Sassy meets Classy

Chapter Twenty-Four

Amaryllis Lexington
****

Other than the beautiful sounds of crickets dancing around the lake, the only sound that could be heard was my failed attempt at playing a guitar. This was our second and last night at the resort.

The camp was fun, but nothing could be more fun than this moment right here. Just Carlson and I, bickering and at the same time asking weird questions that revealed a bit of ourselves to one another.

After last night, I spent the bulk of the day talking to Rosaline on the phone and asking her questions we both had answers to, but I wasn't ready to admit. Questions like why I suddenly lose my breath when Carlson's eyes meet mine.

"Amari, just stop. Playing a guitar isn't your forte. Find something else." He broke my trance, taking the guitar from me and carefully laying it on his other side. I had to admit I was a little bit jealous of the guitar. There's a way he handles it that just makes me wish he would do just half of that with me.

"What's the wildest thing you've ever done, Amari?" He asked out of the blue and I laughed. The answer was dancing on the tip of my tongue.

"Getting a tattoo." The tattoo he apparently loves so much. My answer seemed to catch his attention because he shifted his gaze from the peaceful water and directed it at me. He had laughter dancing in his eyes.

"Are you for real? That's the wildest thing you've ever done? Pray tell, how many tattoos do you have? Asides the one at the back of your neck?"

I shrugged, "Just one." The look of shock on his face told me he wasn't expecting that answer. I was confused. Wasn't that wild enough? I had a mental breakdown in front of the tattoo parlor and Rose had to shove me in there. We got our tattoos together. It was sort of a final bonding gift before I left Halloway.

"Who would have thought you were such a sweet little thing. Getting tattoos don't count as being wild, Cielita." Hah! Yeah, right. Not with parents like mine. Mama and Papa Burton almost had a mental breakdown, but they let it be because they were trying to get back into my good graces after they basically lied to me all my life. One of the very few perks of the grand revelation that caused my life to tumble.

"To me, it does. What is the wildest thing you have ever done? Jump down a plane? Eat fifty tacos?" He had an amused smirk on his face. How does eating fifty tacos even count as being wild? It would be a blessing, yo!

"None of those. But, I have jumped into a burning building just to get my phone. I had this new girl I just met when I was fifteen and I had to go through hell to get her number. The building I was in caught fire, and they managed to get us out, but I jumped right in just to grab my phone. It had her number in it and I wasn't about to lose it." My. Jaw. Was. Almost. Hitting. The. Floor.

"Were you insane?!" He looked at me for some seconds, then he erupted into laughter. He was laughing so hard, he started wheezing.

"Goodness, Amari. You are even denser than I give you credit for. You actually believed that? Come on!" He started laughing again, making me look like a fool.

"What? It's not my fault you come off as highly desperate. I wouldn't be surprised if you actually went through that length just to get a girl. Things like that don't come easy for your kind." His laughter died in his throat and I mentally gave myself a high-five. Way to turn the tables around.