Big Time Love

Chapter 4 - Unraveled

We walked out of the Palmwoods and got into his car, a red convertible Mustang. “Nice car.” I said to him from the passenger’s seat. “It’s new.” He said happily. I laughed and turned on the radio, “Any Kind Of Guy” blasting through the speakers. I saw Kendall reach over and lower the volume, the tips of his ears turning red.

“Sorry about that…I like the words…” he said shyly.

I smiled whole-heartedly and giving it all my confidence, winked at him as I said, “Me too.” He turned even redder and drove out of the parking lot. With the top down, we drove into the rough Cali traffic and basked in the new day sun.

We were in the car for thirty minutes until the nearest Starbucks. Kendall ordered me a latte and he got his own drink. Coffee wasn’t all that bad, or whatever this stuff was made out of.

We drove and drove and drove until he finally stopped at Santa Monica Beach. We got out of the car and walked along the dunes, leaving sinking footsteps in our trail. The sun was just right, the breeze felt nice against my skin, and I could tell already, it was going to be a perfect day. Our arms kept brushing against each other and I had the familiar urge to grab his hand.

Then Jo came to mind. How would she feel if she found out about something like that? Put yourself in her shoes, Sam. I sighed guiltily and walked alongside Kendall until we got to the nearest bench.

I sat down, my bare legs brushing against the scraping wood. Kendall plopped himself down and put face in his hands. I glanced over and noticed how upset he really looked.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

He sighed deeply and looked up at me with those now sad green eyes. “I haven’t been able to sleep right lately. I have a lot on my mind.”

“What happened though?”

He shook his head. “It’s a long story.”

I half-smiled and tugged at my ears playfully. “Open ears!”

He laughed and said, “Alright, if you insist…” the playfulness gone, Kendall told me what was bothering him.

“I think Jo and I…I think we’re drifting apart, I mean, I have the band, and she has New Town High. We never see each other…I mean come on! Look at me and you! WE’RE spending time together, during the summer, like normal people. Whereas Jo would rather act, act, act! She told me that it was best that way, she’d get better auditions. I respect her decisions…but she’s also my girlfriend…or….she was. She got a gig in New Zealand…it’s over.” He put his face in his hands and stayed quiet for a moment.

I reached over and gently put my hand on his back. “Kendall…I’m so sorry…I didn’t know...”

He looked up at me and gave me a half-hearted smile. “It’s fine, thanks for being there Sam.”

I smiled and said, “I always will be.”