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.
Then a thought occurred to me.
During my entire vacation, I hadn't called Dean once. He had barely crossed my mind. But now he was all I could think about.
The last time we talked was in a distracted conversation the night before I left. The distracted part was on Dean because he had been with a bunch of guys hanging out, and wasn't really into the conversation.
I was seized by panic, thinking of how mad he would be when I saw him next. Most people would reason that a phone works two ways, so he could have called me, too, right? Wrong. Our relationship doesn't work like that.
I tried to calm myself down, reasoning that I could still call him now before it was too late and make up some excuse. Then I would see him tomorrow and try to make it up to him. We would go back to school the next day, and if not for me, then for the sake of his reputation, he would forgive me.
Keeping my eyes on the road, I extracted my phone out of my jeans pocket and dialled Dean's number.
"Who are you calling?" Nate asked.
I waved him off as Dean's deep voice answered, "Hello?"
"Hey, it's me." I tried to sound upbeat.
"I'm sorry, who is this stranger calling my phone? I don't know who this 'Me' is," Dean joked.
I forced a laugh, trying to hide my relief. He was in a good mood, so maybe when I got home and we were actually alone, things wouldn't be too bad.
"I was starting to think my own girlfriend had forgotten me." He pretended to sound hurt.
"I would never forget you." Beside me, Nate seamed to realize who I was talking to and gave a snort of disgust. I shot him a look that said shut up.
"I tried to call you," I lied. "But out here there's no signal, so I couldn't get a hold of you."
"How are you calling me now, then?" Dean asked testily, but without sounding suspicious.
I forced myself to keep my voice steady. I knew Dean's tricks. He was trying to make me nervous, even though I had no reason to be. I was hundreds of miles away from him, how could he hurt me? "I"m driving home now, so we must be getting closer."
"I knew it! I can always tell when my girl is within radius of me."
I laughed. "I doubt it. I still have a couple of hours left to drive, so I won't be able to see you until tomorrow."
"Okay." Dean didn't sound bothered. "I'll see you then. Love you."
For some reason, I had to force myself to say the words, "I love you, too."
It was much easier when I hung up.
After a few minutes, Nate turned down the music and said, "You know you didn't have to come with me, right?"
"What are you talking about?"
"On the phone just now, you made it sound like this big burden that you had to drive an extra half hour out of the way so that I could go to my interview. You didn't have to come." He glared at me with hard green eyes.
Immediately, I got defensive. "I know. Besides, I wasn't talking about you. I just meant that the ride was long in general."
"Whatever." Nate turned the music back up and looked out the window, away from me, ending our conversation.
Good. Fine by me.
We got to Gannon a whole hour and a half before Nate's interview, so we got some really late lunch at yet another McDonald's that was a few minutes away from the university.
"Good, that means I wont have to eat school junk all the time," Nate said
"You don't think this is junk food?"
He just shrugged.
Luckily, Nate offer to pay, because I'm completely broke at this point.
When we were done eating, Nate disappeared into the restroom for a few minutes and returned ready for his interview.
I must say, for someone who changed in the McDonald's bathroom ,he cleaned up nicely.
His dark hair was gelled back, out of his eyes for once. He traded his jeans and T-shirt for khakis and a black button-down shirt that brought out his green eyes nicely.
Nate had to drive as we rode onto campus because I was amazed by everything I saw, and I kept stopping. We were still a half an hour early, and yet he insisted that I was going to make him late. I suspect I was just annoying him. Well, he wasn't lying when he said he was impatient.
It was easy for us to find the main building, as there was a security guard manning the entrance booth and after checking Nate's name, he gave us directions.
We parked first, then Nate cut the engine and hesitated to get out of the car.
"If you don't want me to come, that's fine," I tried to sound indifferent.
"Nah, you only came to see the campus. You might as well tag along. It wouldn't hurt for someone to see that my company is a brainiac, completely eligible to go here." He gave a nervous laugh.
I had the sneaking suspicion that Nate was more worried about this interview then he was letting on, and maybe he needed some support. Of course, he hadn't mentioned the interview since he earned admission on my vacation, but I could understand putting off all bad, worrisome thoughts until you reached what I call "Last-Minute-Panic."
So I climbed out of the car and we started towards the main building in silence. Nate fidgeted with his hands and pulled them through his hair, tugging at his nice clothes.
"Stop," I said, grabbing his wrists.
He looked up, surprised.
"You're gonna be fine. Relax."
His brow furrowed. "How would you know?"
"I've been waiting to get into Gannon practically my whole life. Trust me."
His serious green eyes held mine so intensely that I was uncomfortable, but I couldn't look away even if I tried.
Finally he said, "I do."
That's when I realized that we had stopped moving. I wasn't aware of it, but both of us had slowed to a stop so that we faced one another. And I was still holding him by the wrists.
I pushed his arms away from me, blinking rapidly and moving forward quickly.
Nate followed, seaming just as dazed as me.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Nate continued with his fidgeting and I glared at him.
"Sorry. Just nervous. I didn't plan anything to say. I have no idea what I'm doing."
"So? You didn't have any idea what you were doing when you tried out for the football team. And now you're their star player." I didn't know why I said that. I wasn't one to go around handing out compliments, especially to Nate, but I felt somehow obligated to make him feel more confident.
"When you get in there, play it cool. Don't let them know your scared. Try to have fun with it. If they ask you a question, don't just say yes or no. Try to let them know who you are. And if possible, connect everything to how honored you are to be there and your football-playing. There's a bunch of really good stories you could share about your time on the field. I know. I was at every game."
He looked at me with a funny smile. "Where - where did you get all that?"
"I'm a journalist. I know how to handle awkward situations. Or awkward people."
"Okay, so what if the dean of the school is really old and dry and doesn't care about my personal life at all?"
"Well, with just a little luck, the dean will have some sort of personality. But no matter what, keep up the friendly act and don't let them think you're intimidated."
"But won't that make me look disrespectful?"
"That's the trick. You have to sound respectful but comfortable at the same time."
Nate took that in. "Okay. I think I've got it."
Now we reached the main building and Nate held open the door for me. I had been so preoccupied coaching him that I hadn't even had a look around campus.
And there wasn't much to see in the main building, with its plain white walls and paintings of principals and successful graduates and plaques of honor lining the walls.
We checked in at the front desk, where they took Nate's name again.
I was asked to sit and wait and Nate was directed to a door down the hall.
He looked at me, worried again. "Any last words?"
We were standing too close. He was giving me this look. It was like his eyes were seeing right through me, seeing things in the fleshy parts of my heart that I kept hidden behind wall after wall of protection. Just one look make my heart hurt.
And I couldn't help myself. I just had to make things worse.
I stepped in for a hug, reaching up to wrap my arms around his strong, broad back. My head only reached his shoulders, so I rested my cheek on his chest, where I'm pretty sure I heard his heart quicken. I felt his arms slide hesitantly around my waist.
Then I stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear, "Just remember what I said. Relax. You're just talking."
He let out a breath and we released each other. Then we stood awkwardly apart. So much for me being good with dealing with awkward situations.
Nate gave me a little salute, touching two of his fingers to his temple. Then he turned and walked quickly towards the dean's door. At least he didn't run. Well technically he didn't run. Oh god, I'm a mess.
Beside me, the front desk lady clucked her tongue, startling me. I had forgotten she was there.
"It's always nice to see a good couple together," She said, smiling knowingly.
"No. I mean. We're not - "
She wasn't listening.
So why was my heart beating so fast?
Why did she think Nate and I were a couple?
Why was that thought both refreshing and disturbing?
Why was I having such a hard time remembering I had a boyfriend?
A handsome, wonderful boyfriend.
Who scared me and expected too much of me and whom I forgot to call while on vacation and then lied to.
Shut up, Erin.
Nate and I walked to the car and climbed inside in silence. Then we just sat there.
I couldn't read his expression and I was to afraid to ask questions.
After waiting for him for what felt like hours, but which was probably only minutes, pacing the floor nervously, he had come out of the dean's office and said goodbye to the front desk lady, walking out without looking at me.
"C'mon! You're killing me here! How did it go?" I finally blurted out.
He looked at me, face solemn, intense green eyes calculating. Then he broke into a huge grin.
"You were right. The dean had a really good sense of humor. She was just a little old lady. She was stern at first, but then I answered some questions and told her a bit about my times playing football, and she softened up. Told me I reminded her of her grandson."
"So you think you did well?"
"Psh, yeah."
I couldn't help but smile. Nate was absolutely beaming.
But I tried to put on a serious expression and said, "It's all thanks to me, of course."
Nate didn't seam to hear my sarcasm, and sounded sincere when he said, "Yeah, It is."
We drove comfortably for another two hours when things went wrong.
After Nate filled me in on more details of his interview, he insisted that we stop at a rest stop so that he could change because soon we would merge onto a small, deserted road that didn't have any place to stop.
He was right. The rest stop I pulled over on was the last one on the highway.
Well, actually, you can't consider the road we were on a highway. There were absolutely no other people, and no turns, just a strait road surrounded by thick woods. And they didn't look nearly as nice as the enchanted woods by the cabin.
I hated driving in the dark. It wasn't that I got tired, obviously, but I had horrible eyesight and could barely see a few feet ahead of me. So Nate pestered me enough that I finally let him drive.
It was almost 9:00 when the car's engine sputtered and the car went dead.
I froze in my seat. I looked at Nate, panicked, his own face a mask of forced calm.
He turned the key in the ignition several more times, only for the car to shudder weakly and turn back off. Then he climbed out, walked around the car, and checked under the hood. There was no smoke or anything dramatic like that, and after a few moment's of poking around, Nate's expression turned to dread.
"What's wrong?"
"Erin... I think the engine is dead."
Now, I din't know much about cars. In fact, I would know absolutely nothing, had Mark and Tyler not taught me how to drive. But I'm pretty sure that I car can't run without its engine.
Nater came around to my side of the car. "You want to try it again?"
Reluctantly, I tried turning the key in the ignition again. Nothing.
We stayed in silence for a few moments.
It crashed down on me how bad our situation was. We were in the middle of nowhere, literally. I hadn't seen a car, or a store, or house, or rest stop, or any other sign of life for miles. We were still at least a hour away from home. I was stranded alone with one of my least favorite people in the world.
I pushed out of the car quickly, nearly knocking Nate over and slamming the door behind me. "Do you have you're phone?" I asked him, trying to stay calm.
"Yeah, but it died a day ago."
"That's helpful," I muttered.
I patted my pockets, and found my phone.
It was still on from when I called Dean and more then half of my battery was gone.
Shit.
I dialled the first number that came to mind as I walked away from the stupid old jeep, and started pacing along the edge of the woods, waiting impatiently for him to pick up.
Please answer. Please answer. Please -
"Hello?" Mark's voice said on the fourth ring.
"Hey, it's me. I have a bit of a problem."
"Oh, hey. You didn't kill my brother, did you? Cause I am not helping you bury another body."
"Ha ha. Aren't you funny? Actually, it's a bit worse than that."
"What could be worse than you killing Nate?"
"The fact that he's still alive. And that we're stranded together because the car's engine died."
"What? Where are you now?"
"Still pretty far away. And there are no cars."
"Well...I've been home for hours. I don't have a car to come get you, but I could probably get my mom to lend me hers."
"No don't do that. I don't want you to get lost in the dark, too. It's not worth it. Just do me a favor."
"Sure. Anything."
"Find a tow truck company. Call them for me."
I gave him our approximate location and said that we would be hard to miss because we were the only ones in the middle of an otherwise deserted road.
"Thanks, Mark. I appreciate it. But I won't promise that I won't kill your brother."
He laughed tiredly and hung up.
Behind me, Nate said "What's this about killing me?"
I hadn't heard him coming. I turned, "Mark said he would call a tow truck for us, but until then, I guess we're stuck here."
Nate just shrugged. I was taken aback. I was so used to him always disagreeing with me and being plain difficult, it never occurred to me that he would agree with me like that and not take a perfectly good opportunity to complain and give me another headache.
"We'll be okay," He said, actually sounding concerned for me. Now he was concerned?
He must have seen how worried I was. I couldn't allow that.
"Yeah, of course. I know that."
He turned and headed back to the jeep. I sat down in the dirt and stared at my phone, waiting for it to ring.
Telepathically, I urged my phone to ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. RING.
Finally, after what felt like years, my phone glowed and gave out a shrill ring. Before it could ring twice, I picked up saying, "Hello?"
"Hey, Erin. There's a bit of a problem with the whole tow truck thing," Mark said hesitantly.
"What do you mean, a problem? What sort of problem?" I said, instantly on red-alert.
"I can't get you one."
"What?"
"There are no available tow trucks. You're so far away, and you're location is too vague for anyone to get to you for at least another three hours."
"That's not that bad."
"It gets worse. There was a major accident on the highway, a couple of hours away from where you are and they needed three tow trucks. Now they're all stuck there. No one will get to you guys until tomorrow morning."
For once, I was silent. What was I supposed to say?
This was just my luck.
Get stranded. Hang out with arch enemy. Stay with him until morning. Stay stranded.
Check, check, check, and check.
"Erin? I'm really sorry. I did my best, I really did. I can still come get you if you want."
"No, no. Don't do that. I'll be fine. I know you tried. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay. Will I get to see my brother again, too?"
I laughed despite my sour mood. "Yeah. Maybe. I might not kill him. It depends on how much he annoys me."
"Goodnight, Erin."
"Night."
After I hang up, I walk back to the car, where Nate is waiting. On the roof. Of the car. He was gazing at the sky.
"So, we're stuck here." I couldn't help but sound miserable.
Nate looked at me. Then he moved over on the roof, and patted the space next to him.
"Come on up."
That wasn't what I expected, but I climbed up anyway.
I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on them.
"We're gonna be fine. Someone'll come and get us. Eventually. Don't worry."
I just nodded quietly. Then I figured I should probably call my parents because they would worry if I didn't get home tonight.
It took a lot more persuasion then it had with Mark, but I finally convinced them that I was safe and that it was best for me to just wait for the tow truck in the morning. Then I turned off my phone in an attempt to salvage the rest of its battery.
I stared at the sky, finding no comfort there. I hadn't noticed it how bad it was before, because it was dark, but now you couldn't help but notice that there were giant, black storm clouds above us.
"Aw, now we can't even stay outside. It's gonna rain."
"I thought you liked the rain," Nate teased.
That he was teasing me wasn't a surprise, but the fact that he remembered that I liked the rain startled me.
"I do. But we'll both get pneumonia it we stay out in the rain all night."
I sound like my mother.
Nate laughed. "Alright, we won't stay outside. But we might as well be out while it's dry, right?"
I nodded, not really listening. I was still miserable. My last day of vacation, right? No, this is more like a nightmare.
After tomorrow, I start school. And I have to see Dean again.
It started to drizzle slightly, but it felt good after it had been so humid.
"Do you want to go in the car? You may be catching pneumonia at this very moment."
I shook my head, not wanting to move yet, despite my better judgement. "I like it."
If Nate found this odd, he didn't let on.
I tilted my head back, loving the wet mist on my face. I forced myself to keep my eyes open. The few and far-between street lights that lit the road were just enough to illuminate each rain drop.
I was thoroughly enjoying myself when the heavens opened up.
Rain pelted Nate and I. It rushed by us and bounced on the car, instantly making the surface wet and slippery. I froze, staring at the sky stupidly, as if I had never seen rain before. I couldn't help it. I had never been in rain this bad before.
Nate quickly slid off the roof and managed to land without falling. I couldn't get off fast enough.
"Come on!" Nate yelled, holding his arms out to me.
I slid blindly off the roof, expecting the cold hard ground to rush up under me any second. Instead, strong arms caught me and kept me steady.
I was still wobbly on my feet and Nate was already throwing open the car door and helping me inside. I slumped into my seat as I peered through the rain, watching Nate run around the side of the car.
He climbed in next to me, breathing hard and dripping wet.
I was too. I honestly don't think I was even this wet when I got out of the pool last night. My hair was plastered to my face, my clothes sticking to me uncomfortably. If there's anything bad about the rain, it's coming out of it.
"Well," Nate breathed. "That was... exciting."
"That's one word for it. What do we do now?"
"Um... I guess we should get some sleep."
I looked at him like he was crazy. Evidently neither of us sleep at night, so why would we sleep when we were dripping wet and in a car?
"We do have school after tomorrow, you know," Nate said.
I groaned. "Don't remind me." I glanced behind us in the back of the car.
For an old truck that two teenage boys share, it was relatively clean and garbage-free. Of course, that's only because I ride in here on a regular basis and refuse to do so when I can't see the floor.
"How would we sleep in here?"
I didn't expect him to have an answer, but he said, "The seats in the back fold over and these seats can move up, so we should have a bit of room."
I shrugged, "It's worth a shot."
I climbed out of my seat and clumsily made my way into the back, crouching low so that my head didn't hit the ceiling. Nate followed a bit more gracefully, but it was a tight squeeze with the two of us, and he had to stay on his hands and knees so that he could fit.
He reached over me and shoved down two of the back seats. I did the same with the single seat left. The seats contracted into the floor, giving us a bit more space and letting my luggage that was piled in the trunk spill forward.
Nate pushed the driver's and shotgun seat up to the dashboard, so there was almost enough room to lay down.
Then we turned to the pile of my stuff that had been revealed when the seats contracted into the floor. And I remembered something very important.
"I have my pillow!"
Nate laughed at me like I was a little kid as I shoved things off the pile to get to my pillow. And like a little kid, I hugged my pillow to my wet self, almost happy because of this simple, yet familiar belonging.
Nate and I then attacked the pile of my stuff and managed to shove it all up front in the small space left between the dashboard.
Now there was enough of room for the both of us to lay down.
I looked at Nate awkwardly, unsure of what to do now. But he just threw himself down and folded his hands behind his head.
"I don't know about you, but I'm beat. Something about college interviews combined with getting stranded and stuck in the rain that makes me tired," Nate said with a fake yawn.
"Very funny. Good time to make a joke about this. Now move over."
I shoved Nate over and scooted into the spot next to him, staying as far from him as possible, pressing myself into the car door.
My pillow helped, but it didn't give the rest of my body any relief from the hard, scratchy floor.
Outside, the rain still pounded on the windows, but now that we were inside, the sound was sort of comforting. The sky was pitch black, and even though it was probably only eleven o'clock, very early for my standards, Nate was right. A day like this could really wear a girl out. But I was still slightly damp and very cold, two things even having your own pillow couldn't help, so there was no way I was going to fall asleep.
I looked over at Nate, who was curled up on his side so that he could give me some space and still fit in the car. I thought about the things he had surprised me with over the past couple of days. He had spent a whole night listening to me talk under the stars and I had had the most fun I've had in a long time with him at the pool. And tonight, he had stayed calm and genuinely made me feel better, even though I was freaking out and considering killing him.
And now he looked like he was laying in a very uncomfortable position on the floor. He didn't have a pillow.
I sat up. Maybe I was out of my mind.
I whispered, "Hey, Nate." He must not have been sleeping, either, because he sat up quickly and turned towards me.
"What's up?"
"You can share my pillow. I mean, if you want. You don't have to. You just don't look very comfortable and I thought..." What had I been thinking? I had talked in a rush, as if he would try to stop me, but now I let my voice trail off.
I was definitely out of my mind.
Nate looked at me, not answering for a painful moment. Something flashed across his face that I was too slow to catch or understand.
Then he said, "Sure. Thanks." Like this was the most normal thing in the world.
I pushed my pillow towards him and he scooted over.
As we lay down, we both consciously moved ourselves so that we were as far away from each other while still being on the same pillow.
I held myself perfectly still. Or tried to. I was so cold, I could barely keep from shivering.
The wind howled outside, and it was the only thing I could hear, even above the pounding of the rain.Through the cracks in the car door, I swear the cold wind was blowing on me. And in only my wet jeans and T-shirt, I was absolutely freezing.
After a while of failing to suppress my shivers, Nate said, "Are you cold?"
"Nope. Nice and toasty." My shaky voice betrayed me.
He ignored the invisible, unspoken barrier between us and moved into me, wrapping his strong arms around my waist and pulling me close.
I stiffened for a minute, and I felt him hesitate, but then warmth spread through me, and I settled into him, resting my head on his chest and hearing the steady beating of his heart. It seamed impossible, but he was somehow warmer than me, his clothes almost completely dry.
"Goodnight, Nate," I murmured before slipping into unconsciousness.