We were halfway through the new school year.
Lucas and Alex barely said two words to each other and that happened only when we were all together. Something came between them. Cole Hayes managed the unthinkable. He drove a wedge between them and gave Lucas a run for his money. Half-Pint finally admitted to me what’s been going on with her and Lucas for years. Since they were kids. I tried to call Lucas out on his bullshit behavior, for stepping into McGraw’s old shoes and sleeping with anything that had a pulse.
There was a huge divide between them and I hated seeing Alex so torn up and hurt about it. Lucas, well Lucas just pissed me off. We were all young and stupid but little did we know they would spend years playing this cat-and-mouse game. The boys didn’t help the situation either. Dylan calmed down a bit about it, but I think it was just because I influenced him as much as I could.
Though it wasn’t much.
Jacob, well he was another story. He was probably one of the biggest factors as to why they stayed on different sides of the fence, fighting off their feelings that we all knew were there. He was as thickheaded as they come. Except, when Lily was around. I tried not to pay too much attention to it, just because she was still such a little girl.
Austin, I genuinely cared for that boy. It was hard not to. There were times where I swear he would look at Dylan and I, with jealousy in his eyes. Not because he had any feelings toward me other than friendship, but because he wanted the intimacy that came with a relationship. It wasn’t the sex he craved, it was the emotional connection. Sometimes I felt as if he was as lonely as I was before I met Dylan. Maybe he was born that way too.
It made me sad for him.
I couldn’t imagine standing in a room full of people who loved me and still feel so alone.
“You ready, darlin’?” Dylan asked, coming up behind me at my locker.
“It depends,” I giggled as he tickled my neck. “Are you going to let me drive your Jeep?”
He smiled, as he spun me to face him.
“Not a chance in hell.”
I frowned. “Why? I have my license. You were there when I passed. Remember, you wouldn’t stop flirting with my aunt?”
My Aunt Celeste loved, I mean really loved Dylan. I couldn’t blame her. He charmed the pants off her.
She never stood a chance.
McGraw got up at the butt ass crack of dawn, his words not mine, to witness this monumental event in my life. I was very excited to have two of the most important people in my life be there with me although I wished my mom had made it too. She was supposed to be the one to take me that Saturday morning, but at the last second she got called into the ER, for some head-on collision accident.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed and tried my best to hide it from both of them. Dylan and I watched Saturday morning cartoons instead, knowing it was one of my favorite things to do back home. When my doorbell rang not even five hours later and my Aunt Celeste was standing there with a great big smile on her face to take me to get my license, I jumped into her arms. I thought my mom called her like she had done so many times in California to fill her shoes.
She didn’t.
Dylan had taken my phone without me realizing it when I went and cried in the bathroom for a few minutes. He called my aunt and she was on the next flight out.
I couldn’t have loved him more than I did in that moment, and I privately thanked him later for it. We still hadn’t had sex but we did everything else. I don’t know how he resisted the urge. We came close a couple of times, but he never allowed it to go any farther than us just messing around.
He said I wasn’t ready yet, and maybe he was right.
“Suga, that’s just my Southern charm.” He kissed me.
“Please! Can I please drive your Jeep? How am I ever going to learn how to be a good driver if I have nothing to practice on?”
My mom said I couldn’t have a car until I got more experience, which was interesting seeing as though she was never around for me to gain it.
“Oh, you know how I love the beggin’.”
I smiled.
“Hey, you guys ready?” Alex interrupted, holding her books against her chest.
“Yep! McGraw is going to let me drive. Keys please,” I stressed.
Alex smirked, peering between us.
He placed his keys out in front of him, but then snatched them away from my hand when I tried to reach for them.
“What do I get?” he arrogantly demanded, tugging on the ends of my hair.
“A thank you.”
He cocked his head to the side, waiting. Alex blushed and looked away.
I stepped toward him, standing on the tips of my toes and whispered into his ear, “I’ll do that thing you like.”
He nudged his nose on the side of my cheek, murmuring, “What thing?”
I sighed. “You just want me to say it.”
“And yet I’m still waiting.”
I got in closer to his ear. “I’ll talk dirty to you while you go down on me.”
“While I do what?”
I narrowed my eyes at him and he grinned.
“While you eat my pussy.”
Just like that, he handed me his keys.
Aubrey was one hell of a fucking runner.
The girl was like the speed of lightning. I thought she was fast when I saw her running down my street, but that was nothing. She said she was nervous to try out for the track team because she hadn’t ran in months, and she usually spent months conditioning prior to the season starting back in California. I showed up at her house one morning when the sun was barely out and her mom was just getting home from work.
I told her I was there to help Aubrey get back in shape for track, since tryouts were a month away. She smiled, patted me on my shoulder and told me that I was one of the good guys and proceeded to ask me what I wanted for breakfast. Aubrey was sound asleep when I tiptoed into her room. It was cold that morning and she looked so warm and soft in her bed. I crawled in behind her and wrapped my freezing cold arms across her waist, tugging her toward me. She shrieked so damn loud I thought she might have woken up the neighbors.
She called me an asshole and tried to fight me off, which only made me hug her tighter.
But she got up.
And I got to cop a feel.
Time was going by so fast. It was February and Aubrey was well into the track season. She didn’t have one problem making the team. Our morning runs paid off, she made varsity right off the bat. She was up for all-state champion that weekend and her aunt couldn’t fly in for the competition. Aubrey said she wasn’t going to bother her mom with it, she knew she was busy.
I knew the real reason.
She didn’t want to be disappointed.
The team had been practicing late most days. Sometimes I stayed and watched. Other times I went and surfed with the boys, but I always came back to pick her up. I took her to and from school everyday.
I walked up to the nurse’s station at the hospital.
“Hello, how can I help you?” the receptionist greeted.
“Hi, I’m looking for Dr. Owens.”
“Oh, you’re in luck.” She looked away from her computer screen. “She just got out of surgery. She’ll be in her office. Go past those double doors towards the ER.” She pointed down the hall. “Once you get there take the elevator up to the fourth floor. Her room is 479.”
“Thank you.”
I made my way up toward her office, pausing for a minute before knocking on the door.
“Come in.” She smiled when she saw me. “Dylan, what a nice surprise. Is Aubrey okay?” she worried.
“Yea and no,” I honestly spoke.
She placed her hand over her heart and breathed out, “Have a seat.”
I did, looking around her office. She had pictures of Aubrey everywhere, and I immediately wondered if Aubrey knew about it.
“So what do I owe the honor for this unexpected visit?”
I smiled. “I’m not sure if you knew that Aubrey made states for track.”
She leaned her back against her chair, her happy expression quickly faded. “No.” She shook her head. “I didn’t. She didn’t tell me.”
“Yeah, she—”
“It’s harder to keep tabs and know what’s going on with her here,” she interrupted out of nowhere. “Back in California I knew everything. Her dad or aunt would tell me everything. Sometimes Aubrey, but usually not,” she informed.
“She needs you,” I stated. “With all due respect, ma’am,” I added.
She nervously chuckled. “I know.” She fidgeted with her fingers for a few seconds. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but you’re a good young man. I like you, Dylan. My daughter is happy. I haven’t seen her this happy in a long time. I guess, I don’t know, maybe it’s why I don’t worry about her, as much I should. Since I know she has you. Thank you for taking her under your wing.”
“It’s been my pleasure,” I simply stated.
She affectionately nodded. “It’s hard to do this single parenting thing. I’m probably doing a really shitty job, huh?”
“I—”
She put her hand up in the air to stop me. “Don’t answer that,” she paused. “I’ve always been the provider. That was my role. Aubrey has never wanted for anything. It didn’t matter what it was or how hard it was to get, it was hers. Her father and I used to fight about it all the time. The only reason I haven’t bought her a car is because I’m scared,” she admitted out loud for what seemed like the first time.
“I’m terrified something will happen to her. She’s my whole world, Dylan. My reason for living. I love her. I love her more than anything in this world. Please know that.”
“I do. So does Aubrey.”
“You really are a good guy. Look at you lying to make me feel better.” She looked down in her lap, thinking about what she wanted to say. “It’s hard to be her mom in the way that she needs me. That’s not a cop out, I swear to you it’s not. I just don’t know how. I tell myself everyday when I look in the mirror. I say today is going to be the day. I’m not going to work so much. I’m going to get to know my daughter. I’m going to be there for her. I’m going to do all those things I know she needs. All those things that I want.”
Her eyes watered. “But I can’t. I don’t know how, and I’m scared of losing her. I failed my marriage, my husband, and I don’t know if I could handle failing her, too.” A tear escaped from her eye but she quickly wiped it away.
Here sat this woman I barely knew, other than through passing, and there she was sharing her deepest, darkest secrets with me.
“I’m not one to judge, ma’am. I love your daughter. I love her very much. I didn’t know love like that existed. I hate seeing her sad or upset. That’s why I’m here. It’s why I came. I know she would really love it if you were at that meet tomorrow. Sitting in the stands cheering her on.”
She nodded.
“It starts at seven in the morning and it will probably go till after lunch. It won’t fix everything, but at least it’s a start.”
“Did she tell you about—”
“Yes, ma’am, she did.”
“I figured as much.”
I stood and she followed, walking me toward the door. At the last second I turned to face her.
“You know, everything you just said to me. You should say to her, because I’m positive she would love to hear it.”
She nodded again.
“I hope she gets to see you tomorrow. Have a good rest of your day, ma’am.”
I turned and left, not looking back.
“Dylan!” she shouted when I was near the elevator and I looked in her direction.
“Thank you.”
“What if I don’t win?” I asked as he pulled into our school parking lot.
“Then you don’t win.”
“That was the worst pep talk ever. You’re fired.”
“You win some, you lose some, suga’. All that matters is that you tried.”
“You should have led with that.”
He laughed, tugging on the ends of my hair.
I warmed up on the track, getting ready for the long day ahead. The stands were quickly filling. Alex and the boys all showed up to show their support. Not going to lie, I was nervous.
I wanted to win.
To prove to myself that I was still that girl from back home, and even though my father left, it didn’t have to define who I was. I could be happy again. Here in Oak Island with Dylan and my new friends who all quickly became my second family. I didn’t feel broken or lonely anymore, I could have a fresh start.
When I heard the buzzer sound off for the first round of schools to start getting ready, I looked up back toward the stands. I found Alex and the boys, but no sign of Dylan. I peered through the crowd trying to find him. It didn’t take long, he stuck out like a sore thumb with his long blonde hair and his large, stalky build. He was walking toward someone with his hands up in the air, and I followed his gaze.
My mom.
She had never been to one meet.
Not one.
There she was walking toward the boy that just made me fall in love with him a little bit more.