Zach and I lounged about in the grass in the front yard of the Andersen Estate one lazy Saturday morning in May; he was shirtless, as always. It was warm, the sun shining, with nothing to do.
We watched as Lilly’s car pulled out of the garage and on to the drive. She was heading out for the first time in weeks.
Lilly stopped not to far from our laying bodies and rolled down her window. “What are you two doing?” she wondered, her blue eyes hiding behind sunglasses.
“Catching some rays,” Zach told her.
“Feeling better, Lilly?” I asked.
She shook her head at Zach and focused on me. “Yes, I am. Thank you for asking. It’s the first time in a while that I have been feeling well enough to go to the office. I will be dealing with cases up to my nose! Zach, Pa’pa and Me’ma will be coming next week to see the Cinderella play and meet you, Jasmine. You kids be good today, I will see you at dinner. I love you both! ‘Bye!”
“Love you, too,” Zach and I said after her. She drove off into the morning and soon disappeared from our sight.
“I’m glad she’s feeling better. I was really starting to get worried,” I said.
“Yeah. I thought she was pregnant!” Zach admitted.
“Is that even possible still?” I asked him, sitting up.
Zach sat up too. “Do you mean do my parent’s still do the nasty?” he clarified. “Then yes. They do. Gross. It’s great that they love each other and all but ew. They can stop. They have seven grown boys.”
I laughed at Zach and shoved him. “When you are their age and still fooling around with your wife, I am going to bring up this moment and tell you this is what your children are thinking.”
“I’d like to see that. That will be some fantastic memory you would have.”
Zach stood up and offered me a hand. I took it. “Oh, I will do it. You just watch. It’ll happen and you will remember this exact moment and bow in your amazement of my greatness. It’s okay, I know it will happen.” I dusted myself off. Zach rolled his eyes “So who are Pa’pa and Me’ma?”
“Our grandparents, Dad’s parent’s,” Zach told me. They come for any reason really; I’m surprised they haven’t come to see you already. Maybe they were waiting for you to get settled.” He shrugged. “But, apparently, they are coming next week for your play.”
“Are they nice people?”
“The sweetest souls you will ever meet.”
“Then I am looking forward to their arrival.”
We walked into the house silently, nothing more to say at the moment.
“How was your day at the ranch with Jacob?” Zach asked.
“It was fun. We had a really good time. Did you know he used to like me?”
Zach laughed. “Jazz, at some point over the last four months, I’m pretty sure all of my brothers liked you.”
I laughed. “Oh, please!”
“No, no, it’s true! I can tell you when each gave up… if they have.”
“Oh, yeah? Then tell me!”
“But you don’t believe me so why should I?”
“Because I want to know! Please?”
“Okay, fine. Let us go from oldest to youngest for those who have given up: Walter gave up the very first day he met you, the second he waved goodbye to you over his head—he realized he was too old for you or maybe he didn’t want you to end up like another Rebecca. Michael gave up when you avoided him for the week following the date—which is a good thing, he’s somewhat a player, ya know? Then we come to Lucas—”
“Oh, that’s it! There was never a time in Lucas’ life that he ever had romantic feelings for me!”
“Yes, there was. Don’t you remember he was the nicest to you at our introduction? He liked you then! After meeting you, he went to Vincent, maybe they talked, maybe Lucas found out that Vincent liked you too, so he gave up some point between Saturday and Monday—at some point, he decided he liked his relationship with his brother more than the idea of liking you so he hates you now. After Lucas we come to Jacob who stopped liking you somewhere around the Epic Frisbee when he realized you weren’t for him. And we finally come to me; I gave up on you when I walked away. I realized, like Walter, right away that it wasn’t going to happen—no matter how beautiful I think you are.”
I rolled my eyes. “How do you know all of this?”
“I know my brothers,” Zach said simply. “They all come to me for advice anyway.”
“Is there anything you don’t do?” I wondered. “You are a top athlete, an excellent scholar, advice giver, and all around a well rounded guy.”
“I’m the seventh son,” he said obviously. “I am awesome.”
Zach was right. He was awesome. As a freshman in high school, he played on all the varsity teams he tried out for: varsity football, varsity basketball, and varsity baseball. Zach had at least a ninety percent in all of his classes. Apparently, he gave advice to the entire household of boys—and me. He had friends in every over exaggerated high school clique. He had a million adoring fans, too. Zach wasn’t bad looking either—too young to be any interest of mine, of course. He was damn near perfect. I had an almost perfect best friend.
“You are beautiful, you know that, right?” Zach asked suddenly.
Taken back by this question, I stepped away from him. Did he like me still or was he just trying to pump my ego?
“Uh….”
“You are as much like a normal girl as any,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m not trying to come on to you. I just don’t think you rate yourself well enough. Most girls don’t—they always think they are way uglier than they actually are.”
I shrugged. “My looks never really mattered to me,” I told him honestly. “Thank you, though… for thinking I am pretty. You are a really great friend, Zach.”
“You are welcome, Jazz. You’re not so bad a friend, yourself.”
I smiled. “So, do you like anyone at school?”
It was Zach’s turn to be taken back, though he did not step away like I had. He wasn’t expecting me to ask.
“Kind of.”
“Kind of? Who?”
“I don’t think you know her… she works as a maid part time….”
“Is it that young maid that comes to our house?!”
Zach’s eyes went wide. He had been found out. “How did you guess?”
“She’s a year younger than me with tan skin and dark hair—she got into our school on a scholarship or something, right?” He nodded. “I was talking to her not too long ago when she was at the house and found out she went to school with us. Maybe you guys should be playing Cinderella and Prince Charming, it’s much more fitting!”
Zach blushed. “Oh, knock it off! She is a really nice girl. She is really smart, too!”
I gave him a sly look. “Mmhm… not so bad on the eyes either. What about Whitney, I thought you were kind of flirty with her?”
He made a face. “Whitney? No! She’s so… girly!”
I raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with… girly?” I wondered.
“Dude, I mentioned playing Frisbee in the mud and rain and she was all ‘Ew. Why would anyone want to play around in the mud? I bet Jasmine was so excited about that.’ Like you were so beneath her or something. To be honest, Whitney drives me insane—not in a good way either.”
“What is the maid’s name again, I forgot….”
“Blake Moss,” he said.
“That’s right! Are you going to ask Blake out on a date?” I elbowed Zach playfully.
“Well… we have that Benefit for Dad’s hospital coming up a little after the play…. Maybe I’ll ask her to that.”
“Oo lala!” I teased, skipping away while singing, “Zach’s got a girlfriend, Zach’s got a girlfriend! Tralalale! Zach wants to kiss her, Zach wants to kiss her! Tralalalo!”
Zach’s face turned beat red as he chased after me. “I don’t have a girlfriend!”
That is when I really started running.
I was definitely getting used to my life at the Andersen home and it was all thanks to Zach. He helped me so much when I thought I was alone. He pulled me through and continues to stand by my side. It’s nice to know that I don’t have to worry about the romantic stuff with him—I never really did.
I did know that I would spend the rest of my days teasing him about Blake, though. Until I could tease him no longer. Maybe if they ever got together I would come up with something new to tease him about.
There was so much coming up.
My life was changing…. It was changing for the better.
Surviving Zachary Andersen was the best part of my new life.