Seclusion (5 page)

“That is odd. I guess they
don’t consider the students in the school as residents… or they don’t know
about it. Sounds sheisty,” he said.

I sat crisscross applesauce
next to Chase. His dirty blonde hair had that messy, styled look. He was
handsome in a boy next-door type of way. I watched him as he was staring at the
screen. His arm muscle was as big as my thigh. I felt my temperature go up and
butterflies started attacking each other in my stomach. That shocked me back to
reality.

“I’m so glad I’m not
starting there alone,” I said.

“Me too.” He grabbed my
hand and held it for a second.

Whoa, this is weird. I’ve
never felt someone’s attraction for me
. It was very strange, but from Chase, it felt more
like a sincere compliment. He made me feel comfortable with him. It felt so
nice to finally have a friend, but my mind was still trying to comprehend that
he liked me. I could hear, and even feel, his thoughts clearly.
She’s hot,
she’s smart, she’s shy, sweet and thoughtful, and fun to be with. What more
could a guy want?

My stomach was fluttery.
How do I respond to this? I smiled at him and laughed, “This is a little
weird.”

He looked at me. “What,
you’ve never held a guy’s hand?”

“Uh, no. How could I? It
would be like invading his privacy. I think you’re the only one who’s this
crazy.”

My mind was racing. Maybe
we were meant to be. Is there even such a thing? Did I believe in soul mates?
Rationality set in.
Oh wow, I really need to concentrate on school right
now. Friends are good, but a boyfriend is a bit too much
.

Chase laughed. “That’s
right. Never been kissed, huh?” He squeezed my hand before letting go and
giving me a quick hug to say good-bye.

I got a sudden flash of
insight from him; I felt his protectiveness and resolve to move slowly with me.
I sighed, for once in my life thankful for my ability.

After Chase left, I
couldn’t help but lie on my purple frilly bed, listening to Pandora’s Taylor
Swift playlist. I began contemplating the difference between lust, love, and
friendship. When I imagined my prince, chivalry was on the top of my list.
Chase had that and more. He was handsome, too. I definitely felt lust going on,
but according to Cosmo, which my aunt had lying around the house, lust
sometimes fades with time. According to the divorce rates, you can also fall
out of love. How is it that some people did and some didn’t? If love was a
feeling, then it must be a fickle thing. I did not like that thought. I wanted
a permanent, committed love, didn’t I? Love should last through sickness and
health, for richer or for poorer, and never end. The only thing I was positive
about is that lust and love were two different things. Of course, I wanted it
all, though!

Loaded down with all of our
stuff and tons of food from my aunt, we were ready to leave. I had three bags,
but Chase only had one. Saying goodbye to Aunt Jan and Uncle Jeremy was
heartbreaking. I tried my best to hide the tears from Aunt Jan. I didn’t want
to start a tsunami before I left. Aunt Jan made me promise to text every few
hours with updates on our progress, and then she kissed me and stared Chase
down. I couldn’t hide my smile. My aunt’s protectiveness made me feel loved. We
pulled out of the driveway, and I thought,
here we go
!

“I am so tired! I can’t
believe we had to leave at six. We won’t even get there till six or seven p.m. with all the stops that Taylor is having us make.”

Chase smiled. “Go to
sleep.” He grabbed his pillow from the backseat and tossed it to me.

“Really, you’re already
taking the first driving shift. I can at least keep you company,” I murmured,
my head settling on his fluffy pillow.

“Of course you can sleep! I
want you well rested, so I can sleep later. Night, Raegan.”

I put the seat back and
cuddled up on my side with his pillow. It smelled like him. I felt excited –
tingles ran down my spine. I pushed those feelings away and focused on the
scent. He smelled like a rich and woody pine forest. I let it comfort me as I
fell right to sleep.

I woke up with a start and
forgot where I was for a moment.
I hope I didn’t drool on his pillow
. I
quickly tossed the pillow onto the back seat.

“Thanks so much for your
pillow, Chase,” I said.

“No prob. I have something
for you.”

“You do?”

I glanced at him through a
sleepy haze.

“An iced coffee!”

I clapped in excitement.

“Where’d you get this?”

“I’m tricky like that. Here
you go,” he said as he handed me the drink and my iPod. “I made you a new
playlist: ‘Raegan and Chase’s road trip mix.”

“Sweet! Thank you!” I said,
plugging my iPod in and starting the playlist.

“Too bad we’re about to hit
our first rest stop. You’ll have to finish listening to it after we eat and
pee.”

“Oh, really? I thought we
wouldn’t reach a rest stop for three and a half hours.”

He gave me a knowing look.
“It’s 9:15, Raegan. You were out!”

“I’m sorry; I didn’t sleep
well last night.”

He laughed. “It’s really
not a big deal.”

Chase pulled into the rest
stop. We sat at a picnic table and ate the muffins and cereal my aunt had
packed. “I think we have enough food for three days!” he said.

I laughed. “I know, my aunt
said that I would miss her cooking, and she didn’t want me going stick skinny
there. So…how are you feeling about leaving and all?” I asked.

“Surprisingly, I’m doing
fine. I’m a little bummed, but I’m psyched to figure more out about myself and
what I can do,” he said as he opened his second soda. “What about you?”

“Mmm, I range from scared,
to super excited, to worried that it’s too good to be true.”

“I understand. I still feel
like something is a little off about it.” He grabbed his phone as it vibrated
on the table. “Ugh, I don’t understand why she won’t leave me alone. She knows
I’m going to Texas. Oh no… Figures. Her dog died. I’m going to have to call her
back. I promise I’ll try to be quick,” he said with a wink.

I was considerably
irritated. I knew I shouldn’t be, but really? Her dog died? She’s just using
that as an excuse. I wasn’t jealous, I was just irritated that she was so
manipulative. After my first touch with Chase, I knew she was a b-witch.

I tried not to think about
it. I pulled my phone out and called Aunt Jan. She and Jeremy were busy. They
had plans for the day, but she was very excited to hear from me and was sure to
remind me to continue with the text updates. I think this was her way of
chastising me because I hadn’t texted yet.

Chase seemed distracted
after the phone call. Maybe it was just me being paranoid. We chatted about the
playlist in the car and he quickly went to sleep. His blonde hair was starting
to get bed-headish, and he looked so peaceful. Of course, a boy could pull off
looking cute as he slept. I was positive then that I had probably been snoring
and drooling. I pulled into the next rest stop at about 1:30.

Rest stop bathrooms…
How
is it possible to be in the middle of nowhere and still have a bathroom line?
Disgusting
, I thought as I pulled out a bottle of liquid soap that Aunt
Jan had insisted I throw into my purse.
I have to say, I’m loving her right
now!
I definitely felt 100 percent better with real soap. I felt bad for
the other ladies, so I squeezed soap into two of their hands on my way out as I
tried to escape the bacteria-ridden, archaic bathroom.
I’m surprised there
were doors on the stalls
, I thought as I scanned the lot for the car.
Where’d
he go?
I saw a wave from under some trees.

There he was, on a blanket,
with our food set out.

“A picnic! How fun and
cute!” I exclaimed.

“Yep, complete with fried
chicken and coleslaw. I couldn’t have planned it better.”

“My aunt goes a little
crazy sometimes when it comes to food.”

“Yeah, I love her! Too bad
she’s married!” he laughed.

“I don’t know how she does
it. I follow the same recipes and they turn out okay, but her food is
delectable. I don’t think she’s ever been denied anything if she has food with
her. I phoned in earlier and she said to tell you hi and thank you for taking
care of me.” She acted as if I wasn’t sixteen but just graduating from the
crib. “Do you think I should give Elsie, that girl we’re picking up, a call to
let her know where we are so she can expect us?”

“Sure,” he said as he
flipped through a sports app, checking the latest scores on his phone.

Chase opened the car door
for me. “I insist on opening the door, as should any gentleman,” he grunted,
which I thought was very old fashioned, but appreciated nonetheless.

When we made the final
stretch to New Mexico, I was so focused on the conversation, I didn’t notice
the scenery. It was a blur of rest stops and nothingness.

“Elsie seemed sweet. She
had our rooms ready and ordered pizza so no matter what time we make it there,
we can eat. She said she couldn’t wait to meet us! She also told me that she
was my suite officer. I guess for every five suites, there’s an upper classmen
suite officer.” Just hearing her talk about life on campus was exciting!
“Chase, I don’t think it’ll be that bad. Elsie has been going there for two
years, and she still loves it.”

“We don’t know Elsie,
either,” he commented.

“Oh, I guess you’re right.
But I feel like I know her from the one conversation!” I said.

“I’m a little anxious about
staying at a stranger’s house. If you need anything, or want to sleep in my
room, you can have the bed, okay?” he told me in his serious tone.

“Okay, but I think you’ll
feel better after we meet her,” I said.

We found the house easily,
but house wasn’t an accurate description. It was a ginormous mansion.

“I hope our rooms are near
each other,” I said, trying to calculate just how many bedrooms it might have.

“Things are cheaper here,
Rae.”

“Oh, but still!”

He laughed, opening the
door for me. “You grab the pillows and stuff in the front. I’ll get the rest.”

“Really, Chase, you’re not
going to let me help?”

“Well, it’s not much yet,
we are just staying here a night.”

“Oh, right.”

“Don’t worry about me,
Raegan.”

His comment irked me. I
was, after all, just being nice. Maybe chivalry wasn’t all it’s cracked up to
be.

Elsie was everything I
hoped she would be. She was exquisite. Average height and model skinny, she
looked like she had just stepped out of a Hollister catalogue. She had light
brown hair with sun-streaked blonde highlights, and bright, bluish-grey eyes. I
knew she would be my best friend soon. One of those sixth sense things I got.
Wow,
I get two new BFFs before school even starts!

While we scarfed down the
pizza, Elsie refilled our sodas and discussed the school. Elsie exuded warm,
kind, friendly compassion. I could feel her sincerity.

Out of the blue, I said,
“What’s your talent? Sorry, just curious.”

Chase snickered at my
bluntness. “I’m curious too, of course. Can I turn the game on? I don’t need
sound, just the scores.”

Sports again. Geesh, he
is
a jock
.

“Yes,” she said, playing
with the remote. “Well, the technical term is ecological empathy. Do you need
soda? Parmesan?”

I shook my head.

“What that means, and what
I can do, I’m still figuring out. But, I believe it has to do with my effect on
other people. Ranch dressing?”

I nodded yes this time.

“I’m supposed to be able to
understand my environment and manipulate nature. That’s the goal, I guess.
That’s their goal for me anyway; they say it’s my potential. Here are some
napkins.” She tossed a pile in front of Chase. “Anyway, usually I just make
everyone feel better – happy.”

“OHHH!” Chase and I said in
unison. “That makes sense now.”

Elsie started laughing, and
before we knew it we were all doubled over in joy. “Wow, is your life always
like this?” I asked.

“Yes. I try not to force my
emotions on others. When someone’s emotions are already similar to mine, mine
will exaggerate their own. I’m still learning,” she said, placing her plate in
the sink. “Okay, you know where everything is now, so make yourselves at home.
I have to go call Connor and give him the new kid dish. Connor’s my boyfriend;
we’ve been dating since we were fifteen. High school sweethearts, you could
say. Oh, and he has technopathy. I know you were curious. He’s at school
already. I can’t wait to see him tomorrow. Thanks for picking me up! Although a
flight is shorter, my tickets were for a month away. I didn’t think Connor
would get back to school so soon! He was originally going to be gone longer. He
is quite the geek. You’ll find this out, but his talent is the coolest by far,”
she said with a wink.

“Sure, good night Elsie!” I
said.

We cleaned up the kitchen
and washed our dishes before heading up to our rooms, which were on either side
of Elsie’s. They were huge, complete with our own bathrooms. Elsie had
explained earlier that her parents had a room on the other end of the home and
she had two rooms, one on each side. This one she used while she had guests. I
would’ve expected Elsie to be more like Princess Asshat from back home, but she
seemed to be the opposite!

As we passed the first
bedroom, which was Chase’s, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into it. His room
was massive.

“Hey, can we talk for a
minute before you go to your room?” he asked under his breath.

“Of course!” I replied,
wondering why he seemed nervous. My stomach began to do flips.

“So, I know you like me,
but it’s hard having my feelings for you on display so easily, and I don’t know
how you’re feeling about me. I know you see me as a friend now, but do you like
me at all?”

This caught me off guard.
He was still holding my hand, which was very brave considering his confession.
I knew he wanted to kiss me, but he wasn’t going to. I also knew it was hard
for him to wear his heart on his sleeve without knowing if his feelings were
reciprocated.

“Chase, I do like you, but
I want to go slow. We are just starting a new school, and a serious
relationship is too much for me to handle right now.”

“Okay,” he consented. “Then
can we consider this our first date?”

I grinned. “Sure! You did
buy me coffee and make me a picnic.”

“Good, then a kiss good
night is appropriate.”

Oh great, I just gave him
permission…he’s going to do it…I’m not ready!
I started panicking. He leaned forward. I
could feel my stomach doing gymnastics. Not only could I feel my own
anticipation, but his as well, which was even more exciting. He gave me a
sweet, gentle kiss with a slightly open mouthed. I knew he was excited and thought
things were going well. I didn’t know why I was being so wishy-washy. Maybe I
was just scared. I ended the kiss, gently I hoped. I gave him a hug while
muttering goodnight and quickly ran to my room.
Did I see him wipe his
mouth? No! My first kiss…
As I shut the door I could hear him chuckling.

“OMG!” Elsie snaked her arm
out of her room and pulled me into it. “Okay, I want the real dish now! Is he
your boyfriend? Were you planning on getting a hotel tonight and I really
screwed things up for you? He obviously has the hots for you,” she said while
lying on her bed and tapping her fingers on a magazine.