Chapter 2
I remember the first time I saw her. We had just finished the first class of the day and Mike, Tom and I were walking across the school yard when I saw her. She had a white summer dress and brown sandals with straps going up toward her knees. Her skin was golden, and her sun bleached hair was flowing down her back in large heavy curls. She had an oval face, with a full mouth and a small straight nose and as she passed us going into the school, her green eyes sparkled in the sunlight. She smiled at us and her teeth were as white as in toothpaste commercials. When she had passed, the three of us turned and watched her swinging hips.
‘Holy Shit!’ said Tom, while we watched the door close behind her. ‘Where did she come from, and how do I get to meet here?’
Mike broke into a laugh. ‘Tom you are good with the girls, but I seriously doubt a girl of that caliber would be interested in a son of a mountain guide, she will be looking for someone with a Mustang and serious dough in his pocket.’
‘Bullshit, Mike. Give me a few days and I will have her wrapped around my little finger, you just watch and learn.’
I was still in a daze, and didn’t opinionate on the topic of Tom’s gift of wrapping girls around his fingers. I was sure she had smiled at me, not at us. Me, imagine that. I felt warm and there was like a cavernous feeling in my stomach.
‘John hello, earth to John, is you there?
I turned to Mike who was talking to me, ‘sorry I was a bit distracted.’
‘Yeah, I noticed, don’t tell me you too want to wrap her around your finger.’
I could feel my face blushing, and it embarrased me. I quickly changed the topic.
‘Guys we will be late for class, let’s get a move on!’
The morning passed slowly, one class after another, and I couldn’t concentrate. My mind was on the girl we had seen. If I could paint, and someone asked me to paint my fantasy girl, she would have looked like the one we saw. I wanted to meet her, I wanted to talk to her, but I didn’t know if I would dare, even if I had the opportunity.
During the lunch break Tom, Mike and I took our usual table by the window. We were discussing an assignment we had been given in Biology, which was due at the end of the week.
‘I can’t believe they give us these assignments already, it’s the first day of class,’ said Tom with a sigh.
‘Come on. It’s not so bad, I will do all the research and then we divide up the typing. It will be done in no time,’ said Mike.
I was just about to take a bite of my hamburger when I looked towards the entrance to the cafeteria when she walked in. Time stopped, all I could see was her walking towards the service area, picking up a tray on the way. Everyone else seemed to slow down, only she was walking at normal speed. She flicked her head and her hair cascaded to the side, she saw me. I tried to look away, but it was too late, she had seen me staring. She smiled and winked. Finally, I looked away, straight into Tom’s grinning face.
‘Wow, she gave you a wink, or was it meant for me?’
‘Cut it out Tom,’ I said, trying to sound cool.
Inside I was hot, I was actually sweating, and I could feel the drops running down under my arms.
‘Guys, especially lover boy Tom, might want to pay attention. Look where she is sitting,’ said Mike.
She had sat down at a table with Seniors, which made her at least two years older than us. I felt my heart drop. Even if I could find the courage to talk to her, I was dead in the water. She would have no interest in a younger guy, we all knew how it went; girls preferred older guys. Tom’s last girlfriend had been thirteen. According to him, she was very mature. Mike and I had laughed and asked how it was playing Barbie with her on the weekends.
When school finished, we decided to walk home instead of taking the school bus. The three of us lived close to each other. Mike’s house was closest to school, then Tom’s and finally mine. We were talking about maybe taking the bikes out the coming weekend.
‘Can your old man take us to the trail on Saturday?’ Tom asked Mike.
‘I think so, I will ask him, and let you know tomorrow.’
‘Great! I ordered that new exhaust system, and it should arrive this week, I am dying to try it,’ said Tom.
‘Ha! You still drive like shit,’ I joked.
‘Screw you John. I could outrun you any day of the week.’
‘Sure you could.’
‘See you tomorrow guys.’ said Mike as he walked up the path to his house.
‘See ya,’ we called back.
Tom and I were talking about the upcoming weekend and we decided we should ask permission from our parents to spend the night in the mountains. It was still warm, and we loved it up there. Mike’s older brother would sometimes buy us a six pack of beer which he would hide in his backpack. Even though it was warm by the time we drank it, it was heaven and we felt so grown up.
At Tom’s house I said hi to his mom who was out in the garden raking leaves. I thought she was the best looking mom in the entire town. She was a former Miss America Pageant beauty queen, and at forty-five still a real stunner.
‘Hey, wait up!’ I heard someone say behind me. I turned around and a silver convertible stopped behind me. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was her, the girl from school.
‘Sorry, but I am a bit lost. We just moved here a week ago, and this is my first time driving home from school. Can you tell me how to get to Maple Drive from here, please?’
I was dumbstruck. I tried to say something, but it got stuck in my throat. All that came out was a croak.
‘Maple Drive. How do I get there?’ she asked again.
I took a deep breath, and said. ‘you continue down this street, then at the second intersection you turn right, pass the bank and turn right again. At the end of that road Maple Drive begins.’
‘Thanks. By the way, you are John right?
Christ, she knew my name. How was that possible?
‘Can I give you a ride home, John?’
‘No thanks, I am OK. It’s just a little bit further.’
‘C’mon, get in,’ she insisted
She smiled at me, and leaned over and opened the passenger door. With my heart beating hard I got in and closed the door. I looked over at her, and I could not believe that I was actually sitting next to her. This close, she was even more perfect. As I turned my head I caught a glimpse of her legs where her dress had slid up a bit, revealing a little more thigh. My mouth was dry with the thrill of being with her and I wanted this moment to last forever.
‘Have you lived here for long, John?’ Her voice was soft, and a little husky.
‘Yeah, all my life.’
‘Really? I just moved here, and I already feel a bit claustrophobic,’ she laughed. It was one of those bubbly laughs that starts deep inside and just grows.
‘Well, I like it here, although I haven’t really been anywhere else to compare with.’ Before I had finished the sentence I felt dumb, how would she ever like me if I sounded like a hick.
‘Maybe we should run away together John, to see the world together. What do you think about that?’ She turned her head, and gave me that wink again.
‘OK, this is my house on the left,’ I said, ‘Thanks for the ride.’
‘Nice house. It looks very homely from out here; I would love to meet your folks.’
I got out of the car, and as I was retrieving my bag from the floor she grabbed my arm and wrote her number on my hand and said,
‘It was nice to meet you. My name is Brooke, call me! We should hang out sometime. You look like a nice kid.’
I closed the door and she drove off. I stood there looking after her, and then I looked at the phone number on my hand and I thought there was no way was I going to call her. She had called me a kid, like a kid brother. Was that what she thought of me? I walked up the pathway and opened the door to the house.
‘Hi honey.’ My mother’s voice came from the kitchen.
‘Hi Mom, I’ll be in my roo
m if you need me.’
I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes. I thought about Brooke and the number on my hand. Maybe I should take a chance for once in my life. I had never even come close to dating anyone. If Brooke was playing with me, at least I would have been played by the most gorgeous girl I had ever met. Would it be worth the humiliation if Mike or Tom found out, or even worse, the Seniors at school finding out? They would make my life a misery for weeks. As I laid there thinking things over, I must have fallen asleep until I heard my mother knocking on my door.
‘Dinner is ready, honey.’
‘I’ll be right down, mom.’
‘Who was that girl that drove you home today?’ asked mom while serving the casserole.
‘What? A girl took my shy son home today? That’s a new one,’ said my father looking at me over his glasses.
‘John has a girlfriend, John has a girlfriend. Did you kiss her?’ sang my little sister, Amy.
‘No Amy, I did not kiss her, and she is not my girlfriend. She is a new girl at school. She asked me for directions, and then she was nice enough to give me a ride home, nothing more.’
‘Well, she looked very pretty from where I was standing in the kitchen, John. It would be nice if you met someone. I know you are only fifteen, but it’s normal for a boy your age to go on dates.’
Christ my mother could get on my nerves.
‘I am perfectly fine with not going on dates; it doesn’t make me a leprechaun.’
‘I agree with your mother, it would be nice to see you spend less time on that bike of yours and more time with other interests, a girl maybe.’ My dad said dad whilst eating his dinner.
‘Talking about bikes, Tom, Mike and I were thinking about taking the bikes up the mountain this weekend. Would it be OK, if we spent the night?’
‘I guess that would be OK. Just be careful, and take enough clothes with you, it can suddenly get cold up there,’ my mom said.
After dinner we all watched TV, and then I went to my room. As I got my books out of my bag to do some homework, I saw Brooke’s number on my hand. Maybe it was my mom's comment about it being time I started to date so I picked up the phone, but before I finished dialing Brooke’s number I put the phone down again. I would die of embarrassment if her mom or dad answered. C’mon John, be a man I thought. She told you to call her so get it over with.
I picked up the phone, and dialed the number again. My heart was pumping hard in my chest and my hands were trembling as I listened to the first ring tone and then the second.
‘Hi, Brooke speaking,’ she said, her husky voice overwhelmed me and my legs were shaking, so I had to sit down.
‘Hi, this is John, you drove me home earlier.’
‘John! What a nice surprise, so nice of you to call. Listen, I am in the middle of something, but if it’s OK with you, we can meet tomorrow after school.’
‘Sounds good,’ I replied.
‘Why don’t I pick you up at the same place where we met today?’
Not good, I thought. If the weather was nice I would be walking home with Mike and Tom. Then I remembered, tomorrow my mom took my sister to Ballet classes, they would not be home at that time.
‘Pick me up outside my house.’
‘OK. I will see you tomorrow John, and John, I am looking forward to it.’ She made a kissing sound, and hung up.
I just sat there with the phone still to my ear. Had this really happened? Did I actually have a date with Brook the next day? I put the phone down, and laid down on my bed. I was almost falling asleep when I remembered I had to finish my homework.
That night, I dreamt of Brooke. We were alone somewhere in the countryside kissing and caressing. We were laughing and for some reason crying together. Maybe it was a sign of what was to come.