As Natalie rested against me, breathing softly, drifting off to sleep, I realized something.
You always wanted cut and dry answers to why things happened. Especially traumas. But the truth was usually messy.
Why did I feel like she was an angel sent to deliver some message to me, to my soul?
I slipped away from her for a moment, went upstairs and got the letter that scout had given me.
I hadn’t yet punished her for reading my private correspondence. I would. But all of the sudden, I felt so relaxed with her, like my path was finally becoming clear.
I was in no rush to get back at her.
There was no need to be frantic. She was placed in my life for a reason; that was as clear as day to me.
It was past eight, but still I picked up my phone and dialed the number of the scout. He picked up after one ring.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Chelios?”
“Who is this?” was his gruff reply on the other end of the line. I’d caught him by surprise.
“Shane North.”
He cleared his throat. “Oh. Happy to be hearing from you.”
“I thought a lot about what you said.”
“Have you now?”
“Yes. And I accept.”
“I’ll send over the details via email. I have to ask, what caused the change of heart?”
I glanced over at Natalie, sleeping soundly, her chest rising and falling. “No reason in particular. I’ve just been thinking a lot this week about life and stuff.”
I started Mighty Ducks II on the TV, climbed behind her and cuddled her, listening to her soft breaths as I drifted off to sleep.
Cherry came by the next morning—she’d been called in for an emergency shift yesterday so couldn’t make it then—and ran the concussion protocol. Elaine came by too, as she was just concerned about Natalie and the fact that she hadn’t been responding to Elaine’s texts.
Turned out Natalie was fine, but I was slightly concussed.
“How the hell did you get that mark on your head?” Elaine asked.
Natalie’s cheeks turned bright red.
“Ohhh,” Elaine grinned. “Fun in the bedroom. I get it. Hey, I’m into the freaky stuff, too. You’ve got to be careful, though.”
Cherry sighed. “Sometimes I wonder how my parents got our names so wrong. I definitely should have been an Elaine.”
“I know,” Elaine said. “And I wouldn’t have to even have a separate identity.”
“What is your stripper name?” Natalie asked.
“Peach,” Elaine winked. “Michigan peaches are totally underrated, you know. Totally not as well-known as Georgia peaches but they taste even better. In my opinion.”
Cherry sighed and shook her head. “She gets like this after she’s been out all night.”
“You haven’t even been home yet?” I asked.
“Nope! Busy night last night. I saw your two dumbass friends, Jared and Bob. They were all hopped up on something, along with their crowd. Kind of a weird vibe, to be honest. But I think they enjoyed the show.”
“What were they saying?” Natalie asked, squeezing my hand as she sat next to me on the couch.
“Just about how they were ‘really going to do it.’ What ‘it’ was, I have no idea. But someone kept talking about how they didn’t have the balls to do ‘it.’ Who knows.”
Natalie squeezed my hand so hard, it started to turn white.
“They’re crazy,” I said. “I’m done hanging out with them.”
“Don’t you work with them?” Cherry asked.
“I’m probably going to be having a change of employment coming up here soon,” I said.
“Did you accept the offer?” Natalie asked excitedly.
“What offer?” Cherry and Elaine asked in unison.
“I got an offer to play pro-hockey…and I accepted last night. It’s not much, but I’ll be moving to Chicago to go play.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
“Wow. What did your mom say when you told her?” Cherry asked.
“Haven’t yet.” My stomach curdled a little, thinking about that.
I was going to have pitch to my mom that we’d move to Chicago. We. Me. I couldn’t picture her living in Black Mountain year-round without me.
“I didn’t know you accepted officially!” Natalie couldn’t hold back her happiness. She kissed me and hugged me in front of the two sisters.
“You were asleep when I called them last night to confirm.”
“Well, I think this is as good a cue as any for us to head out. Shane, you’ll be fine, just no strenuous activity for the next few days.”
She looked at us, clearly noting the budding love, and that we’d be taking part in the activities that come with it, as we had this morning.
“Or just…you know. Get as much sleep as you can. Maybe no more punching your boyfriend in the face,” Cherry joked.
Boyfriend.
That word echoed into the void, its significance not lost on me. Jesus, we were progressing a little too fast.
When they left, Natalie took a shower while I made us breakfast and packed up her dad’s journals. Our plan was to drive down to Milwaukee, which had the nearest non-podunk airport she could fly out of. I had booked her a flight on a plane to Florida. We had called her mom, given her the flight information, and explained that Natalie was just feeling psychologically taxed from the week of being alone and wanted to come home for now. She’d finish going through her father’s belongings sometime in the future.
I put two plates out on the dining room table for us, and waited for Natalie to pack her suitcase. I would go back to her place and get the rest of her things and ship them back to her.
Maybe I was being overly paranoid. Bob and Jared were probably passed out by now after an all-night bender. But Elaine’s comments had me extra worried. Who knew which drugs they were doing? Who knew their psychological state? I wasn’t taking any extra risks. I even thought about the gun my dad kept hidden away upstairs, in the top of his closet. I’d never been a gun person. Didn’t think I’d have to use it.
But I knew it was there if I needed it, which I hoped I wouldn’t.
“Natalie, you almost done?” I called up as I finished cooking the eggs and sautéing a few sweet potatoes to go with our breakfast. “Be down in two minutes,” she called back.
That’s when I heard the knock on the back door.
A sinking feeling set in.
I didn’t answer. I turned off the stove, and stood there silently.
The knock came again, this time, louder. I thought about the gun. I wondered if I should go and grab it.
My heart sank further when I saw the doorknob turning, and I realized that even though the door was locked, my mom kept a fucking key under the *Welcome mat.*
Even their footsteps coming up the back stairs sounded desperate. Needy. Evil.
The door that accessed the house to the back porch opened, and Bob and Jared appeared.
Their faces looked more pale than normal. I knew, immediately. They had been out all night on a bender. God only knew what drugs were coursing through their system.
“Smells good in here,” Jared said as he sauntered into the dining room. “Whatcha cooking?”