Maybe, You (004)

After lunch that day I told Sage he didn’t have to take me home.1

“Why not?” He asked slipping his arm through mine as we made our way down the hallway to my locker.2

“I just need time to think, you know because of all that has happened lately.” Which was totally true, just not the real reason.3

Sage’s face fell and he nodded. “Oh, right. Well, I hope you figure things out because I really miss you.” He leaned in towards me and my whole body stiffened.4

“Yeah, me too. I really should go, my dad isn’t really himself lately...” I closed my locker door and Sage let go of my hand.5

“Tell him I said hello, and that im thinking about him and sending good thoughts his way.” Darn, why did he have to be so sweet!?6

“I will. Call me tonight!” I ran out to the parking lot and scanned the rows of parked cars. I spotted him leaning against the hood of his truck reading the big book he was previously involved with at lunch. I smiled to myself and made my way over to Brendon. His blonde hair reflected the sun and his eyes scanned over me once I approached him and his book.7

“I thought you wouldn’t show.” His voice was annoyed, but I couldn’t read it.8

“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I have not shown?”9

Brendon blinked. “I saw your boyfriend waiting for you at your locker. You don’t have to hide stuff from me, I know he was going to take you home. I thought you would ditch me to go with him but wow,” He faked enthusiasm and went on. “I’m surprised! You are not who I thought you were Valerie Davis, you are not who I thought you were.”10

I stared at him. “You know, I don’t understand how you work. Wasn’t it just the other day you were saving my life and worrying about my well being and now, today, you are criticizing me? It’s making me a little uneasy and not to mention confused.”11

A smile played on his lips but I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not. “If you are so worried about it then why are you hanging around me? Why do you keep asking me for rides?”12

My jaw dropped. “Ask you for rides?! I’ve never asked for a ride from you ever! You are the one who offers, I just except.”13

Brendon leaned in close to me and smiled. “It’s all in the eyes, Davis.”14

That’s when I froze. His face was so close to mine.15

“Admit it, you find me interesting, you find me mysterious and you want to find out more about me. You are obsessed with me.”16

I narrowed my eyes. “I am not obsessed with you. I hardly even like you.”17

Brendon leaned away from me and closed his book that was previously lying face down on the top of his truck. “Then find another ride home because I’m done carting you around.”18

My heart sank as I watched him get into his truck and drive away. I could of caught up with Sage but I decided to walk home instead.19

At dinner that night dad knew something was wrong. He set his fork on his plate and interlaced his fingers together in that fatherly way. “How was your day today, Sweetie?”20

This was his ‘sly’ way of asking me if something bad happened. “Fine.” I wasn’t giving him the satisfaction tonight, not tonight.21

I pushed my peas around on my plate and sighed. “May I be excused?”22

He nodded slowly and I set my plate in the sink. “Did you break up with Sage?”23

I looked over at him. The dark circles around his eyes were fading and his face was less stress looking than yesterday. He was finally getting over it.24

“I don’t know.” I didn’t want to add any more stress to his life, he didn’t need it.25

Dad nodded not totally buying it and continued to eat his chicken casserole. I made my way upstairs into my room and closed my door softly. I stripped off my clothes and jumped into the shower. The warm water fell onto my body and sent a warm, comforting feeling up my spine. I turned off the water and wrapped a towel around me. I brushed out my tangled blonde hair and slid into my freezing room. I hurried over to my window and in one swift movement the window was closed tight. I slipped on a pair of underwear and my plaid night shorts. I grabbed my Oklahoma State t-shirt and pulled it on over my night bra. My hair was already halfway dry so I threw it up into a high ponytail. I collapsed onto my soft bed and sighed. I opened my cell phone that had been charging on my night stand ever since I got home that afternoon. I glanced at the time, 8:30pm. He would be back from practice by now. I dialed a number that was so familiar to me and waited while it rang.26

“Hello?” My heart jumped at the sound of his voice. But it wasn’t excitement, it was regret.27

“Sage? I need to tell you something...”28

There was a subtle tap on my window and my eyes shot open. Tap, pause, tap, pause, tap. I swung my legs over the side of my bed and listened.29

“Valerie...” A masculine voice sang. I walked over to my window and my eyes widened. Standing outside, leaning against his beat up Ford, was Brendon Cavalari. He threw one more rock not noticing me staring down at him. It hit the window and quickly fell to the ground. He smiled once he spotted me and motioned for me to open the window.30

I pushed the window open and leaned against the window sill.31

“I owe you a ride.” His voice rumbled and he gestured towards his truck.32

I glanced at the alarm clock on my night stand, 2:45am. “I thought you were done.”33

Brendon looked down at his feet and then back up at me. “I was, but then I got to thinking. Valerie Davis blew off her super star baseball player of a boyfriend for me, a book loving, coffee drinking, not even close to being athletic guy.” 34

I closed the window and saw the defeated look on Brendons face. I slipped on my shoes and quietly made my way down the stairs. I opened the front door and Brendon, startled, looked up. He relaxed once he saw it was me and smiled. I walked over to him and sighed.35

“Is this you accepting my invitation?” He cocked an dark eyebrow and I rolled my eyes. He opened the passenger door for me and I slid in. 36

He ran around the front of his truck and turned the ignition. I buckled my seat belt and before I knew it we were already down my street. We rode in silence for a couple of beats until Brendon said, “I’m sorry.”37

I didn’t bother to look at him, I kept my gaze on the road. “For what?”38

“You know good and well for what.” His voice was tight, higher than usual.39

It was then that I looked at him. “Maybe I don’t.”40

Brendons hands tightened on the wheel until his fingers turned white. “Don’t do this, Val.”41

I smirked. “What im doing is far less worse than what you did to me.”42

“I’m not doing this.” His voice was lower this time, he was angry.43

“What are you not doing? Facing up to your mistakes?! I believe it was you this time that asked me to tag along with you on this early morning excursion, not me!”44

The truck jerked to a stop. “Enough!”45

My chest tightened as I watched him thrash his fist onto the steering wheel. Everything was quite in the truck for what seemed like hours, but it was only seconds. Those seconds were the longest seconds of my life, the most agonizing and treacherous seconds I’ve ever experienced.46

I glanced over at him, tears streaming down my cheeks. “I don’t know why...” I waited for him to look at me, to merely glace at me, when he didn’t I went on. “But when im with you, everything feels r-right.”47

I stared down at my plaid pajama shorts and sighed. “I don’t know why, but when im with Sage all I can think about is y-you and that scares me.”48

He didn’t take his eyes off the road. “And when you told me you were done, I thought that I wouldn’t ever see you again, like this. You and me, taking a ride in your truck. I was afraid that my chances with you were done and I kind of still am. Because what I feel, is so...powerful.” My voice broke on the last word and then came the sobs. I felt Brendons strong hand grab a hold of my arm and pull me to him. His lips met mine in this passionate way that I cant describe. You know the saying, ‘there were fireworks’? Well, that’s what it felt like was going on inside of me. Fireworks.49

Brendon slowly pulled away from me and leaned his forehead against mine. I stared into his emerald eyes and he stared right back into my faded blue. There were no words that were spoken, but everything was being said with our eyes and we kissed.50

“So, I was thinking, since Prom is coming up soon we would make our color blue. It’s not feminine but it has enough of a masculine touch so your guy ego wont be hurt.”51

Brendon pulled up next to my mail box and smiled. “You really think ahead don’t you?”52

I smiled back at him and nodded. “I like to get excited for things in the future, yes.”53

He shook his head. “It’s like this is all too much.” 54

My smile faded right along with his. “We don’t have to have a color, I mean we can just go with whatever we want when it gets to be that time. We have options.”55

Brendon glanced at me. “Maybe we should just forget about it. Go on with our lives like we never even met. I mean you have Sage, its not like he thinks you really are broken up I mean, you aren’t a very convincing girl.”56

I blinked at him. “What?”57

He nodded. “Yeah, we should just forget about it. Pretend nothing happened, I would stop giving you rides home from school and in Biology you wont draw stupid pictures of me anymore. Problem solved.”58

My hands gripped the door handle. “Everything I said to you, you don’t care.”59

Brendon sighed. “I could of cared less." His face turned into stone, emotionless.60

Tears stung my eyes and I flung open the passenger door. “You are not who I thought you were.” I slammed the door shut and ran up the driveway. I opened the front door quietly so I wouldn’t wake dad and locked myself in my room. All I heard besides my sobs was the fading sound of the engine of Brendons truck.