Graceful Scars Page 22

  When he and Dean, our other best friend, needed another player for touch football, I was your girl. Growing up we climbed trees together, rode bikes until dark and the streetlights came on; I didn’t even mind to get dirty every now and again. I had the greatest childhood with my two best friends-- the three musketeers, my mother would call us.

  I didn’t really know the reasoning behind the breakup between Baylor and Kristina, but the small shallow part of me wanted it to be because of me. Because he was finally fed up with her nagging and ultimatums regarding our friendship.

  But I definitely wasn’t going to complain; over this past month we’d grown even closer, if that was possible. It was just going to be a sad day when we would each have to go our separate ways for college. He’d stay in Oregon and go to school in Eugene for Architecture while I went to University of Kentucky in Lexington for Radio Broadcasting. Might as well be across the world for as far apart as we would be, but it had always been my dream to go to UK and my nana lived in Lexington so my housing would be covered, which would help out my parents.

  “Earth to Eden,” Dean Parker’s voice made me jump, as he waved a hand in front of my face, breaking into my thoughts. That boy’s voice always had the ability to startle me; his deep, authoritative tone did me in.

  “I’m here!” I replied quickly, trying to shake off my melancholy mood. A depressed feeling always shadowed over me whenever I thought of what would happen at the end of summer. I needed to focus my attention on that moment, and the fact that I was officially a High School graduate! “Guys,” I flicked my eyes from Dean to Baylor and back again, “we GRADUATED!” A small group hug ensued between us musketeers and I would never forget the feeling of being surrounded by my two favorite guys.

  After I tore off my robe and shoved it at my mom, the three of us headed for Baylor’s car. He drove a 1985 maroon Chevy Camaro, and even though it was almost fifteen years old, it purred like a kitten. I loved that car. Dean and I always argued about who would get to ride shotgun and of course I won every time. Dean said that he always “let” me win, but it was just in his nature to always let ladies go first. At least Dean saw me as a woman; Baylor on the other hand may forever have me engrained as one of the guys.

  “Eden, I forgot to tell you how great you look tonight,” Dean complimented me while eyeing my teal knee-length dress. He opened the passenger door for me and bent down to whisper in my ear, “I think Baylor likes it too, he can’t keep his eyes off of you.” Dean was about the only person who knew my feelings for Baylor and even with him the information hadn’t come without heavy coercion.

  I could feel my cheeks getting heated as I swatted at his arm. He folded his six foot three inch frame into the backseat with some difficulty, proving again what a gentleman he was for letting me sit up front. “Dean, would you hush, I’m sure you’re obviously mistaken,” I said, pushing the passenger seat back into place before I climbed in the front seat and closed the door.

  Baylor turned the key in the ignition to start his car and revved the engine before he glanced at me and asked, “Mistaken about what?”

  “Oh about,” Dean started to reply before I turned around and shot daggers at him portraying the look of death. You know that look your momma could give you that if you didn’t shut your trap you would be in for one hell of a rude awakening? Evidently I had gotten that look down pat. “Nothing, it was just something silly.”

  Baylor craned his neck to look back at Dean then back to me with a raised brow, “Right. So do we agree to stop by Marcie’s graduation party for a bit?”

  “I’m in,” I quickly replied. Marcie was one of the few girl friends that I had. While I wouldn’t call us close, we had been known to go shopping a few times. Getting Baylor and Dean to go shopping was like trying to lure a deer into the lion’s den, it just didn’t happen.

  We pulled up to the two story brown brick house on the Vernon’s property. If Dean getting into the backseat of the Camaro was comical, him trying to get out was just downright hilarious. “You know Dean, I really should be nice and let you sit up front. You’re so much taller than me, it’d be easier for me to get in and out of the backseat.”

  He came up beside me and hooked his arm around my neck, “Now you know that I wouldn’t allow that, so don’t even suggest it. Besides, my momma would tan my hide if she knew I wasn’t treating a lady properly.”

  “What lady?” Baylor asked, “Oh you mean Edie.” That earned Mr. Jenkins a punch to the stomach, which made a bolt of electricity ricochet throughout my body. That had never happened before while touching him.

  That was why I had never displayed my true feelings towards Baylor; I was just one of the guys to him. And to an extent I suppose that it was my fault and wrongdoing. Even though my boobs weren’t big enough to make him notice me, there were other things I could have done, like wearing makeup or making an effort to style my hair in the mornings instead of just throwing it up into a ponytail, but then I wouldn’t have been true to myself. I was still a tomboy at heart.

  The party was taking place in a barn on the outer edge of Marcie’s property, so we had to trudge through freshly cut grass for what seemed like a mile before we came upon it. “I really should’ve worn different shoes,” I whined as I attempted to concentrate on making the last few steps without falling on my face. I was a definite fan of sneakers but my mom made me wear a sandal with a slight heel for graduation, which further warranted my cause for whining.

  Dean slid the barn door open enough for us to go in. The party seemed to be in full swing as a small speaker was filling the air with “1999,” by Prince. How original. Yes, talks of the menacing Y2K had already begun to fill everyone’s head and it was only June. A table filled with various snack foods, chips, dip, and the like sat off to the side and as we walked deeper into the barn we learned that Marcie’s parents actually sprung for a keg. I was eighteen, after all, and not naïve to the fact that several high school kids drank, but for a parent to actually condone it? They must not have known Bette and Richard Richardt.

  Stop right there, I know my dad is one of those people whose first name is almost identical to their last. William Williamson, Phillip Phillips, the list can go on and on. My dad doesn’t like it any more than the next person but his dad was Richard, and his dad, and so on. So it’s a family name that some wackado distant relation used when they clearly couldn’t use their imagination on selecting a name different from their last.

  My parents were law abiding citizens through and through. If my mother had even the slightest inkling that there would be alcohol at this party, I would’ve have been allowed in the direct vicinity of Marcie’s house.

  Baylor walked up to me holding a red solo cup filled with beer and I brought it up to my nose to take a whiff and a small drink to taste, “Gross, I think mine’s spoiled,” I stammered while I was trying to rid myself of the awful bitter flavor.

  “Relax Eden, that’s how it’s supposed to taste,” Dean chuckled as he took a generous gulp from his identical cup.

  Who in their right mind would want to purposely drink something that tasted so vile? Blech!

  Marcie finally spotted us and stood from her seat against a stray bale of hay. Her father was a landscaper, and all his lawn mowers and lawn equipment had been pushed to the side of the barn to make room for the party.

  “Since a lot of us are here, why don’t we play a game?”

  My first reaction was to decline but Dean and Baylor were already finding a seat amongst the crowd, so it looked like I was in.

  “Ok this game is called Never Have I Ever,” Marcie started explaining after she took another sip of beer, “we will all go around in a circle and state something that you have never done and anyone who has, has to take a drink. Dean beside me will start, then me, and we will continue around the circle.”

  “Hm, let me think,” he said as he tapped his chin for effect, “Oh ok, I’ve got one. Never have I ever played this game before.”

  Sev
eral people from around the circle took a drink including Baylor, this was news to me. Must’ve been when he went to parties with Kristina.

  “Good one Dean, now it’s my turn. Ok I’ve got a good one. Never have I ever kissed a guy in High School.” Everyone knew that Marcie dated a college freshman for most of the school year and they didn’t get together until he had already graduated.

  Every single girl within the circle took a drink except for Marcie and me. I didn’t know what to think being singled out like that. Marcie knew that I had never been kissed and this just basically put that fact on display for everyone to see.

  Sure I could’ve taken a drink with the rest of them but it was my hesitation that made me stick out like a sore thumb. Several audible gasps came from a few of the girls as well as guys within the circle, and I felt like running out the door. This wasn’t how I saw this night panning out.

  The next girl thought it would be humorous to add insult to injury with her turn, “Never have I ever kissed a guy from within this circle.” Even then she took a drink along with every other girl once again.

  I raised my brow at Marcie, who shrugged and stated, “I kissed Wes earlier tonight, he’s no longer in high school.”

  BITCH!

  Being under everyone’s scrutiny made me feel about two feet tall instead of my five foot three inch stature. I sat my still-full solo cup on the floor and rose from where I was seated. I was done with this party and if I had to I would sit in Baylor’s car for the rest of the night until they were ready to leave.

  Once I hit the grass the sky was completely dark and the clouds were looking quite ominous. Rain for Oregon was a common occasion, about as common as breathing, but this looked like it would be one doozy of a storm. The wind picked up as I was walking towards the car causing me to hustle my speed and wrap my arms around my body. My hair was flying every which way especially in my face and made it even harder to clearly see which path I was taking. With my vision impaired, I missed a hole in the yard and fell, landing on my hands and knees. Pain radiated through my ankle as hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me upright again. “Are you ok, Edie?” Baylor asked, searching my eyes for any sign of distress. I wanted to break down in front of him, but I would save it for when I got home and was in the privacy of my own bedroom.

  But when he asked that question I allowed one single, solitary stray tear to escape before I willed the rest of them to stay put and keep from doing the same.

  “Let’s get you home.” He fused my hand with his, interlocking our fingers and together we finished walking to his car.

  “Wait for me!” Dean yelled as he ran from the middle of the field in our direction. Once he was finally upon us he bent over and braced his hands on his knees to quickly catch his breath before he finagled himself into the backseat for the second time in almost an hour.

  Baylor pulled off towards the direction of my house and I felt horrible that they left because of me. “You guys didn’t have to leave the party yet, I would’ve been fine sitting in the car or calling my dad for a ride. I didn’t mean to spoil your night.”

  “Eden, don’t be silly, you were clearly upset. We’re your friends, we aren’t going to let you suffer in silence,” Baylor said as he looked over to me. He called me Eden, he almost never called me that. He must’ve been mad that he had to leave the party early.

  “Well, then you guys can always go back after you drop me off at home.”

  “You don’t want to do something else? It is graduation night after all,” Dean spoke up from the backseat.

  “No, I think I’ve had all of the fun I can stand for the night.”

  “So what was that about anyways?” Dean spoke up again, clearly not thinking about what he was saying, “I thought you kissed Jeff that night you went to the movies with him, at least that’s what he’s told everyone.”

  “What?!” I screamed, hitting my hand against the car door, not being able to contain my anger. “That sleazeball actually had the balls to say that?! Why didn’t you guys ever tell me?”

  “I didn’t ever know that there was something to tell,” Baylor muttered.

  I punched a fist into my open hand, “We went to the movies and he tried to cop a feel so I dumped my popcorn in his lap and left. Man,” I bit out between clenched teeth, “now I wish I had poured piping hot butter down the front of his pants. That creep!”

  The rest of the ride was spent in absolute silence, which allowed me to replay the party over and over again in my mind. About halfway to my house the sky opened up and released the torrential downpour that I knew was bound to come at any time.

  Baylor turned his car into my driveway and I could feel my tears coming closer to releasing so I quickly muttered, “Happy graduation, you guys,” and let myself out of his car.

  The rain was coming down in buckets but I still walked as slowly as I could to my front porch. Maybe the rain would wash away any apparent sign of my emotional mess so my mom wouldn’t bombard me with a thousand inane questions.

  No sooner had my heeled sandal hit my front porch than I heard Baylor yell, “Edie!”

  Baylor

  Eden just got out of my car and slammed the door shut. I didn’t like seeing her like that and I even more so didn’t like the fact that she wouldn’t talk to me about it. We talked about everything with each other, or almost everything. She was my best friend, even more so than Dean.

  Speaking of, Dean leaned forward in between the two front seats and spoke up, “Baylor, are you just going to let her leave like that? I mean, I don’t like seeing Eden hurt any more than you but you’ve been hiding your feelings about her and I’m frankly tired of the stalling. You both leave at the end of the summer but why should that stop you from having fun right now?”

  I hit my palm against my steering wheel, feeling the ridges dig into my flesh. Dean was right for once in his life. I squinted, looking back out to see Eden still slowly walking to her front porch and I made the decision that would change everything between the two of us. I hoped like hell it was the right one, but I was already out of my car and on my way to her, so it was too late to go back now.

  “Eden!” I yelled, making her stop in her tracks. The closer I came upon her the more I could see her shoulders shaking. Either she was cold, which with the rain wasn’t entirely unheard of, or she was crying. My guess was leaning more towards her crying and it was confirmed when I grabbed ahold of her shoulders to spin her around to face me.

  She pulled her lip in between her teeth which had me physically restraining myself from attacking her mouth right then. My hands were still perched upon her shoulders and I brushed a hand down the length of her arm until her hand was firmly secured in mine.

  “Don’t cry, my sweet Eden,” It wasn’t the best thing I could’ve come up with to say, but it was what came out of my mouth.

  Her hair was plastered to the sides of her face so I gently took my hands to push back the rain-soaked strands. The dress she wore was also stuck to her body but I was trying my best not to look down or my arousal would become extremely evident. It was hard enough to covertly look at Eden when she wasn’t paying attention. She looked absolutely beautiful tonight but no more than when she was decked out in her sneakers and ponytail.

  Eden was genuine and true to herself which was what I loved about her. Often times you heard about best friends becoming lovers and it didn’t always work out in the end. Did I think Eden and I were an exception to that? I supposed only time would tell.

  But first I had to seal the deal on our fate and by doing that I would be giving her, her first true kiss.

  She glanced at my lips and then back into my eyes while I repeated the same actions. I was going in for the kill. Darting my tongue out of my mouth and smoothing it across my lips I slowly moved my head closer to hers.

  I heard her breath hitch and it almost made me want to laugh out loud at how incredibly cute she was. Before my lips finally met with hers, she closed her eyes, and in that moment my
heart was completely closed to anyone else. It was hers to do with what she willed; I just hoped that she felt the same.

  Now her shaking could only be construed as nerves, so I pulled her body close to mine, encircling her back with one hand and bringing my other up to cup her face. Once her tongue entered my mouth my knees almost buckled at the extreme delight of the moment. For someone who had never kissed before she was doing an exceptional job. I could feel the rain pelting on my back, never letting up once while our tongues danced the foreign dance with one another for what seemed like forever. And it wasn’t until Dean so rudely honked my horn that we pulled back.

  I let my eyes slowly drift open and I was met with Eden’s, made of pure chocolate, “Eden,” I whispered more so under my breath.

  “Baylor…” she replied.

  “I gotta go, evidently Dean is getting impatient. Meet me at my house tomorrow morning and we’ll talk?”

  No words would come out of her mouth so all she could do was nod. Holding onto my hand until the last possible second, she leisurely let go and I stood stock-still watching her retreating form until she disappeared behind her front door.

  I had newfound hope and excitement about the future, but little did I know it would be the last time I saw her until fifteen years later...