Waiting for Us (3 page)

"Oh my God. Just shoot me now and put me out of my misery." I groan out each word while holding on to my food baby.

"Don't move or I may hurl all over your bed," I groan.

"So if I were to tickle you right now that would be a bad thing?" He says with a mischievous glint in his eyes as his hands hover just above my stomach.

"Yes, unless you'd enjoy me puking all over you and your bed."

"Okay, I think I'll skip that option. How about we watch Jerry Maguire?"

"Hell yes! You are the best friend, ever Marcus O’Connor."

I love this movie so much. I can almost recite the whole thing word for word, but tonight I won't do that because it drives him nuts when I do.

         I grab a pair of Marcus' boxer briefs and a New England Patriots tee from his bureau and head into his bathroom to change. I never pack pj’s when I sleep over here. I always wear Marcus' clothes and I've been doing this for so long that at this point I don't even have to ask him. I brush my teeth and comb through my hair so it won't be a tangled mess in the morning, before returning to his bedroom.

I prop myself up on some oversized pillows, making myself comfortable on top of his blue plaid comforter while Marcus puts the movie on. He grabs the DVD player remote and lays back beside me on his bed. We've watched hundreds of movies lying together like this but somehow this time it feels different. I swear I can feel the heat from his body even though we aren't even touching. I shift from my back to my side, trying to get into a position where I feel less awkward. I prop my pillows up again and sigh.

"What's wrong Hails?"

"I can't get comfortable."

"Here, come on over," he says lifting his arm up so I can snuggle under it and lay on his chest.
Well, this is new.

I wrap my arm across his stomach and snuggle into him. He feels amazing and he smells even better. He starts running his fingers through my hair from the roots to the ends and I shiver as a result.

"Are you cold?" He asks, reaching for a throw to drape over us.

A quiet thank you is my only reply as he covers me with a blanket. I'm embarrassed at my body's reaction to him. It's better he thinks I'm cold than to know the real reason I shivered. He begins stroking my hair again and before I know it I'm drifting off to sleep.

I wake in the morning to extreme heat against my back and an arm wrapped around my waist.
Oh my God, oh my God! I
can't believe that we slept in the same bed all night.
Calm down.

I take a couple of deep breaths to settle myself down and relax back into the warmth of Marcus behind me.
Holy shit. Is that what I think it is? I wonder if he wakes up with that every morning?

I hold still hoping it will go away and that he won't wake yet. I'm trying to figure out the best way to extricate myself from this bed without him knowing when his arm around my waist tightens; pulling me up against the front of him. I feel the imprint of his morning wood against my ass and I can't help but wonder... what does it look like? I've seen pictures of a penis in health class but I've never felt or seen one up close and personal.
I really want to take a peek at it, but if I do he'll wake up. Decisions, decisions...

Marcus snatches the opportunity away from me by stirring from his sleep. As he's waking, he flexes his hips and rubs up against me, letting out a moan before suddenly rolling to his back. He exhales a big breath and lays his arm over his eyes.

I sit up, peering over my shoulder in his direction, waiting for him to address the elephant in the room.
The silence is freaking me out so I say a simple "Morning," before getting out of bed and quickly making my way to the bathroom.

Once I'm safely ensconced inside I gaze at my reflection in the mirror. My cheeks are flushed a nice shade of pink and my hair is stuck to the back of my neck with sweat. Ugh! I brush my teeth and use some mouthwash before throwing my hair up in a messy bun. I use Marcus' brush because mine is still in my backpack...which is in his room... with him.
I'm not quite ready to leave the safety of the bathroom yet, or to face him, so I redo my bun and splash some water on my face.
It's now or never.

As I walk back into his room, I’m relieved to find he’s no longer there. I quickly change into my bikini and board shorts before slipping on a black tank top and heading downstairs.

I find Marcus in the kitchen devouring the pancakes on his plate.

"Good morning Mrs. O’Connor," I say as I sit at their small kitchen table. I pour myself a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and glance at Marcus. His focus is solely on his plate and he keeps shoveling food into his mouth at a rapid pace.

"Would you like some pancakes, Hailey?" She asks me, spatula in hand.

"Yes please." I barely get the words out before there are two perfectly round, golden pancakes on my plate. I add some butter and syrup, already anticipating how delicious I know they will taste.

"Mmm, Mrs. O’Connor you are the best cook. If you were my mom, I'd be two hundred pounds by now. Marcus, how are you not a total lardo?" I ask, trying to draw him into the conversation.

"I guess I'm just genetically superior to you," he says with a wink.

"Or, it just hasn't caught up with you yet. Pudgedom awaits you in your 20's. You better make the most of these teen years because I see a big belly in your future. You will be the king of Pudgeville by the time you are 30."

His mother laughs and Marcus just smiles, shaking his head.

"Never gonna happen, Hails," he says with a smirk.

"What are you kids up to today?" She asks, raising her voice to be heard over the sound of running water as she rinses off the dishes.

"Wanna hit some waves? We haven't surfed in a couple days now."

"Yes! This is why I keep you as my bestie Marcus. Sometimes I swear you can read my mind."

"I need to go for a quick run. I haven't been training enough and coach will kick my ass if I'm not in shape for football camp. I'll meet you on the beach in an hour."

"Ok, sounds good. I'm going to grab my bag and head home."

I run up to his room and grab my backpack. I'm relieved that the weirdness from this morning seems to be forgotten and things seem to be back to normal between us.

As I walk over to my house, I see Jake and Cory lugging beach chairs and a big red cooler down to the beach.

"Do you guys need any help? I can carry something for you. I'll be down in a bit."

"We're all set Munchkin," Jake says over his shoulder as he makes his way onto the beach.

I pause for a moment and take in the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean before me. Our side property line abuts the dunes that flank either side of the wide opening to the beach, gracing us with an unobstructed view of sand and sea. It's a breathtaking sight.

I close my eyes and inhale the scent of the salt water. When I was a little girl, I used to think the fishy, salty smell of the ocean was horrible but now I love it. I breathe in deeply, savoring the crispness of the sea breeze entering my lungs before turning to go inside.

I decided that since Jake and Cory are already at the beach, I’m going to head there early; instead of waiting for Marcus. I grab my large straw beach bag that holds my towel and sunscreen and head out the door to get my surfboard from the garage. Since our house couldn’t be closer to the beach, I only bring what I absolutely need with me. It's easier to run back for whatever I want than to balance a bunch of stuff in my arms.

I immediately see where Jake and Cory are sitting so I make my way towards them gingerly maneuvering through the burning hot, dry sand. I’m always amazed that I don’t get blisters on the bottom of my feet from all the time my feet spend in contact with the scorching temperature of the sand.

"Hey, Hailey. How are you doing?” Cory asks.

"I'm good. Marcus and I are going to get some surfing in. How have you been?”
Holy shit, I just answered Cory's question coherently. I guess after having morning wood against my ass, speaking to him seems like nothing.

"I'm good. I wish I could stay here for the rest of the summer and not have to work."

"Dude," Jake chimes in, "I'm running back to the house for a sec. Do you need anything?

"Naw, I'm all set."

As Jake heads towards our house, he looks back at me and gestures as if to ask if I want him to bring me anything. I shake my head no and grab my surfboard.

"See you in a bit Cory."

"I'll be watching. Show me something good."

I give him as thumbs up as I head to the shoreline feeling self-conscious about the size of my ass, even though I’m sure he’s probably not even looking at it.

The water is fairly warm today but warm for this part of the country would probably feel freezing to most others. I paddle out on my board and sit up, so my legs are on either side, straddling it. I watch a few sets of waves to see where they are breaking. Once I have a good sense of their timing I lay on my board and start paddling with the flow of the ocean. The first few waves I ride are mediocre, but I catch sight of a big one in the distance and set up for it. As it gets closer, I start paddling as fast as I can, hopping up on my board at what should be perfect timing but somehow I've miscalculated. The wave is so large it knocks me head first off my surfboard and I flounder around until I’m violently dragged underneath the water. My whole right side is forcefully driven into the jagged rocks on the ocean floor. I grimace in reaction to the sharp pain as the current continues to drag me along the rocky surface.  I'm trying to get my bearings, but I'm being tossed around like a boneless rag doll. My surfboard is pummeling me from the force of the current and the fact that it is strapped to my ankle is a hindrance, not a help. The water is so rough it's a giant mass of churning white bubbles and I can't figure out which way is up or down. I start to panic and I'm not sure how much longer I can hold my breath for.

Oh God, please help me.
I start to pray.

CALM DOWN.

Find the surface.

I start to kick with my legs and push my arms against the water with as much force as I can muster, hoping this will stop me from tumbling, long enough to get upright. Crazy thoughts are racing through my head.
I'm not ready to die... I haven't even kissed a boy yet. 
When I finally feel as though I may be making headway I feel an ungodly pain first in my shoulder and then my head. Black spots begin to take over my vision and I know that this is it...

I'm. Going. To. Drown.

When I come to, I'm being carried in someone's arms before being gently placed on the sand. I'm in excruciating pain. My whole body hurts and I can’t help but cry out from the agony of it. It feels as though all the skin on my right leg has been violently scraped away and for all I know it has. I feel large, gentle hands on both sides of my face before I hear Cory's voice.

"Hailey, wake up honey. Let me see those beautiful eyes."

I moan at the amount of effort it takes to get my eyes to cooperate.

He rubs my cheek and kisses my forehead.

"Come on Hailey, I know you can do it. Open up your eyes for me."

My lids slowly rise and I meet the concerned, amber colored gaze of Cory's. He smiles at me.

"Thank God, you just scared the bejesus out of me. Okay, let's see if we can figure out what’s injured. Can you move your arms and legs?"

"Yeah, I think so." My voice comes out scratchy.

"Where are you hurting?"

I groan from the pain.  "Everywhere.” It feels like a truck ran me over. I'm in so much pain I can't even tell what parts hurt and which ones don't.

"Okay, let's try sitting you up. Take hold of my hand and I will pull you up."

I do as he says and gasp from the stabbing sensation in my head and upper back. He slides his other arm around me so I'm being loosely cradled by him.

"I need to carry you to your house. You have a decent sized gash on the back of your shoulder and I think you have a head wound also. Let's get you home to your mom and see what she thinks.”

He carefully picks me up, supporting my back and legs before starting towards my house. As we reach the dunes we meet up with Jake, on his way back to the beach.

"Hailey, what happened? Is she okay?" Jake is visibly shaken at seeing me a bloody mess, in Cory's arms.

"She took a header off her surfboard but let's get her inside with your mom first before I go into detail."

Jake rushes ahead and opens the door to our house shouting out.

“Mom, come quick!"

My mom hurries down the stairs and sees Cory cautiously placing me on the couch. My blood is all over his chest and I'm trying not to freak out at the sight of it. The fact that I've lost all that blood is making me feel shaky and nauseous.

"Oh Hailey, what happened?"

I don't say anything; I just grit my teeth from the unbearable pain as tears trail down my cheeks.

"She was trying to catch a really big wave and it threw her head first into the water. As soon as she fell I knew it was bad so I ran into the ocean and swam out to her as fast as I could. By the time I got there she had been under the water for about thirty seconds and she was pretty beaten up. I pulled her to shore and she was unconscious for less than a minute, but she was breathing fine. She's got a nasty gash on the back of her right shoulder and I think she has one somewhere on her scalp too."