Between the Lines

- 14 -

I’ve driven the seven miles that separate Kendal’s neighborhood from mine, and in all my stalkerific glory, I turn off my headlights and try to will my car to quietly creep up her block a bit. No one seems to notice me here; it’s just my own feeling of creepiness that seems heightened.

I watch her house with its lights burning in four different rooms. One is upstairs, where I imagine Kendal has her room. Fortunately, I have not gone to the extent of climbing a nearby tree to spy on her, so I don’t know for sure if that is actually her room. I feel like I deserve to notch down one level as a stalker, but I can’t. I’m here after all. I’m here.

As I dwell on my pathetic self, a black Honda cruises past me and mimics my headlights-off move as it coasts to a stop across the street from Kendal’s house.

It’s Kyle.

Of course it is. So now I either try to sneak away and run a huge chance of being noticed, which can’t POSSIBLY complicate my life more…or…or I get subjected to watching some unspeakably horrible voyeur show featuring Kyle and Kendal.

I wanna puke. I cannot move from where I am, so before Kyle’s parking lights turn off, I quickly kill my engine and sit in the total darkness, dreading whatever is about to happen.

Maybe I have a future as a private investigator.

No. No, probably not. That’s a romantic view on the fact. That I. Am. A. STALKER! I hate this. I hate every single thing about this and I’m almost about to just lie down across my bench seat and try to ignore everything around me until Kyle leaves, but before I can, I see Kyle pull himself from his car, toss his keys casually up in the air and catch them as he strides confidently towards Kendal’s house.

He doesn’t get there though because a feminine shadow streaks past the side of the house cat-like and stops just in front of him, causing them to both pause a few feet apart. It’s Kendal, obviously, but she doesn’t leap into his arms, for which I am more than grateful.

She looks tense, I notice. Her arms are crossed across her chest and she’s holding herself as if she’s cold. That’s a distinct sign of wanting not to be touched, and even the thick-headed Kyle seems to catch on to that little cue.

I want to roll down my window to see if I can hear what they’re saying, though I doubt it. She seems to be whispering and trying to convey a lot through her body language, which is a bit exaggerated for her.

I’m watching this exchange as I try to fold into myself and ensure I’m invisible. I should NOT be seeing this, and if Kendal happens to somehow catch sight of me…like if a car passes by and the headlights show me-or my car-SHIT! This was stupid! Still, I am rather happy to be seeing this high school power couple not behaving as physically as they usually do in school.

After a minute, Kendal looks back at her silent house. She turns to Kyle, back to the house, then she visibly lets her guard down. Her arms relax some, then fall hesitantly to her sides. She doesn’t embrace Kyle, but she reluctantly walks to the passenger side of his car and slides in.

There’s no thud of car doors, so they’re either being respectful of the hour, or Kendal isn’t supposed to be out here.

Kyle’s lights flick on and no sooner than they do, he’s moving away faster than my Buick ever could. I wait for a moment, watching them turn the corner so as not to be seen following.

I count to five and start my Buick, leaving the headlights off as I cruise down the street and see the red ghost of tail lights several blocks down. I turn and start following at a pace fast enough to stay on their trail, but not close enough to be suspicious.

I hope.

Just to be safe, I drive with my lights off for a few minutes so that when Kyle sees lights in his rearview, he will have no reason to feel like-oh, I don’t know-like some loser is stalking him and his incredibly hot girlfriend.

That’s the first thing he’d assume, no doubt!

I follow along at a distance and finally turn on my lights as we both leave the city limits. As I ease back a bit more, I wonder what the crap I’m doing. Kendal did NOT ask for me to do this. She’ll be freaked out if she’s- God, I don’t wanna think about what she might do with Kyle-but if I just happen to drive by…and see it…this is the worst idea ever. EVER!

For several long minutes I snake around blind curves back in the country roads outside of town. I know that eventually, after several winding miles, this road goes to a camp area near the lake. Maybe Kyle is trying to get to a romantic spot. I know that’s probably it, and I tell myself that I will follow along for-for what? What time limit will possibly mean I’m not a creepy stalker!?! 

Three minutes. I check my dashboard clock. At exactly 10:58, I’ll turn around and go the hell home before I can do some horrible irreparable damage to whatever Kendal and I don’t have.

Kyle’s car is so far gone at this point, it’s worthless to follow anyway. I know he was making distance between us every single second we’ve been driving, and since that is now somewhere past twenty minutes, there’s gotta be miles difference now.

I breathe in deep, think about the cobweb at home, waiting to be watched and hated for some reason, and that’s when I freak out and almost hit a ghost that’s standing on the side of the road with a glowing blue, disembodied face.

I slam on my brakes and feel my heavy car fishtail a bit before stopping about ten yards in front of the ghost.

She’s still there, glowing and looking stunned. Her face is wet, as if she was crying-and then, reality slips back into place.

It’s not a ghost. It’s Kendal. She’s standing alone on the side of a deserted road miles from home at nearly eleven at night.

Her face is streaked with tears though, and they shimmer in the blue light that’s being cast from her cell phone. She was either just reading a text, or sending one. Or calling someone. I don’t know, but she’s staring at her phone, then her eyes shift up to stare at my headlights. She squints in their glare and I instinctively flick them off.

I have no idea what to do. I have no reason to be out here. I have no excuse for just cruising. Alone. At nearly midnight. On a road where I have no damn business being.

But before I can run away and try to hide or something, I realize that she shouldn’t be here either. What the hell lead to-to this!?

I swallow hard and muster up enough courage to open my door, not knowing what I’m gonna do now. I think the action scares her a bit, like some maniac is gonna try to kidnap her now. She steps back, apparently gauging the forest and her chances of navigating through it if she has to run away.

“Kendal?” I call out, sounding a bit surprised, but trying to have concern in there too.

She doesn’t answer, and the blue light fades a bit as the phone goes to a power-save screen.

She isn’t saying anything, just looking at me, I think trying to figure out who I am.

“It’s cool,” I say. “It’s-it’s just me. Just-just Braden,” I finally get out.

Still she says nothing for a second, but pulls up her cell phone, runs her thumb across the screen and stares at the display. I wonder for a second if she’s reading my text, and if so, is this the first time? I can’t wonder long because she looks up at me with an expression I can’t read and she calls back.

“Braden!?” She sobs once, almost a blend of a sigh and a cry, then continues. “Hey. Um-can I get a ride?”

“Uh-yeah. Yeah! Kinda stuck out here, huh?” I ask stupidly, but I think she hears a little smile in my words.

“Yeah,” she concedes as she indicates her surroundings with a flap of her arms. “Kinda…stuck.”