"No way. Maybe I'll get some fish and like a cool saltwater tank. Chicks dig that shit."
"Where do you get this crap?" I ask.
He points to his head, "It's all up here."
I shake my head. "Little do they know how much of a loser you are."
"The less they know, the better."
I unlock my phone to respond to Shannon just as Vance asks, "You gonna meet up with her?"
"Nah. Not feeling it." It’s the honest truth, he just doesn't know that his sister is the reason why. I send Shannon a text, and exit the conversation only to look at the last interaction I had with Veronica. I close the app before doing something stupid like messaging her.
"Any info on V's mystery dude?" I ask curiously, slipping my phone back in my pocket.
"Nope. She was pissy today. I didn't stick around for that."
"Taylor was pissy today too."
"Huh..." Vance grunts. "Maybe they have their monthly visitor. If that's the case, I'll be avoiding her for the next week."
"Dude," I deadpan.
"What?" He shrugs.
The sun has set by the time I leave the garage and head home. I spend another night in the gym; this time I work my legs until they feel like jelly. I feel myself start to drift the second my head hits the pillow, but my thoughts are busy. Visions of a certain brunette cloud my mind and --instead of trying to stop them--I let them play out until I’m fast asleep.
I pull up in front of the Russo's house right on time. Veronica comes out of the door with a little less pep in her step this morning. Her dark hair is in a braid that hangs over her shoulder, coming to rest right on her chest. I take a deep breath and then exhale when she opens the door and hops up on the seat. She hands me another mug.
"How many of these do you have?" I ask, slightly humored, while taking it from her hands.
"A lot. Dad has one for every day of the week."
"I washed the other two." I point towards the bag near her feet. She picks it up, mumbles a thank you, and looks out the window. She is visibly in a bad mood, so I leave her alone. The quiet is deafening.
“Are you okay?” I ask, carefully.
I hear her sigh, and a very faint, “Yeah.”
I'm not quite sure what else to say, so I drum my fingers on the steering wheel and continue driving towards the school.
“Yanno what?” She interrupts the silence, “No, I'm not okay.” Her voice is hard, and I hear her movement. I glance her way, noticing her body has turned towards me--her knee is bent up on the seat. I look back at the road but it's her face that has me looking back. Her eyes are narrowed into slits, and she’s glaring at me. “What is going on?” she asks, tired and defeated.
“I don't know what you mean,” I say, not entirely sure what she's referring to.
“Since you've come home, you've been flirty and making me think you like me. No. Scratch that. Not think. You've made it pretty apparent that you like me. Your messages, your stupid cute comments, letting me drive your car, comforting me, driving me to school…” she pauses to take a breath because she's talking so fast, “I think I've made it pretty apparent that I like you. I thought this was actually going somewhere and then it's like a door was slammed shut. You blow me off. Then you're cold and distant.” She sighs, and when I think she's done, she continues, “That hurt!”
I pull up to the school, “I'm sorry. I didn't mean for all that to be bigger than what you thought.” I chance a glance at her, and immediately regret it. The pain is all over her face.
She's quiet before sputtering, “That's it?”
“Yeah.” No.
“So, this whole time…you were--what? What was that?”
“I’m not sure what you mean. " I play dumb again.
“UGH!” She yells, completely frustrated, “I am so stupid.” She shakes her head, and her eyes bounce back to me, “No! YOU are stupid!” She opens the door and jumps out, turning to grab her bag. She stops when our eyes lock. “Don't worry about picking me up tomorrow.”
The slamming of the door startles me as I sit and watch her quickly disappear into the sea of students.
Damn, that sucked. It sucked real bad. I’m straight-up an asshole--and even worse, I'm a coward. A horn beeps from behind me. I'm holding up the line, so I reluctantly put my truck into drive and head to work.
At work, time stands still. I can’t focus. The heaviness I felt last night has returned full force. I am constantly zoning out and I’m not able to get any work done. I know this day hasn’t been beneficial to my clients, my father, or me. I’m not ashamed to say I did not want to deal with my clientele. Without a second thought, I canceled all my appointments this morning and decide to cut out early.
With no real agenda or place to go, I head home to change out of my clothing, and get out the Z. Something about driving aimlessly is comforting and calming. I head north toward the mountains, recalling a thrilling hike that takes you up the mountainside. There’s an amazing area that looks out over the countryside and, even better, the drive up is full of windy back roads. Perfect. I’m hoping that others aren't playing hooky and I can take advantage of the hike.
It's been years since I've been up to The Knob. I don't remember the drive being so tranquil. Large trees on either side merging above the road create a shadowed canopy and the air drops dramatically, but it feels good against my skin.
The road becomes rough and rocky. Not good terrain for the Z, so I downshift to slow the car as I steer it over a wide dirt lot with a couple of other cars scattered about. I park the Z a few spaces away from another car and cut the engine. A glare from a water bottle sitting on my passenger seat blinds me. I’m not sure how long it's been in the car, but water doesn't go bad right? I don’t know how long I’ll want to wander, so I’ll be needing it. Warm water is better than no water. I grab the bottle before getting out of my car.
There's an opening at the front of the lot and I spot an older couple walking out with their dog on a leash; they wave a hello as they pass. I smile, return the greeting and continue on my way up the dirt path. With nothing to entertain me, other than the surrounding wilderness, this morning floats to my thoughts. Her pain--something that was caused by me--was heartbreaking. I never in a million years would have seen this coming. My feelings for her crept up on me; fast. I find myself in more of a predicament than before. I hurt her. She could easily come clean to her brothers and they would be out for my blood. I'd like to think that she won’t do that. Veronica is unlike any girl I've ever met, but no matter who, a scorned woman is someone you don't want to mess with. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Something my dad once said.
The path becomes rugged, which makes me refocus on not slipping and breaking my neck. For the next hour, I hike the rocky incline until I make it to the top. I throw my hands up victoriously while my breaths come in deep and quick. I bend over, putting my hands on my knees, to help catch my breath. Once I'm breathing at a slightly normal pace, I move out towards the edge of the mountain and take a seat on a large rock that's easily twenty feet long. It allows my legs to dangle off the edge. The beauty laid out in front of me has left me speechless. I had forgotten how amazing this view is and for a fleeting second my thoughts shift to V, and how I want to bring her up here to experience this with me. I exhale slowly. Subconsciously, she keeps coming to my mind. What this means isn’t lost on me, and I'm left even more conflicted than before. I enjoy the slight breeze licking my sweat covered body--despite the sun shining. It causes goosebumps to form upon my skin. I twist off the cap of the bottle and take a long swig of water.