Everlasting (22 page)

“I’m just getting things wrapped up here, and then I should be there.” He hesitated like he was checking a calendar for a date. “Looks like in about three weeks. Scott’s getting settled in, and I’m teaching him how to run things while I’m gone. I won’t have anything too pressing going on until the end of October, so I can stay with you a while.”

“Oh, good, I can’t wait to see you.”

“I plan on being there for your birthday. You know I wouldn’t miss this important milestone for you. Some important things are coming up for us that I’m excited to tell you about, but I have to go, now. I have another call coming in and have to take it.”

My birthday was September twentieth, less than a month away, and I would be eighteen. “Okay.” I paused. “Aaron…?”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Don’t forget me.” Apprehension clouded my happiness, and I clutched at my necklace. “Make sure you call me, and keep in touch.”

“Now, Sophia, you know you don’t have to worry about that. I’m not going anywhere. Listen, I hate to hang up on you, but I have to go. Love you, talk to you in a few days.”

“I…love you, too.” I sputtered this out timidly, smoothing the wrinkle out of my denim jacket sleeve, my mouth dry. But the phone clicked and went silent.

M
om came rushing
out of the house when I pulled my car into the drive, meeting me at the metal gate. My heart rate sped up. I imagined the worst and couldn’t figure out why she looked so panicked. Had something happened to somebody in the family? Bob, maybe?

Her eyes, red and swollen, had dark circles underneath, aging her—face pale and stricken. “What is it, Mom? Did something happen?” My gaze shot to Bob’s doghouse, but I was afraid to look too hard, didn’t want to confirm my rising suspicions.

“I just talked to Marrian Stuart on the phone, Sophia.” Her eyes drilled me and her fingers flexed. “She told me everything. Why didn’t you say something?”

Relief washed through me knowing this was all it was, and Bob was all right. But then my heart dropped to my feet, and the blood rushed from my face. She had found out my secret. I looked into her eyes, saw the hurt, and looked down at the ground, hoping to find my answer in the black earth. When it never responded, I looked back up again, my eyes pleading. “I couldn’t. You wouldn’t have understood.”

We walked into the house, and Mom poured herself a cup of coffee. She pulled out a wooden kitchen chair, motioning me to sit down. Tension filled the air with a thick fog as I plunked down and deposited my chin into my hand. Both of us silent, she paced the floor, finally taking a sip of her coffee. “Did they hurt you?” A nervous jitter stilted her voice. Her anger softening some, she sat down in the chair across from me.

“Who?” I tilted my head, confused.

“Them…the ghosts?” She rubbed her neck.

“No, they didn’t hurt me. Look, Mom, I was going to tell you, eventually. Just waiting for the right time. It’s a little hard to break the news to your family that you just spent the summer with three ghosts.”

“I must admit, it took me a while to believe, and I had to sit down when Marrian broke the news to me.” She straightened out the frayed end of the checkered tablecloth. “Still can’t believe it.”

“I know, that’s why I couldn’t tell you. But everything’s fine, now. Marrian’s doing well and is out of the hospital. She knows that, although Mandy’s gone, she’s in a better place, and she’ll see her again someday.”

“It’s going to take some time for all of this to sink in, but I’ll be alright.” She reached over to pat my hand. “It’s your father I’m worried about. I’m not sure if he’ll ever believe. But don’t worry, Soph. I’ll convince him, somehow.”

“There is one other teensy thing I didn’t tell you.” I winced and squeezed my bottom lip in between my fingers.

“What’s that?”

“Symphony isn’t Claudia’s friend’s dog. She belonged to one of the ghosts, Tate Forester. After I found out everything that had happened, I couldn’t let her live homeless, so I had her shipped here. It hurt me to see her mourning for him, and I felt so bad for her.”

“Ah, yes, I believe Marrian did mention a Tate Forester. Sounds like he was a good-looking young man.”

Good looking didn’t even come close, and I nodded, wishing Mom could have seen him like I did. “I have a picture of him if you’d like to see it.” I got up and grabbed my purse off the counter. The picture was tucked in the inside zipper pocket, where I could get it out at a moment’s notice, if need be, helping to make any of my unstable moods…better.

“Oh, I’d love to.” Mom came up behind me and looked over my shoulder. I held it in the palm of my hand. “Sophia, he’s very handsome. It’s such a tragedy that he was killed in such a horrible way. He had his whole life in front of him.” She clicked her tongue and turned from me to fill a saucepan with water. After shaking some salt into it, she carried it to the stove.

I never told her that Tate and I were in love with each other, or about Lidia. She didn’t need to know I could soon be fighting the enemy. It was one thing to convince her of ghosts, but how could I explain my love for one of them? It didn’t matter anymore, anyway. Tate had been right, there was no future for us, and it was best if I just got over him and moved on.

T
hree weeks later
, Tate woke me. The aroma of his shaving cream filled my room and roused me out of the peaceful dream I was having of him. In my dream we were running along the beach, hand in hand, my hair blowing back, and his strong chest and abs as hard and unmoving as a suit of armor while we picked up seashells, finding homes for his hermit crabs. Symphony ran with us, kicking up sand as she scattered the seagulls. They took flight for a brief second, then came back and landed, claiming their territory once again.

I couldn’t see him in my room, but I felt him there…all around me. He slid into bed beside me, and my wisps of hair moved with his kisses, tickling my ear and neck as he nuzzled close. “Tate, you’re here?” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I’ve missed you, and I’m so glad you’re safe. Please show yourself to me. I need you.”

He never answered, never came into view, but I could feel him lying beside me, comforting me and wiping at the tears that ran down my face, soaking my pillow. Like nothing could ever hurt me again, he held me, making me feel secure. I relaxed, absorbed in his arms until I almost drifted off again.

An intrusive knock on my bedroom door made me jump, and before I could say anything, it swung open. Aaron barged in, and Tate snuck away. I clenched my jaw and balled my hands into fists, letting them fall by my sides—a quiet thud as they hit the bed.

“Sophia, it’s me. I’m finally home. I wanted to talk to you before I went to bed and you fell asleep.” Aaron sat down on the edge of the bed, caressing my hair, wiping the dampness away from my face. “I’ve missed you.”

My fingers raked over the top of my head and pulled on my hair. “I did, too.” I exhaled an exasperated breath, staring at the ceiling.

I should have been happy to have Aaron back here with me again, but after feeling Tate beside me, loneliness filled me—an unbearable feeling. The tears surfaced. No one else could compare.

T
he next day was Friday
, one day before my eighteenth birthday. I had just gotten out of the shower and ran a pink towel through my hair, donning a pair of shorts and T-shirt before I put on my good clothes for school.

Aaron came into my room and stood beside the bed, still pulling a dark blue necktie through itself to match his blue suit. He always dressed to impress, never seen in just a pair of blue jeans and a simple pullover.

He came up behind me and wrapped me into him, whispering in my ear. “What are your plans tonight?”

“Claudia, Jenny, and Laura are taking me into Great Falls. We’re going shopping and then to a movie. They’re paying for everything. It’s their birthday treat for me.” I fumbled with an earring. His kisses proceeded down my neck, distracting me and making me quiver, losing all form of concentration.

He spun me around to face him, voice stern—tenderness dissipating. “That is
all
who’s going, right…no boys?”

“No, you don’t have to worry about that.” I smiled, tapping the end of his nose with my finger. “But if I don’t hurry up and get ready for school, I’ll be late.” The clock on my nightstand spun out of control, and if I didn’t leave in five minutes, the last bell would ring without me. I slipped to my closet, sliding on a pair of jeans and a beige blouse.

“You better promise me that, Sophia. I don’t do well with other boys coming around.”

I laughed at his warning, brushing my hair a final time. “Why would I do that? Don’t you trust me?”

He pulled me back to him and kissed me hard on the lips. “Don’t be foolish, you know I was joking. I won’t be home tonight. I’m staying the night at Dave’s. You go out and have fun with your friends, but I want you all to myself tomorrow night when it
is
actually your birthday.”

“Don’t worry…I’m saving tomorrow night just for us.” I kissed his cheek and grabbed up my purse that was draped over the arm of my desk chair. He brought his arms behind me, giving me a quick pinch before I smiled and closed the door.

W
ith a fun night planned
, the day dragged on longer than usual. I fidgeted nonstop, hoping to speed up time. It didn’t help. All the clocks in the world seemed to have stopped, making sure to prolong the agony and anticipation.

The last bell rang, and we burst through the school doors, excited whoops and hollers going up from the four of us. There wasn’t a shortage of grins when we piled into Laura’s gigantic gray car, its muffler roaring so loud we couldn’t hear each other talk, but knew it would have lots of room for shopping bags. Time raced as we traveled into the city of Great Falls, and we barely realized when Laura wheeled the car into the Westwing Mall parking lot.

We went inside and invaded every store in the mall, our arms bogged down with so many bags we couldn’t carry them all. Laura and Jenny rummaged through racks and racks of dresses for the upcoming homecoming dance. The hangers clanged on the metal clothes racks as they pulled them off one by one, gave them a quick inspection, then shoved them back in again when they couldn’t find the perfect one.

Claudia and I strolled to the bookstore, lured by the perfect combination of ink and paper, urging us to spend our money.

After our arms were heaped with boxes and bags, the four of us jumped back into the car, bound for the theater, the heady aroma of a million perfume samples polluting the small confines of the car.

Laura pulled the car into a parking stall, taking up two because she still had a hard time parking her big jalopy. We tumbled out of the car, our punch-drunk laughter resonating throughout the parking lot, and carried ourselves through the dark, advancing to the theater doors.

We ended up watching a sappy love story that had every one of us crying when we walked out, changing our slap-happy moods into somber ones.

With hushed tones we walked to the car, nobody saying much, but soon Laura’s hand shot up in the air to stop us. “What…
ever
. Forget this. This is supposed to be a fun night. We need to bring things to life again.” She looked around and her eyes lit up, growing wide. A group of guys were walking from the theater to their pickup.

“Hold on a sec, be right back.” She rushed over to them, her gestures animated, waving them down.

I stared at her and winced. “What is she doing?” But I was sure I knew the answer.

We leaned against the side of the car, waiting for her. It wasn’t long before she sprinted back to us, excitement glowing on her face, pointing over her shoulder. “Get in girls, we’re gonna follow that pickup.” She giggled and strapped her seat belt on. Her car turned over and over. “C’mon…c’mon Betsy ole girl, you can do it.” At last it roared to life after much heavy pumping and pumping on the pedal. “Yes! I knew she wouldn’t let us down.”

Claudia looked at me out of the corner of her eye and held on tight to the back of the seat. She whispered, cupping one hand to the side of her mouth. “This isn’t good.”

We followed close behind the rusty black pickup as it proceeded through a couple of stoplights, then turned right. It pulled into the Gas Fume convenience store, and a tall kid with a buzzed haircut jumped out, grabbing at his back pocket for his billfold, his other pocket displaying the familiar ring of a chew can.

Laura got out to talk to the other boys in the pickup.

Claudia peered over Jenny’s shoulder from the back seat. “What’s going on?”

Jenny looked back at us over her shoulder, a devious smile rippling across her face. “If it’s what I think it is, those boys are buying us alcohol.”

Five minutes later, the kid came out of the convenience store, a brown paper bag in his hand, the top of it rolled down for easier carrying. No one spoke as we watched him jump back into his pickup, joining the other two boys who had stayed waiting for him.

He stuck his head out the window. “Follow me.”

Laura ran back to the car and jumped in. His pickup cackled, speeding off with Laura’s big boat following close behind. We followed it to the outskirts of town and took the first gravel road to the west. After driving for twenty minutes, the tall pickup pulled into a hay meadow.

The boy jumped back out of the driver’s side and grabbed the paper bag off the seat. “Here you go, girls.”

We all followed suit with Laura and piled out of the car. He handed her the bag, and she excitedly unrolled it, peeking inside. “Looks good, boys. You want to join us?” She plucked out a twelve-pack of beer.

The other two boys in the pickup jumped out, giving the door a heave with a rugged leather boot. One of them had another twelve-pack stuffed under his arm. I rolled my neck, feeling a little wary about doing this. We were all only eighteen and should know better.

Laura noticed my stiff posture and the hesitant look on my face. “Oh, come on. It’s your birthday.” She shoved a cold can in my hand.

I shivered when the frigid can hit my warm skin, visions of Tate, Mandy, and Matt flashing in my mind. But I gave in, trying to push aside the visions and the pain that had surfaced in the back of my throat. Each of us took a beer, even Claudia, which surprised me.

Later on in the night, though, hers sat unopened by her side. She caught me eyeing it. “I’ll be your designated driver,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

The boys introduced themselves as Kevin, Luke, and Riley, while we introduced ourselves to them. All seven of us sat for hours on a stack of hay bales, laughing and telling jokes.

We found out that the three boys lived in Great Falls and had already graduated from school. Kevin, the one who had bought the beer, had just turned twenty-one a couple of months ago. As the night wore on and the moon slid its way down the backside of the sky, Laura and Jenny latched on to Kevin and Riley, disappearing behind a larger stack of bales to make out.

I looked at my phone, shocked that it read a quarter after one. Goose bumps prickled my arms from the chilly air. I rubbed them and yawned. The half can of beer I managed to choke down made my head swim and my speech funny. I wasn’t going to drink any more.

Claudia and I snuck back to the car, deciding to wait for Jenny and Laura to come back. Luke stayed out on the bale and sipped at his beer.