Drive Me Crazy

chapter twenty eight

It was senior ditch day and being the semi-good girl that I was, I asked my mother to let me stay home. And surprisingly she said yes. My mom didn't play much with missing school. Unless I was dead or basically almost there I was going to school.

However, in this case it seemed that she was being gracious in the name of tradition. What she didn't need to know, was that with or without her permission I was definitely not going to school.

Carter was complaining about it but I didn't give a fuck. He would get his turn when it was his time.

A bunch of people from school were heading to Lake Michigan to hang out and since winter was finally over I was going to take advantage of the warmth.

I packed some snacks and the freezies I bought last night in a mini cooler. I put a bikini on under my cutoffs and wore the bandeau top as a shirt.

My dad was letting me use his car so I packed up and headed to the beach. Jordan would have driven me but he told me his friends were on him for not hanging out with them as much so I made him go do his own thing for a bit.

Harper, Margot and Elyse went without me because afterwards we wanted to head to a drive in and two cars would be better than one.

When I arrived the girls had already found a spot and had saved me a lawn chair. I threw the cooler down at my feet and stole the sunscreen from Elyse's bag.

It was a humid day and I knew my hair would suffer. I felt it getting bigger by the minute. I peeled off my shorts and slathered the cream all over my body.

Winter did not do my body any favors because I could feel the tummy chub and my thighs that had spread. But I was going to embrace it. A little weight gain didn't make me ugly. Hell, a lot of weight gain wouldn't make me ugly. I was cute.

Most of the time.

Sometimes.

Margot turned up the speaker and we jammed out to some throwbacks while we waited for more people to show up.

My skin was burning up so Harper and I went into the water. It was freezing but it felt amazing so I forced Harper to stay in with me.

"Dude this is crazy."

"I know. We have like a month and a half left and we're out of here."

"Yeah." I said.

"It's a good thing too because I fucking hated this place."

I rolled my eyes. "I mean yeah it sucked but it wasn't that bad."

She gave me a look. "Trust. It was."

Some of the boys from the hockey team had just showed up to the beach and when I saw one of them I remembered some tea.

"Oh my God, did you know that Hannah might be pregnant?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Jordan told me it's Ryan's. The one on the basketball team."

"That really sucks. She must be so scared."

"I know. I can't imagine what she's going through right now. She's actually so nice and sweet. And I want to reach out but I can't because I'm not supposed to know."

"I wonder if-" I started to say, before a ball slammed into my head.

Harper started cracking up as I rubbed my neck.

"Aye Charlie," I heard from somewhere behind me.

I turned to face the voice and glared.

Isaac placed his hands up and smiled. "My bad."

"It's cool," I said with a laugh.

"Y'all trying to play with us?"

I looked at Harper and she shrugged.

"Okay," I told him.

"We're playing football."

Me and Harper looked at each other.

"Actually nevermind." I told him.

His hand wrapped around my shoulder. "It's not that bad guys. Come on."

"Fine."

After a quick football 101 session with Issac, Harper and I were going to play football with the hockey boys. It wasn't very smart but I wasn't very smart either.

We now knew we had to get the ball into the endzone without getting thrown to the ground. And that seemed simple enough.

Issac told me for our first play he was going to throw me the ball and then I guess I just had to run. And that also seemed simple enough.

I watched as the ball flew up in the air and I raced back to catch it before anyone else. And once I caught the ball I stopped and smiled. I wagged the ball in the air and showed Harper.

"Cool Charlotte, now you have to run," she said loudly.

Right, I said to myself. I could tell the rest of the hockey boys were going easy on me since I wasn't face forward in the sand right now. I took a hesitant step forward, and then they took one back. When I went left, then they went left. When I went right, they went right. And I was starting to chicken out.

"Come on Charlie," Issac said from behind me.

I sighed. I made a run for the left before juking them out and running to the right as fast as I could. 

I was laughing as I ran because of the nerves. I felt someone gaining on me and I stretched my legs farther. I was almost there, literally inches away when someone's arms locked around my calves and I fell to the ground.

"No!" I yelled.

Issac and Harper came over to me as I laid on the ground.

I turned around. "Don't look at me."

Issac pulled me up. "You're so dramatic."

Harper made a noise in agreement. I ignored them and peered around them to see if Jordan was here.

I didn't notice he had arrived and when we made eye contact I smiled.

    He walked over and pulled me into his side. He dapped up Issac while I tried to tell him about my amazing football skills.

    He just looked at me like he thought I was cute before dragging me away towards his car. Once we got to his car he leaned against it and kissed me.

    I pulled away and smiled at him. "What's up with you? Why are you acting so happy? Did something good happen?"

    He shook his head. "I just missed you."

    My face lit up before I kissed him again. "I love you."

***

    I was eating ice cream out of the tub while laying in the backseat at the drive in and watching the goonies with Jordan.

    His hand was on my ass and my torso leaned against his legs.

    And for the first time in a long while I felt content.