Last Train Home (23 page)

“You’re such a dork,” I laughed, pushing him on the shoulder and then turning to find Alex.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Even after Jesse and I cleared everything up, I was skeptical about us really being able to put it behind us, but somehow we had.  I knew neither of us had forgotten about it and I couldn’t say there weren’t awkward moments at first, because there were, but it didn’t last long.  Lunch was normal, class was normal, everything was normal.  We even buckled down and finished our project, which Jesse and I both agreed turned out pretty well.  Mr. Barry must’ve liked our pros and cons idea as well because we pulled off an A.  Jesse insisted it was a combination of our awesome Power Point presentation and Mr. Barry’s affinity for my Boston heritage.  Whatever it was, I didn’t care, as long as we got the grade.

T
hings were good with Alex too and even Adrienne was letting up a little.  Perhaps she was finally getting tired of the stupid games she was playing.  I still felt the daggers shooting from her eyes on occasion, but I hadn’t been called a skank for a while, which was a definite improvement. 

My relationshi
p with my mom was improving as well and I was beginning to think the anger I felt towards her for moving us to Carver was downgrading to mere annoyance.  It wasn’t even at being in Kansas anymore because that part wasn’t actually too bad.  The annoyance was directed at her and her alone.  At this point, it was a matter of principle. 

Things were good and they were only getting better because Homecoming weekend had finally come.  I thought Alex might’ve wanted to go to the football game on Friday night with his friends, but he was totally fine when I told him I wanted to go with mine.  We went out for pizza beforehand and then
watched our team defeat Abner High, which also included watching Adrienne being crowned Homecoming Queen during halftime.  I couldn’t understand how she’d won, considering no one liked her.  But, somehow she pulled it off and acted totally surprised when her name was announced.  She cried and waved and the whole display made me sick, but I wasn’t going to let her ruin my night.  I was just grateful Alex hadn’t won the title of king, which he’d been nominated for.  It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be going to the dance with the Homecoming King; I just hated the thought of him and Adrienne reigning together.  The insults would never stop if that happened.  Instead, Charlie won, which didn’t surprise anyone considering he was quarterback.  Alex was fine with not winning either.  He’d seemed annoyed by the whole thing actually.  The night had turned out to be a lot of fun, but Alex dropped me off shortly after the game ended.

I woke up early the next morning.  Because it was Homecoming, my teachers had developed souls and didn’t assign any homework, leaving me to dawdle around the house until it was time for the dance.  Alex was picking me up at five o’clock for dinner.  He didn’t tell me where we were going and I had no idea where he could be taking me.  There were absolutely no restaurants in
Carver that could be called remotely nice.  My friends, along with most everyone else I’d talked to, were making the thirty minute drive to Wichita for dinner before the dance.  I figured we’d probably do the same. 

As I started getting ready, I was kind of disappointed Alex and I weren’t going with Jesse and Mandy’s group to the dance.  Mandy, Laura, and Holly were all getting ready at Mandy’s house together.  They’d asked me to join them, but I thought it would be strange getting ready with them and then dr
iving back home so Alex could pick me up.  Mandy suggested Alex could pick me up at her house and then we’d go our separate ways, but I thought that would be even weirder.  Instead, I told her I’d get ready at my place and we’d meet up at the dance. 

After showering
, I put on my make-up and began styling my hair.  I’d thought about going to a salon, like I’d done back in Boston, but I didn’t quite trust the stylists here in Podunkville.  I had fears of looking like a cotton ball if I let someone in this town touch my hair.  Instead, I relied on my own talents, which were definitely minimal.  I curled my hair so it was a mass of dark ringlets.  I pulled half of it back and clipped it with a silver barrette.  When I was done, I looked in the mirror and thought it had turned out pretty nice.  It looked dressy, yet natural.  It wasn’t overdone and when I pulled on the scarlet dress, I was certain Alex would like it. 

It was quarter to five when I finished.  I went downstairs to where my mom and grandma were waiting for me. 
David and the blonde from the party were in the living room as well.  He’d told me he’d be stopping by so my grandma could get pictures. 

Since the party, I
’d learned the girl’s name was Stephanie.  She was a junior like him and she looked nice in a long black dress with cap sleeves.  David had given her a corsage made of a single white lily that matched well with his suit and her dress. 

“Oh my!
  Look at you, Riley!” my grandma exclaimed as I walked into the living room. “You look gorgeous!”  I smiled over to her and then I looked at my mom.

“You look beautifu
l,” she said and then walked over to me.  She held out her arms hesitantly and then hugged me.  I didn’t blame her for her reservation towards me after the way I’d treated her, but I wasn’t in the mood tonight to be a brat.  I hugged her back and it felt good.

“Thanks,” I said and then turned to my cousin and his date and said hello.  “You g
uys look great.”

“You too,”
David said and Stephanie smiled in agreement.

I excused myself for a moment while I walked into the kitchen to get the boutonniere I’d gotten for Alex.  It was a single red rose with a tiny bit of baby’s breath.

“Where’s Alex taking you for dinner?” David asked when I walked back into the living room.

“I’m not sure.  He says
it’s a surprise.”

“He’s such a sweet boy,”
my grandma said. “I like him.”

I looked over to
David.  I thought I saw him shake his head, but I wasn’t sure and when I looked over at my mom, she didn’t seem to share my grandmother’s admiration either. 

The doorbell rang just then and my heart started to beat with excitement knowing it was Alex.  My grandma walked over and opened the door. 

“Hi, Alex.  Come on in,” she said cheerfully, stepping aside and letting him in. 

“Hi
, Mrs. Smollett.”  I heard his voice before I saw him and a smile spread across my face at the sound of it.  When I finally saw him he looked amazing in his black suit and he reminded of a model you might see in GQ.  His rugged sexiness seemed somewhat out of place in Carver.

My grandma closed the door and he looked over to me.  His eyes seemed to trace my body and that devilish half-smile spread across his face.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” I replied
, suddenly shy.

He stepped across the ro
om, closing the gap between us and then he looked over to my mom.

“Hi
, Mrs. Regas,” he said politely.

“Hi
, Alex,” she responded and then he looked over towards my cousin and his date.

“Hey
, David.  Hi, Stephanie.  You look nice,” he said smiling at her and I noticed Stephanie blushed at the attention given to her by Alex.

“Hey,”
David replied and then Alex turned to me.

“Yo
u look amazing,” he said quietly, looking me over again.

“Thanks.  So do you,” I said and I felt my cheeks redden, just like Stephanie’s had, at his compliment.

“I got you a corsage,” he said, holding up a plastic container.  He opened it and set the box on the coffee table.  He lifted my hand and gently slid it on.  It was beautiful with three red roses that matched my dress perfectly.

“It’s wonderful,” I said
, looking down and then up at his dark brown eyes. “I’ve got something for you too.”  I walked over to the table where I’d set his boutonniere. 

“You’re not gonna stab me, are you?” he laughed as I
tried pinning it on his lapel.

“Not too hard,” I joked back as I finished, without injuring him.
“Alright. Looks like we’re ready to go.”

“Not b
efore pictures,” my grandma sang, grabbing her camera. 

He took my hand and we walked over to the fireplace next to
David and his date.  He put his arm around me and we smiled as my grandma took what felt like a million pictures.  She took a few group shots and then couples shots.  She had my mom step into some of the pictures and then Alex took one of my mom, grandma, David and me.  I was relieved when she finally put the camera down and we were free to go.

“Have a good time,” my mom
called as we were walking out the door. “Be home by two.”

“I will,” I said
, grateful that she’d extended my curfew by two hours.

“You look incredible,”
Alex said, sliding his arm around my waist as we walked out and again, I blushed to the point I’m sure the color of my cheeks matched my dress.

“We’ll see you guys at the dance,”
David called to us as we went our separate ways.  David and Stephanie climbed into David’s old pick-up truck and when I looked up, expecting to see Alex’s black Altima, I was surprised to see the black Escalade I’d ever only seen parked in his driveway. 

“What’s this?” I asked
, gesturing towards the fancy SUV. 

“I thought I’d class it up a bit,” he said as he opened the passenger door and helped me inside.

“Very nice,” I said with approval.  He smiled and closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. 

The car was indeed fancy and impeccably clean.  When Alex turned on the ignition, the dashboard seemed to light up like mission control at NASA. 

“I feel like we’re in a space ship or something,” I laughed.

“Yeah, this thing’s crazy.
My dad had to have it though.”

“What’d you have to do
to let him loan it to you tonight?”

“Oh, just sell my soul, but it’s worth it,” he said
, leaning over the console and kissing me.

“So, you’ve been so secretive about everything.  Where are we going for dinner?” I asked as we drove.

“I’ve kept it a secret this long, you think I’m gonna tell you now?” he laughed.

“I was hoping y
ou’d tell me.”

“Well, I’m not,” he said
, reaching over and taking my hand. “You won’t have to wait long to find out though.”

When
Alex turned onto the road that led to his house, I looked over to him curiously.  He didn’t say anything and a moment later, he was pulling the Escalade into the driveway. 

“What are we doing at your house?” I
asked as he eased to a stop. 

“You’ll
see,” he said and hopped out. 

I opened the door and joined him.  He took my hand and led me up the stairs and onto the sprawling porch.

“Can you wait here for just a sec?”

“Okay,” I said slowly
, trying to figure out what he was up to. 

“I’ll be right back
.”  He unlocked the front door and then disappeared. 

I waited on the porch, looking around.  The sun was just beginning to set, causing the sky to transform into a canvas of yellow and pink and orange.  For all the things I despised about Kansas, this was one thing I didn’t hate.  It still amazed me that I could see for miles.  I’d never paid much attention to sunsets in Boston.  That was probably due to the fact that I could never see them because of the combination of trees, hills, and buildings.  Since moving to Kansas though, I had paid attention and had probably seen more sunsets in my time here than during my seventeen years in Boston.

“Alright.  You can come in now,” he said a few minutes later as he held the screen door open for me and I stepped inside.

The house was dar
k, but I could see a faint light coming from the dining room and I could hear music playing softly.

“What’s going on?” I asked as
a smile spread across my face.

“Come with me.”  He took my hand and led
me toward the light.

We turned into the dining room and I was greeted by a full spread on the table.  Two long stem candles were burning on it, creating an intimate glow in the room.

“Dinner is served,” he said, placing his hand on the small of back.  He pulled out my chair for me and I sat down looking over the table.  He’d obviously used his mother’s fine China to make a perfect setting, including cloth napkins. 

“How’d you do all this?” I asked as I stared down at the lasagna, salad and bread sticks in the middle of the table.

“I have my ways,” he said slyly.

“No, seriously.
  How’d you pull it off?  This is amazing.”

“I’d like to say I did it all myself, but my mom helped.  She made the dinner, but I set the table.”

“But how’d you get it all ready?  We’ve been at my house and the lasagna’s still hot,” I said, watching the steam dance around it.

“It was all very strategic,” he smiled. “I texted my mom when I got to your house, she put the food out and then left.  I had to come in and light the candles though.  She was afraid the house might burn down if she lit them.”