Covering the Carolinas (5 page)

“
Hello,” I say quietly.

“
Hey, Mar, we made it. We’re just about to
unload the cars at the house. I think Mama and Daddy are going to
stay the night and head back tomorrow early. I think they are
worried about y’all.”

“
Why? I’m a responsible adult,” I snap and
notice Gunner starting to stir. “I mean I’m responsible with Gunner
at least.”

“
That’s not what I mean. Never mind. I’ll call
you later. I just wanted you to know we’re here.”

Carefully, I move from the couch and put him to bed.
Laying him in the crib, he moves toward his night-night. As he
holds his night-night close and snuggles in his crib, I look at
him. I swear every time that little boy makes a move, he steals a
piece of my heart. He’s the one thing I’ve done right in my life,
even if it wasn’t at the right time.

Chapter 8

December 2012

GUNNISON

As the music begins to echo through the gym,
we are welcomed to the court for warmups. Before each game I try
not to scan the crowd for the Anderson sisters, but each week I
continue to fail. I’ve seen them several times and each time, she’s
not with them. If they are here tonight, I’m making it my goal to
find out where Marleigh is once and for all. Just as that thought
enters my mind I see Summer, the hot and sexy cheerleader that
continues to show up at exactly the right time. Whenever Marleigh
comes to mind Summer shows up and whisks my thoughts away. She
certainly has made college a hell of a lot more fun and helped me
forget Marleigh, if only for short periods of time. I have to talk
to Tinleigh or Carleigh to figure out where the hell Marleigh is,
why she’s not here, and if there’s a chance for us before I can
move forward with Summer. I hear someone yell, “GC,” and I’m
brought back to the present.
Focus, GC.
You’ve got a game to play.
I shake all of the girls
from my thoughts and listen for the announcer to welcome us to the
court. As my name and number are announced, I forget about
everything but this game right now, and it’s time to bring
it.

As soon as the game is over, I’m met by Summer who’s
super excited about our win. I talk briefly with her and look as I
see the girls leaving.

“
GC! Where are you going?” she asks before
looking in the direction I’m going. “Should have figured,” she says
with more attitude than I like.

Turning to face her, I walk up to her and look her
in the eyes. “I know you don’t understand, but I’ve got to have an
answer. I need to know what’s going on before I can be ready for us
to move forward. Just let me do this,” I say as I place my hand on
her cheek. A smile escapes as she nods, and I hustle across the gym
to them.

Carleigh is leading the way down the bleachers and
when our eyes meet, it’s obvious she’s trying to figure out the
fastest route of escape.

“
Carleigh! Tinleigh!” I shout. They look but
keep walking. “Where is she?” I shout from behind them. I just put
it out there without caring who is looking. They stop and look at
each other. It’s obvious they’re arguing about what to do.
Why?
Then Tinleigh turns and walks
directly toward me with Carleigh quick on her heels. They look more
grown up and their hair is darker. It makes me wonder if Marleigh’s
looks the same. My thoughts come to a halt when Tinleigh
speaks.

“
Whatcha need, GC?” she says
shortly.

“
I just want to know why you guys are here and
she’s not. Is she okay?”

“
Things changed this summer and she’s got new
responsibilities in Gaffney now. She’s moved on, and you should,
too.”
Damn, that stings.
I
stand there without words. I glance over my shoulder to see Summer
watching. “Oh, it looks like you already have,” she says
bitterly.

“
Summer has been fun to hang out with but I
still can’t get Marleigh out my head. There’s not a day that I
don’t think about her and wish we were still a part of each others
lives. I needed to know if she was okay and if I had a chance to be
with her again but it sounds like I don’t. Summer doesn’t even
compare to Marleigh but if she’s moved on then I guess I have to
too. I hope she’s happy, and you guys don’t have to run each time
you see me.” The way Tinleigh looks at me strangely, I don’t know
what I’ve done but I wasn’t the one to call it quits. “Tinleigh,
you don’t have to be this way. If you remember correctly, your
sister broke my heart, not the other way around.”

As I turn to walk away, Carleigh speaks. “Hey,
GC. Just so you know. She did love you. Sometimes things happen in
our lives that we can’t control, and
this
isn’t in her plans right now.”

“
Thanks, Carleigh.” I smile knowing she did
love me. They’ve given me closure so I can move forward… with
Summer.

As I walk back toward Summer, I can see her
eagerness to get an answer. She walks toward me and I smile through
my hurting heart. It’s time to move on and that’s exactly what I’m
doing. I take my arm and wrap it over her shoulder as we leave the
gym.

Chapter 9

August 2014

MARLEIGH

I’ve spent the past three years trying my best to
forget one week of my life. At the time, I thought meeting GC was
the best thing that could ever happen to me, but I soon realized it
was the total opposite. My life has changed, and honestly, I
wouldn’t trade it for the world, but I’ve missed out on the things
girls my age do on a day to day basis.

I’ve worked hard for what I have and what I want to
accomplish in life. While my sisters have been living our dream at
Coastal Carolina University, I’ve stayed in Gaffney and attended
Spartanburg Community College. After two years at the local
community college, I know it is now time to live out my childhood
dream and pursue a degree in Marine Science at Coastal as well.

With the support of my parents and sisters,
I’m able to face the fact that I’m leaving behind a piece of me in
Gaffney, and I know my time at Coastal won’t be like a normal
college student. I’ve scheduled all my classes on Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday so I can take care of Gunner and my other
responsibilities on the weekend. As we pack our cars and make our
way toward the beach house, I begin to cry knowing what I am
leaving behind, but I know my future, no
our
future, depends on this, and if I want to
make something of myself this is the time to do it. It’s freeing,
yet terrifying at the same time. The most terrifying thing isn’t my
fear of passing my classes it’s the fear of running into GC. He’s
now the starting point guard for the Chanticleers and I’m not sure
I’m going to be able to handle seeing him face to face and
pretending that I don’t still love him. I’m just thankful that we
have different majors and that I won’t be there on the weekends.
Instead, I’ll be in Gaffney taking care of the one person who
matters the most in my life, my son.

Pulling into our beach house driveway, I feel as if
I’m at home. There are so many memories here, and I can’t wait to
spend this time with my sisters. We’re as close as they come, and
to know that we are finally living out our dream together makes me
happy.

As I stand and close my car door, I look over to
Tinleigh and Carleigh. They must be reading my mind.

“
Mar, it hasn’t felt right without you here,”
Carleigh says as we make our way up the flight of steps and into
the house. I take my bags and drop them into my room. It’s kind of
crazy to know that we have shared one room in this house for the
past fifteen years, but now we each have our own room thanks to
Daddy’s renovations, and this isn’t just a fun place to visit, it
truly is a home away from home.

GUNNISON

Pulling into University Place, I can’t wait to get
my truck unpacked and meet up with the team on our first night back
since last semester. The past two years have been insane with the
team and becoming starting point guard. In the two years I’ve been
here my team has become my family. I rely on them and coach for
everything. As a team we’ve beaten the schools most consecutive
wins record and won the championship game both years. With those
two accomplishments, my dream of going pro is possibly becoming a
reality, but regardless, I’m here for a degree first and
foremost.

More importantly it’s been odd knowing two out of
the three Anderson sisters are on the same campus. Since I’ve
started college, I’ve tried multiple times to get close to her
sisters, but I’ve only been able to confront them once. Regardless
of whether we are on campus or at a party at Brett’s, they avoid
me, and I can’t help but continue to feel a connection to her.
Every opportunity I have to get a glimpse of them I take because
seeing them brings Marleigh back to me. It reminds me of when a
wave reaches the edge of the shore and just as it’s about to touch
your feet it vanishes back into the ocean. Every day I pray she
will come visit them, and give me the opportunity to rekindle what
she so quickly extinguished. Knowing I haven’t seen Marleigh since
that week at Garden City haunts me day and night. It was the best
week of my life and I thought Marleigh felt the same way.

Over the past two years, I’ve dated Summer, off and
on, and met a few other girls, but no one compares to her. This
year I’ve decided to quit acting like a girl about the Marleigh
situation. My priorities are basketball, finishing my degree, and
finding a girl who will make me forget the name Marleigh, and I’m
hoping I won’t have to look far.

Chapter 10

MARLEIGH

After unpacking and making a quick run to the local
grocery store, I take a minute to relax, but not before Tinleigh
and Carleigh enter my room and park their butts on my bed.

“
So we were thinking, since you won’t be here
most weekends, let’s use these few days before classes start to do
what we would typically do on the weekends. Whatcha think?”
Tinleigh says.

“
Y’all, what if he’s there?” I ask.

“
Look, we’ve been here two years and have been
able to avoid him like the plague. These next two years won’t be
any different, but are you sure you want to keep avoiding him?”
Tinleigh asks.

“
Yes, I want to act like I’ve never met him.
Regardless of what has happened between us, I know this is what’s
best for him. You can check any local paper and know he’s living
his dream. Honestly, I can’t believe I was so stupid that week. I’m
the perfect example of what happens when you react before you
think.”

“
Sis, we know as well as anyone that it’s not
like you sleep around, but you sure weren’t new to that rodeo. That
time you just were falling hard and didn’t think about the
consequences.”

“
I know. Thanks for always being there, and I
have to say we truly have the best parents in the world. I mean,
who lets their daughter go off to college while they babysit three
days a week?”

“
You’re right. Our parents are awesome, but
you’re pretty awesome yourself. I just want you to be sure that
avoiding GC is what you truly want, and not what your brain is
telling you.”

“
It’s what I
have
to do regardless of what we shared. I did
what was best for the star basketball player. He’s living his
dream, and now I’m living mine. I’m here for one reason only, and
that’s to get a degree. I don’t even think I’ll have time to find
him if I wanted to. I’ll only be here three days a week. The only
way I’d even look in his direction is if he came looking for
me.”

“
He’s had a few chances to ask us, but we’ve
done everything to stay away from him. I just hope that if you run
into each other that you tell him,” Carleigh says
unsurely.

“
Car, he has his basketball scholarship and
the papers say the pros might be sending scouts out to see him.
Even if I do decide to tell him, it won’t be during a five minute
conversation. I could just see it now. He’d run so fast, forget
basketball, they’d give him a track scholarship instead.” We all
start to laugh.

Chapter 11

GUNNISON

Several guys from the team meet up at the Coastal
Ale House. This place reminds me of the Taproom at home. After
ordering a beer at the bar, I make my way to a high top to watch
major league baseball.

As several of the guys start to get a little
rowdy, I notice a group of girls walk in… Summer. She spots me as
soon as she walks in the door, and the look on her face says one
thing.
I’m hers.
I flash a
smile back and walk toward her.

“
Well if it isn’t GC Del Valle. I missed you
this summer,” she says as she wraps her arms around me. As she
looks up to me, I lean over and press my lips to hers briefly. “So
are we picking up where we left off?” She winks, and I kiss her
once more. I lace my fingers through hers and tell her friends to
join us. “I believe we are, Summer.”

As the afternoon ends, we pay our tabs and head back
toward our apartment. Summer goes with the girls, but I know I’ll
see her later. There’s a party at Garden City, and there’s no way
we’re going to miss a party at the beach.

MARLEIGH

As we get ready to go out tonight, I go into my room
and Facetime my parents, but it’s the perfect little face on the
other side that makes my heart warm.

“
Hey, little man! What did you and Pap do
today?”

“
We went to the creek fishin’! I got a big
‘un. He was dis big.” I act completely shocked as he shows me with
his arms the size of the fish.