Anyone But You

Chapter 5 - Erin

I loaded each car with our luggage; Tyler's with the boy's things and Nate and Mark's  old jeep with mine.

We said our good-byes and Mark and Tyler left by 2:00. I wanted to do a last-minute inspection to make sure no one had forgotten anything. I found nothing left behind, as I had done my best to keep three teenage boys organized and made sure everything was always in its place. Then I wrote a note to the landowner, telling him that we enjoyed our stay and thanking him for his courtesy and blah, blah, blah. I probably rambled on a bit, but my parents had taught me to always respect adults and be polite. Plus, being on the school newspaper as a reporter and now head editor, had taught me a thing or two about making anything sound interesting and scholarly.

Nate leaned against the door frame, tapping his foot impatiently. "Are you done yet?"

"Yeah, calm down. We'll get to your interview in plenty of time."

"I don't care about that, I just don't have a lot of patience."

I sighed, exasperated."C'mon, then."

We rode with the windows open, because the air conditioner in the jeep only blew hot air. I had to do my hair in two braids just to keep it off my neck, but I had it cut so choppily that most of it came out and danced around my face in the wind.

It was hot and humid, and dark storm clouds were gathering overhead. I didn't like that. I have always hated driving in the rain. The only reassuring part was that the road we took was completely deserted, with no cars to get into an accident with.

For once, Nate had thought ahead and brought directions from Google Maps that showed us how to get from our cabin to Gannon University, and how to get from there to home.

I tried to put on the radio and catch the weather, but Nate said that the people speaking in rapid fire about storm fronts and a bunch of other things in a foreign language gave him a headache, so he changed the station to music. To be completely honest, I didn't fight him too hard on that one. Hearing the weather made my head hurt, too. 

In the passenger seat, Nate had made a little game out of the garbage littered on the floor of the car - shudder - and a sort of basketball hoop he made on the dashboard.

It amused me to watch him throw ball after ball of rolled up trash at the little hoop, missing every time, but staying focused and trying relentlessly.

"Have you made even one in yet?" I teased him.

He looked up, as if he were surprised that I was watching him. Then his brow furrowed. "You think you could do better? Or maybe you think your little basketball star of a boyfriend could?"

I was taken aback. "Dean? What does he have to do with anything? I was just joking."

Nate looked away, his eyes smoldering.

I wondered what was going on. I knew that Mark and Tyler hated Dean, as they were horrible actors, even for my benefit. My relationship with Dean was difficult, though, so I didn't expect them to understand. Sometimes I didn't even understand why we were together. But the prospect of actually having to break up with Dean scared me enough to push those thoughts out of my mind. 

But why did Nate have to say something? 

Ugh, maybe I was over thinking this. The basketball team and football team were notorious enemies, though no one was exactly sure why. But the separate teams always stood with one another, but never mixed, the two teams representing Fairfield High banded together, but against one another. Friendships had been destroyed because of this set up. It's absolutely ridiculous.