Sparrow (5 page)

“It’s
not you.”  Addison sits up so her face is level with mine.  “It’s guys in
general.  He didn’t like my old boyfriend.  Why would he like my new one?”

I
do a double-take and she notices.  Scrunching up her nose, she asks, “Too fast? 
We don’t need labels; I was just trying to explain...”

I
cut her off.  “It’s okay.”  Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, I ask, “I
take it I made the team?”

She
laughs.  “I guess so.”

“That
was a quick draft.  Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Yes!

We
spend the rest of our time curled together, talking about everything from
school to music to more serious topics.  I confide in her about my dad and
Lydia; I don’t know why, it just comes out.  She tells me more about her
parents and their opinions regarding her future.  When her father reappears to
inform us it’s time for me to leave, I don’t want to go.  I could spend all
night talking with Addison.  She’s the first person I can see myself doing that
with; even our silences are comfortable.

“I’ll
see you tomorrow,” I say as I step out of the tent.

“Are
you still working on the deck?” she asks.

I
nod.

“Don’t
be surprised if I show up to help.  Will Gram mind?”

When
Gram first met Addison, they hit it off immediately.  Gram welcomed her with
open arms and an open heart; they shared plenty of laughs at my expense while
eating apple pie.  Kevin used his big mouth to inform everyone of my nervousness
when I first laid eyes on Addison last summer, which led to her informing both
of them how inarticulate I was when we finally did meet.  After I walked her
home, Gram told me she had a good feeling about our neighbor.

“Hang
on to that girl,” she said.  “She’s spunky and fun and gorgeous.  Reminds me of
myself at that age.”

I
told her she wouldn’t have to tell me twice.

“Of
course she won’t mind,” I answer Addison’s question.  “Gram loves you.”

She
smiles.  “I like her a lot too.”

I
take a few steps, then turn around.  “Sleep tight,” I say.

“I’ll
try.  I’m pretty sure I’ll be up thinking about a certain someone.”

I
feel like throwing my fist in the air. 
Perfect.

Winding
her arm around my grandmother’s thin shoulders, Addison gives her a quick hug. 
“Good morning, Gram.”  She drops an overstuffed backpack by her feet and then plops
into one of our kitchen chairs.

“Mornin’
honey,” my Gram says and pats her hand.  “Ready for the big trip today?”

Addison
smiles.  “I think so.”

“What
did you put in there?” I ask, stepping from the kitchen into the small dining
area.  I kick her backpack and then hand Gram her coffee mug.  “We’re hiking. 
You’re going to have to carry that.”

Addison
narrows her eyes at me.  “I can handle it.  I assure you.”  She looks at Gram. 
“I think he’s giving me a hard time.  He shouldn’t do that this early in the
morning.”

Gram
nods as she sips.  “I agree.”  She turns on me.  “You be nice.”

I
step back in surrender.  “I’ll get my stuff and we can head out,” I say to both
ladies.

Today,
I’m taking Addison hiking at Tahquamenon Falls in the Upper Peninsula.  Not
only will we be alone, I thought it would be nice to get out of town for a
while.  I’ve only been up to the falls one other time, back when my parents were
still married and I was six.  It’s a vague memory, but I do remember the loud,
rushing water.  I also remember Kevin being four and crying about a dropped
popsicle.  Why my mind hangs on to that, I don’t know.

Speaking
of my brother, I nearly run him over on my way to the bedroom we share to grab
my pack.

“What’s
your hurry?”  He yawns and pulls up his shirt to scratch his stomach caveman-style.

“Addison
and I are outta here,” I say and bump past him.  I snag my backpack and start
to head downstairs.

“Ah,
hiking day,” he says and frowns.  “You know, I’ve been stuck entertaining Gram
this whole time while you’re off screwing around.  Did it ever occur to you
that I might need to get out of here once and a while too?”

“So?” 
I shrug.  “Take the quad and hit the trails.  Or take the boat out.”

“That
boat motor’s been leaking oil for two summers.”  He crosses his arms.  “You
know I’ll get stranded in the middle of the lake.”

I
shoot him an evil grin.  “Make sure you take the oars.”

He
lunges at me and tries to catch me in a headlock.  I’m not in the mood to
wrestle and I dodge him, heading for the stairs.  I take them two at a time and
make it back to the kitchen in seconds, with Kevin hot on my heels.  “Stop,” I
tell him and shove his shoulder.

Gram
peers at us over her mug.  “What are you two doing?”

“Kevin’s
acting his age,” I say and shove him again.  He slugs me in the arm.  Addison
laughs.

“See. 
She thinks I’m charming.”  Kevin winks at my girl.

“She
does not.”

“Addison,”
Kevin rounds the table, “tell your boyfriend that you want both Dayton men to
escort you to the falls today.”

My
mouth falls open.  “What?  No way!”

Addison
raises her eyebrows and looks between Kevin and me.  Kevin kneels by her side
and gives her the most dejected puppy dog expression he can muster.

“You
look demented,” I tell my brother.  “That’s not going to work.”

Addison
tilts her head and studies the slightly younger version of myself.  Kev has my
dark hair, but he wears it shorter than I do, and his eyes are always the same
shade of gray.  His face is more angular than my own, but you wouldn’t be able
to tell that by the way he has it twisted.  Addison places one hand beneath his
chin and squeezes his cheeks, so his lips pucker.

“Now
he looks like a demented fish.”  She grins at me.

Both
Gram and I snort with laughter as Kevin scowls.

“Aw.”
Addison releases his face.  “Don’t be upset.  You’re a cute demented fish.  Of
course you can come with us.”

Now
I’m the one making a face.

“Sweet!” 
Kevin jumps to his feet.  “Give me five minutes.”

“Make
it ten,” I grumble.  “You need to shower, and I don’t want your smelly ass in
my truck.”

“Kyle!”
Gram snaps.

“Sorry,
Gram.  But he reeks.”  I narrow my eyes at him.  “In more ways than one.”

Kevin
shrugs me off and bounds up the stairs.

“Addison,”
Gram says, “did you see what Kyle planted out front?  He transformed that whole
dead area; it looks so much better.”  She turns to me.  “You should show her.”

I
gesture for Addison to follow me.  It might be the only time we get alone
today, thanks to my brother.

We
head out the front door, and I point out an area by the porch where Gram has battled
a dead patch of grass for years.  “All I did was buy some plants.”

“Are
those hydrangeas?” Addison asks as she heads down the stairs and bends to sniff
to the blue flowers.

“Yeah.” 
I move to stand beside her and explain the other bushes I’ve tried to arrange artfully. 
“There’s a Painter’s Palate and a rhododendron in the back.  Those get pretty
big.”  

“How
do you know?”

“Because
the tag on the pot said so.”

Addison
takes her time to look over the plants, touching the leaves on each one.  “What
are these?” she asks, looking down at the ground.

“Begonias,”
I say.  “Pink is Gram’s favorite color.”

Addison’s
eyes meet mine.  Her expression softens and she stares at me, as if just
realized I’m standing here.  “It’s beautiful, Kyle.”

Before
I can tell her she only likes my work because she likes me, she says, “Oh! 
This can be your first picture.”

“What?”

She
reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out a camera.  “I bought this for
you.”

I
take the small silver Kodak from her and turn it over in my hand.  “Why?”

“Because
I told you a picture would last longer and you said you didn’t have a camera.” 
She grins.

“You
got me a camera so I’ll stop staring at you?”  I’m surprised she remembered what
I said.

“Absolutely
not.  You can keep doing that.”

She
shows me how to turn it on, where the batteries go, and where the memory card
is.  Then she steps out of the way.  I take a picture of Gram’s plants, then
make her stand in front of them to take another.

“Here.” 
She reaches for my hand and pulls me next to her.  “Let’s try to get the both
of us.”

I
hold the camera at arm’s length as she presses her cheek against mine.  I press
the shutter and we look at the result.  Half our faces are cut out of the
frame.

“Okay,
let’s try that again.”

She
kisses me this time and, again, the picture ends up being just our chins. 
After several more tries, we’re laughing like little kids.  I can’t take a
decent picture to save my life.

“Are
you two ready?”

Kevin’s
voice forces us to turn around.  His hair is damp, he’s dressed, and he’s raring
to go.  He must have taken the world’s fastest shower.  Begrudgingly, I follow
him into the house where we gather our things, say goodbye to Gram, and promise
not to speed.

~~~~

Unlocking
the front door, Addison flips the light switch, and tosses her backpack on the
floor.  “My feet hurt.”

My
arms circle around her from behind.  “You should have worn better shoes.”  Her
red Converse don’t look like they offer much support.

“I
guess I didn’t think we were
for
real
hiking.  I thought we’d be
walking along a scenic overlook or something.”  She sighs under my arms and
leans back against my chest.  “I’m beat.”

Her
head rolls to the side and I take the opportunity to push her hair off her
neck, exposing her skin to my lips.  She wiggles and laughs, then turns around
and places her hands on my shoulders.  “I take it you’re not tired?”

“I
haven’t had you to myself all day.”  Suspicious, I glance around the room. 
“Are you sure your parents are gone?”

“Did
you see the truck in the driveway?” she asks.  “They said they might go out for
dinner.”

She
pushes against me and moves my body toward the kitchen, where there’s a note on
the counter. 
“Out for dinner and a movie.  Make sure to bring Sam in.  Remember,
no visitors after ten.”

“I
take it by visitors they mean me?” I ask.

She
nods and presses her lips into a thin line.

“What
happens after ten?  Do you turn into a pumpkin?” I tease.

“Worse.” 
Her expression changes and she leans into me dramatically.  “A vampire.”

I
grin.  “You don’t look very scary.”

“It’s
not my appearance you have to worry about.”

She
kisses my chin and then her breath is hot against my neck.  She bites me and a
jolt of electricity shoots up my spine.  That has to be the hottest thing any
girl has ever done to me.  Ever.

When
she leans back, her eyes dance.  “Did you feel that?”

Yeah,
in my pants. 
“Are
you trying to kill me?”

She
looks surprised.  “I didn’t hurt you did I?”  Concerned, she starts to inspect
my neck.

“No,”
I laugh.  I’m not about to admit other parts of me ache.

A
loud whine at the back door pulls our attention away from one another.  “I
think Sam knows we’re here,” I say.

We
leave the kitchen and walk into the living area where a sliding door leads to a
deck.  Through the glass I can see Sam pawing at the door handle.  He jumps up
when he sees us, excited.

Addison
opens the door to let him in and he rushes past his owner, straight to me.  I
bend down and rub my hands roughly along his sides.  “Hey, buddy.”

He
licks my nose, and I lean away with a laugh.

“Do
you two need some time alone?” Addison asks with a hand on her hip.

We
both look at her.  “What?  He likes me.”

She
kneels down to pet Sam, too.  “I know.  I’m glad he does.”

Sam
licks Addison’s cheek, then pads off toward the kitchen in search of his food
dish.  She stands and grimaces.  “Ugh.”

“What
is it?”

“My
stupid foot.”

“Which
one?”

She
holds her right foot out toward me and, since I’m already crouched down, I grab
it and remove her shoe, then her sock.  Looking over her toes and her heel, I
find the problem.  “You’ve got a nasty blister.”  It looks like the back of her
shoe rubbed her skin away and it’s bleeding a little.

“Great,”
she sighs.

I
let go of her foot, and she pulls off her other shoe and sock.  “C’mon.”

I
follow her as she hobbles down the hall.  At the first darkened doorway, she
stops and flips on a light.  “Make yourself comfortable.  I’m going to get a
band aid.”

I
find myself staring at Addison’s room.  It’s tiny.  Beneath the window sits an
unmade twin size bed with tan sheets and a purple comforter.  Shoes and piles
of clothes are scattered on the floor; I think I spot one of Sam’s rawhide
bones sticking out from under the bed.  Across the room, I find a dresser with
one of those TV/DVD combos sitting on top.  I walk over to it and pick up the
small stack of movies placed there.

“Do
you want to watch something?” Addison asks from behind me.

I
look toward her as I sort through the DVDs.  “
Footloose, Dirty Dancing,
and
Strictly Ballroom
,” I say as I make a face.  “I’m sensing a theme here.”

“Hey!” 
Addison reaches out and grabs the next movie.  “
Flashdance
is a
classic.”

“Isn’t
that about a stripper?”  I take it from her hand.

“You
haven’t seen it?”

“No. 
Why would I?”

“Have
you seen any of these?” she asks.

When
I shake my head no again, she says, “We should watch
Footloose.
  It’s
about a guy who dances.  Maybe it will inspire you.”

I
snort.  “I highly doubt that.”

Addison
takes the DVD from me and puts it into the player.  I really don’t want to watch
this movie, but I want to spend time with her.  If watching this is what she
wants to do, I’ll suffer through it.

Once
we’ve shut the door, hit the light, and arranged ourselves around one another
on her bed, Addison pushes play on the remote.  The opening credits roll, and
I’m subjected to a bunch of random feet wearing bad ‘80s shoes dancing to the
song “Footloose.”  Addison’s back is to my chest, and I frown over her head. 
This is going to suck.

About
a half hour in, as Ariel plays chicken with a train, I start to fall asleep. 
My lack of interest in this movie, coupled with our hike, has worn me out. 
Plus, Addison’s body is warm pressed against me.  I barely register her move
until her lips find mine.