“I’ll be the judge of that.” I wait for him to reply, but when he doesn’t I move on. “Did you get your acceptance letter yet?” There is no doubt in my mind that he got in, just waiting for the college to send the letter.
“I don’t know.” His hands grip the arms of the chair.
“Well, let’s go look in your mailbox then.” I shove his shoulder.
He shakes his head. “Maybe another time.”
I huff out a breath, the fire finally warming me again. “What did you get on the English test?”
He sits forward, putting his forearms on his knees. “Seventy-three.”
My eyes go round. “What? How?” He’s always been good at school and never gets such a low grade. I know there are problems at home with his parents, but he won’t talk about it. He keeps brushing it aside or suggests we do something fun.
He shrugs. I go to open my mouth, but he swiftly stands. “Let’s go for a ride.” His bright eyes scan my face, and the hope in them that was vacant only moments ago makes me relent.
I chuckle. “Okay.” I stand, wrapping the blanket tighter around me. “Where are we going?”
He spreads his arms out wide. “Who cares?” He takes a few steps backward, and I laugh as I soak the burning coals with the water hose before I follow him back to his house to take his truck.
We both slide in, shutting the doors behind us. As soon as we pull out on the road, my hand rides the cold air waves out of the truck window. “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton plays through the speakers while the heat blasts through the air vents. My toes wiggle in my socks on the dash as Clay drives through the winding mountain roads. We are letting all of our worries fall behind us like nothing can catch us as long as we keep driving.
At a stop sign, he leans over, opening the glovebox, and tosses a bag of Skittles into my lap. He knows me better than anyone and is always ready to feed me. I beam as I open the bag, tossing a few into my mouth. The instant sweet taste of the candy hits my taste buds. I offer him the bag, buthe shakes his head, letting me enjoy my late-night sugar rush. I can’t help but feel special when he does little things like this to show he cares.
The roads are dark and empty, and we drive for hours without a word being said. It’s one of my favorite things. Enjoying life together and knowing that we will be there for each other even when life gets hard. We always have a safe place with each other, and we can attempt to outrun our problems at least for a little while.
As he pulls into my driveway, he turns off his headlights so he doesn’t wake my parents. I always send them a text if we ever go out late, but he still doesn’t like to disturb them.
“Pick you up at seven for our run?”
My hand holds onto the door handle, and I glance at the time on the radio. It’s already two in the morning. “Do you see what time it is?” I raise an eyebrow.
“See you at seven.” He winks, putting the truck in reverse.
I shake my head and get out of the truck, shutting the door behind me. “You’re cutting out my much-needed beauty sleep. You do realize that?” I stand facing him through the open window.
He shakes his head, looking down at his legs. “You don’t need beauty sleep, Ry. You’re beautiful without trying.” He backs down the drive without another word.
20
CLAYTON: THEN
Clayton:18 years old
Walking around career day at the school, it’s overwhelming knowing that I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life. It’s getting closer to the time that I need to decide, and it doesn’t help that my dad is heavily pushing his career on me. I have no desire to be an accountant. It’s one of the most boring jobs, and he’s been anything but a role model. I donotwant to end up like him.
I watch Rylee rush over to the University of Georgia’s booth, wincing with each step after I pushed her to run farther than usual early this morning. She grabs a new brochure before chatting with the lady behind the table, and it looks like they hit it off like old friends. It’s always fascinating to watch how easily she can start a conversation with a complete stranger. I wouldn’t even know how to begin doing that. Just thinking about attempting to do that has me antsy. I keep walking, no booth catching my attention, so I head for the track to run.
The pounding of my feet against the concrete makes a steady rhythm for my head to focus on. The more I think aboutmy future, the grayer it gets. Nothing is clear like it is for Rylee. I got my acceptance letter weeks ago, but I haven’t told her. I know if I tell her, she’ll pressure me to accept the scholarship and the place on their track team. But how can I do that if I’m not clear that is the path I’m meant to take? I’ve always thought the easier option is to follow her where she wants to go, but the closer it gets to making that decision, the less I want to.
I’m about to finish a lap when Rylee waves her arm in the air for me to go to her. She jogs to meet me, and I slow because she stops right in front of where I’m running. I pant heavily, attempting to catch my breath, and I feel like the run wasn’t as much of a release as it normally is. My mind is still spiraling, keeping me going around the track.
“I figured I’d find you out here.”
I nod, taking long, deep breaths while my eyes scan everything around me but her.
“The Georgia rep told me about this opportunity where we could go for a visit and sit in on a few classes.” She squeals, clapping her hands. “Isn’t that exciting? I was thinking we should go. Oh, please, can we go?” Rylee pulls on my arm like a little kid begging to get a toy she wants from the store.
“Your parents will probably want to take you to that.” It’s the first excuse that comes to mind. I’d rather not be around a completely new atmosphere, but she’s always been able to get me out of my comfort zone.
