I stepped out of the car into the overgrown grass. The water tower loomed above, it's dark silhouette peering down and casting a shadow around me. Red had found a couple flashlights in the backseat, to which I was very thankful for. The night was still young, and the moon hadn't risen above the trees yet, leaving the world shrouded in darkness.
The rest of Rider's gang clamored out of the car after me. I was a bit surprised when I first got in the car and found Taz behind the wheel with Red and Alice in the backseat. To say the least, it made for an awkward car ride out there. Nobody said anything to each other, just sat there listening to my directions.
"Wanna flashlight?" Red asked.
"No," I sighed, "I won't be able to carry it up the ladder."
Izzy gave me a grateful smile, and I nodded back. I went over to the ladder and stopped at the base of it, gazing up the side. I took a deep breath before beginning my ascent.
I still couldn't believe I had let Rider's friends convince me to come out there, but I knew I couldn't back out now. As I climbed, rung by rung, I tried to figure out what I was going to say to him if he was at the top of that tower. However, I began to doubt the likelihood as I neared the top and noticed there wasn't an ounce of light or sound.
My heart then leapt in my throat as I saw a pale glow emerge from the darkness around the top of the tower. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and grasped the end of the ladder, pulling myself up onto the roof.
I braced myself against the ladder as I looked out over the water tower's rooftop. From there, it seemed that the darkness blended the boundary between the roof surface and the sixty-foot drop back to the ground. However, the rest of the roof was brightened by a lantern. Near the edge of the roof, sat a tall silhouette.
My heart hammered inside my chest, and my hands gripped tightly at the metal rails. I let out a shaky breath and cleared my throat.
"Rider," I said.
The silhouette shifted around and slowly rose to its feet. I could tell he was looking at me, but I couldn't see his face.
"Izzy says you haven't been home in a while," I said, "You've got her practically going ape down there."
His silhouette didn't move, just stood there watching me from afar.
"She had no idea where you were," I continued, "Nobody did."
I could see him push his hands into his pockets and nod in the dim light though he still didn't make a sound. Upon seeing him, all those questions I had for him had vanished from my thoughts. We stood there for a moment, just watching each other from either side of the roof. As he stood there without saying a word to me, I started to feel anger bubble up inside me. I turned to go back down the ladder, having said what I was brought to say, when I suddenly whipped around.
"I want to know why," I said, and Rider looked up at me.
My voice came out strong despite all that was going through my head. I stated the one question that had been burning my mind since that Friday night.
"I believe your sister when she said you're not some flake," I said, "So I want to know what made made you do what you did."
My voice wavered at the end as tears brimmed my eyes. Across the way, Rider shook his head.
"I- I don't think you'll believe me," he said in a small voice.
"At this point, I'll hear anything you have to say," I said, "You haven't exactly tried to tell me anything."
"You told me you didn't want to see me again."
"Because you kissed Chrissy, Rider!" I shouted.
"No, Eleanor!" Rider yelled back, stepping into the light, "Well... yes, but- No! I... ugh, I don't know what happened."
"What do you mean you don't know? Come on, Rider. Do you take me for a fool?"
"No, I mean... Well, I was hanging behind Freddie's when Chrissy showed up. She came around the corner and hung around a while, making small talk and licking at the grass. I tried to get her to leave, but she just kept talking. Then she started acting funny, pacing and looking around the corner. The next thing I knew, she just stumbled into me and kissed me."
"Well, it didn't look like you minded all that much," I grumbled.
"I was just... so surprised. Jeez, I don't even know how long I just stood there."
"Hm, I bet. What was she doing there in the first place?"
"Beats me," Rider shrugged, "She just popped up from the around the corner."
I looked up at the greaser.
"Wait, you didn't know she was coming?" I asked.
"No," Rider shook his head, "I was only out there cause' that's where you said to meet."
"Rider," I sighed, "Come on, I didn't tell you to meet there. You're the one who left me a note in Human Ethics."
I could finally see Rider's face as he looked up at me across the light.
"I didn't leave you a note," he said, and I gave him a look to which he continued, "Honest. Here, look."
Rider reached into his jacket pocket and fished out a piece of wrinkled paper. He picked up the lantern and walked over to me.
"I found this on my bike when I went to leave Friday," he said, leaning forward and handing me the crinkled sheet.
As I read the note, my brows furrowed.
Hey, Rider,
Meet me at Freddie's at 7.
-Eleanor
"Okay, I didn't leave you this," I said.
"You didn't?" Rider asked, looking back at the note.
"Well, one, this isn't my handwriting. Two, I never sign anything "Eleanor". Everything besides official document is signed "Ellie" or "El". You're the only one who's ever called me "Eleanor"..."
Then it hit me.
"Oh. Oh! Oh my..." I sputtered.
I placed a hand to my head and sat down on the roof.
"Hey, are you okay?" Rider asked, coming closer and kneeling beside me, "Eleanor, what's wrong?"
"You have never called me "Ellie"," I muttered in disbelief.
"Huh?"
Everything suddenly made sense: the notes, the date, the kiss, everything. I couldn't tell what I was the most shocked about, how it all played out or how I hadn't realized it earlier.
"It's unreal. I just... I can't believe it," I gasped.
"You're starting to scare me, Dolly," Rider said.
I finally looked up at Rider, his face etched with concern. I jumped to my feet and ran into his arms, nearly knocking him over.
"Woah!" I heard him say as he reflexively caught me.
I buried my face in his chest and cried.
"Eleanor," Rider's voice rumbled through his chest, as he tried to pull me away, "Eleanor, please. You gotta tell what's wrong?"
"I was wrong," I sniffled, wiping my eyes.
"What? Eleanor..."
"Chrissy came up to me Monday, saying she was sorry that you hadn't told me about you two being on the hook."
"No, I'm not-"
"I know you're not, but Chrissy sure did want me to think you were," I scoffed, "I think she actually set us up."
"No way," Rider shook his head.
"But, judging by this handwriting, I'd say she wasn't alone. It's not the same as the one I got."
"You think she got a couple sewer rats to help her?"
"Yeah, but it probably isn't the same guys as before. Maybe..."
Then one name seemed to suddenly stand out.
"You know? Jack asked me out earlier today. I'd be willing to bet that he was the one who wrote that letter to me! Gee, Rider, I'm so sorry!"
We hugged again. It felt so good to hug Rider. I had had felt so cold inside for the past several days. The warm of his embrace was enough to make up for all that time. Rider pulled back to look at me.
"Well, I don't know about you" he said, jumping up to his feet and pulling me up, "but I'm gonna go strip that candyass of everything he's still worth."
"Wait," I said, "I have a date with Jack tomorrow night at Freddie's, or at least he thinks I do. I think there's a way we can get back at both of them."
"Oh, I'm digging what you're selling, Dolly."
We laughed in each other's arms, a reignited light shinning brightly in our eyes. Then we heard Izzy's voice carry up from down below.
"Have you two love doves kissed yet?" she asked.
We smiled at one another before I went up on my tip-toes and kissed Rider on the cheek.
"You know? You really should monitor Izzy's magazine intake," I laughed.
"I ain't scared of much, but the last time I got between Izzy and her magazines, I about lost a finger."
"Yeah? Well, we better get down there. You might lose more than a finger when she gets through with you."
To that, we descended from the water tower and rejoined the world below.