Eternal Spring (A Young Adult Short Story Collection)

  The door dings again as my aunt breezes through, carrying a bunch of flat flower boxes in her arms. I rush over to help.

  “Thanks, Chrissy,” Aunt Becky says, shooting me a grateful smile. Her short red hair is crazy, sticking up all over the place, but for some reason the messy look works on her. She rocks it. “I’m going to be here late tonight getting an order ready to ship, so you can head out. I’ll finish up.”

  “Are you sure?” I ask, though on the inside I’m jumping up and down in excitement. “I can stay if you need help.”

  She sees through my ruse and shakes her head, chuckling. “You’re bursting out of your skin. Go, run free. Enjoy the weather while it lasts.”

  I kiss her on the cheek and grab my purse. She doesn’t have to tell me twice. “It’s been slow in here today, so you should be able to get your work done. See you Monday after school!”

  With that, I step into the sunshine, breathing deeply, and dash to my crappy beater car parked on the side of the building. Then I stop dead in place, blinking rapidly.

  Underneath the driver’s side wiper is a single red tulip.

  I look around the small parking lot. No one’s around. Did someone leave the flower for me on accident, thinking my car belonged to a different person? There aren’t any cars in the lot though, much less one that looks like mine.

  Red tulip. Red tulip. I flip through my mental catalogue to find its meaning and draw in a shaky, startled breath. A declaration of love.

  Instantly I scoff at myself. No way is someone trying to declare anything to me. Working at a flower shop has made me read messages into something that isn’t there. I carefully remove the wiper and pluck the tulip from its resting place, rubbing my thumb over a soft petal. But that still doesn’t answer my most pressing question—who gave me a flower?

  And why?

  A mystery! This may possibly be the most exciting thing to ever happen to me. I can’t wait to tell Anna about it.

  With a sniffle, I dig my spoon into my half-eaten pint. “Every time I watch this movie, I cry,” I say with a slight whine. “Why do you like to make me cry?”

  Anna elbows me, also sniffling. “Hush. Eat more ice cream. It’ll soothe the pain. Plus, I think he takes his shirt off soon.”

  A deep chuckle comes from behind us. My face instantly flames, and I stare into my carton for a moment. Deep breath, Chrissy.

  I force myself to look over the couch at Curtis, giving him a carefree smile. “Laugh it up. You’re just jealous because we didn’t destroy our ice cream in point-three seconds, so we still have some to enjoy.” I’d gotten Curtis his favorite, cookies and cream, while at the store. I don’t know that he even chewed, he inhaled it so fast.

  He eyes me, and goose bumps break out across my flesh. He slowly grins, flashing bright white teeth. “Maybe I’ll just take yours.” His voice is like a slow spread of molasses across my already warmed body.

  I swallow, telling myself he’s just joking around as usual. There’s nothing serious in that look. Of course, my sensible words don’t penetrate my thick skull. “You’ll have to fight me for it,” I say, my voice strangely breathless.

  “Don’t make me use the force on you.” He takes a step closer. I can see the flecks of caramel in his eyes. The smile suddenly slides off his face as he tilts his head, studying me intently.

  Star Wars cracks become forgotten as we stare into each other’s eyes. My mouth opens of its own volition, and his gaze darts down to look at my lips, his eyes hooded. I can’t read his expression. I fight the urge to rise toward him and press my mouth against his.

  Anna snorts, reaching behind her to swat her brother in the stomach. “Knock it off, you two. Curtis, if you’re that hungry, go make a sandwich or something. I’m missing the movie hotness.”

  That breaks the spell. He retreats into the kitchen. I give myself the luxury of staring for a moment at his finely crafted backside, clad in a pale blue T-shirt and low-slung jeans, then turn my attention back to the movie. But I can’t help the small sigh that slips out.

  “You okay?” Anna asks, her brow furrowing in concern. “You’ve been quiet tonight. Do you need to talk about anything?”

  “Oh, I’m just thinking about a lot of stuff,” I say, forcing a lighter tone. “Like who gave me that tulip. It’s a mystery, wrapped in an enigma.”

  “Nestled in a cornucopia of surprise,” she adds, turning to face me and plopping her ice cream carton on the coffee table. “And you’re sure there’s no note? Has anyone flirted with you lately?”

  “No.” God, I wish. Could Star Wars jokes be counted as flirting?

  “Hm. Anyone at the shop come in and talk to you?”

  Good question. “Well, I had that yellow-roses dude. And this morning a guy came in looking for a funeral wreath for a neighbor who died.”

  “Doesn’t exactly set up a romantic interlude, does it,” she says with a laugh.

  “No, not so much.” That perfect tulip, pressed against my windshield, was placed there by someone who wanted to leave me a message. Could this be the nudge I need to get over my ridiculous crush on Curtis?

  “Oh, oh!” she exclaims, clapping her hands. “What if it’s Johnny-in-the-Way? You know how much he’s in love with you.”

  I groan. Anna and I dubbed John Richter ‘Johnny-in-the-Way’ freshman year because of his preternatural knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time—usually right in my path as I’m trying to make it to class. He also hovers by my locker way too often. It’s gotten to the point where I take extra books with me to avoid going over there. I feel bad because I don’t like him. He’s kind of nice, but just so…awkward.

  And he’s not Curtis.

  “That is so not funny,” I tell her with a mock scowl.

  “So, who do you want it to be?” she asks, leaning back on the couch and eyeing me. “You know, if you had your choice. Who would be your dream guy?”

  I know exactly who. It’s right on the tip of my tongue to tell her about my feelings for her brother. But he’s still in the house somewhere, and I’m petrified of what she’ll think. Plus, I still vividly remember what happened with Cara. A couple of years ago, one of our casual friends started asking to hang out more and more with Anna. Turns out she, too, had a (surprise!) huge crush on Curtis. Anna was hurt about being used like that and stopped hanging out with Cara shortly after.

  It would kill me for her to think I’d do something like that.

  “I hope it’s this dude,” I say, pointing to the TV right when the hero takes his shirt off, exposing a carved six-pack and killer arms. “He’s sooooo dreamy.”

  “No kidding. So hot.” Luckily she drops the subject, sighing happily with me as the guy jumps into the pool.

  “Chrissy,” my mom hollers up to me on Sunday morning. “Get your butt out of bed. It’s almost nine!”

  I groan, smothering my head beneath my pillow. I got little sleep last night—and not just because my dad snores like a drunken sailor and I could hear it from down the hall. I couldn’t stop thinking about my tulip, which is now in a thin glass vase by my bedside. So silly to fixate on such a small thing. After an hour or so of lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, thinking of brown eyes and red petals, I decided my best course of action is to simply let it go. I’m likely reading too much into what was a sweet, but random, gesture.

  “Okay,” I yell back. With a heavy sigh, I flop out of bed and shuffle my way through a shower, then towel off and throw on some capris and my favorite Star Wars T-shirt, the one with Han Solo frozen in carbonite. Anna, Curtis and I went to an all-day showing of the six Star Wars movies at our favorite theater last summer, a junky little hole-in-the-wall that serves cheap popcorn and plays all kinds of old flicks on the big screen. We’d each picked out a shirt to wear—plus, Anna twisted her long blond hair into Princess Leia buns, and Curtis kept calling me a youngling, threatening to drag me to the dark side.

  I wish. I’d visit the dark side of the theater with him for a
serious make-out session. Yowza.

  No. I focus on brushing my dark brown hair and tugging it up into a ponytail, then make my way downstairs.

  “Thank you for joining us, princess,” my mom says sweetly, coming out of the kitchen into the hallway. She wipes her wet hands on a dishtowel, slinging it over her shoulder.

  I feign a yawn. “I figured it was time to let the peasants get another glimpse of me.”

  “Well, you’re full of it today.” She laughs, heading toward the living room. “Breakfast is on the table. Hurry before your father comes downstairs and eats it all.” After a pause she says with a sly smile, “And something came for you earlier today. It’s by your plate.”

  My heart thuds erratically in my chest. I run into the kitchen and spot a small purple flower with a note folded underneath. Oh my God. Oh my God. “Mom, who sent this?”

  “Some neighborhood kid dropped it off about an hour ago,” she says loudly.

  “Why didn’t you wake me up?” Holy crap, another flower! There’s definitely something in this. It wasn’t a random event. It’s a real, intentional thing. With shaky hands I pick up the wildflower. It has thin purple petals, with a burst of yellow pollen in the middle. I’ve never seen it before.

  I tug my phone out of my pocket and take a pic. It takes me about fifteen thousand tries to type out in a text to my aunt, What kind of flower is this? I send her the pic and text and put the flower down, then pick up the typed note. A slip of paper falls out. I read the message first:

  Noon today. Rainforest, by the big tree. Please come.

  My heart rate picks up even more, and I bite my lower lip. The paper is a ticket to the Cleveland zoo, including the rainforest. I haven’t been in a couple of years. Glancing out the kitchen window, I can tell it’s another beautiful sunny day.

  Should I risk it? Is this stupid?

  My phone vibrates. Now my pulse is racing to the speed of heart attack. I pull it out. The text is from my aunt: Aster. Beautiful flower! It’s a symbol of love and trust. Oooooh—I want details, missy! ;-)

  Will talk later! I type back. Then I dial Anna’s number.

  “Hello?” she says, sounding as groggy as I did half an hour ago.

  “OhmigodAnnayouwon’tbelieveit!” I say in one big exhale. I force myself to slow down. “Okay. I got another flower. An aster, Anna!”

  “Uh, I assume that’s a good thing,” she says, deadpan.

  “Someone is sending me deliberate messages. And the person wants to meet me at the zoo. And I…” I swallow. “I think I want to go. I need to go. But you have to come with me.”

  “You want me to be your backup date in case Johnny-in-the-Way turns out to be a dud?”

  “Hardy-har. I can’t go by myself. I don’t know who it is. And I’m so nervous I’m going to throw up.”

  “No throwing up in my kitchen,” my mom says, coming in and planting her hands on her hips. “What’s going on?”

  I gesture to her to wait one second. “Anna, will you come?”

  “Hell, yeah. Wouldn’t miss it.”

  “Great. I’ll get you in an hour.” I hang up. “Mom, I just got asked out on a kind-of date!”

  One eyebrow raises. “Um, I don’t really know what to say to that.”

  I explain the situation. As I’m talking, she crosses her arms over her chest.

  “I don’t know if I like this,” she says. “It’s not safe to go meet someone you may not even know.”

  “It’s romantic,” I exclaim. “No one’s ever done anything romantic for me, especially not like this. And I’m sure it’s not a stranger. It has to be someone at my school. Look, Anna’s gonna go with me. We’re meeting the person in a very public place. I couldn’t be any safer than if you were holding my hand. I promise to text you, okay?”

  She purses her lips and studies my face for a long moment. “Well, okay.”

  I squeal and hug her.

  “But keep me posted,” she adds. “Because now I’m dying to know who it is.”

  “Me too,” I throw out over my shoulder as I run upstairs to get ready.

  Twelve-ten. Mystery man is late.

  “Maybe he got caught up in traffic,” Anna offers. “You know how crappy driving in Parma can be.”

  “Or maybe he changed his mind.” I lick my lips and glance around the crowded dome. Families pushing kids in strollers, Amish couples, all kinds of people wade their way through the damp, warm air of the rainforest. “Maybe I misunderstood.”

  But I didn’t misunderstand. I read that stupid note, like, five hundred times in the last hour. My heart sinks clear down into my stomach. I took a chance and it blew up in my face.

  “Hey, don’t worry. Please.” She hugs me. “I’m gonna walk around and see if I recognize anyone from school, okay? I bet the person is just feeling shy for some reason. Stay right here.” She runs off.

  I wrap my arms around my torso and stare at the gigantic tree, hollowed out so people can wander inside. I feel so very stupid right now.

  “Chrissy,” a familiar voice says from behind me.

  I spin around, unable to hide the surprise from my face. “Curtis? What are you doing here? Are you looking for Anna? Because she—”

  He steps close to me, so close I can smell the richness of his body spray. He looks delicious in dark jeans and a faded black T-shirt. “I’m not here for my sister.”

  That shuts me up. Does that mean…? Did Curtis…? This can’t be real.

  His gaze skitters away. I can see a pulse throbbing erratically at the base of his neck. Is he nervous? “I’ve been trying for so long to talk to you,” he says in a husky tone, looking down at his feet. “I just never knew how. And then you go and bring my sister with you.” He chuckles, shaking his head.

  “What do you want to say?” I blurt out.

  He reaches out and takes my hand, his thumb gently caressing the top. It sends shivers across my skin. “Do you like me, Chrissy?”

  “You’re joking, right?” I can barely speak past the lump in my throat. How can I tell him how I feel about him?

  He glances at me. His eyes are so warm, so dark. Then he smiles, that dimple creasing his cheek. With his free hand he strokes a strand of loose hair behind my ear. “I’ve had a crush on you for the longest time. But I figured you only saw me as your friend’s doofy brother.”

  Oh, God. Anna. How could I forget about her? I stiffen, swallow. “I fell for you a long time ago, Curtis. But I have to tell you, I value my friendship with your sister. I saw how…well, how others made her feel when they were trying to date you. I won’t treat her like that, even if it means ignoring what I really want.”

  He leans down. “And what is it you really want?”

  The breath whooshes out of my lungs. “I really want to kiss you,” I find myself saying.

  A kid runs by us and I lean out of the way, pushing me nearer to the heat of Curtis’ body.

  “Anna set this up, you know,” he says, moving closer, closer. His lips are no more than a couple of inches from mine. His eyes are piercing me, seeing everything I’m feeling. Mirroring that longing back.

  He wants me. Wow.

  Wait—my mind rewinds back to what he said. “Your sister knows?”

  “You two are the most ridiculous people I’ve ever met,” Anna says, coming out of nowhere, a huge smile on her face.

  I turn my eyes away from Curtis and pull back, heat blazing across my cheeks. “Um, hi, Anna.”

  “Do you know how long I’ve watched you guys moon over each other?” She laughs and gives me a quick hug. “Chrissy, honey—I know how you feel. And guess what—doofus here feels the same way.”

  Curtis shoots her a glare and elbows her in the side. “Knock it off,” he says hotly.

  I laugh. “Okay, so am I the last one to know what’s going on?”

  Anna rolls her eyes dramatically. “Curtis wanted to know the best way to get your attention. I told him to try flowers. Obviously, I am a genius.”

  N
ever would I have believed I’d been so transparent…and missed so many clues. I take his hand, stroking his fingers. “I can’t believe you like me.”

  “I can’t believe you like me,” he replies.

  “And I can’t believe I’m watching this. I’m going to get ice cream. You two don’t make a baby in front of the children, okay?” With that, Anna leaves.

  Curtis moves closer to me. “Now, where were we?”

  I smile. “I think we were talking about what we really wanted.”

  His eyes get that sexy half-lidded look again, and he brushes his mouth across my lips. “That’s right,” he whispers against my mouth. “Now I remember. I want you to be my girlfriend. By the way, you look very sexy in that shirt.” He skims my hips, sliding his hands across to my back, his thumb kneading my lower spine.

  I sigh and wrap my arms around his neck. “Thanks. The flowers were beautiful, by the way. Oh, and as your girlfriend, I have our first order of business.”

  He pulls back slightly to look at me. “What’s that?”

  “I’m starving. Let’s make Anna buy the ice cream this time.” I can’t stop smiling.

  “Deal.”

  We weave our way through the crowd, hands clasped tightly together.

  ***

  Rhonda Stapleton is the author of the Stupid Cupid books. Her newest release Struck, the 3-in-1 volume of the romantic comedy trilogy. Rhonda lives in Ohio with her husband, two kids, three dogs and a cat. When she's not writing, she's busy buying foxy shoes, drinking way too much caffeine and singing in the shower--but not at the same time. Visit her website at https://www.rhondastapleton.com for more information about her and her releases.

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  Dating After Dark (With Clowns)

  By

  Tawny Stokes

  As I turned up the Sum 41 tune blaring from the CD, the speakers rattled in the car door. The stereo system in the new Toyota Matrix kicked ass. I had to thank Dan for loaning me the car. I didn't ask him when he got it, mind you, or why he needed it. There are just some things a person just shouldn't ask a Great Duke of Hell . But I had to have some kind of vehicle to pick up Aspen. It was our first official date, and I didn't want to come off as a complete douche with a pocket full of bus fare and a transit map.