01. Chasing Nikki (8 page)

She
reappeared a minute later, carrying a large, clear, glass vase that was full of
water and had a plant sitting in the top of it.

“This is for
you.” She handed it to me.

“What is
it?” I asked, completely perplexed with this gift.

She
laughed.  “It’s a betta fish.  See.” She pointed to the roots that were hanging
down.

Sure enough,
there was a turquoise and purple fish with long wavy fins hiding in there.

“It’s
pretty.  Is it boy or a girl?”

“The pretty
ones are always male.”

“I guess
that rules out naming it Nikki,” I teased.  “Not to seem ungrateful, but is
there a reason why you’re giving me this?”

She nodded. 
“There is actually.”

“Are you
going to tell it to me?” I asked when she didn’t carry on.

“Keep both
of them alive, and you can continue to date me.”  She looked up at me
expectantly.

“So is this
a test?  You’re seeing how responsible I am?”

She
grinned.  “Something like that, but I also thought you might enjoy it.  They’re
fun to watch and talk to.  I think there’s something kind of soothing about
it.”

“Ah. I get
it.  It’s therapy.” I suddenly wondered if she saw me as a mercy date—the kid
with problems who needed fixing.  I didn’t care for that.

“When my dad
died, I went through a time when I felt as though I couldn’t speak to anyone. 
It was hard for me to open up about things.  We had a betta fish, and I started
talking to it.  It sounds silly, I know, but it helped me to air things out
sometimes.  I hope you won’t think I’m trying to be intrusive with this.  I
just thought I would share it, because it got me through a rough time in the
past.”

I quickly
reassessed the situation.  She was honestly trying to help, and I really did
want to date her.  If that meant taking care of a fish, then so be it.

“Thank you. 
I know just where I’ll put him in my bedroom.” I smiled.

“Oh, one
more thing before you go.” She ran inside and quickly returned.  “I forgot to
give you his food.”

“Yeah, that
might help in the ‘keeping alive’ part.” I set the vase and food down on the
porch, before I stepped toward her.  “I had fun today.”

She wrapped
her arms around me, laying her head against my chest.

I hugged her
back, closing my eyes, as I smelled the sweet fragrance of her hair.

“I did too.”
She didn’t let go right away, and we swayed together in a natural rhythm for a
moment.

“Do
something with me next weekend too,” I said, not wanting to release her,
enjoying the sparks her touch was causing in my body.

She
giggled.  “If the fish is still alive.”

“Then
consider it a done deal, because I’ll hire daycare for it if that’s what it
takes.”

She laughed
and pushed away from me.  “I like you, Chase.  You’re funny.”

“Really?  I
thought I was a punk.”

“Yeah,
you’re that too.” She winked at me, though, softening the blow. “See you soon …
at school tomorrow.” She stepped inside and closed the door.

Not soon
enough,
I thought. 

I gathered
my new pet and headed home.

My mom
looked surprised when I entered the house carrying my gift from Nikki.  “Well,
this is certainly interesting.” She chuckled.  “How’d it go?”

“It was
great.  We drove to California, went snorkeling, and made friends with some of
the local sea life.  I guess this little guy wanted to hang out longer.” I
smiled.

“Nice try,” she
said.  “Only one problem with your story—this is a fresh water fish.”

I shrugged. 
“I figured it was worth a shot.”

“Seriously,
how’d it go?  I’m totally curious about this.”

“It was fun,
in a weird, trial sort of way.”

“Trial?” she
asked.

“I guess she
was testing me to see how well I could handle difficult situations.” I shook my
head at the memories.  “She took me to a rest home to meet her grandma, and
then to the Silver Screen Sunday feature to watch
Gone with the Wind
.”

Mom
snorted.  “You went to watch that movie?  I think I would’ve paid to see that.”

“It wasn’t
half bad. Of course, we were the only people in the theater, and it was dark. 
Throw a cute girl into the mix, and it was kind of nice.” I grinned at the
memory.

She
snickered.  “I bet, but it still doesn’t explain how you ended up with a fish.”

“She gave it
to me—told me she would date me as long as I could keep it, and the plant,
alive.  Apparently, she has the opinion I might be a bit irresponsible, though
where she would come up with an idea like that is totally beyond me.” 

I looked at
my mom and she rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, I
have no idea where she would’ve heard something like that.  Are you going to
keep it in your room?”

“Yep, on my
nightstand, right next to my lamp.” I turned toward the stairs.

“Take good
care of it,” Mom called after me.  “And I want to meet this girl!”

“Okay,” I
replied over my shoulder.  I entered my room and sat on the bed, placing my pet
in its new home.  I reached out to tap the glass, trying to get the creature to
pay attention to me, but it seemed more content to stay buried amongst the
roots.

 “So what
shall I call you, little dude?  I’m not big on what’s popular in aquatic names
these days.” 

Great,
I thought. 
I’m actually talking to a fish.
 

I pondered
ideas while I stared at it, taking in the beautiful purple and turquoise color.

 “I think
I’ll call you Turk, short for turquoise.  You okay with that?”

He didn’t
move.

“Last chance
to object,” I warned.

Still
nothing.

“Then Turk
it is.  Welcome home, Turk.”  I lay back on my pillow and slid my hands behind
my head, stretching out, as I gazed at the ceiling.

Fish talking
aside, today had been a pretty good day—in fact, the best I’d had in long
while.  Things were definitely looking up.

Nikki seemed
like a pretty cool chick.  She definitely wasn’t afraid to march to her own
drum, but she was sweet and seemed genuine.  While I knew she was different
from the other girls I’d been with recently, I liked it.

I hadn’t
been on a real date since my dad died.  Dating had pretty much consisted of
going to a party and hooking up with someone there.  While I didn’t object to
that either, I found I missed the structure of actually going out and doing
something strictly to have fun and get to know someone.

Of course, I
had no interest in knowing anybody before, so my lifestyle had worked for me. 
I wasn’t even sure why I had the sudden desire to know Nikki.  Just something
about her drew me to her, like a moth to the flame.  I felt the need to connect
to her.

“Get a grip,
Walker,” I groaned out loud, shutting my eyes.  There was no way I was turning
into some girl’s lovesick puppy.

Despite my
resolve of the previous day, I found myself carefully scanning the parking lot
for Nikki’s car the next morning while I waited, casually leaning against the
school.

“Hi, Chase,”
Brittney said with a smile and wave as she and Brett approached.  I nodded and
winked at her, giving her an admiring glance as she continued on into the
building.

“Dude, your
sister is freakin’ hot.  Why does she mess around with a jerk like that Matt
guy?” I asked as Brett leaned against the wall next to me.

He shook his
head.  “I do
not
ask about her love life.  That’s something I don’t need
to know.  Why do you care anyway?  I thought you were all about Nikki.”

“I am.  I
like Brittney, though.  She’s a nice girl.  Matt doesn’t seem to be the kind of
guy who can appreciate nice.”

“People say
the same thing about you, bro.  Heard you had a pretty exciting weekend, by the
way.”

“Meaning
what exactly?” I asked, squinting at him.

“Rumor has
it Nikki was getting pretty friendly with you in your truck.”

I grunted. 
“You know what they say about rumors—they’re rarely true.”

“So you
weren’t getting lucky then?”

“Hardly. 
Her purse fell off the seat and spilled all over the floor.  She was just
gathering up her stuff.”

“Man, that
sucks.  Maybe next time,” Brett joked, making to fake punch me in the shoulder.

“I had fun
with her just the way things were,” I replied with a scowl, wondering why I was
suddenly feeling so defensive over the whole conversation.  “I wouldn’t change
anything about how our date went.”

“Is that
so?” he asked, seeming genuinely surprised.

I nodded,
staring back at him.

“Well, I
guess what you say about rumors is true then, because the gossips say Chase
Walker is a kid without morals.  Now I’m a little curious about who you really
are.”

He honestly
looked perplexed.

“That’s the
problem with most people I’ve met.  They never take the time to truly get to
know a person before they judge them—myself included.” I pushed away from the
wall when I spied Nikki’s car entering the lot.  “Be careful with that
curiosity thing too.  That is what killed the cat.” I chuckled as I moved past
him.

I hopped off
the curb, pausing for a second to allow a car to pass, before I walked to where
Nikki was parking. 

She waved
through the window when she saw me approaching and grabbed her books in the
seat next to her as she got out.

“Good
morning,” she said with a smile, and I reached around to shut the door behind
her, glimpsing over her form.  She looked amazing, as usual.

“Good
morning to you, too.” I grabbed my cellphone out of my pocket and flashed my
screen at her.  “I just wanted to put your mind at ease right away.  The plant—
and Turk—are still alive today.  I’d be happy to show you the time stamp on the
image if you require proof.”

She
giggled.  “Turk?”

“That’s what
I named him, short for Turquoise.  He’s a pretty cool dude.  He yelled at me
for sleeping in, but made up for it by helping me  pick what to wear.  How do I
look?”  I held my hands out, and she glanced from the ball cap on my head, over
my clothes, down to the boots on my feet.

She
swallowed thickly and flushed a bit.

“That good,
huh?” I replied, pleased with my obvious effect on her.  “I guess I’ll have to
keep the advice of Turk then.”

She shook
her head.  “You’re a dork.”

“You don’t
say?” I asked, reaching to take her books, before I clasped her hand in my
own.  “I’m pretty sure that might be a step up from punk.  Better watch it,
Nikki.  I’m really starting to think you like me.”

She rolled
her eyes and bumped her hip into mine.  “Looks like you need to start getting
that wild imagination of yours under control.  It could look bad for me to date
a guy who takes tips on how to dress from a fish.”

“No way. 
Turk has swag, and that’s all that matters.  You watch, he’s going to be the
next big thing in fashion.”

We came to a
sudden halt as Jeremy Winters squealed his jeep into the space right in front
of us.  He flashed an unconcerned look in our direction as he, Matt, and
another guy jumped out.

“Dude, take
it easy in the parking lot, would you?” I said casually as he walked up to us. 
“I just got Nikki here to go out with me. I’d kind of like to keep her alive a
little longer.”

I felt
Nikki’s grip tighten in mine, and I started to move past him, eager to get her
away.

“Don’t waste
your time, bro.  She doesn’t put out, do you, Nikki?” Jeremy sneered, and Matt
laughed.

A sudden
rage pulsed through my body.  Without stopping to think, I dropped Nikki’s
books and swung around, punching Jeremy in the mouth as hard as I could.

He staggered
backward, grabbing his face before lowering his head and plowing into my
midsection, sending us both sprawling onto the pavement.  I quickly rolled
over, moving to straddle him, as I pummeled him again.

He landed a
solid punch to my jaw, knocking me back a bit before I grabbed his wrists and
pinned them beside his head.

“Anxious to
head back to jail, Walker?” he panted, little drops of blood spraying from the
cut on his lip as he spoke.

“Only if I
get to take a dick like you with me.” I leaned in closer.  “I know what you did
to Nikki, and I’d be more than happy to see you pay for it.”

His glance
darted to where Nikki stood with her eyes wide, tears showing.

Strong arms
encircle my waist, dragging me away from Jeremy, and I struggled to go at him
as he jumped up and ran for me again.

I saw Wes
and Chad, run up to grab and hold him.

“He’s not
worth it, bro,” Brett’s voice whispered in my ear, and I realized he was the
one who was restraining me.

Our actions had
drawn a lot of attention without my notice.  A large crowd of kids had gathered
around us and more were running in our direction.  Brittney and Tana joined
Nikki, towing her away from the two of us, Matt following after them.

“Let me go,
Brett,” I said straining against him.  “I’m okay.  You’re right, he isn’t worth
it.”

Brett slowly
released me, as if testing to see if I would jump to attack Jeremy again. 

I bent to
pick up Nikki’s scattered books and papers, before going over to where she
stood by the girls, looking like she was in shock. 

I shouldered
my way past Matt, who was glaring at me, and seized her hand, pulling her after
me, as we began to weave our way through the other students.

“Did you see
that?” someone whispered.  “He just kicked Jeremy Winter’s butt.”

“He deserved
it if you ask me,” someone else replied.

“Why’d you
hit him?” another voice chimed in.

“He didn’t
like my shirt,” I mumbled facetiously, as I continued pushing past people.