The UnKnown (A Novel) (12 page)

“Sara and I broke up. So I’m riding solo.”

“I won’t say that I’m sorry to hear that. The girl was a world class bitch. I don’t know how you stayed with her so long. Well bring your ass over and get loose. You deserve it. You’ve been cooped up in that college for far too long.” Kyle didn’t have to worry about money. His family was in the oil business and he was going to inherit millions when his grandfather passed away. Kyle was smart. He graduated in less than two years from Harvard University Business School. I was envious of him. Everything just came so easy for him. He was smart with his money and made very sound investments. He didn’t have to work if he didn’t want to.

“I’ll be there.” I ended the call and got up to get ready for this get-together at Kyle’s house. I knew I shouldn’t go over there, but I needed to let loose like he had said. Misty hadn’t called me yet so I had nothing else to do.

I hopped in the shower, washed my body and hair, and was out in less than five minutes. I threw on a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt, grabbed my Olukai flip flops and headed out the door. I figured I would bypass shaving.  Women liked that rustic look anyway, didn’t they? I hopped in my truck and headed over to Kyle’s house. Kyle’s house was three times the size of mine. He lived further east of town in East Gate Village. This was where the richest people lived. I pulled up to the gate and was greeted by Sam, the security guard.

“Welcome back, Mr. Mitchell. Congratulations on graduating.” I liked Sam very much.

“Thanks. I am here to see Kyle. He is expecting me.”

“Yes I know. He called down. Have fun.” Sam pushed the button and the double black steel gate opened.

“Thanks, Sam. Have a great day,” I said as I drove off. I saw him wave back at me in my side mirror. Kyle was very rude to Sam and I didn’t know how Sam put up with his crap for so long. I was going to have to be careful when I brought Misty around. These people could be very vicious if you were not part of the crowd. I pulled up next to a dozen Lexus’s and BMW’s. It was the standard cookie cutter car for the rich. “What the hell am I doing here?” Sighing, I got out of the car and headed to the back where the pool was. When I got back there I saw more than a small get together. This was a full swing party.  I saw girls drinking their apple martinis and guys with beer in their hands. There were a handful of people bouncing around a beach ball in the pool. Kyle’s pool was made of a deep red brick and it also had a mini house that mimicked the big house. That was where Kyle resided. He never liked staying in the house with his parents and little sister Emily. Now Emily was a very sweet girl. I hadn’t seen her in a few years due to me being off at college. She was the same age as Misty. Shit Misty! I almost forgot I was going to be seeing her.

“Hey douche bag. Long time no see,” Kyle said, slapping me on the back.

“Ahh, you know. I try to stay busy.” Sarcasm was never my strong point.

“Whatever. Go grab a beer my very single friend. It’s time to get you hooked up. There are a bunch of hoes here today.”

“I’m good on the hoes, but I’ll take a beer.” The nerve of Kyle. He knows I am not that type of guy.

“Don’t be a pussy. Get you some. We have easy access,” he said while making a jack-off motion with his hand. He was such a jackass, but I knew who he was. I couldn’t say the same for myself. I would love to be able to say I knew who I was. I hoped Misty called soon because I was headed down a path I would truly regret.

“Shut the hell up. I’m going to grab a beer.” I walked over towards the outdoor fridge.

“Don’t forget to grab some pussy while you’re over there,” Kyle yelled across the yard. A roar of laughter broke out.

“Suck ass dick head,” I responded and continued to get my beer. Come on Misty, call already.

It was going on four p.m. when my head began to get fuzzy. I’d had five beers and was shooting the breeze with old high school friends. A smoking hot brunette caught my attention from the corner of my eye. She looked very familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. She was tall and was wearing a very small, tight-fitting dress.

“Emily, get out of here!” Kyle screamed.

“Get over yourself Kyle.”

“Dude, Drake, help me get her out of here. She is too young to be here.” What the heck was I supposed to do? I lifted myself from my seat and jogged over to her, nearly tripping over a chair in the process.

“Hey Em, what’s up?” She had definitely grown up since the last time I saw her. She was beautiful but still couldn’t hold a candle to Misty.

“Did the jerk-off send you over here? Tell him to go screw himself. He is always trying to control what I do. I have parents.”

“Don’t be like that. He is just looking out for you.”

“Yeah, well maybe. He never lets me have any fun.” Was she really pouting? She crossed her arms and was tapping her foot.

“Let’s get you inside before the man bursts a blood vessel.” Kyle was looking directly over at us. I gave him two thumbs up as I escorted Emily into the house. I saw the relief move across his face.

Emily and I stepped through the sliding door and before I could turn back around she was in my arms kissing me. I didn’t back away from her, I let the kiss continue. My mind was fuzzy and confused. I guess I shouldn’t have had so many beers. I heard ringing in my pocket but chose to ignore it. I was so engrossed in the moment. Emily finally broke away.

“I have wanted to do that for so long. I have always had a huge crush on you, but you only thought of me as my brother’s dorky little sister. I am no longer little. I am all grown up.”  She gestured at her body. I looked as her hands directed and she was definitely not a little girl anymore.

“Listen Em, you are beautiful, but we can’t do this.” Her eyes saddened a bit.

Before I could get anymore words out she was kissing me again. I let me hands caress her back. Then Emily jumped up and wrapped her legs around my waist. I pushed her against the wall and kissed her deeper.

“Ahh Misty, you feel good.” I felt a sharp sting across my face. I opened my eyes to a very pissed looking Emily. She slapped me hard across the face again.

“I’m not Misty.” She stormed off further into the house.  Shit, Shit, what the fuck was I doing? I knew I shouldn’t have come here. My guilt started to rise in my throat. As if on cue my phone rang. Of course it was Misty. How the hell was I going to tell her about this? Maybe I didn’t have to. She didn’t know any of these people. They didn’t know her. I would have to find Emily and make sure she didn’t tell anyone.

“Hey beautiful.”

“Hey, sorry it took me so long. My aunt took me with her to buy a new car. Anyway, I am ready to see you.” How could I not tell her? But if I did she would never trust me. Maybe I was over-reacting, it was just a kiss and we weren’t even together now.

“I’m ready to see you too. Where are you and I will come get you,” I said, trying not to show the guilt I was feeling.

“I am at home. Come now. I have something I want to show you.” She was so excited and it warmed my soul.

“Give me an hour, Peaches, and I will be right over.” She agreed and I hung up to say my goodbyes to Kyle and the gang. I found Emily and she promised not to tell, but who knew what she would do.

I climbed into my truck and beat the steering wheel with my fists. How in the hell did I let this happen? I just hope I hadn’t screwed anything up with my angel. I sat in the truck for about thirty minutes because I needed to sober up. I changed my shirt because I smelled like stale beer. I always kept a shirt in the truck with me. After I got my head out of my ass I made my way over to Misty. I just needed to see her and hold her.

Chapter 15

Misty

When Aunt Silvia and I left the diner we went car shopping. She told me she had narrowed her choices down to a new Lexus or BMW. She chose a newer version of what was now my new car. I was surprised when she wrote a check for the car. No financing. “Don’t look like that. We don’t believe in credit. We pay cash for everything,” she said to me.

We finally made it back home and I wanted so badly to talk to Drake and tell him about my day. When I finally spoke to him he seemed a little off. Maybe he was just having a rough day from finding out that his father had cancer. Deep down I felt like something was going on.

Pushing the thought away, I began getting ready for my evening with Drake. This would be our first real date or hanging out. I didn’t know what to call it. I was excited and nervous to see what was going to happen with him. I never paid much attention to boys. They were always so mean to me, said I was ugly and looked like a boy. I used to go home and cry for hours. My mother told me I would blossom into a beautiful butterfly one day. I missed her so much. I could feel that maybe I had, because when Drake looked at me I felt and believed I was beautiful. He made me feel like I was the only girl in the world. The only girl he could possibly have eyes for.

I put on some light blush and lipstick like the lady at the makeup counter showed me. I added a touch of eyeliner and mascara to finish off a natural look. I took out my best pair of jeans. The ones that I thought my ass looked good in and paired them with a sparkly tank top. It was really hot out and I didn’t know what Drake had planned for us. I put on the Toms shoes and looked at myself in the floor-length mirror. “Not bad,” I thought. I loved my new pixie haircut. It was so easy to manage. I ran my comb through it and it was ready to go. No more flat irons and curling irons for a while. I popped in a breath mint and waited for him to arrive. The closer it got for him to come over the more nervous I got. I wanted to look good for him. When I heard the doorbell ring ten minutes later, I leaped off the bed and ran down the stairs to the door. I was too late. Lizzy had it open and Drake was bent down whispering something in her ear. I heard her chuckle. In that instant I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. He looked up at me and we locked eyes. I followed his eyes as I made my way over to him. It was as if there was no one else in that room but the two of us. When I made it to the door Lizzy was still giggling.

“Lizzy, tell your mom I am leaving for the evening. I will send her a text later.”

“Awww, I thought we could play. It’s Friday and I have no school tomorrow.” She scrunched her little face up.

“How about tomorrow morning we have a tea party?” Her eyes lit up.

“Really? But no boys. No boys cause they are gross,” she said, looking directly at Drake.

“Your wish is my command. No boys. I have to go. Be good and I will see you tomorrow.” I bent down and kissed her cheek.

“Bye,” she said and ran off into the house.

Drake took my hand. “You are my favorite daydream. I have been dreaming about you all day.” He kissed the back of my hand and pulled me in for an embrace. We stood there hugging for a while before he let me go. I could feel some tension in him but I wasn’t going to ask. I wanted tonight to be special.

“You look good enough to eat, Peaches.” He smiled a devious smile as we walked toward the car.

“Where are we going?” I asked with a nervous stomach.

“I am taking you to one of my favorite places in the world.” Drake helped me into the truck and closed the passenger side door. Then he climbed in and started the car.

“Seat belt please.” I fastened my belt and we pulled off.

“Wait, I wanted to show you something. Go back.” He put the truck in reverse, backed up and shut it off. I jumped out, dug the keys out of my purse and I hit the garage door button.  As the door rose, I ran in and hopped into my car. Drake followed me, looking puzzled.

“What are you doing?”

“Showing you my new ride! Aunt Silvia and Uncle Russ gave it to me. Let’s take my car. I am itching to break it in.” He shrugged and got in.

“This was really nice of them. You need to be able to get around, especially since you got a job.” He looked around the car. “Very nice. A chick car.”

“What’s a chick car?”

“It’s a car only a chick would drive.” I busted out laughing and I guess I was laughing too hard because he laughed with me.

“Hold on a second.” Drake jogged over to his truck and pulled something out of the back. He threw it in my back seat.

“Why do we need that?” I asked.

“We will need it for where we are going,” he said smugly. I wasn’t going to argue. 

“Come on, pull out and turn to the left.” I followed his directions. I was wondering where we were going. He kept giving me directions until we pulled up to an old water tower.

 “Get out,” he said, getting out of the car and closing the door. I followed him.

“What are we doing here?” I was confused.

“This is my thinking place. I come here when I need to think. I wanted to share it with you.” I looked around and looked up at the rusty old tower. The view was nothing to be desired.

“Climb up. When you get to the top you will see why I love it here.” We both climbed up to the top and the view swept the breath from my lungs. Drake came up behind me and laced his arms around me.

“You can almost see the entire county from here. It is quiet and you can actually hear the city.” We didn’t speak. I could hear children playing and a mother calling her children in for dinner. I heard a lawn mower going. In another direction I could hear cars passing and dogs barking. The sun was setting and I could see the town lighting start turning on. I understood why he loved it.

“I can see why you like it here. I could spend all day up here thinking.”

“I could spend the rest of my life up here as long as you are with me,” he said against my neck. I felt the vibration on my skin.

The warmth I was feeling for him was intensifying. Drake spun me around and kissed me deeply. “I love you, Misty; so much I can hardly breathe without you.”

“Drake you are my dream come true. I didn’t know what life was until I met you. You saved my life physically and emotionally.” With those words he began to kiss down my neck.

Drake’s kisses put me at ease. He made me feel sexy, beautiful, like a woman. I was sick of feeling like a kid. I wanted to grow up and be the woman that he wanted and needed.