The week starts as usual. Classes. Work. Home. Talk to Dane on the phone. Sleep... then repeat. Finally Wednesday, just two more days till the weekend, I go to class as usual. But the professor isn't in, there's a note on the door. Family emergency. See you Friday. Well, looks like I have the rest of the day off. Now what. So I stop by the math lab to see if they need any extra help and maybe I can pick up some extra hours. Nope, they don't need me today either. Well shit. I wander the campus for a little while, checking out the random sculptures placed in the grassy common areas. My pager goes off, it's Dane, odd. Why isn't he at work? I find a payphone and call him back.
"Hey babe!" he says "I didn't expect you to call for another thirty minutes. Arent you in class?"
"The professor had a family emergency. So, no class today." I say blandly "I've just been meandering around the campus. I really don't want to go home yet."
"Well..." he pause
After we left the watch lot and picked up Maddy, we decided to go to Bayfield Beach. When I was a kid, we would go every weekend. My dad would fish from a nearby pier and my mom would take us down the beach to swim. Lots of good memories here. I wiggled into my usual spot next to Dane and got comfortable, completely relaxed after much-needed alone time."What made y'all decide to go to Bayfield this late in the afternoon?" Maddy asked breaking the silence."Just something to do, "Ant said. "Don't like the beach Maddy girl?""I like it just fine. It's also cold as shit. I'm not getting in the water." She said"Who said you had to go swimming? We're just going to play in the sand and hang out on the strip for a little while." Dane said."I always forget about 3rd Street," Maddy said.The truck goes silent for the rest of the ride. Ant parks near the seawall and we all get out. It's dark by the time we get there, giving the oc
It's late August in 1997, I'm eighteen and fresh out of high school. I was living with Ken, my abusive now ex, my dad died in April and I had to get away from that house so I ran to his. But... I'm back now. I couldn't take the shit from him and his bitch ass sister anymore. I was cut off from my friends and my family. It was him and his super religious family all day every day. I felt like I was in a cult. Maddy helped me get out quickly and get back to my moms' house. My mother and I already have a strained relationship, I was the kid she didn't want, but home sweet home... or so they say. Maddy had the bright idea to go out tonight. I haven't been out or seen our group of friends in six months, thanks to Ken. He hated all of my friends. He said they were trash. He was upper class, and most of us were the blue-collar type. That made them less in his eyes. He let me know every day that he was slumming by being with me. Super fun, right? "Are you ready?" I he
My 18th birthday was months ago and I just got out of the worst relationshit of my life. I knew it shouldn't have gone past the first date, but I did it anyway. He was controlling and verbally abusive from the start. It didn't help that my friends hated him and had no problem letting me know just how much they wanted to drown him in his own hot tub. My soul sister, Maddy, had a plan to knock him out and hold him down to the jets. She said it would take him out faster. But... I'm stubborn and can not be wrong; a trait I inherited from my dad. (Thanks Pops.) I don't care how right they are. Eight months of my life I'll never get back. Oh well, fuck it. Tonight we're going out and I am finally free to be who I am and not have to listen to what a piece of shit I am for dancing with my friends or laughing at someone's jokes. I love to dance and it's been months. We pull into the parking lot of Big Tex's Road Hall. It's not really a club; the owners turned their recepti
*RING...RING...RING...* "FUCK! It's 7:30 in the morning. Who the hell is calling me right now!?!" I'm growling as I look at the clock next to my bed and reach to grab the phone. "Sup Bitch... I've heard about you this morning." you can hear the smile in Chuck's voice. "What are you talking about? And why are you calling me right now... I'm going to kick your ass later." I reply coldly "So... there's someone at my house right now. He's been calling everyone we know trying to find you. Lucky for them, they showed up at the right place. What the hell did you do last night?" Chuck's tone has switched to sly mocking. I'm going over the details in my head. There's nothing standing out. Dancing. Laughing. Late dinner... (or early breakfast, however you want to look at it.) Just the normal stuff. Nothing worth remembering..... Dane... That was worth remembering. The scent of his cologne floods back into my senses.
A week has gone by and I still haven't heard from Dane. Maddy and I have decided to bypass Tex's and go straight to Tremors. I was completely fine with that after I humiliated myself last weekend. What the hell was I thinking? Hopefully, they're at the other club tonight playing with Ants new flavor of the week. I have resigned myself to it was just him giving a little payback after I left him standing by the dance floor. It's fucked up, but not really a surprise. We are making our usual first lap around the club, just seeing who's there and if there's anyone worth flirting with. FUCK! There he is. Ant and Dane are playing pool on the other side of the bar. I grab Maddy, "Nope. Let's go to the other bar by karaoke. Ant and Dane are right there. I do NOT want to deal with that shit right now." Maddy looks across the bar right as Ant looks up from his shot, they make eye contact and he smiles. "Well, looks like that's out the window. We've been spotted."
The next few days fly by like a dream. I've learned Dane and Ant are roommates, which explains why they're always together. Dane and I rarely get any alone time. It almost feels like Ant is jealous. I'm not sure of what, but his behavior doesn't feel right to me. Maddy is still annoyed with me for leaving with Dane that night, but she's starting to get over it. Turns out Maddy met her own "Casanova" Saturday night. Frank, Ants buddy, is an interesting guy. He's on the shorter side, about 5'7, golden tanned skin, a shaved head with constant 5 o'clock shadow. But it's the beady brown rat eyes for me though. He always looks like he's up to something. It's almost unsettling. Maddy said it was the uniform that got her. He's a volunteer firefighter and had a picture of himself on top of a car putting out a house fire in his wallet... who does that? Maddy thinks he is the sexiest man walking, I think he's probably on a list somewhere. But she's happy. So I'm happy for her.
The next morning we were woken up by Tammys screaming "What the fuck!! I told y'all not to do anything on my fucking couch!! Get the fuck up and get out and take your slut with you!" Dane and I were still cuddled under the blanket, naked. Oops, guess we forgot to get dressed. Startled, Dane yanks the blanket up to make sure I'm covered completely. "It's a bit early for all this crazy, don't you think Tammy," Dane says lifting his head to face her. "Last time I checked, we were all grown. And you'll get over it. I promise." He kisses me on the head before dropping his back down on the pillow. Ant comes out of the room, "What is all this yelling... oooo oooo my boy got him some finally. We are gonna talk about it later." Ant says laughing turning his attention to Tammy. "Girl, leave them alone. You're just made they got some and you didn't." "A few times..." Dane mumbles and snickers to himself causing me to smile. I wiggle my rear into him tauntingly. "D
I was dropped off at home so Ant could go on his "date", and I could shower and get some much-needed sleep. I lay in bed going over the events of the past two days, over and over. How can I be falling for him so quickly? This still doesn't make any sense. What if it scares him off? I've got to try and distance myself. *RING*RING* I check the caller ID, a little disappointed, it's Scott. Not the name I wanted to see, but I haven't talked to him really since he helped me get all of my stuff from Ken's house. "Hello" I answer. "Hey, what are you doing this weekend?" His voice is full of energy and excitement. "Um, nothing that I'm aware of or have plans for. Why what's up?" I reply "So my mom is taking me and my brother to Queenstown for the weekend. Do you want to go?" He asks. "It'll be fuuuuun. You'll have your own room and everything, but we can stay up watch movies, eat bad food and go hang out on the Riverwalk. The hotel we are going