“I still don’t see what makes her so perfect?”
Marcus is peering over my shoulder. “Who? Presley? I like her. She’s sweet and genuine, unlike some people I know.”
“Shut up, Marcus!”
“Geeze, jealous much?”
“It’s senior year. Brice was supposed to be with me. We were supposed to be the couple, high school royalty. Cheerleader and baseball captain. I mean, helloo.”
“You do know it’s more like cheerleader and quarterback, right.” He elbows me in the side as I roll my eyes.
“The little skank shows up out of the blue, and suddenly Brice is falling all over himself for her. I heard him tell Coach to add South Carolina to his list. All I know is, if she thinks she’s gonna take my man, she’s dead wrong.”
“First off, it was smart of him to add South Carolina, Ole Miss hasn’t sent any scouts yet, and second, you do know he was never yours to begin with. Leave Presley alone, Heather. You getting involved will not end well. And if you’re honestly wondering what makes her so perfect in the eyes of any guy on campus, do I need to remind you she showed up to homecoming in full camo and drives a classic truck? Ain’t nothin’ hotter than that, darlin’, besides, she’s low maintenance. Maybe you should try it sometime.”
*****
We get home from school, dropping our backpacks on the kitchen table, Robert opens up the fridge looking for something to eat before closing the door in defeat.
“So, when does your mom get home?”
“In about an hour.” He stops his hunt for food and grins at me with a devilish smirk, one that says he is a hundred percent up to no good.
“Don’t. Even. Think. About. It.”
“Think about what?” He waggles his eyebrows at me, moving slowly towards me as I begin to back away from him. He’s a predator stalking his prey.
“Robert,” I muster out in between spurts of giggles.
“Yes?” his eyes darken as he continues with his advances.
“Don’t you dare.” I’ve made my way into the living room; the couch is the only thing separating me from this demon-filled man.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Presley. All. I. Want. To. Do. Is. Snuggle. You.” His smile widens, overtaking his face as he hops over the back of the couch, and I sprint off through the house, looking for anywhere safe.
First through the kitchen and then back through the living room. Attempting to keep large pieces of furniture in between us, but it isn’t long before he hurdles over the coffee table straight for me. At the same time, I abruptly turn and head down the hall and out through the back door, laughing at our behavior and attempting to catch my breath.
“Get back here! You know it’s only a matter of time before I catch you.” The snow is deep, causing me to high step through it to move forward. Robert’s arm snakes around my waist as he tackles me to the ground, landing in a pile of fresh powder.
Our breaths are heavy, we’re panting, and still in a fit of laughter. “Why—do you—have to keep—running away—from me? You know—I’m always gonna follow you.”
Looking at him, he’s lying on his back, his head is turned towards mine, faces inches away from each other, he lifts a hand to tuck a hair behind my ear. He’s about to kiss me, and I’m already breathless, panting against the cold, but yet on fire at the same time.
“What the hell are you two kids doing out here?”
He stops his advances, looking at the back door and giving a little wave, rolling back against the snow in defeat. “Sorry, Momma.” He stands up and holds out his hand for me to take.
“Momma?” Confusion wipes away any playfulness. “Since when did you start calling her momma?” I notice my mother smiling at us as she holds the door open.
“Honey, he saved your life. He can call me whatever he wants to call me.”
He’s grinning larger than the Cheshire cat, and I roll my eyes.
“See,” he says before sticking out his tongue at me.
“You’re such a child.”
“Maybe, but I’m your man-child now,” he says before throwing me over his shoulder; my mom smacks my butt.
“Mom!”
“Sorry, dear. But you have such a cute butt.” I hear the smile in her voice as I push myself up against his back, only to see her turn and walk back into the kitchen.
“You really do, Princess. It’s one of my favorite things about you.” I feel a sudden pinch and look back at him as he bites my derriere.
“Will you stop it,” I say swatting at him, but he gives me his permanently goofy smile.
“Y’all go study. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And leave the door open!” Her voice trails down the hall, and Robert readjusts me on his shoulder.
“Always, Mrs. D.” Setting me down on the floor, he kisses me quickly on the nose and heads back out to get our backpacks.
Hours later, after Robert has gone home for the night and the dishes have all been cleaned up from dinner, I’m sitting in the living room with Mom watching TV before bed, and it hits me how perfectly head over heels in love I am with this man. Something changed in Robert out in the woods, he’s no longer a boy. Granted, he still acts like it from time to time, but then again, so does my Gramps and he’s sixty-five. Robert would do anything to make me happy.
“Hey, Momma?” I love the way he feels so comfortable calling her that. It makes my heart smile.
“Yea?”
“What if I didn’t go to South Carolina?”
She turns down the television and directs her attention to me. “Really? Does this have anything to do with Robert? South Carolina’s been your dream school forever. I don’t know if I’ve even heard you talk about another school.”
“I’m not saying I’m giving it up, but maybe I should apply to Ole Miss too. You know, as a backup.”
“If that’s what you want, dear. I still think both those schools are too far away. I would love it if you stayed here and went to school in the city, but I know you want to spread your wings.”
“Thank you, Momma.”
She returns the volume to normal, and a couple of minutes pass by.
“You love him, don’t you?”
I can't keep a smile from spreading across my face as I say “Yea. I really do.” It feels so good to tell her how I feel about him.
“He loves you too, honey. It’s crystal clear, you’re it for each other.”
Chapter Fourteen
One final, is the only thing standing between me and Christmas break. One final, that can make or break my GPA and sending four years of hard work spiraling down the drain if I lose my valedictorian placement.
Robert walks me to class and stops me before I go in. His hands rest firmly on my shoulders as my gaze shifts back and forth between his eyes and the open door leading into my Algebra 2 class. “Hey. It’s gonna be fine. You’ve got this.” He squeezes my shoulders before pulling me into a tight embrace, his lips lingering on my forehead, as I take a deep breath.
“But what if I forget everything?”