Waiting for Scarlett in the parking lot after our last day of school, our friends all wander up to me.
"Lover boy, try not to be too lost without me this summer." Gabe cries, practically throwing himself on me.
Slapping his back hard enough to leave a handprint, I shove him off. "I give it three days before you're calling me."
He rolls his eyes, "Please, Sage is the clingy type, not me."
Sage barks out a protest but Ella smirks, "I can confirm."
Snickering, I watch as he crosses his arms over his chest. "I'll remember that the next time you beg to cuddle."
Ella turns bright red and James reaches his hand out for a high five, "Dude, Stella has shown up at midnight just to cuddle. She's like a cat. Moody but desperate for unrequited affection."
"I am not, James Robert King, you shut your mouth right this instant or it will be a very painful summer for you. In case you forgot, you're visiting my family and I don't have to tell them to like you." Stella seethes.
James laughs, forcing her into a hug that she doesn't reciprocate, Stella just glares at Sage and Gabe who are dying with laughter.
"Who knew our little Stella was such a softie." Gabe says between laughs.
Avery scoffs, "Please, didn't you get sent home in first grade after bawling your eyes out when we watched The March of the Penguins?"
Zev and James share a look, "Holy shit, how could we forget?"
"He cried again when we watched it three years ago." Sage recalls.
Gabe punches him forcefully, "Bro, you promised to keep that secret between us."
Oh, wow. Tears begin to form just thinking about it.
"Sage cried over the Sarah McLachlan adopt a dog commercial till he was 14!" Gabe tries to point out.
"He still does." Ella informs us.
"Those animals need someone to love them, you people just don't have a heart. Ella cries whenever she sees a clown."
"Do you not remember when we had clowns randomly running around attempting to kill people?" She protests defensively before glaring at her best friend. "Stella cried her eyes out watching The Notebook."
Her laugher dies quickly, "You and Scarlett swore to never share that, I was hormonal. James cried when he couldn't parallel park in the city on valentine's day."
"I was frustrated!" He shouts.
"And you still slept with him?" Zev asks, doubling over in disbelief.
Stella gasps, definitely angered to know we all know when they first slept together and James knows it too. "Zev cried after he hooked up with Katie Keel."
"I was drunk, sorry if I thought she was perfect in my alcohol diluted mind."
"Avery cried after we watched Bambi when we were 10, that was the first time I realized she had a heart." Sage offers and Avery glares at him
"What did I do to deserve that?"
He shrugs, "Everyone else was getting embarrassed, I thought you should experience it too."
The glare is replaced with a small smile as her fight dies off.
"While I'm friends with a bunch of emotional idiots, I can't relate." I gloat, trying to calm myself out of hysterics.
"Shut up, Ashton, you bawled your eyes out drunk in my bathroom over a girl." Gabe counters.
"Last time I checked, I'm definitely more than just a girl, Gabriel." Scarlett counters as she appears by my side. "Also, I believe I've made you cry at least 50 times so let's not get too cocky."
"Scarlett used to cry every time she saw a foot." Gabe says before using Avery and Zev as a human shield.
"Feet are gross, I have every right to be disgusted by them." She cries out, the mere thought making her upset.
As everyone continues to throw each other under the bus, my face begins to hurt from laughing so hard.
My friends are pretty great.
*****
"Ash, can you play one game with us?" Sterling asks as I drop them off since Scarlett and Sage had some sort of meeting they had to go to.
Part of me wants to say no just to save myself from the embarrassment that's bound to follow, but I end up turning my truck off.
After losing my third game in a row, I throw my controller on the couch. I hate losing to 13 year olds.
"What's wrong, Ash?" Sterling asks.
"Maybe the fourth time will be the charm." Silver offers.
I especially hate losing to the twins.
They gloat.
Glaring at them, I go to stand up. "On that note."
"Don't go." They say together and I sit back down.
I figured that would shut them up.
"In two weeks, we won't be around to harass you." Silver reminds me.
Oh, yes, the Rhodes are spending their summer in Miami. It sucked until mom told me Abuela wanted me and Ronnie to visit her for a few months. Now we'll only be 2 hours apart and I'll have a car.
"How will I survive?" I ask dryly.
They stick their tongues out at me.
"I wonder when Scarlett's going to be home." Sterling muses, scrolling through his phone.
"What exactly is she doing?" I wonder, hoping for an answer.
They share an alarming look that makes me panic, "She's visiting Aunt Karen."
Oh dear God, hopefully I don't get a call from a holding cell in the next few hours.
After hanging out for a little while longer I stand up, reaching for my keys and phone.
"Aren't you waiting for Scarlett, you guys have a date?" Sterling asks and I shake my head.
"I've got some things to do before then."
*****
Mom and dad are waiting for me in the kitchen when I get home to drop Ronnie off, the duo laughing over something.
"What's up?" I ask, grabbing a carton of juice from the fridge.
"Ashton, take a seat, Hun." Mom orders and I do, getting freaked out by their calm expressions.
"Did I do something wrong?" I ask, trying to find a place to rest the juice.
Mom smiles, "No, we got a call from our lawyer a little while ago."
My stomach tightens up. Oh, no. I'm in trouble. But I haven't even done anything wrong. "What did I do?"
"Nothing." Dad assures me and I just wait for the bad news. "The situation has been handled."
They watch me expectantly, like I understand anything they're talking about. What situation... oh. That situation.
"He won't be able to call me anymore?" I clarify.
They reach for my hands, "Never again, he isn't even allowed to say your name. You're safe."
Basically throwing myself onto my parents, the lingering weight I had holding me back dissolves. I'm going to be okay. "Thank you."
I never thought I would feel this safe again. My father will never affect my life again and that means more to me than anything else in my life.
*****
Parking my truck on the side of the road, I glance over at my passenger seat. A bouquet of flowers, a can of spray paint and a blindfold sitting there. Double checking my surroundings, I grab the flowers and head down the path.
There's an eerie silence that surrounds me, the chirping bird and humming insects stop as I do. Resting the flowers on the ground, I plop down. Making myself comfortable, I stare at the two headstones in front of me.
Alright, I can do this.
"Um, hello. We've met before but I figured that wasn't a very good impression." A crying idiot isn't exactly boyfriend material. "My name's Ashton McClain. I'm 17. I haven't always been the nicest person but I'd like to think I'm a pretty decent guy now. I'm a football player, a good one too. Oh, and I love your daughter." I offer, realizing this isn't as awkward as I thought it would be.
"I mean, I love all of your kids. Saffron's crazy. The twins sorta scare me at times. Sage is my best friend. But I'm in love with Scarlett."
I stop, unsure of what else to say since it feels like someone else should say something. Scarlett said it got easier.
"I would've liked to have met you but from the stories I heard you two are great." Iconic is a better way to describe them, at least through the eyes of their children and that's what I'm going off of.
"Anyway, I'm sure John has told you all about me and I just wanted you two to know I'm not a total punk."
"No, I suppose you aren't." Someone says and I jump, half expecting a zombie.
I'm even more freaked out when I see John standing beside me with the closest thing I've ever seen to a smile directed towards me.
"Sorry, I was just going." I offer, hopping to my feet.
He grabs my arm, "Don't leave on my account."
Standing there awkwardly, I wait for him to say something, but he sits down before motioning for me to do the same. Joining him on the ground, I begin to mess with the grass. This isn't awkward by any means.
"It took me 17 months to visit their graves." He says and I don't know what to add to I just nod. "Ricardo forced me here and I wanted to say nothing, but I couldn't."
"Why not?"
He shrugs, "Grief, pain, withdrawal- take your pick. This place is just different, you feel safe here. You feel protected."
"Almost like the entire universe stops to make sure you're heard." I conclude and he glances over to me.
It sounds crazy but it's the only way I can describe it. This place is like a utopia, shielding those who come for comfort from the pain of reality.
"Exactly." He chuckles slightly, "God, it's like even from beyond the grave Kat is taking care of me."
We sit in silence for a while, but it doesn't feel weird, it's nice. Eventually my phone rings and I check the text from Scarlett telling me she's ready to go. Looking over to say goodbye, John waves me off.
"Go, you have a date."
Getting to my feet, I'm about to leave when I stop. "I'm taking her to the park in Oak Hill, with all the paint."
His eyes widen slightly, "She's okay with that?"
"It's sorta a surprise." I admit. Hopefully she doesn't get upset.
He seems to be in deep thought for a moment, "She'll like that."
"Thank you for letting me stay for a while." I offer awkwardly, afraid that the peace will be over.
"Any time."
Heading for my car, I'm almost out of the clearing when John's voice carries my way, "He's pretty alright for a punk."
Laughing to myself, I pick up the pace. After all, I've got a date to get to.
*****
"Ashton, will you please tell me where we're going?" Scarlett begs from the passenger seat, trying to pull her hands from the hold I have on them. That blindfold will not be coming off of her face if I have any say in the matter.
Shaking my head, I try to find a parking spot. I forget how much she hates surprises but that just makes this even more entertaining.
It also made for a very long car ride.
"Sorry, Sweetheart, just a few more seconds." I assure her as I park.
Even though I can't see her eyes I know she's glaring at me. Pecking her cheek, I get out and run around to help her out. Holding her hand, I slowly move down the sidewalk.
"You know this is dangerous!" She states as I lead her away from a trashcan.
"No, it's not." God, she's beginning to sound like the twins with all this nagging.
"I should remind you that I'm a very clumsy person. I could trip and die, and it would be all your fault." She rants, trying to sneakily remove the blindfold.
Snatching her other hand away, I smirk. Even though she is a total klutz, I would ever let that happen. "That would be a tragedy but we're here."
Finally letting her see the world, I wait for her reaction. She says nothing, starring directly in front of her.
"We're in the park?" She asks in disbelief, void of any emotion.
How's she feeling? Angry, sad, ready to go home?
"We are." I confirm with the hopes of gaging a response.
Spinning around to take in all the details, I hold my breath. "Why?"
All I get is a why.
"After I first moved here, I asked this chick to check out this park with me." I remind her, scratching the back of my head as I remember the day that feels like a lifetime ago.
She raises an eyebrow, "Did you now?"
"Yeah, I did." I laugh, "She gave me a rain check, but I figured now was a good time to call it in."
That raincheck did a number to my ego, but I survived.
"Well, that was an awfully long wait." She teases, hugging me.
I smirk, she has no idea how long it felt. "She was worth it. I didn't want to experience this with anyone else."
The pure happiness that shines through her face assures me that this was a good idea. I haven't seen her smile like this before. She leans in to kiss me, but I reach into my back pocket, thrusting a can of spray paint between us. "Go do something."
She simply stares at the can, afraid to touch it. "I don't use spray paint, that's more of Sage's area of expertise."
Good to know but Sage isn't here right now.
"I don't care if it looks like Ronnie did it, go paint something." I order, practically shoving her towards a wall.
Watching her anxiously shake the can, I expect the worse but as soon as she starts to paint the confidence begins to grow. I just observe, knowing I'll never get tired of watching her create things.
Walking up as she finishes, I must admit it's not the best graffiti I've ever seen but it makes me smile nonetheless. "Charming and Sweetheart."
Staring at the names spelt out with a crown and heart, she grins. "They sound like a pretty dynamic duo if you ask me."
She's ready to explore the different murals but I lock her in a hug, not wanting to lose this just yet. "They really do, I hear they're a great power couple."
Scarletts seconds away from making a smart comment when I kiss her.
"I'm so happy you ran into me in the hallway." I whisper, wrapping a curl around my finger.
"Excuse you, you ran into me. I was the one who opened the door." She argues, a fire dancing in her eyes.
I smirk, she's always ready for a fight. "We hit each other."
Her mouth opens to protest, no longer amused, and I kiss her again. Sometimes she's too stubborn for her own good. She melts into me with a pathetic sigh, "Fine, it's both our faults,"
"It's a good thing we were so careless." I offer even though she totally hit me. Love is about compromise.
"Being mean has never paid off so well for me before." She recalls and I'd like to point out that mean is an understatement. She scared the shit out of me she was so angry that morning.
"You weren't mean, you were feisty." I recall causing her to laugh.
"You like feisty."
Oh, she has no idea just how right she is. When I said those words to her that day who would've ever thought I'd end up just liking her. "That I do, but can I tell you a secret?"
"What's that?" She asks, running her fingers through my hair.
"I love you."
"I love you more." She counters and I just shake my head.
"That's impossible." That was my secret for so long and I'll carry it with me for the rest of my life. She might know it now, but she'll never understand the depth.
She kisses me and I try to remember what it was like to live life without Scarlett. My mind can't manage to hold onto the true details but all I know for sure is that everything seems a little brighter now.
I had to go through hell in order to find my light and I don't think I'll stray ever again.
*****
The epilogue is next and it made me ugly cry!!! Then we all know what's after that... LIFE IN LOVE time baby!!!!!!!!!
Be prepared....
XO-Mo