Destiny Ever-Changing (14 page)

He pulls up his shirt to reveal a large red and purple bruise on his side. I snicker and quickly jump to my feet to scan my own body for battle wounds—finding none. Seeing no bruises on me, Will decides I need one and quickly punches my arm.  The scuffle ensues. After we knock a couple of deck chairs over and break a flowerpot, Will and I are both out of breath, laughing, and covered in red welts.

I go back to my lukewarm coffee. "So, now that you've received your daily beating, what's on the agenda for today?"

"What makes you think I got a beating?" He asks, gesturing toward my shoulder. "I'm pretty sure that I handed one out!"

I look over to inspect my shoulder to find a new bruise already beginning to turn a deep shade of purple. All I can do is laugh. This brings back so many memories of our childhood, especially our teen years. We would always try to outdo one another. We would fight, race bicycles, arm wrestle, and anything else that we could make into a competition—including girls.

I remember the two of us going to a carnival one summer when we were about sixteen. There was this gorgeous girl named Allie that we both liked, and she actually seemed to like the both of us. We were all playing carnival games, and she casually mentioned that she liked one of the prizes—a giant stuffed panda bear. He and I each spent at least fifty dollars and over an hour trying to win that bear for her. At the exact same moment, we both won. We got our prizes and turned to give them to her, but she had already gone. We were so wrapped up in winning that she had left long before. We walked through the carnival like a couple of idiots the rest of the night carrying two giant pandas with pink bows on them.

"Well, do you have anything planned today?" Will breaks my trance.

"Actually, I don't. Do you have anything in mind? We can do whatever you want."

"You did mention that you were going to call Ashton today to find out what day she is flying in. That way, we can plan our cookout, remember?"

"Ah, the cookout," I say, rubbing my chin. "I almost forgot. You seem a little excited about it."

He tries to keep from smiling. "Excited? Me? What do I have to be excited about?"

"It wouldn't have something to do with the fact that I'll be inviting Laura, would it?"

"I have no idea what you're even talking about!" he beams a sly grin.

"Uh huh."

"Okay, so maybe I'm a little excited about it. Who could blame me? She's hot! I don't know how you could ever just be friends with her."

Hearing the way Will talks about her almost makes me jealous. "I don't have a choice in that matter. You know that."

"Hey, man, I know the situation, and I hate it for you. If you really like Laura, then maybe you shouldn't set the two of us up. I don't want any problems between us."

I shake my head. "Just because I'm not happy doesn't mean that my best friend should be miserable right along with me. You are a good man, and Laura deserves someone that treats her well. I can tell she's had a rough time lately. I'm not saying that a relationship may come out of this, but maybe you can distract her from her life a little bit."

Will looks puzzled. "How long did you say you've known this girl? I mean, I know you said you just met her, but you talk about her as if the two of you are very close. Have you talked to her that much over the last couple of days?"

"No, that's the weird thing. We really haven't talked all that much. I've picked up on a few hints about her life, and she did mention that she recently got out of a relationship. If you had seen how distraught she looked the first time I met her, you would know that she needs—"

"A distraction," he interrupts.

"Precisely."

"Oh, I'd love to be her distraction. I could distract her in so many ways. I could distract her on the beach. I could distract her on your couch. I could even distract her right there on the deck rail."

I raise my hand to stop him. "Okay, okay. I've heard enough. Thanks for the graphic details, but I didn't mean it like that."

"What did you think I meant?" he asks, attempting to look innocent and failing miserably. "Get your mind out of the gutter. I meant we would
talk
. Talk on the beach, on your couch, and even here on the deck."

I can't help but laughing at him. "You forget that I know you. I don't believe that line for one second, and you know it."

"I am who I am. What can I say?"

"She's been through the wringer already, so don't make things worse for her. Just show her a good time and cheer her up."

He playfully puts his arm around my shoulder and squeezes me. "I thought you said you know me. I am always a good time."

I shake my head and begin to walk back into the house. "Keep telling yourself that. Whatever stops the tears, man."

Will and I decide to get out of the house before Jacqueline wakes up, so we get dressed and head into town to eat some lunch. We arrive at the only restaurant in Rock Cove and take our seats in the booth in the very back. Everyone in this town knows who I am, so I always sit in the back to hide out. I hate constantly having to stop eating to talk to people while my food gets cold.

Today, like every other day, the place is packed. There's more than one reason why everyone eats here. The obvious reason is that it's the only restaurant in a 30-mile radius. Another reason is simply because the food is amazing. The same old woman has cooked the food here for as long as I remember. There is a lunch special every day that she personally prepares, and you're lucky if there's any left when you come in. Everyone around knows how delicious her food is, so most people order the special without even asking what it is.

I give my order to the waitress, and Will does the same. I am happy to find out that we aren't too late to get some of the day's special—homemade chicken potpie. Within minutes, two steaming plates arrive at the table, and I eagerly grab my fork. I didn't realize how hungry I am. I scoop up a huge bite and shove it into my mouth as I hear the bell on the door jingle. I look up to see who is coming in, and I immediately begin to choke.

Will looks up at me. "Geez, dude! Slow down and let it cool off a minute!"

"That's not the problem."

"Well, okay then, take smaller bites. You eat like a toddler."

"No, moron. Look at who just came in the door."

Will abruptly turns around and sends a spoon clanging into the floor. "Hey, it's Laura!"

I shake my head in embarrassment. "Way to be discreet, Will."

"What? You didn't say
discreetly
look. You just said look. Want to go say hi?"

"No! Just stay here and be quiet. I don't want her to see me."

He raises one eyebrow. "Why is that? I thought she was your friend. This would be a great time to ask her about the cookout."

"I don't know any details yet," I explain. "I'll wait to ask her when I know what day. I just don't want to talk to her here. She's with her grandmother, anyway."

"I still don't understand why you won't say hello to her," he argues.

I don't really hear what Will is saying. I'm too busy trying to read her lips as she's talking to her grandma. She looks distressed, so I have to know why. Maybe it's my protective instinct toward her, but I feel like if I know what's wrong then I could possibly fix it. I can't tell what she is saying, though.  She's talking way too fast, stopping only occasionally to take a bite of her food.

"Are you going to eat your food or just stare at her?"

"There's something wrong," I answer. "I can't figure it out."

"Mine tastes awesome, so your taste buds must be screwed up."

"No, Will. I meant that something is wrong with Laura."

He puts his fork down into his empty plate and wipes his mouth. "You're worse than I thought."

I look up at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Are you kidding?" he asks. "Whatever this is between you and Laura is much worse than I realized. I can tell you're crazy about her."

"You're nuts. I've only known the girl for a couple of days. I don't even really know her. I can't let myself get all wrapped up in a relationship with someone when I'm getting married in just over three months."

"I don't believe that, because I see how you look at her. I told you this morning. It's probably natural for you to be subconsciously attracted to Laura. You don't want to be married to Jacqueline, so you're fighting it. Don't forget that."

I can't seem to make myself eat, so I push my plate away. "I know you're right. I've got to get her out of my head, so that's exactly why I'm going to go over there and tell her about the cookout coming up. That way, maybe you can distract the both of us."

I look back toward her table as I begin to stand, and I see an empty table. She's already gone.

"We can wait until you talk to Ashton later," Will says. "Then, we can drop by her house to invite her."

"Yeah, I guess that's best."

I pay for our meals after having the waitress wrap mine up, and we head back to my house. Luckily, Jacqueline has already left for the day. She has a shopping trip with friends planned. It's such a beautiful day, but ever since I saw Laura, I'm feeling depressed. I normally spend most of my day outside, but all I want to do right now is sleep.

I tell Will that I'm not feeling well, and I lock myself into my room. I close the room-darkening blinds and the curtains, and the room is nearly totally dark. I crawl into the bed to try to sleep, but sleep won't come. I can't stop wondering what was wrong with Laura today. I'll call my sister as soon as I wake up, so I have an excuse to go see Laura. Maybe, I'll ask her what's upsetting her. A friend would do that.

Three hours later, I wake to the sound of my cell phone ringing. It's the last person I want to talk to right now, so I don't answer. I'm sure my father is just checking up on me and making sure I haven't bailed yet. That man infuriates me, and he should know better than calling—he knows I'm not going to answer. If it was an emergency, he would leave a message, but he never does.

Thinking about my father makes me more stressed out, and I feel a sudden urge to go for a run on the beach to get away for a while. I walk into the den and find Will passed out on the couch with cartoons blaring on the TV.  I am not at all surprised. I doubt he would want to run with me, anyway, so I change clothes and take off down the beach on my own.

There is a little cave down the shore from my house that is hidden in some rocks; I always go there to think. It isn't very big, but it's almost like a sanctuary for me. I've spent a lot of time in that cave throughout my life; something about having my own secret place has always made me happy. Happiness is something that I haven't felt in a long time, so I've spent a lot of time in that cave since I arrived here.

As I climb the rocks that lead to the cave, I see some teens walking up the shore in the distance. Most people don't know about this cave, and I don't need a group of teens making it their new make-out spot. I quickly dart into the cave's dark opening before they see me, and I crash into someone. It appears that someone has found my hideout, after all.

My eyes haven't adjusted to the dimness of the cave yet, so I can't distinguish who is there. I bend over and offer my hand to help them up and prepare to scold a teenager. Instead, I'm suddenly speechless. Laura brushes her dark hair out of her face and looks up at me.

"Brooks?"

"I'm so sorry, Laura!" I say as I help her to her feet.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was wondering the same thing about you."

"Well," she begins, "It's a long story that you would never believe, so I'll just say that I've been sitting here enjoying the quiet. I've needed some time to myself to think."

"That's funny, because that's exactly the reason that I come here—to think. How did you find it? I didn't know that very many people knew about this place."

"Again . . . that's all part of the long story."

"I'm not in a hurry. Are you?"

Laura looks embarrassed. "Oh, you wouldn't want to hear it. It's a crazy story, and you'll think I'm insane."

"Try me."

She sighs and looks down at the ground. "Okay, but don't make fun of me."

"I promise."

She is very hesitant to open up to me, but the floodgates open after only a few minutes. I sit quietly and allow her to get everything off her chest, and I only nod occasionally at appropriate times. She begins by telling me about her childhood and how her parents died when she was very young. Then, she tells me all about her past relationships—including the most recent—and the reason she came here. She also talks about her mother's journal and how it brought her here. Once she stops talking, I honestly don't know what to say. I mean, I knew she had some things going on, but I had no idea just how much.

She blushes. "See . . . I told you it was crazy."

"Not at all, actually."

"You don't have to lie to make me feel better, Brooks. I know exactly how insane it all sounds. To be quite honest, I have a hard time believing it myself. Do you know anyone whose life is as screwed up as mine?"

"Uh . . . mine."

She laughs. "Are you kidding me? You have
everything
. You have a beautiful home. You're about to be married to a gorgeous woman. You call that screwed up?"

"If you only knew . . ."

She winks. "I'm not in a hurry. Are you?"

I smile. "It's a crazy story that you probably won't believe."

"Try me."

Chapter Eleven — All Out in the Open

Laura:

While we sit on the cold cave floor, Brooks agonizingly describes how Jacqueline plotted his own father against him in order to secure her own finances, dragging him kicking and screaming into an unwanted engagement. I am astonished that this actually happens in real life.

After filling me in on all of the gruesome details of the situation with Jacqueline, he looks at me as if he is in just as much disbelief as I am. I was under the impression that he had it all, that he had life figured out. The convoluted disarray that his life is in makes me appreciate the simplicity of my own problems.