay for it, so any kind of scholarship I can get is one less burden for her. I just… I really need to do well.”

“I get it.” He brushes my cheek and chin with his thumb and forefinger to get me to look up at him as he says with total sincerity, “If you have to study, no biggie. We’ll hang out another time.”

“It’s okay. I’m sure Mel will drag me out of the house for a study break. Some sun would be nice, since it’s supposed to be the first day of the year that will be nice enough to swim.”

“Okay, well, if you can take a break, come by. If not, we can do something after finals. We have all summer free to hang out after that.” He smiles.

All summer. Oh, man I’m in trouble. I walk him outside and he hops down from the porch. I watch as he waves goodbye, gets in his truck, and backs away. I manage a small wave, but I’m in a haze, standing there with a goofy grin on my face, and a feeling that is completely foreign to me.

*   *   *

The next day, I wake up and study for my English Lit final and wait for the text that I know is inevitably coming. My final is on George Orwell’s 1984. I’m on the last chapter when my phone pings with a text from Mel.

Mel: Get your suit, bitch. We’re going swimming at the hunky soccer player’s house!

Me: Studying.

Mel: I will kill you. Get that knockout body into a bikini. Be there in an hour.

Me: Fine. Two hours and I need to be back!

Mel: Deal! See you in 60. Wear the purple one.

I finish the final chapter and make my one note card we’re allowed to use for the test. I hop in the shower, and when I’m finished, I throw on my bathing suit and a cover-up. I’m throwing my hair up in a messy bun and threading my sunglasses through my hair as I hear the storm door letting me know that Mel has arrived.

We pull up to Charlie’s, and there are a few other cars there. I follow Mel as we walk around the back and through the gate to where the pool is. I don’t see Charlie, but Austin, another football player named Ray, and the ever so perky Gina are all sitting near the pool talking. The yard is beautifully landscaped with huge peony bushes, which are just starting to bloom around the edges of the house. The pool is in-ground and has what looks like a built-in track of lights lining it. I bet it’s stunning at nighttime. Charlie’s house is light blue with dark blue shutters. It’s a typical older Maine home, but it’s pretty large, and definitely, well kept up.