Alex stared more at the ground than me. She began twirling blades of grass around her fingers; her chin rested upon the knuckles of her other hand. I thought about how much she had done for me and I couldn’t bear the thought of being on my own and without her. And I knew it was because of me that she hadn’t moved out a month ago. She was eighteen now, after all.
Maybe I was being selfish.
I glanced over at her; the darkness shadowed her face.
“Alex,” I began, “if you want to move in with Liz, I’m really okay with it. And I’m not trying to guilt-trip you, either.”
“No,” she said softly, her gaze still lingering, “I won’t go anywhere if you won’t go with me. Probably a bad idea anyway.” She added, finally looking up, “I think Brandon likes me, so that’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
My chin drew back in surprise. “You’re lying!”
“I wish I was,” she said. “I mean, I could just be delusional, but he’s way too nice to me.”
“Listen to your gut,” I warned.
“Liz is so gullible,” said Alex, her face downcast, “and it makes me feel like crap.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I know, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”
My suspicions went into blame-mode suddenly. “...Ummm, why did you even consider moving in with them if you thought he liked you?” I never knew my sister to be a home-wrecker, but I couldn’t help but ask and get it out of the way.
She swung her head around to see me beside her. “No, Dria,” she snapped. “I just saw it as a way out of Jeff’s. Nothing like that.” I think she mumbled something like: “Can’t believe you said that,” but I couldn’t be sure. I felt guilty for thinking that way at all.
“I want out of Jeff’s as much as you do, but....” I had no idea where I was going with it.
If what I said was true, about wanting out, then why was I not sharing her ideas? Yes, I did want out, but I wanted our mom with us. Maybe I was being delusional. Somehow, part of me knew that Alex was right about mom. She would never leave Jeff. God, how could any woman be so blind and stay with a man like him? I knew I would never be like her in that sense.
So, I guess I did learn something from my mother after all.
We sat quietly for several moments longer, Alex still twirling the delicate grass and me absently watching her. I loved the summer night air, the sound of summer insects and the smell of summer wind. Nothing could beat it. My most memorable moments were of summertime with my sister and even though this particular moment wasn’t exactly a joyful one, somehow I knew just sitting like this with Alex underneath the giant oak, would etch itself deeply into my memory. I would never forget the pond and the trees and the smell of honeysuckle and pine. And I would always remember that stupid left flip-flop that Alex had worn down so much that she often stubbed her big toe when she walked. I tried to get her to toss them, but she refused. They were her favorite.
I glanced over at her, down at her feet and just shook my head smiling.
“What?” she said as she noticed.
“Nothing.”
“You better tell me, Dria, I’m not playin’.”
I just laughed and she punched me on the shoulder.
“Damn it, Alex!” I laughed harder.
A moving shadow pulled me out of my thoughts then. Alex stood up, letting the torn grass blades fall softly from her fingertips.
“Who’s that?” I said.
She looked down at me. “It’s Brent—I swear I didn’t plan this,” she whispered harshly.
I knew she was telling the truth. When her eyes bugged out like that, she was always telling the truth.
“Hey Brent,” she said. “What’s up? What are you doing here?” I could tell that Alex was mortified about this extremely coincidental turn of events, and worried that I didn’t believe her.
“Heard you mention at Solids & Stripes you were coming here and I just live two streets over,” he said, pointing. “Want me to leave?” I admit he was attractive. He wore a tight-fitting navy tee that conformed perfectly to every chest and arm muscle. Dark hair. Hard cheekbones.
He smiled at Alex and his bright eyes seemed to glisten.
Uh oh, I thought. I gave it a minute more before confirming my suspicions about him.
“No,” said Alex, “I just didn’t expect to see you.” She turned to look at me then. “This is my sister, Adria.”
Brent politely acknowledged me and turned his attention back on her. “Headin’ home, or are you up to swimming in the Fork? Adria can come too, if she wants.”
“I, uh...” she paused, “I’m not sure about tonight.”
“No prob,” he said. “Maybe tomorrow after practice then?”
Yep, uh oh was right on. Alex’s plan had backfired and I think she knew it too; her posture tightened awkwardly as if something just bit her. Brent was interested in her, not me. At first, it was a relief. I looked forward to messing with Alex about it later, until I realized how insulted I felt. Alex and I looked a lot alike, being sisters and all, but guys were always more into her than me. What is it? I said to myself. Did I get more of the plain or ugly genes than she did? Is it that Alex is more outgoing, more likable? Is it because she’s the older sister? Wait a second, why do I even care? I’m not the slightest bit attracted to this guy, even though he does look like Ian Somerhalder....
Alex interrupted my thoughts suddenly.
“That’s right, you play football,” she said to Brent. “Adria loves football.”
“No I don’t!” I didn’t mean to shout, but I hated football. I hated sports in general, at least the competitive version of them. Alex was so desperate to turn the tables back on me that she had resorted to blatant lies.
“I mean, I’m not into sports,” I said. “Sorry.”
“It’s cool,” said Brent. “Most girls I know aren’t into sports, unless you’re one of my sisters.”
“That’s nice,” I said, trying to hide the smirk, but I know Alex saw it, at least.
I don’t think Brent meant to offend me. He just gave me a weird feeling, putting me in the ‘most girls’ category. I liked to think I was my own person. And like competitiveness, I hated categories.
I stood and slung my backpack over my shoulder. “One sec,” I said, putting up my finger. I reached into the bag and pulled out a cell phone. It was a Pay-As-You-Go; I had been out of minutes for two weeks and the battery was dead, but I still carried it around. I pretended to be checking a text message. “Mom needs us to pick up some Advil on our way home.”
“Oh...,” Alex caught on quickly, “ok, well we better go. I guess I’ll see you later then?”
Brent smiled and walked away with his hands in his pockets.
“Good save,” she said to me.
We waited until he was out of earshot before leaving my special tree and heading in the opposite direction. She walked with a slight limp on that left foot, but I didn’t say anything.
“You did it again,” Alex said accusingly.
“Did what?”
“Always looking for a reason—you know what I mean.”
“No I don’t.”
“Yes you do,” Alex argued. “You’ll look for a reason to not like a guy until you find one. He can be perfect, but you’ll find one.”
“You’re not into girls are you?” she added warily.
“No!” I laughed. “And no one’s perfect; besides he’s a jock, Alex. You know I’m least attracted to jocks.”
“And preps,” she said.
“And conceited jerks,” I added.
“I know,” Alex laughed, “You don’t like anyone!”
“That’s not true,” I said as we slipped into the forest down the asphalt bicycle path. “I like Taylor Kitsch and that guy in Supernatural.” I couldn’t think of his name. “Jared Padalecki!”
“You only like him as Sam Winchester, so it doesn’t count.”
“Yeah, so.”
Alex shook her head. “Adria, you’re hopeless!”
Massive trees towered over us, blocking most of the moonlight from the clear dark sky. The bicycle path through the park was a short cut to our house, only by a few minutes. We always took this route after 8:00p.m. because the other way was right past Jeff’s mother’s house. She was more of a troll than our nosey neighbor, Mrs. Willis, was.
During the day the park was full of joggers and bicyclists. At night it was desolate and eerie. Even with the sound of the freeway in the distance, I still felt like I was far away from home, lost in the wilderness somewhere; after all, we weren't so far from the mountains. But tonight was different. I wasn’t alone.
And you always let down your guard when you’ve got company.
“Brent must’ve overheard me talking to Liz,” said Alex. “You believe me, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I believe you,” I said, “but you have to admit, it was a little weird.”
“You don’t believe me!”
I laughed. “No, really I do. It’s hilarious though.”
“What’s so funny about it?”
“That he likes you.”
Alex shook her head. “I never saw that coming.” She almost tripped over a branch lying across the darkly obscured path. “Well, I’m definitely not into him.”
My mouth fell open and I stopped abruptly. “Then what makes you think I’d be? Seriously!”
She shrugged. “I dunno,” she said, “he’s a jock, but not like Jasen Mills and his group of jock dickheads. Brent keeps to himself.”
“So why would that make me like him exactly?”
“Ummm, because that’s how you are?” she said, as if I should already know the answer to my own question.
Alex did have a point; I wasn’t one for hanging out with hugely noticeable crowds. But that still wasn’t a basis for trying to hook me up.
The truth was that none of this mattered anyway. I was annoyed by her trying to hook me up at all.
“I won’t do it anymore,” she said, as though reading my mind. “I promise.”
I frogged her as hard as I could on the arm.
“Crap, Dria! That hurt!”
“Paybacks.” I grinned.
For a moment, when Alex didn’t smile back at me I thought she was mad.
“What was that?” she said. “Did you hear that?” She stood there gripping her arm, but it was obvious something else was on her mind other than the inevitable bruise. She stared through the trees behind me.
So much for letting down my guard with company. The hair stood up on the back of my neck.
“No, I didn’t hear—”
Then suddenly I did hear something. It sounded like growling...sort of. I couldn’t tell. But what scared me was the strangeness of it, the foreign degree of danger in the ripple it left in the air. When you hear a dog growling you usually know right away that it’s a dog.