Girl of Mine (14 page)

“Yeah. Troy is very much a part of this story, but not for the reasons you think.”

Was she that transparent? “Go on.”

“We’ve lived next door to each other since before we were even born. My mom has pictures of us in diapers, learning to crawl, learning to walk, and the two of us playing in the sandbox dumping sand on each other. As we got older, we were always at each other’s houses, playing all day and having sleepovers. His home was my home and my home was his home. We were inseparable. We went to kindergarten together, first grade, and second grade. It was third grade when they finally separated us. Didn’t matter. We were outside every night until the sun went down, playing ball, riding bikes, skateboarding, and getting into trouble. Every day seemed like an adventure. As far as childhood goes, it was the absolute best.”

12

Luke and Troy
May 1984

Nineteen Years Earlier

“On your marks, get set, go!” Troy yelled as they took off running as fast as they could go. Luke pushed hard, urging his legs to move beyond their limit.

Troy still won the race. He always did. He could run like the wind.

“I win!” Troy yelled.

“Let’s do it again,” Luke said, determined to run as fast as Troy.

“You wanna run faster, Luke?”

“Yeah.”

“My dad makes me march. He says marching puts your knees in the right place for running.”

“Okay,” Luke said as he followed Troy around his backyard, marching as if they were soldiers.

“Ready . . . now let’s run. Keep your knees the same.”

Troy was right. Running felt different with his knees in the right place. Luke felt as though he was flying across the lawn and he didn’t feel as though he would lose his balance. Troy was still faster though. His dad always made him practice, so he was real good.

“Troy! Luke! Some friends are here to see you,” Troy’s mom yelled from the back porch.

Matt Tucker, Kenneth Scott, and Brent Castro stood on the deck.

“Aw heck, why did she have to let them come over?” Troy harrumphed, his anger kindled.

“Aw, man.” Luke agreed. Matt, Kenneth, and Brent were bullies. They never played nice and cheated every chance they got. They always tripped the girls on the playground and teased Sally F. because her mom always made her wear a dress to school. Their favorite pastime was pushing kindergarten boys into the girls’ bathroom. They were just plain mean.

“Let’s play cops and robbers so we can arrest ‘em,” Luke said, looking forward to putting them in “jail.”

“Hey Troy, hey Luke,” Matt said. He was the ring leader. “Wanna play?”

“We’re playin’ cops and robbers. You guys wanna be the robbers?” Troy asked.

“Why do we always gotta be the bad guys?” Kenneth whined.

“My sister says the bad guys are always the cutest. Don’t know why,” Luke said. He just wanted being the bad guys to sound like a good thing so they’d agree.

Brent finally spoke up. “We’ll be bad guys. I like bein’ the bad guy.” He was short for his age and the girls were always teasing him. Maybe being bad made him feel bigger.

“Okay,” Troy said, taking over because it was his house and his backyard. “You guys just robbed a bank. Me and Luke are the cops. If we tag you, you’ve been caught and you have to let us take you to jail.”

“Where’s jail?”

“Through the gate. The front yard is jail. You have to leave and not play no more,” Luke told them.

“Yeah,” Troy said. “Jail means you hafta go home.”

Troy grinned at him and Luke grinned back. Their plan was ingenious. Luke wanted to high-five Troy, but that would make them seem happy about seeing the boys leave. Even if it was the truth, his mom told him he had to be polite. But if his mom knew these boys, she’d be sending them all to their rooms.

“Everyone hide. Count to fifty and then run. We’ll . . . I mean, the cops will come after you,” Luke told them.

“Wait, how do the bad guys win?” Matt asked.

“Bad guys don’t win, stupid,” Troy spat.

“If you touch the back fence, then you win,” Luke decided, knowing they’d never get past him and Troy. “You gotta hide at the front of the yard and try to get past us.” They practiced running every day and they were getting faster and faster. Even Jimmy T. couldn’t run as fast as them anymore. And he was a fifth grader.

“When I say three, everyone hide,” Kenneth said, taking over, like he was in charge or something. “1 . . . 2 . . .” He didn’t say three. They took off running at 2. Luke knew they would. They always cheated.

Luke and Troy hid in the bushes at the back of the yard, keeping a look out so they’d catch anyone trying to get to the back fence before they got to fifty.

“We’ll send ‘em all home, Luke. Good plan.”

“Yeah. They don’t have a chance against us.”

“Why does your sister think bad guys are cute?”

“I dunno. Mom says she’s got her head in the clouds.”

“What’s that mean?”

“I dunno.”

“Girls are stupid,” Troy said.

Luke thought about that. “Except Sarah B. She’s nice. She let me use her pencil the other day.”

“Yeah, I guess she’s all right. Her hair’s real yellow.”

“Yeah, and she can run real fast.”

“You wanna kiss her, Luke?” Troy made googly eyes at him.

“No. That’s gross.” Luke elbowed Troy in the ribs. “What are we at?”

“Lost count. I think thirty-two. Doesn’t matter anyway, if they come toward the fence, I’m gonna get ‘em.” Troy stood in a ready-to-run position.

“Here comes Matt. Cheating as usual. I’ll get him,” Luke said as he ambushed Matt and tagged him on the back. He grabbed his arm and told him he had the right to remain silent. Then he took him to the gate and told him to stay in jail.

Now it was two on two. Troy was already running after Kenneth, and Brent was just leaving his hiding place. Luke tagged Brent before he’d taken five steps.

“You say anything and I’ll hold it against you,” Luke heard Troy say to Kenneth.

After putting Kenneth and Brent in “jail,” Troy’s mom appeared on the patio, holding a platter of cookies and several cups of lemonade. “Where’d all your friends go?”

“Had to go home.” Troy looked down at the ground, maybe feeling guilty.

“Well then, I guess all these cookies are just for you and Luke.”

After Troy’s mom went inside, they high-fived and ate so many cookies they felt sick.

“I’m gonna be a cop one day,” Luke told Troy. “And really catch bad guys.”

Troy drank his lemonade in two gulps. “We’ll be partners.”

“No one will get away from us.”

“But first I’m gonna run track and jump over hurdles like my dad did in high school. I’m gonna be as fast as him and win lots of trophies.”

“Me too. If we keep practicing, we’ll be the fastest cops in the world.” Luke ate one more cookie.

“Yeah, the very fastest.”

“C’mon, let’s go practice some more,” Luke said, wanting to run as fast as Troy.

13

Luke and Jill
April 2003

Present Day

Jill smiled at the sweet story of Luke and Troy as little boys. “How old were you?”

“Around eight.”

“You two were quite the little duo.”

“A bundle of trouble. That’s what Troy’s dad used to call us.” Luke’s eyes glittered as if fond memories were playing through his mind.

“I love that you and Troy have been friends since childhood. No wonder there’s such a bond between you.”

Luke nodded, but said nothing.

“Why are you telling me this, Luke? I’m not following you. What does this have to do with us?” Jill tucked her legs underneath her, settling into a comfortable position. Today her sole purpose centered on listening to every word Luke had to say. If she appeared as tense as she felt, those feelings would transfer to Luke.

Her tactic worked. Luke sat back and hooked one ankle over the opposite knee. “Troy and I had plans for our lives. At eight years old, we knew what we wanted to do. We dreamt of being track stars in high school. We both wanted to become police officers one day.” Luke smiled. “We were absolutely positive that we’d be partners and couldn’t imagine why it would never happen.” He shook his head. “We had a surprise coming.”

“Childhood dreams are the best. No limitations.”

Luke fell quiet, his mind in another place. His hands were no longer tightly clasped in his lap, but rested lightly on his thighs.

Confused, Jill asked again, “What does this have to do with us?” She kept her voice light, not accusing.

“Everything,” Luke replied. “Absolutely everything.”

“How so?”

“Troy is my best friend. I’ve known him all my life.”

Jill suddenly understood what he meant. “Oh. And now I’m engaged to him. I see where you’re going with this.” His worry over Troy’s feelings was admirable.

Luke’s expression turned apprehensive and he didn’t comment.

For obvious reasons, her engagement complicated Luke’s life. Jill tried to assure him. “Don’t worry about Troy. I’ll explain everything to him. The engagement is between Troy and me. It doesn’t concern you.”

“It does.”

“Not really.” She wasn’t about to make Luke do her dirty work, if that was what he was worried about. She was perfectly capable of explaining the situation to Troy. It would be hard on him, but she certainly wouldn’t disappear from his life completely.

“Everything that has to do with Troy concerns me.” A defiant tip of his chin accompanied his words.

“Why, Luke?” Jill worried her bottom lip. “I don’t get it.” It was the one thing that had always bothered Jill. Luke would do anything for Troy. Yet Troy often acted as though Luke was a sliver in his skin.

The thought sparked a memory . . .

14

Luke and Jill
November 2002

Five Months Earlier

“Excited?” Luke pressed on the gas, merging with traffic effortlessly.

“Yeah. I can’t wait. I’ve been looking forward to this No Doubt concert since we bought the tickets two months ago.”

“Me too. Here’s a little pre-concert music to get us in the mood.” He pressed a few buttons and soon Gwen Stefani’s smooth voice wafted over the airwaves. He turned up the volume and rolled down the windows as they flew down the freeway.

They were singing along, laughing when they didn’t know all the words, and enjoying the pleasantly warm November wind in their faces when Luke suddenly turned off the music.

“Just a sec, Jill.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, placed it on speaker, and set it on his lap. “Hello.” Luke rolled up the windows so he could hear.

Jill wanted to tell him to listen to the words of the song and “Don’t Speak,” but it was too late, he’d answered. She knew he’d enjoy her cheesy joke. It sat on the tip of her tongue, waiting to leap off, that is until she noticed his serious expression, dousing all humor.

“Luke, it’s Troy.”

“Hey Troy, what’s up buddy?” Luke’s eyebrows pressed into a worried furrow.

“A pipe on the water heater busted. The garage is filled with water. It’s a mess. Can you come help me?”

Troy sounded distracted and stressed.

Jill was surprised when Luke, without hesitation or thought, said, “You bet. I’ll be right there.”

He pulled off the freeway and into a gas station parking lot. He turned in his seat, facing her. Jill waited for an explanation for his abrupt change in their plans. She was a little taken aback at his decisiveness. They were both silent for a few moments, tension electric in the air. Luke sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Jill. Troy needs my help and I can’t abandon him.”