The Best Year - 42. Chapter 42

Luke didn’t seem to fully relax until we were well out of town and already passed through a few more. We were headed away from the setting sun, the orange glow blinding me whenever a curve caused it to reflect perfectly in the rearview mirror. I half wanted to talk or listen to music to fill the silence with something, but I didn’t know what to say. All of this told me that we were too close to the end, something was going to break. We hadn’t been careful enough with what we were doing and I wondered just how much Henry believed that bowling story Mom told him in the kitchen. Luke had been too scared to really tell him and I didn’t think my recovery was all that smooth. Who the fuck goes bowling anymore anyway, I didn’t even know where a bowling alley was anymore.

“I don’t think you ever told me what you wanted to do after graduation,” I said and I felt his hand move in mine.

“I want to go to college,” he answered briefly, taking his eyes off the road to glance in my direction. His blond hair was pure gold in this light and I liked watching the fine hairs glow like glitter on his softly tanned skin when the light hit his arm. I had half turned in my seat and pulled one leg up onto the bench seat so I was facing him a little more.

“I heard Georgia was nice,” I said and I watched him smirk before he shook his head.

“Do you think we would get anything done if I went with you there?” He asked and I smiled, not a bit ashamed of where my mind went.

“Who the hell cares?” I asked leaning my head back to rest on the headrest.

“Your coach might,” he answered as he pulled his hand out of mine and rested it on the steering wheel.

“What do you want to study?” I asked, feeling myself growing anxious at the thought of Luke being here and me miles away.

“Wildlife conservation or something similar, biology,” he answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Georgia probably has something like that,” I answered smiling.

“You don’t even know if you’ll get your scholarship yet,” he said, shaking his head.

“Do you want me to?” I asked and when he glanced over at me I waited for his answer, my breath caught in my lungs.

“More than anything,” he answered and I felt the air woosh from my mouth.

“Good,” I said, smirking. “Well that’s settled, you’ll study your biology stuff and I’ll get my scholarship, and when we’re tired of all the sex we’ll actually go to class.”

“You’re so stupid sometimes,” he said laughing as he slowed for a red light. We had entered another small town somewhere in the middle of me staring at him. The sun had dipped below the horizon and street lights were on.

We had been driving for hours now and I was starting to think we might have lost too much time. I didn’t have a plan and by the looks of things, Luke didn’t either. I also didn’t know exactly where we were and when I pulled out my phone, I looked down at the location and saw that we were in a county that only sounded familiar. I didn’t care though, that was the intention of tonight. I just hoped I would have thought about something to suggest when Luke finally felt like we were far enough away. The weight of having this be a perfect night after so long apart hadn’t hit me until we were sitting here at this redlight.

“What do you want to do?” I asked as the light turned green and we started flowing with the traffic again.

“I don’t know, I just wanted to get out of town,” he answered as headlights coming from oncoming traffic briefly lit his face.

We kept driving until we left this small dead town that was too similar to ours back home and found another nestled just past a small forest. I was about to give up and start navigating on my phone to the nearest McDonalds when Luke slowed as we reached a large sign that was named ‘Welcome to Riverside Boardwalk’. With a shrug Luke started driving again and we came up on a small assed town, that was probably pretty and scenic and completely not to my liking, even if it wasn’t dark. The Boardwalk was lit up though and just beyond the glow of the street lights was their reflections rippling on the black river water. As we got closer I could see boats navigating the river and when Luke turned into the parking lot and found a space I slid my seatbelt off as he killed the engine.

“Really?” I asked, wrinkling my nose at the prospect of walking alongside a river. I also should have known something like this was right up there on Luke’s list. I had tripped over enough roots to know Luke liked being outdoors.

“I’m tired of driving,” he answered as he unclipped his own seatbelt. Sighing I opened the passenger side door and slid out. Stretching I nudged the door closed and watched Luke lock the truck up and walk around the front of it to where I stood. There were some people parked here, but I didn’t see anyone out walking. Offering me another small smile I let him lead me up to the actual wooden boardwalk and when we started down it I watched Luke look up towards the sky as he took in a deep breath. Now I knew why I found myself in places like these with him. The stars were bright, but there wasn’t a moon, and the little shops that were connected to the boardwalk all had closed signs on the doors despite still having their lights on.

“I hope there’s food somewhere,” I said as my hand knocked into his. I didn’t realize we were walking so close together, but with just us out here he didn’t seem to mind.

He didn’t answer, but I heard him snort beside me so I smiled. There was a steady wind coming off the river that messed up my hair and every now and then a boat’s bell or horn would sound. I jumped the first few times as we wound our way down with the gentle curving of the river.

Between shops there were small forested areas that made the place look more deserted and unnerving in the darkness, but seeing that we were still completely alone after coming around a bend, Luke took my hand with a squeeze. I wondered if he felt the tension of me walking in darkness, but he knew I didn’t like it and did it anyway. Our past trips like these ended up with me kissing him, so I was going to follow him now just to see.

When his hand left mine and his fingertips ran up my arm I felt a shudder racing over my body and when I glanced at him I saw him smile and look away. I wanted to stop him here in the middle of a small break in the closed shops where another small copse of trees took over and kiss him. Swallowing, I balled my hand into a fist to keep myself from doing it and kept walking. A few steps along I felt his hand find mine again. I had to uncurl my fingers and relax my hand for him to take it and I heard him snicker. I glanced over to see him looking down the trail ahead, not paying me any attention. There was a warmth that I felt despite the early spring chill still being in the air, that I knew was his fucking fault. Sighing as he leaned against my side I was no longer thinking about the boardwalk or the fucking trees that unnerved me. All of my senses were narrowed and zoned in on him holding my hand and when he let go of me and I felt his fingers graze my wrist again I stopped walking. He walked along the boardwalk a few steps before half turning to look back at me and when he did I rushed forward and crashed into him. He had to take steadying steps backwards to keep us both on our feet. I reached up and guided my lips to his and I felt him go rigid against me then relax when I kissed him again.

“You’re driving me fucking crazy,” I said after breaking the kiss.

“I thought I was,” he answered and I felt his smile against my lips when I kissed him again.

“You’re not even sorry,” I said as I took a step back as another breeze coming off the river swirled my hair around my forehead and I looked past him to a boat’s light in the distance.

“Not really, no,” he said as we started walking with his hand in mine again.

“You better stop, it’s been over three weeks. I can’t handle this,” I said and when he laughed I watched how relaxed he was and I realized how much I missed seeing him like this. At school and at the distance we kept I felt the tension too and didn’t realize what it was until now.

“Do you smell that?” He asked and when I looked forward and took a breath I smelled the unmistakable greasy smell of fried food.

“Damn,” I said as we walked around another bend in the boardwalk to a brighter glow and the first building we saw that was still open after we started this walk. There was a small line queued up and when I glanced at Luke as we approached I felt his hand slip from mine. I didn’t hold that against him, even if it did take some of the high I felt away.

“Do you want to eat something here?” He asked as we stood on the boardwalk just off the small line. It was a wooden building that had faded blue paint chipping away. It was probably made to look like that on purpose, to give it more of a rustic look. There were two open air service windows in the front. Workers inside took their orders at one window and customers picked up the order at the other. There were picnic tables with umbrellas making the place look more crowded than it actually was. The soft glow of fairy lights strung between poles in a square pattern gave the place the glow we saw at a distance.

“Yeah, I guess,” I answered and I followed him to stand behind an older couple in front of us. Being on the river I expected a lot of fish on the menu and in the darkness I couldn’t read the small letters on the board beside the first window. I glanced over at Luke, about to ask him if he could read the lettering, but he was turned away from me. Looking out beyond the small hut and back out to the river. The old people in front of us didn’t pay us any attention and when Luke turned to find me looking at him he smiled and shook his head.

“Do you hear music?” He asked and I took a half step backwards and listened. With the people talking around us and other people heading on down the boardwalk with their food I had to concentrate to hear anything. The only thing I could hear was what sounded like bass music thumping somewhere around the bend in the river.

“It sounds like it is on down the boardwalk,” I answered pointing with my hand. “Do you think we need to start heading home after we eat?”

“No,” he answered, glancing in my direction as we moved forward with the line. We were next and I still hadn’t looked at the menu. Closer, I could smell fried seafood and wrinkled my nose, never really being into fish and hoped they had something else on the side.

“It is getting a little late and we have a couple of hours of a drive back,” I said and I glanced up to see the old woman craning her head to look at us. When she caught me she smiled and turned back around.

“I’ll call if it gets too late,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I want to check out what’s going on further down the trail.”

“Fine,” I said, not really needing to be convinced. The longer I had him out and away from Cindy, the more he seemed to relax back into himself. I did know if bowling alleys stayed open all night or if our lie would be running thin if we were too late. I wondered if Henry even bought it, but he didn’t seem suspicious at all, he was too thrown off by Mom’s big news.

After the old couple stepped out of line to wait on their food at the other window, I looked up at the servers. I was expecting some older people, but when I saw kids my age waiting expectantly I looked at the menu and the only thing I knew I could carry and eat on the walk was a hot dog, but I also saw a large selection of milkshakes and ordered a peach one. Then I glanced over at Luke and he ordered a chicken wrap and a chocolate milkshake. After the girl wrote it down and offered us a smile, she turned with her blond ponytail whipping behind her and went to join the other two working inside. We got back in line behind the old couple and a few moments later the same girl offered them their food and I watched the old man slide a couple dollars into the tip jar before he handed his wife their food. I glanced over to see Luke watching the exchange and when they stepped out of line we let them past us before we stepped forward.

“That will be fifteen even, guys,” the blond girl said as she placed my hot dog in front of me. She squirted some mustard and ketchup on it before sliding it closer. Then she grabbed the two milkshakes in their styrofoam cups with straws and placed them down in front of us. Then a guy came up beside her and carefully inspected Luke’s chicken wrap before sliding it into a small paper pouch so Luke could carry it.

“I got it,” I muttered when Luke started reaching for his wallet. Sliding my hand behind me, I pulled it out of my back pocket and flipped it open. I handed the girl a twenty and she took it with a smile as my face warmed. I didn’t think anyone here thought Luke and I were a couple, but we were easily the youngest people stopping to order food. Walking a boardwalk on a Friday night probably wasn’t something normal teenagers did around here, either. If it were warmer I would have expected a big party out on the riverside in boats, it would have been what drew me here. When the girl returned I told her to keep the change and she smiled and slid the five into the tip jar and I slid my wallet back into my pocket and grabbed up my hotdog and shake.

“Thanks,” Luke offered as he grabbed up his wrap and his own milkshake.

“Have a good night,” she said with the smallest of giggles and when we stepped out of line with Luke following me I cocked an eyebrow as the giggling got worse as we kept walking.

“What’s that about?” Luke asked as we rounded the corner and got back onto the boardwalk. I was chewing down on my first bite of hotdog and shrugged as I licked some ketchup off my top lip. Luke was struggling with his chicken wrap and when he finally took a bite he had ranch dressing on the corner of his mouth.

“I don’t know,” I answered and I watched him lick his mouth with the tip of his tongue and when he reached up to take a drink of his shake, I saw black scribbling on the cup. His hand blocked most of it, but when I pointed with my pinky Luke turned his hand and lifted a couple of his fingers.

“It’s a phone number,” he said as he studied it.

“Really?” I asked as he slowly turned the cup around by rolling it against his other wrist until the full phone number was visible. Seeing it I glanced down at my own cup, but I didn’t see a number as I turned it completely around.

“Well,” Luke said and I saw a smirk as he took another drink of his milkshake.

“What?” I asked as we started walking again.

“Nothing,” he answered, but I watched his smirk widen to a full on smile and I hated that I was missing something that he found amusing.

“No tell me,” I said and he laughed as I fumbled with my hotdog trying to take another bite while it rested on its cardboard tray.

“You didn’t get a phone number,” he said as he took another bite of his wrap. “And I did.”

“So?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow. “She thought you were hot.”

“Well you’re taking it better than I thought you would,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked as I finished off my hotdog. Luke only laughed again and I shook my head glancing at the phone number again. The only thing I felt was a little jealousy at the nerve of her giving out her number. I guess it was pretty ballsy of her, but if I had seen the number, she wouldn’t have kept that five dollars.

After Luke’s laughter died we could both hear the sound of what we heard back at the hut growing louder. The thumping bass was joined by odd and erratic music that had no real beat or rhythm, and very electronically made. When we found a trash can I emptied my milkshake and Luke had managed to finish his wrap and we tossed the garbage inside and kept walking.

Around the next bend though, the sounds made sense as the boardwalk completely ended and we stepped up to what looked like a street fair. The music we heard was carnival ride music and it was joined by flashing lights with strobe lights bouncing off the booths lining the street. This is where everyone was, and probably why a lot of the shops along the river were closed, as the street looked like a flowing river of people. Stepping into the flow I looked around until I saw a large banner that spanned the entire street and it read, ‘Founders Day Fair.’

Glancing at Luke, he wasn’t looking around at the people, his eyes were drawn to the distance far past the booths selling homemade goods. Following his quickened pace we were heading towards the carnival part of the fair, passing people that were browsing and gently shouldering past the ones walking slower than us.

The Carnival itself wasn’t massive once we got to it. Just a handful of rides, the centerpiece being a ferris wheel. Not being a fan of them I glanced up at it and the small line waiting to ride the next cycle. Then when I turned back to Luke he was watching people throw balls at stacked metal milk bottles with a backdrop. Kids were darting all over the place and unlike the street booths that all looked the same, the booths with the games were all brightly colored. It was meant to look like a small scale circus without any animals. It wasn’t something I would find myself doing on a Friday night unless nothing else was planned. Being around Toby, Derek, and everyone though, we never really ran out of things to do. Most of it being surrounded with classmates and people who graduated a couple years ahead of us drinking around a bonfire. It wouldn’t be too long before the nights stayed warm enough for the girls to be convinced to do that.

“Want to ride any of the rides?” Luke asked as we stood in the way of the flow of people. Mostly it was parents trying to round up their kids, or at least stay close enough to keep an eye on them.

“Not really,” I answered shrugging. “What do you want to do?”

“We can try a few of the games,” he said and I slid out my phone to look at the time. It was fast approaching eleven and I was expected to do some conditioning workouts tomorrow. I doubted Tony could tell if I cheated or skipped them though.

“Alright,” I said and Luke immediately started walking to the ball throwing one and I had to walk faster to catch up to him. There wasn’t a line so the dude manning the station leaned forward, his elbows resting on the opening of his little hut.

“Two dollars, you get three balls,” he explained as he pointed to a small neon sign that read exactly what he was saying. I could tell he was over all of this and wanted it to end, but Luke handed him two dollars then looked over at me. Sighing, I pulled out my wallet and handed him a five. When I got change back, he handed both of us three balls.

“Ready?” Luke asked and I nodded and took a half-step away from Luke to stand in front of my zone. I watched as Luke threw his first ball and when it knocked over all of the bottles, the dude rushed and restacked them. When he was out of the way I took my first throw and managed to knock all of mine over as well.

“These games were really meant for younger kids,” the man said after he restacked mine and watched Luke drill his for a second time.

By the end of it, we both went three for three and the man pointed to the upper left corner as he grabbed a wooden stick that looked like a cane. The prizes were all stuffed animals, the corner he pointed two held the largest assed teddybears and stuffed giraffes that I ever saw and didn’t want to haul around on our walk back.

“I think I’m good,” I said, glancing over at Luke, not feeling like I actually deserved a prize with the game being that easy. The man wasn’t going to argue with me; he just shrugged and leaned on the hook waiting for Luke’s answer.

“I’ll take a smaller prize,” he said and pointed to what turned out to be a plush hippo. With a small smile Luke accepted it and we got out of the way of the small group of kids that had formed behind us. I thought the thing was still too big, but at least it wasn’t three feet tall like some of the ones still hanging on the rack.

“You’re carrying that the whole way,” I said as we started walking further into the carnival.

“It reminded me of you,” he said, sticking out his tongue.

“Fuck off,” I said as I shoved him and he had to catch himself to keep from colliding with a woman that was chasing after her kid and not paying us any attention.

“There’s just too many similarities,” he said, trying not to laugh. “They’re loud, they’re stubborn, and they like to swim.”

“Ass,” I said, shaking my head.

“Look over there,” Luke said as he came to a stop, the hippo tucked under his arm. I followed his other hand and saw him pointing at a tent. In front of it was a sign that read, ‘Fortune Teller,’ and I felt the groan that didn’t escape my lips.

“No,” I said, shaking my head when Luke glanced over at me.

“Want to see how bad they are at it?” He asked, smirking and I looked at the sign hoping it was closed for the night, but a girl came out followed by another. They were both laughing and that was all the proof Luke seemed to need and I was chasing after him again. As we got closer the fine print said that it was ten dollars a reading, fifteen for two.

“Do you really want to?” I asked, wrinkling my nose, hoping I could convince him to change his mind. Now that we were closer, I could already smell incense and I felt a sneeze coming on.

“It’s different,” he answered shrugging.

“What if they want to look at my hand or something?” I asked, shaking my head.

“I don’t,” came a voice from a woman just inside the tent. “I read your auras and the energies around you.”

“That scared the hell out of me,” Luke whispered his eyes going wide, but I already saw him fumbling for his wallet, trying to hold onto the hippo at the same time. When he managed it, I sighed and grabbed my own wallet.

After ducking inside I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. The incense was more intense inside and left everything in a smoky haze. Candles were lit along shelves on the wall and the woman sat at a table with a purple tablecloth completely engulfing it. There wasn’t a crystal ball, like I expected. There wasn’t a deck of cards either. There were two chairs sitting across from her and seeing us enter she smiled and adjusted her glasses. The woman herself was older and when we hesitated she waved her hand for us to sit. Unlike her tent, she wasn’t as colorfully dressed, just in black with ruffled sleeves and a necklace that was a knock off ruby around her neck. She clutched it when Luke started moving and pulled out his chair that bounced along the uneven ground and dead grass. Swallowing, I followed him and when I sat down beside him, I offered him my five dollars and watched Luke hesitate before sliding it across the table.

After receiving the money with a tight lipped smile, the woman lit another stick of incense and I coughed when the smoke hit my face. She waved it around before sticking it into a small crystal vase just off to her left.

“To cleanse the air around you,” she said, her voice sounding more husky now that she got our money. “May I ask, what months were you both born?”

“July,” I answered when Luke hesitated. With a flash of a smile the woman settled all of her attention on me and I felt myself press against the back of my chair. Sitting across from Welker was less intense than this lady and I would have been far more willing to behave myself if she was our principal. It had to be the cramped space and dim lighting.

“I use a third eye, a special sense if you wish,” she explained and I felt Luke’s knee fall against mine. “Only a few are ever born with such a sense and even fewer pay it the attention it deserves. What I see with you young man is a push to get out of your surroundings. You feel stifled and unequaled by those around you. The color red is also very prominent, do you know why that is?”

“No, not really,” I answered, feeling my face warm.

“It will probably come to you soon,” she said, offering me a smile. “There’s also feelings of devotion that I’m getting from you. You will get what you want, you have all the tools you need. I see a pretty brunette, petite, with an airy laugh. She will be standing around water and it will be someday in the not too distant future as my sight is clear on this. The letter I am seeing associated with her is an L.”

“Really?” I asked as Luke’s knee bounced off mine then slammed back into it hard enough that she had to hear it. She didn’t act like she heard anything and I didn’t look away from her to see how Luke was fairing beside me. “I haven’t met her already?”

“She will be where you end up in the near future,” she answered with a nod as she turned her attention to Luke. “Now, what is your birth month?”

“April,” he answered and I glanced out of the corner of my eye as he leaned forward.

“Allow me to settle myself once more,” she said and we watched her light another stick of incense and wave it in front of her. She closed her eyes as I wrinkled my nose hoping I wouldn’t sneeze. “Now, you are of two worlds, not really wanting to belong to either. Your path isn’t as easy, there’s a blackness that is making things difficult to see. Like walking in a forest after dark, if you will. There is a force that you’re willing against and afraid of, something you’ve held most of your life. A light in the distance that you want to reach, but are too scared to walk towards alone, you will need help with this and that help is closer than you think.”

“What does the light mean?” Luke asked as I felt his knee leave mine and when I glanced over at him he was leaning forward again.

“A way out,” she answered with a small smile. “You are a very insightful person, close to nature. You will find someone who shares those same qualities, a blond like yourself, with blue eyes that seem cold at first, but aren’t, the letter I keep getting for her is a C.”

Hearing that I choked back a laugh that ended somewhere between a snort and a cough. When she looked back at me, she frowned and waved her hand in my direction wafting the lingering smoke from the latest incense stick she burned in her vase. Luke had relaxed in his chair and when she leaned back she offered us both a smile.

“You didn’t see a color?” Luke asked as his knee found mine again.

“No,” she answered, glancing in my direction again. “That’s all I saw, we only ever get to see small glimpses into what a person is and then it fades.”

“Okay,” he said as he stood, grabbing up his hippo. “Thank you for the reading.”

“You’re welcome,” she said as she held up her hand. “Could you drape this across the sign out front?”

“Sure,” I said as she presented a closed sign and when she placed it in my hand I stood and followed Luke out of the tent.

Once outside I took deep breaths, the air had gotten colder and after I slid the closed sign on top of her other one, I looked around. The carnival itself had almost completely thinned out and died. A lot of the booths that had the mini-games were shuttered and only a few lingering people were walking around. The ferris wheel was still going, but there wasn’t a line so it had to be on its last ride.

“So,” I said as we put distance between us and the fortune teller’s tent. “How does it feel to be destined to find and fall in love with your mother?”

“Shut up,” he groaned, shaking his head. “Why the heck was mine so depressing?”

“Well if both of us had good fortunes, would you believe her?” I asked, rolling my eyes. “And you do like to walk around at night.”

“You don’t want to stay in our hometown,” he said looking at me as we made our way out of the carnival and back to the street fair. Only a few people lingered, mostly the owners of the booths, cleaning and closing them down for the night.

“Me and about a million other people that live in small towns like these,” I answered, my arms outstretched as I looked around. “She couldn’t give us similar readings, because that would out her for what she was. And you are not a petite little thing with an airy laugh that I’m going to meet. I’ve already met the person I want.”

“I’m not saying I believed her,” he said as he readjusted his hippo as he pulled out his phone. “I need to call Dad.”

“Alright,” I said smiling as we started walking down the boardwalk. It didn’t take us long to catch up with the stragglers that parked in the parking lot with us. Falling in step a couple of yards behind them I looked out at the river, hearing the flow of the water more than seeing it. A lot of the boats were gone. I wouldn’t admit that the woman was more on the nose than I thought she would be, I also figured I would be told that I was going to be a millionaire or some shit like that. I had expected it to at least sound shallow. So at least she was just vague enough for her made up visions to seem like they held something more. That’s all she had to do, either way she got her fifteen dollars.

“Well Mom isn’t happy,” Luke said as he let the screen go dark on his phone and slid it back into his pocket.

“I don’t know if Henry has it in him to be our wingman,” I countered as we reached the hut that sold us food. They were shuttered for the night, but there was still light streaming from the inside and beyond the cracks I could see people moving around. The fairy lights were still lit and as we followed the small crowd in front of us, the walk felt shorter and faster than I wanted it to. Soon we would be back on the road headed back home and the thinly veiled bit of distance and freedom I thought I saw in Luke would be gone again. I just hoped I didn’t get the guy that was too scared to kiss me in a deserted park.

When we made it back to the truck, the cold air had reached me enough for me to start shivering and when he unlocked the doors I opened mine and climbed inside. Luke offered me a small smile and started his truck as he closed the door to silence the beeping. The cargo light died and we watched people filing out of the parking lot until we were the last ones left idling.

“If you want to kiss me, you need to do it now,” he said as he leaned forward and adjusted the heat. Feeling the instant warmth from the vents I leaned into the seat and looked across the small space between us. He looked expectant with a half smile playing on his lips, but all I felt was a bitter reality that as soon as we parted ways I wouldn’t get what I wanted anymore, at least not for a while. I hoped that it didn't read on my face when I smirked and slid across the bench seat and reached up and found the nape of his neck with my hand. The hippo was awkwardly between us and just as I leaned on it about to kiss him the damn thing squeaked loud enough that both of us jumped. With Luke laughing I grabbed it and shoved it into the floorboard and after he calmed down I leaned forward again and kissed him.