Save Me From Me (11 page)

She blushes. “I look forward to it. I gotta hurry up before the evil witch catches me talking to a cute guy while I’m on the clock. I don’t get paid to talk to boys.” She says the last part mockingly as she rolls her eyes.

“What time does a pretty girl like you get off work?”

“Different times depending on the day, but today, four p.m.” She looks back towards the register again, and I know I need to hurry up myself.

“I’ll see you again soon.”

She just nods, and I watch her make her way to the bathroom. She pauses as she goes to push open the door to look back at me. She just smiles and shakes her head at me, staring before she makes her way in.

I know I took longer than expected, but I don’t even care as I open the door and slide into my seat.

“Took you long enough,” my dad says in an annoyed tone.

“Sorry, got distracted,” I mumble.

“I’m sure you did. Pretty girls are a distraction you don’t need right now.”

And again, I keep my mouth shut because it is pointless to argue or even try to communicate with someone that thinks he knows everything.

I want to shake him sometimes and scream,
“Just because the choices you made were best for you, don’t mean they will be best for me.”

But I don’t. Instead, I just silently scream and shake him in my head. It works out better that way for the both of us. No one gets hurt.

Before leaving me at the new site, he tosses me a pair of keys for another work truck and reassures me that in a couple of weeks there should be a spot open for Rusty to come and join this crew. That’s the one thing I truly do appreciate about my dad. He doesn’t want me to be lonely the whole time I’m working. Looks like lucky me will be making do as a lonesome nomad for a while. Thank God for game systems. I’m pretty sure that will be the only thing keeping me sane during the week.

That Rusty is a good guy and all, and we’ve become close friends since working on the road together, but damn, I need to breathe sometimes. You don’t get very many chances alone while living in motel rooms for weeks-to-months at a time. So, this time apart, so to speak, will be good for the both of us. People can’t always get along when they’re constantly together. The being on the road bullshit is getting old. But when there’s nothing keeping you put in one particular spot, hitting the road seems like the legit thing to do. And what better way to do that than to follow in my father’s footsteps. Seeing that he’s the foreman of the pipelining company, I can pretty much do any job I want. But I don’t like to wave that flag around, so instead, I started at the bottom and worked my way up, just like everyone else. Well, until he finds random jobs like this one that need someone who knows what the hell they are doing to fill in. In that case, he yanks from wherever I am and throws me somewhere new for a period of time. Being the freaking floater is starting to wear thin on my nerves.

This workweek has dragged its ghetto ass by so slowly. It’s finally Saturday, and I have the rest of the day off to enjoy myself. The best part is that I don’t have to work tomorrow either. That is actually a joke all in itself because every day that I’m scheduled off, I get called in. I’m the only one Joy can ever count on to come in last minute, and I’m the only one she constantly bitches at. I swear it makes me wonder why the hell she has a bone to pick with me. Like I ever did anything to her besides not take her shit. I’ve only seen Gage like twice, which is the norm. I haven’t seen the guy who’s been on my mind more than I’d like since that last time at the store.

It sucks bad that I want to see him again. I can’t control it though. The way he said that he hoped to see me again soon seemed more like it was a promise. Like he was guaranteeing me that I’d be seeing him again. That better be a non-refundable guarantee, right there.

I pull into the little gravel lot, park my truck, and grab my camera and headphones for my phone. I don’t know why it is, but I take the best pictures when listening to music. Lately, I’ve been on a certain playlist kick that consists mostly of Skylar Grey. Her song “Words” just hits dead on so many feelings that I have with dealing with my dad. I’ve found myself just falling asleep while listening to that song on repeat.

Music has always been another passion of mine. It’s not that I have ever been interested in playing any instruments or singing. It’s just, to me, music is life. It’d be pretty quiet and boring without it. The amount of emotion and raw honesty that songs can capture pulls me in. Of course, I have to be sucked in by the beat or melody first, but once I’m in, I’m stuck and I’m not moving. I’m pretty much a concert whore too, but haven’t really been to any the past few years. I’m slowly pulling myself back together. It’s taking a while to adjust back to the mundane things in life like working, but the hardest thing has probably been the home life. It sucks, and I’m in no position whatsoever to get out of it. I wonder if I even would if I could. I’m not sure I could leave my mom. Maybe it’s stupid on my part. Hell, she’s been putting up with my brother and sister’s shit well enough on her own. But dammit, I feel like she needs me. I’m the only one who helps her with anything. I’m not sure I could ever leave her with those dumbasses living there. Who knows? Maybe one day I will figure out my life. It’s not like it’s at the top of my priority list. Nope. Instead, it’s smack dab at the very bottom.

As much as I love fishing, I’m in the mood to roam around. There aren’t any fish biting where we are, and Rusty’s too busy flirting with the local girls laying by the shoreline to watch his pole anyways. Go figure. He comes down for the weekend to get some, and I don’t mean fish.

“Yo, Rus, I’m gonna go walk around. Maybe see what it looks like over on the other side of the cliff.” I grab my pole and the tackle box.

“You sure, man? You usually aren’t about turning the willing down.” He cocks his head to the chicks giggling and looking our way. “And believe me, they be willing.”

I clasp his shoulder. “And since when have you not been up for having them all to yourself?”

His grin grows wicked. “I will take one for the team. Your loss is my gain.”

“Them ladies aren’t gonna know what hit ‘em.” I laugh as I turn to walk towards the trail leading up the hill. Thank heavens for those chicks. They are my saving grace, for the moment.

I make my way through the slightly wooded path that goes around the cliff. I have no clue what to expect once I make it to the other side of the hill, but once I spot the dock leading out into the water, I know I found the perfect hidey-hole. I’m making my beeline for the dock, and that’s when I see her, laying on the ground, holding a camera, looking up towards the sky. Completely in shock, I stand still questioning what I should do. I know she can’t hear me walking because she has her ear buds in, and I can hear her lightly singing from where I am. She looks at peace as she points her camera up. I have the urge to crawl over near her and look up to see what cloud shape she’s capturing. Looking up from where I am now, I see nothing but a ball of cotton. I’d love to see it from her perspective — behind the lens.

Do I keep going to the dock I had my eyes set on, or to the thing that has unwillingly sucked me in? Without a second thought, I make my way over to the daydreamer who has captivated me just as the sky has captivated her. I walk up behind her, lean over right into the focus of her camera, and smile. She pulls her camera down to look at me, smiles, and then positions it back in place, snapping my picture before she sits up.

“Are you stalking me again?” She smiles as she asks.

“I’m not sure who the stalker is in this situation. I mean, you are the one taking pics of me.” I smirk as I sit down next to her.

“Correction, one picture. I took one picture of a more than willing participant.”

“Fine, I’ll give you that one. Were the clouds being good, well behaved participants?” I ask, and she laughs at me.

“If you can call a penis shaped cloud well behaved, then yes.”

“Good to know you like taking pictures of penises.” I tease and she blushes.

“Har har, funny boy. Anyways, what are you even doing here?” she asks, and I can tell she is genuinely curious.

“Well, my buddy, Rusty, is over there on the other side entertaining his new lady friends. I came over here to find a better fishing spot because we were having jack shit luck over there.”

“It doesn’t sound like it to me. Sounds like your friend caught some guppies.” I laugh at her correct analogy. “And I’m betting you helped reel them in.” She cocks her brow at me.

“It’s not because I was trying, believe me.”

“Oh, I do believe you. I’m sure you never have to put out much effort, if any, that is.” She grabs her stuff and stands up. I follow suit and stand as well.

“I could say the same about you…” I pause, waiting for her to finally tell me her name, even though I already know it.

“Dani,” she says.

“I’m Holden. It’s nice to officially meet you, Dani.” I hold my hand out to her, and she hesitantly shakes it. “Don’t worry, it’s clean.”

“I wasn’t worried.”

“Well then, are you into fishing? I seem to have lost my fishing partner.” I wink.

She looks at the ground, pushes a loose piece of hair from her ponytail behind her ear, and then looks back up at me. “Sure, I can stay a lil longer.”

“Thatta girl.”

We walk towards the end of the dock, and she tells me to go to the left side.

“Over there is where you will catch the most fish.”

“Oh, yeah? How would a pretty girl like you know where the best spot to catch fish would be?” I already love messing with her because I can tell she’s easy to get riled up. And, I like ‘em feisty and riled up.

“What? Pretty girls aren’t allowed to fish? I used to go fishing all the time when I was younger.” She huffs.

“Easy there, Hot Shot.” She props her hand on her hip and attempts to give me the evil eye, but all too quickly, her face lights up into a smile. “Did ya hear something you liked, Darlin’?” And just like that, the smile is gone.

“Yeah, until you called me, Darlin, Bass Pro.” I just ignore her little nickname and keep on messing with her. I know, from just the short time I’ve known her, that she can hold her own like no other.

“So, let me get this straight. You used to go fishing all the time when you were younger?” She nods. “Did you actually fish? Or did you lie around taking penis cloud pics while whoever you were with did all the fishing?”

“Maybe if you cast your line far enough over there, you can snag you up one of them guppies you left behind.” She sticks her tongue out at me.

“No way! I think I found something better I’d rather snag on this side of the lake,” I say with no ounce of humor in my voice.

“Good to know. Are you gonna do some fishing or not? Because if not, I’m gonna head home.” She’s avoiding what I said, and I don’t blame her. I like her attitude and the way she keeps up without skipping a beat. She has this ‘I don’t give a shit’ attitude, but I can tell that she does give a shit, and I have a feeling that only really lucky people get to see that side of her. Oh, how I wish I were lucky.

“Oh, I’m gonna do some fishing all right. This hot chick told me the prize spot. So, I definitely need to make sure she isn’t full of shit.”

“Hey, I may be full of a lot of things, but shit isn’t one of them. Besides, don’t be blamin’ me if they aren’t bitin’. Sometimes it’s the fisherman, not the fish.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You sayin’ I don’t know how to properly fish?”

“More like bait. By the looks of it, you aren’t a master baiter.” She busts out laughing once she realizes what she has said.

“You’re right. I think I need some assistance in that department. You think you could lend a hand?” I smile giving her a wink.

“I have a feeling you don’t need my hand at all in that department. Your hand either, for that matter.”

“Oh, is that so? So, Dani, is there something wrong with being a masturbator?”

She walks towards me closing the distance between us.
“I never said there was anything wrong with it, Holden.” She lets her finger trace down the front of my thin, cutoff, white shirt that I’m wearing. It’s not scorching out by any means, but the path her finger just took left my skin sizzling. “We all have to get our kicks someway, right? You just like getting yours outside against dirty bar walls.” She grabs my pole and turns away before I can see if her normal smirk is plastered all over her face.