Last Heartbeat (2 page)

“Graphic design. I want to one day see my art designs on a lot of different places. I’d love to have a building or airplane or something big with a design so someone will know, as soon as they see it and know that it is mine. What about you? What are you majoring in?”

Most people freak when I tell them my plans. They think that I must be so smart, but I’m not. I just want to help people. I look up and say, “Exercise and sport science to focus on cardiac rehabilitation.” Yes, that is the expression everyone gives me when I say that out loud. I smile at him for that look.

“Wow, you must be smart to become a doctor for cardiac patients.” He’s looking like he doesn’t know what to say to me now.

I laugh out loud. He looks like I insulted him, so I tell him, “I’m not going to be a doctor. More like physical therapist who helps patients recover from cardiac-related recovery. Sometimes patients need to learn to walk and do exercises that help them with recovery and strengthen every muscle so they can get on with life, feel better.”

Phillip looks at me and says, “I know about physical therapy. I had to do it before I could go home when I had surgery. I use to be a football player, but I had to quit. If I got hit in the liver, I would most likely die. I didn’t want to take chance to lose the gift my brother gave me. It would be a waste for sure. I gladly gave football up.”

“That is a great thing you did and sacrificed. You do truly appreciate what an awesome gift he gave you. I know I would be appreciative too. You are lucky you have a donor so quick, being that brother helped with having a perfect match. Sometimes people have to wait along time and even die before they have a donor. I want to help the ones who are lucky enough to get another chance in life. I could have been your therapist and someday, hopefully, I will be someone’s.” I say this knowing how hard I had to work to get my strength back. Now, I can finally get on with my life. I’m sitting on a plane with the cutest guy ever and ready to live everyday, for as long as I can.

The fasten seatbelt light comes on and the pilot says that we are getting ready to land. I didn’t even know it took off. How could that have been so fast? I look at my watch and realized that I talked to Phillip so much that time flew by. Yes,
flew by
, get it? I just made a really bad joke. I’m grinning to myself and Phillip looks at me.

He smiles, “What is making you grin big and beautifully?”

“I thought how fast the trip was and thought,
it has flown by.
I thought it was a funny joke” can’t believe I said that out loud. Now he must think I’m crazy.

He turns and laughs, shaking his head, “That is sort of funny. Maybe you should become a comedian.” Laughing again, he says, “It really has flown by, and I can’t believe I have told you stuff no one else knows about me. You must think I need a psychiatrist. Or maybe it’s your sweet, beautiful face that makes me want to tell you everything. If I see you on campus, please don’t tell my secrets. People actually think I’m a little bit cool. Okay?”

“I really won’t say a word. I probably won’t be around you much. You will be hanging with all the older cool kids and I’m too much of a nerd to hang with you. I’m cool with it though. I probably will be sitting on the beach doing my reading and that would probably bore you too much. I have enjoyed your company, and thanks for talking to me. I hope you have a good school year. I have enjoyed your company.” I say, getting ready to get off the plane.

Phillip puts his body in front of me and says, “I will never think you’re not cool enough to hang out with me, and you can do it any time. Just say the word. I think you are beautiful, and your eyes look at me like they see right through me and know everything about me. They are the bluest eyes I have ever seen and I would like to see them again. You do something to me that makes me want to be better. You know people think I’m a player at this school, but it isn’t true. Don’t listen to a word of the rumors, okay?” With that confession, Phillip turns and exits the plane before I can even take a breath, which I was holding.

As everyone moves about the plane, I get it together and think about what he just said. Wow! What a confession. I was sitting beside the most awesome boy. Turns out that he is a player. Why did he tell me it wasn’t true? Now that makes me wonder if he just lied about everything just to talk to me. I am so glad I really didn’t tell him much about me. Time to shake off what just happened and get on with my new life. That doesn’t include the time with a boy, because I’m on borrowed time and that wouldn’t be fair to any guy.

Chapter Two

Phillip

Wow
! What just happened to me? I never talk to girls that way and tell them my deepest, darkest secret. I never even talk to my parents about my brother, so why her? I know that now I have to stay away from her. Now I am afraid everyone will know the truth about me. Not just that I have a deceased brother but that a part of him saved my life. It still makes me sad that I lived and he died. It messes with my mind too much and makes me a bit crazy at times. Maybe that’s why everyone calls me a player. Sometimes I hook up with a girl every now and then just to forget. It has not been that many really. Other guys I hangout with go out with a lot more girls than I do. I can even count them on two hands and I still know their names.

As I head out of the airport to get my luggage, I see Alexia coming to the luggage area. I quickly turn around so she doesn’t see me.
Hurry
luggage!
Get out so that I can hurry out the door before I run into her again
! The buzzer goes off at the luggage area and I see my baggage first thing. I grab it and make a run to the door so that I won’t run into her again.

As I get to my car, which I in the parking garage. I start thinking; I should have asked Alexia if she needed a ride.
No
. If I did that, I might spill more of my secrets to her. I almost decide that I would go around and see if Alexia had gotten a taxi. I turn my car around and see her coming to the parking garage, before she gets in a parked car.

Why would she have a parked car here? Maybe she is like me, living off campus and already been flying back and forth from her hometown. I didn’t even ask where she is from. Now I will never know because I am staying away from her. I can’t even think about her.

When I see her look up at me with those big blue eyes it makes my heart skip a beat. No one has ever done that to me ever. Even the girls I have hooked up with have never done that.

Well, I better get back to my condo and get ready for my first class tomorrow. As I turn out of the airport, I head toward the beach. I like driving, next to the beach with my windows down so I can smell the salty air and feel the breeze in my hair. It takes longer to get to the condo this way because of the traffic, but I don’t care. It’s worth this feeling of being free and alive.

My parents had bought my brother a condo on the beach so he wouldn’t have to live at the dorms. They also bought it so that we could visit often to beat the cold Ohio weather. In the summer, while I’m gone, they rent it out to tourists. They are choosey about who gets to rent it. Being picky keeps the cost down for damage. The condo is our little piece of heaven on earth and sometimes, it makes me feel closer to my brother.

I sure hope the cleaning crew did better with the cleaning this summer than last year. I think my parents would fire them if its not clean. Last time, I had to do most of the cleaning when I got back for school. I really didn’t mind, but my parents said that if they hired someone the do the cleaning, it should be done right. I agree with them, but I’d hate to have someone to lose their job.

I pull into the condo parking lot and already hear the waves. The breeze relaxes my body. I hurry and take my luggage into the condo. Walking through the front door, I can see the ocean from the big balcony doors. I run and open them to see what is going on at the beach. Knowing that at this time of the day not too many people will be out, I decide to hurry down to put my feet on the sand and in the water.

Oh, how I have missed this place. I can’t wait until this school year starts tomorrow, and knowing that I get to spend everyday at the beach makes me smile. Maybe I’ll even study more at the beach this year instead of on campus, which is what Alexia said she’d be doing. So maybe that will actually make me study more here at home, than on campus. Just have to see what comes up and see what my friends are doing. My parents would like more studying from me. I do a fair job at school. I could always do better, so maybe this year I will.

I know I could be on borrowed time because my brother’s gift could reject me at anytime. I like living everyday to the fullest. So far, studying has been to the last thing on my mind. Just have to see what each day brings. Maybe that blue-eyed girl could be the best of everyday.
No,
I have to leave her alone.

It’s time for this guy to relax on the beach and stop thinking about the blue-eyed angel. When my friends find out I’m back, time for relaxing will be over. Partying is what they all will want me to do and they think I’ll be back tomorrow. I’m glad I took that earlier flight so no one knows I’m here except Alexia, and no one knows her yet.

There I go again, thinking about her. I have to stop or no relaxing for me. Can’t relax when I keep seeing her and it rouses me up too much to relax. I hope I don’t have any classes with her on campus. It would be hard being next to her when I need to stay away. The rumors about me being a player might help keep her away from me. I hope so, because right now, if she were here, I would become more than a player and do something I shouldn’t. What is up with this girl I know nothing about? I can’t keep her off my mind and now I want to know more about her.

That’s it
. I’m going to call my friends and go out to clear my mind. Even the beach hasn’t relaxed me. Why is that? I pull my phone out and call my best friend Jacob to meet me at Hamburger Joe’s our favorite burger hangout. As I get there, Jacob is with Tyler, another of or friends, getting our seats. They wave me over and I go sit down. We order our favorite wings and burgers.

Jacob says, “Phillip! Glad you got back early. Thought you weren’t getting back until before class tomorrow?”

“Decided on the last minute to come back early,” I answer. “I planned on relaxing a bit and seeing how the cleaners did with the condo. Didn’t want a repeat of last summer.”

Tyler laughs “Yeah, that was a disastrous mess. Your parents should not have kept that cleaning crew.”

“I didn’t mind cleaning it. With how much my parents paid them, they should have done better job though. Glad that when I came home this time the place was spotless. I had time to hang out with you guys before tomorrow,” I say but really trying to get that girl out of my head. So far, it isn’t working.

Jacob smiles “Boy, we are really glad you called. We are going to have fun partying tonight. There’s a party at Megan’s private beach house. Now let’s get eating. The party is supposed to start soon. I hear it will have a lot of people from CCU. Supposed to be the biggest party of the year.”

“This guy is sure ready for fun tonight.” I smile. Hopefully, I will forget about Miss Blue Eyes tonight.

Tyler says, “Hope you don’t get all the girls. We know how you like so many different girls and they like you. Don’t be selfish with them all.”

I laugh. “I don’t get the girls. That is Jacob’s job. Just hope to talk to one or two.” I wink at them.

After we finish eating, Jacob jumps up and says, “Let’s hit the road. Don’t want to miss this one.”

We get up so that we can pay and hit the party of the year.

Just what I need after all, I hope.

Chapter Three

Alexia

As I enter the airport and head off to the baggage claim area, I spot Phillip’s messy head of hair. I stop and think about everything he said. His being a player makes me think that I don’t want to talk to him. I just need to get my luggage and leave without acting like I saw him. That is what I am going to do.

As I get closer, I see Phillip run up and grab his luggage quickly. Then he is out of the door before I can even breathe.
Wow!
He must really want to avoid me to get out of the airport so fast. What does that mean? Am I that bad of a person that I need to be avoided?
Wait
just a minute
. This is great! Now I won’t have to be worried about running into him. Yay for me! But why do I feel like that is not what I really wanted?

So many questions are going on in my head that almost miss seeing my suitcase. I have get my head back in order and that includes no brown-eyed, messy brown-haired boy with those awesome dimples.
Okay
,
Okay.
Now I think I’m going crazy. Stop it!

As I pull my luggage to the parking lot, I am grateful that my parents had my car delivered to the airport parking lot. I will have something to get around town in, and I plan on making many trips to the beach. The college is about twenty-five minutes away from the beach, so I need a car to get around. They also sent most of my belongings to my college dorm room and they will be waiting on me when I get there. They spoil me too much, but at least I am not lugging it to my car right now.

Great! My car is right where the car should be, and that makes me happy. As I get in my car, I think,
Should I make a detour to the beach or go to the campus? Which one, which one?
Darn, I wish I didn’t have to go the dorm first to make sure everything is there. I would definitely go to the beach, but I am worried about my things not being there. I head to the school instead of the beach.

Pulling onto campus, I am in astonished by all the beauty. I almost make a wrong turn to my dorm. Once I find the parking lot and retrieve my keys, I head to my room. It’s on the second floor, which is lucky for me. Being up high means a lot of steps and that would make me tired. They do have elevators, but I still like getting some exercise.