The Understorey, Book One of The Leaving Series (19 page)

She placed the back of her gloved hand
against her forehead, gazed toward the sky and with a southern
drawl said, “Oh Rhett, you’re sweepin’ me off ma’ feet!”
    “Hardy, har, har. I’m being serious with you
Jules. I have never in my life seen a woman as gorgeous as you. You
take the cake buttercup.”
    “Oh Gray, so many points for that one. Just for
that, I’d let you carry me anywhere.”

Jules sat on the back of her heels and opened
the basket beneath her. She had lots of awesome food in there and I
wondered if she had made it herself. I didn’t get a chance to ask
because she said she had a surprise for me.
    “Ta daa!” She said and pulled a little portable
mp3 player out. “I thought we could listen to music and dance and
be silly. The rock bridge is like the
perfect
dance
floor.”
She turned it on and fiddled with it until I heard Silverchair’s
‘Without You’ come on.

“Diorama,” I said.

She nodded and threw a flirtatious smile my
way. I reclined back onto an elbow and watched her dance around
while belting out every single word. I was mesmerized. When the
song was over she collapsed on the stone, happy and out of
breath.
    “God, you’re adorable,” I said.
She just laughed and tried to catch her breath.
    “Come here,” she said and patted the bit of
stone next to her.
I got up and laid next to her.
    “I have something I want to listen to with you.
The melody does insane things to my heart and I want to see what it
feels like while you hold me.”
She got up and flipped it to another song. It started and I
recognized another one of Silverchair’s songs.
    “Part one of ‘Those Thieving Birds’,” she said.
“It makes me want to cry it’s so beautiful.”

I turned to my side and hovered over her. I
studied her face for a moment then drug the tip of my thumb over
her bottom lip before gathering her in my arms and kissing her
softly.

    “Hey Jules?”
    “Yes, love?”
    “I am so in love with you.”
She kissed me deeper in response.
    “No one could love me as much as you love me,”
she whispered.
    “Nor could anyone love me as much as you do
Jules.”
    “I know.”

After Saturday’s game, as tired as I was, I
felt like I was getting my second wind knowing Jules and I would be
going to Tanen’s. I planned on introducing the team to how fun
Jules really was.

“Good game, Gray.”

“Thanks mister Dorvey.”

“Good game, Elliott.”

“Thanks,” I said to the stranger who patted
me on the back.

“Gray!” Jules called from behind me.

I spun around to find her.
    “Stop! You’re under arrest!” I teased.
    “For what?”
    “For stealin’ my heart,” I joked with a crooked
smile.
She moved closer to me and clutched the hem of my t-shirt. “Gonna’
frisk me officer?” She asked sarcastically.
    “Are you carrying?”
    “Hell yeah I am. A massive crush on this
burdened heart.”
    “Those are capital offenses Jules. How do you
plead?”
    “Guilty. Very guilty.”
    “Well, I’m the law
and
the order in this
town and as your judge I find you guilty as well. Now, for the
sentencing.” I tapped my chin, “You are hereby ordered to kiss me.
Right here.”
I pointed to my cheek. She went in but at the last second I turned
and caught her mouth with mine.
    “You’re a clever minx Jules.”
    “You’re a flirt Gray and oh yeah, cheesy as
hell. I can’t believe I went along with that. You’re a bad
influence on me.”
    “Cheese can be fun sometimes and yes, I hope to
influence you severely. Time for Matthew’s party. You ready to
go?”
    “I’m more than ready. I’m eager to get this over
with.”
    “Oh Jules. It’s going to be fun. I promise
you.”
    “Okaaaay,” she said, skeptical.

I walked Jules to my truck and threw my pads
in the back. I helped her into the cab and put her seat belt on for
her like I did on our library date, except for the part where I
lost my head and attacked her.

Matthew’s parents' lake house cabin was on an
isolated strip of land on the east side of Bramwell Lake. We had to
circle half the lake to get to it.

“We’re here,” I said finally turning into the
entrance of the long driveway. “Can you see the lit windows through
the trees? I can actually hear all the people.” We passed car after
car on our way to the cabin. “Dang, look at all the cars.”

“Must have heard I was coming,” she
teased.

“That’s
exactly
why,” I winked.

We rounded a bend of drive and skirted a
thick grove of trees before coming upon the little house on top of
Bramwell Lake. The windows were well lit, a stark contrast against
the dark forest. Also, the Tanen’s cabin was the only one for
miles.

Jules ducked her head close to the windshield
for a better view and let out a low whistle.“Kids are spilling out
of every crevice imaginable. Do Matthew’s parents really go for
this?”

    “Yeah, I get the
impression that they love it. They’ll be by in about an hour to
check on things and to ‘make sure’ there’s no alcohol but the team
knows their drill and usually wait until they’re gone to bring out
the illegal stuff anyway. I know they just turn a blind eye on it,
probably thinking that kids will be kids and all that or maybe it’s
an ‘out of sight out of mind’ kind of thing.”
    “On a scale of one to ten, be honest with me
Gray, how scared should I be?” She asked, one eyebrow raised.
    “Ummmm, about a fifteen.”
She laughed nervously.
    I parked on the grass close to the lake’s shore.
I strolled in front of the truck, opened her door for her and took
her hand. Our shared current, second nature to us now, permeated
through our bodies and lit little labyrinths of light out from the
soles of our feet, calming us. She tried to walk toward the house
but I wouldn’t let her break the hold I had on her hand.
    “Look at the water Jules.”
She stood by my side and gazed out over the mirrored lake.
    “Very beautiful. Peaceful. Not a breeze in
sight.”
    “I’ve never seen it stilled like this.”
    “A bit eerie. The calm before a storm?” she
asked, scooting her body closer to mine.
    “You’re just being paranoid Jules. Come on,” I
dragged her behind me up the deck. The wood clamored beneath our
boots.

I opened the door to a living room so full of
kids there was barely enough room to walk. Jules’ heart immediately
tensed up when she saw Taylor and I felt just how nervous the girl
made her. The music was so loud I could barely hear anyone around
us.

    I leaned in close to
Jules’ ear, “Stay close. If we get separated meet me outside on the
deck.”
She nodded. I wound her through the small passageway of kids from
school to a corner of the room and sat her on top of one of
Matthew’s Peavey subwoofers. I leaned in next to her and spoke
closely at her ear.    
    “I’m gonna’ run out to the truck for my mom’s
cell. She told me to keep it on me and I forgot it. I need to take
a leak first though. Are you okay here for a second?”
    “Sure,” she said.
    “Want some water or anything?”
    “I’m cool.”
    “I know it. Be right back.”

I kissed her roughly, leaving her dazed
before meandering my way through the crowd. I glanced a last look
at my Jules. She winked in her usual confident way and I ran to the
bathroom. I had to wait for three people before my turn but finally
got inside. I decided to exit the back and loop around to the front
to avoid climbing over people. I got the cell and bounded up the
deck but before I had even swung open the screen door I heard a
collective “ohhhhh” come from inside the house, making my stomach
twist. I hurried inside to see what was going on and caught the
tail end of an insult aimed directly at my Jules.

    “.........and no one wants
you hear anyway
Julia.
This is a crowd you don’t belong in
leech,” Taylor Williams gestured at the room, her words dripping
with venom. Jules was still perched on top of the speaker I sat her
upon, giving Taylor a height advantage that allowed her to speak
down to Jules literally and figuratively. Had to give Jules credit
where credit was due. She was leaning back on her hands, cool as a
cucumber.

Taylor leaned over her, “I don’t know what
you did to poison
our
Elliott but once we figure out how to
remove your cancerous claws we’ll steal him back. You just don’t
fit in, which is why you should just leave Julia.
No
one
wants you here!”

Jules’ expression was cool. Her face didn’t
betray a hint of hurt but I felt it. It was strong enough of a
sensation that it permeated the room and made my stomach
roil.
    “Enough!” I shouted, my voice booming against
the walls.

All heads, including Taylor’s, spun my way
and the silence was deafening. I felt sick. Above all, this was the
one thing I told Jules I would protect her from and I’d failed
miserably.

    “Enough Taylor!” A sick
glint of shimmer fluttered across her eyes when I said her name and
the corners of her mouth twitched.

Apparently, she was a proponent of the theory
that any attention was good attention.
I climbed over people to get to Jules and yanked her to my
side.
    “She speaks for everyone?” I asked the room.

I scanned their faces but they refused to
make eye contact with me and I realized that Taylor was staring
each down in silent threat. Leading the lemmings. I turned my
attention back to Taylor. The date she had brought from a local
community college took a shot of liquid courage and stood by her
side, swaying slightly. Although the fool was tall and big, I was
taller and bigger which told me he had to have been drunk when he
eyed me like he was craving a fight. Little did I know his real
motivation. I needed to get Julia out of there.

    “Well Taylor, I can see
that you’re
also
slightly inebriated so I’ll leave you to
your date. I’m willing to drop this shit,
for now
. As for
the rest of you,” I stared in seething anger at my boots, “I
thought you were my friends. I guess I was mistaken. None of my
friends would have allowed Julia to be ostracized like this,
especially you Jesse.” I drug my heavy stare onto Jesse.

He shrugged his shoulders and rolled his
eyes. I grabbed Jules’ hand and began to squeeze my way to the door
but when we walked past Taylor, her drunk date grabbed at Jules,
catching one of her necklaces and dragging her backward. I caught
her and straightened her up.

“What the hell is your problem?” I asked the
jerk.

“I want to talk to that girl,” he
slurred.

Ahhh, the truth to Taylor’s outburst.

“What are you doing Craig?” Taylor whispered.
We both ignored her.

“Can’t. We’re leaving
Craig
.”

“I’ve been wanting to talk to her since she
got here. She keeps ignoring me.”

He started leaning into Jules’ face, barely
able to keep himself up.

“Well, obviously she didn’t care to talk with
you,” I said, pressing his shoulder back and correcting his
posture. “Take the hint.”

I couldn’t believe the direction this
conversation had taken. The rest of the crowd stood dumbstruck,
listening to drunk Craig hit on my Jules in front of Taylor. Craig
was oblivious to what had been going on, too enamored with Jules to
pay attention to the fight between her and Taylor or too drunk to
care.

“See bro,” he continued, “you’re under the
impression that I care how she feels.”

He practically begged for me to sock him in
his weak chin
. He’s drunk
, I told myself,
Just walk
away.

“Listen, I’m not sure where you’re from but
here
we don’t treat or talk to ladies like that. So why
don’t you just walk away now. As you can see, we’ve already got a
foot out the door. Come on sweetheart,” I said, taking Jules’
waist.

“Nobody walks away from me, especially a
four,” he said eyeing Jules.

“You’re a joke dude,” I scoffed.

We started to walk away again but this time
he grabbed her so harshly around her shoulders it nearly knocked
her to the ground. That’s when I snapped. I charged at him and
wound my arm behind my head. It came crashing down with all the
strength I had, punching the guy square in the jaw. I raised my
fist again, preparing myself to block the return hit, but it never
came. He went down with the one punch like a sack of potatoes. I
thought it was over and straightened up but out of nowhere came
three friends of his I didn’t know he had with him, waiting in the
wings for just such an occasion to grace us with their
presence.

Two immediately grabbed and held my arms
while a third began punching me in the gut and face. Let me tell
you, it was painful but not as painful as the fact that Jesse just
stood and watched without so much as a twitching thumb in interest
of helping me.

“What. the. hell?” I asked him, between
punches.

I looked over at Jules mid punch and saw the
terror on her face. She felt every single punch that landed and her
face twisted in pain. I knew she felt the nausea. I felt that she
had and it was the first time I hated our shared connection. She
rose above it and started to grab at the one who was punching me
and pleaded with tears in her eyes for Jesse to help me. No one
listened. Taking matters into her own hands, she sprung her leg
back and delivered a knee to my attacker’s groin.

This stopped him before he could hit again
and gave Matthew Tanen enough time to come through the back door
with James Cappelli to discover me getting beat. They grabbed the
three goons and Craig on the floor and started hauling them toward
the door.

    “Get them the hell out of
here Taylor!” Matthew said.
She ran out the front door and we heard them struggling to get to
Taylor’s car.
    “What the hell happened in here?” James asked
me. “We were gone two seconds and you get into a fight Elliott? Why
didn’t you wait for us?” He joked.
    “Ha, ha,” I sighed, out of breath, trying to
stand up straight.
    “You’re bleeding,” Matthew said. “Come on.” He
grabbed my arm. “I’ll help you to the bathroom. Get you cleaned
up.”
    “No. No, thanks,” I insisted. “I need to take
Jules home.”
    “It’s okay Elliott,” she said, unable to
disguise the terror in her voice. “I’m fine, really. Let’s just
clean off the blood and see what damage there is.”