Learning to Fly (7 page)

“Not, really; can we go for a walk?”

“As you wish,” Alex says and brings our joined hands up to his mouth and kisses my knuckles.  I giggle at the movie reference.

“You in the mood for ice cream? There’s a shop two blocks down from here.”

“Ice cream sounds wonderful.”  A long line snakes around the inside of the shop.  Outside are small round black metal tables with matching chairs. 

“You grab us a seat, Soph and I will get the ice cream.  What do you want? “

“I’ll take vanilla.”

“Ok.  Be right back.”

I grab a seat at one of the tables by the door.  The night air has chilled the metal and I shiver when it makes contact with bare legs.  I put my purse on my lap and root for my phone.  I unlock it and see I have two texts from Heidi and a missed call from Angie. I click the icon and see that she left me a voicemail.  I dial in and listen to her message.

Soph, Larry and I are heading to the beach for the weekend.  See you when we get back.  Don’t forget to feed and walk Duke. Bye

“Wow.”  I just stare at the blank screen on my phone.  I don’t know why I am allowing her to upset me.  Deep down, I know she will never change, she’ll always put herself before me.  Why should I have expected her to see if I wanted to go?  I wonder if Larry would have asked me to.  I click to read the messages from Heidi. 

H: How was your day? 

H: Are you with that hot quarterback?

Before I have a chance to reply Alex is back with our cones.

“Here you are, one vanilla,” he pulls it back when I reach for it.

“I challenge you to game of wits,” he says and quirks an eyebrow at me.

“To the death?” I ask, leaning towards him.

“To the death,” he confirms

“Sir, I am unable to accept your challenge as you are unarmed.” I say smugly and cock my eyebrow.

“That is so not the next line in the movie.” 

“I know, but it’s so fitting.” 

”Oh really?  No ice cream for you then.”  He pulls my cone up to his mouth pretending to lick it.

“Come on, Alex, give me my cone.”  He moves around to the other side of the table. 

“Ask me nicely.” He grins showing me that dimple again.

“Please, Alex, may I have my cone?”

“Do you take back what you said?”  I roll my eyes at him.

“Yes, I do.”  He hands me my cone. “You, Sir, have a dizzying intellect.”  I quote a line from the movie and take a big bite from the top of the cone.  The combination of the night air and the cone make me shiver. 

“Here, hold my cone a sec and don’t lick it.”  Alex slides the rolled sleeves of his shirt down and removes it.  He drapes his shirt over my shoulders and takes his cone back.

“Thanks.” 

“Anything for you, Buttercup.”
Alex touches the side of my face tenderly.

Tonight has been one perfect night.  Alex inhales the rest of his cone; I take small licks in fear of getting brain freeze.

“You stay here and finish your cone; I’ll get the car and come get you.”  Can this boy be any sweeter?

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’ll be back in a flash.”  An older woman from the table beside us leans over to me.

“I tell you, that young man is a keeper.  Not too many polite ones like that left.”

“Yes Ma’am he is,” I reply.  I finish the last of the ice cream in my cone.  I throw the cone away in the trash.  We had a cone machine back at City Pizza and since then I refuse to eat the premade cones. 

Alex pulls up, climbs out of the driver’s side, and comes to get me.

“I turned the heated seats on to warm you up.”

“Thank you.”

He then opens the moon roof and turns the heater on. 

“The stars make this night even better.”  He points up and names off several constellations as we drive. 

It’s a beautiful night, filled with clusters of stars painting ribbons of light across the dark sky. 

“What the heck?”  Alex says. The road feels bumpy and uneven making strange sounds as we drive down the pavement. 

“That is weird.  I feel it on my side.”  We drive farther down the road; the sound getting louder. “I think you have a flat tire.”

“Inconceivable!”  Alex says, repeating another line from the movie. “It’s a new car. I just got it over the summer.”

“Maybe the six fingered man did it?” I say with a chuckle and Alex smiles.

It’s late, dark, and a gas station is just ahead so we decide to drive to end of the block. 

At the gas station, Alex gets out of the car to look at the tire.  I use this opportunity to text Heidi. 

S: Having fun with Alex.  Great first date.

I watch Alex in the mirror.  He is standing there looking at the tire and yelling something at it.  I watch him kneel on the ground and look underneath the car.  He gets up and walks to the other side of the car.  I turn my head to watch him kneel on the ground to look on the other side, as well.  He starts yelling again and I worry that we may have two flat tires.

Curious, I get out of the car to see what the problem is. 

“What’s wrong?”  We stand looking at the back of the car.

“This is not how I wanted tonight to go.”  Alex says and hangs his head.

I put my hand on his shoulder.  “It’s just a flat; shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes to change it.”  In the lighted parking lot, I can clearly see Alex is embarrassed.

“It may take longer than that.  I have never changed a tire before.”

I smile, finding that truth amusing. 

“Well,” I say and give him a kiss on the cheek.  “It’s a good thing you have me.”  I take the key fob from him and hit the trunk button. 

“Wait,” Alex’s voice is stern.  “What are you going to do?” 

“What does it look like? I’m going to change the tire.”

“No way.”  Alex shifts and crosses his arms over his chest.

“Alright, but if I don’t change it, who will?”  I don’t wait for a response.  I pull the jack out of the trunk and lift up the gray rug to get to the spare tire below.  I place the jack at the side of the car. I squat carefully in my dress and place my left hand on the side of the car to steady myself.  My right hand slides along the body and stops at the divot in the frame to attach the jack.
I straighten up, slide the jack into place, and crank it to raise the level of the car.

I look over and see Alex; the look on his face is priceless.  He is standing under the light with his hands shoved in front pockets.  His pride is hurt. 

I decide to enlist his help.  “Alex.  I’m not strong enough to get these nuts loose. Can you do it?”

He walks around to my side. He pulls his hands out of his pockets and takes the wrench from me.  He hooks it on the nut and tries to twist it to the left. The nut doesn’t budge.  He tries again.  Nothing. 

He steps back to look at it then slams his foot on the left side of the crossbar.  This time when he twists the nut counterclockwise, it comes off completely.  He repeats this step for the other four nuts then removes the hubcap. 

He looks down at his grease-covered hands.  “Since I’m already dirty, can you just tell me what to do next?”

“Sure, just pull the tire off and put the spare on.”  Alex bends over, pulls the tire off, and sets it on the ground.  He lifts the spare off the ground and places it on the bolts.  Without asking, he replaces the hubcap and nuts, making certain to secure them in place.  He slowly cranks the car back down and puts the jack and the old deflated tire into the trunk. 

We clean our hands with the paper towels next to the gas pumps before getting back inside. Alex hesitates putting the key in the ignition.  He turns to me.

“I’m so embarrassed.  I’m sure you’re thinking, what kind of idiot doesn’t know how to change a tire?  I didn’t mean to ruin tonight.  I hope you still had fun.”

“Alex.” I put my hand on his.  “It was a flat tire, not the end of the world.  Nothing will spoil tonight for me, because I think it was perfect.” Alex leans in and kisses me.

“Thank you for saying that, Soph.  Now let’s get you back home.”

Chapter Eight

Alex’s football schedule did little to deter us; we spend every day together after school, or later on days that he has football practice.  We are supposed to study and finish our homework but I always end up staying up late or getting up early in the morning to do it.

“We have to study at my house today; I have to stay with my brothers until my folks get home.”  Alex hates the duties that came with being an older sibling.  He thought his little brothers were pests and I thought they were adorable.  They were mini versions of Alex; what’s not to love? 

“I think your brothers are adorable.” I say and pinch him on the cheek.  As soon as we get to Alex’s house, his brothers run outside with squirt guns.  Alex jumps out the car and grabs a gun off the porch.  Everyone except Alex is getting wet and I come up with a plan.  “Listen guys, let all sneak up on Alex and squirt him.  He can’t get all of us if we stick together.” The three of us get Alex pretty good and then he gets smart.  He trades in his squirt gun for the garden hose. 

“You guys are going to pay.” Alex says, and starts to chase us around the yard.

“No,” I scream.  I run as fast as I can, shrieking and laughing at the same time.  Alex completely soaks the back of my shirt and gets me a couple of times in the face. I forgot that football players could move with speed.  I run around the tree and grab it for support.  I have never laughed so hard; it’s getting really hard to breathe.  Alex doesn’t stop until his mother comes outside. 

“Alright, enough Alex, you’ve turned the yard into a muddy mess.” She says.  “Come on you, muddy monsters, let me give you a bath.” 

“Aww, mom,” they say in unison and trudge up the porch steps to the house.  I walk around and help pick up the squirt guns.  I spy the water nozzle and I can’t resist. I point it at Alex and spray him from head to toe. 

“Ha! Got you back,” I say, so proud of myself.

“You’re in so much trouble.” Alex pulls his wet shirt up over his head and throws it on the ground.  He starts to run and slips in the muddy soil, landing hard on his left knee. 

“Alex, are you alright?”  I run to him and he is grimacing and rubbing his knee. 

“I just fell on it wrong; it’s fine.”  He says, trying to reassure me. “You could give me a kiss to make it feel better.”  He leans in close and I give him a quick peck on the lips.  He gets up and takes a few gingerly steps.  “It’s feeling pretty stiff; I think I’ll ice it when we get inside.”  I wrap my arm around him to help him up the steps.  “Thanks for having fun with the little monsters today. I hope when they get older they each find a kickass girl like you.” 

We get inside and the boys are running around in their pajamas.  “Alex, take care of your brothers,” his mom says and turns to give me a hug goodbye.  “Oh dear, you are soaking wet.” She goes into mom mode and brings me a towel.  “You put these things on and put those wet clothes in the dryer.” She hands me a pair of Alex’s shorts and a sweatshirt.

“Thank you so much for the dry clothes.”  I say and rub the towel over my damp hair. 

“You’re welcome, dear. We’re just going out for dinner; see you guys in a couple hours.” She waves and walks out the door.
I go to the half bath off the kitchen and remove my jeans and t-shirt.  I don’t know why I hesitate when I get to my wet bra.  I don’t think it’s a good idea to go braless but I have no choice; everything is wet.  I take it off, adding it to the other damp clothes that are leaving a puddle on the floor.

I change and remain hiding behind the door to listen to the conversation Alex is having with his father. “This is not the time for you to get sidetracked with some girl.  She isn’t your future, football is.” 

“Dad, I like Soph and I don’t know how long our relationship is going to last, but I’m enjoying it. She doesn’t want anything from me; she likes just being with me.” He confesses to his father.

“You don’t want to end up a loser like me.  I lost out on a great scholarship and potential football career because your mother and I got pregnant with you.”

“Look, Dad I appreciate what you’re trying to say to me, but I might be falling in love with her.”

“Really? What do you know about love?  No girl wants to be saddled with a loser who has no future ahead of him.  If you want to have a family someday, you need to be able to provide for them, and football is going to give you what you need to make that future happen.”

“Don’t you and mom have somewhere to go?” Alex says in a huff. 

“Hey, what’s going on with your knee?” His dad must have seen the swelling or watched Alex walk gingerly on it. 

“It’s nothing; I just fell on it earlier when we were fooling around outside.” Alex says. 

“Well, isn’t that just great. This is what I’m talking about.  You shouldn’t be running around outside.  You have a big game coming up. You need to elevate it, ice that, and keep your injury to yourself.  You don’t want to ruin things that have already been set in motion.” 

“Thanks for your concern, Dad.” Alex says sarcastically.

“Don’t give me your lip, boy; just do as you’re told.”  I hear a door open and shut and the shower comes on.

I use the towel to wipe up the puddle on the floor then wrap all my wet clothes inside.  I pad across the cold tile, see the washer and dryer, put the wet bundle of clothes in the dryer, and start it.

I turn to find two cute little boys peering at me over the back of the sofa.

“Come sit over here next to me,” Jonah says. 

“Hey, I want to sit next to her, too,” Colin says.  I sit in the middle of the two boys watching cartoons.

  “Hey, why don’t you watch this in your room?” Alex comes in and pushes Jonah over so he can slide in beside me.

“Mom said we were supposed to stay with you so you can keep an eye on us,” Colin says and scoots over closer to me.

“I give up.” I can tell that Alex is exasperated.

“Here, sit down in front of me and let me rub your shoulders.” 

Alex sits in front of me, removes his shirt, and I run my hands across his biceps before making my way to his shoulders.  “Hmm, that feels really good, Soph. 

“I’ve got a lot of pressure on me this year.  It’s my job to take us to championship. This season is the last opportunity I have to impress the scouts,” he says solemnly. 

“I’m here for you, Alex, you know that.”  I tell him.  “If being with me is causing problems with you and your dad, I understand if you want to call it quits.”

Alex turns and kneels between my legs, wrapping his arms around my waist.  “I know we’re young, but I really like you.  Who knows if this is more than one of those high school romances or not, but I would love the opportunity to find out,” Alex says and leans forward to kiss me.

“Oooh, that’s gross,” Jonah says.

“Yuck, you’re going to get Sophie’s cooties.” Colin says.

We sit and watch the boys TV shows until they fall asleep. “Now that the little monsters are asleep, what do you want to do?”  Alex snakes his arm around my waist causing the back of my shirt to rise.  His hot palm and fingers make contact with the bare flesh of my back.  He leans over and kisses the tender spot on my neck, just below my ear. 

“We could go back to my room.” His lips lightly brush my earlobe and those words cause my body to shiver. 

“It’s late; I better go, and you need to get some rest, too,” I say and kiss him. 

“I don’t like the idea of you walking home alone.  My folks will be back soon and I can take you.” I love the way he wants to protect me, but I know that it is more dangerous for me to spend any more time alone with him tonight.

“I’ll get a ride from my folks.”  I call Angie’s cell which goes straight to voicemail...  I decide to call Larry’s phone next.

“Hey, Sophia, is everything alright?”  He even sounds just like a real dad.

“Yep.  I just need a ride back from Alex’s house.  His folks aren’t home yet and his little brothers fell asleep on the couch.”

“I’ll come and get you, now.”

“Alex what’s your address?”

“It’s fine, I know where they live.  You keep forgetting this is a small town."  I end the call and put the phone in my back pocket.

“Larry’s coming to get me.”  I inform Alex. 

“Let’s make the most of the time we have left.” He turns me to face him. We just look into each other eyes for a moment before his hands make their way to my hair.  I love the way he likes to play with my locks.  I close my eyes and enjoy every minute of our kiss.  I am completely lost in Alex.

“I was thinking about something; what if you decide to go to FSU with me?  I know you have your heart set on Brown, but FSU is a good school and we could be together.”  I just look at Alex and don’t know what to say in return.

“Just think about it.”  I promise him that I will.

The honk of a car horn outside cause us to pull apart.  “I think that’s for me.”  I get up and grab my bag off the floor.  Alex gets up to walk me to the door. 

“Don’t do that Alex.”  I put my hand out and push him back down on the sofa.  “You try to stay off of that as much as you can, alright?” 

“Yes ma’am.”

“See you in the morning, ok?”

“See ya.”

I skip down the porch steps and jump into the passenger side of Larry’s black Acura.

“Thanks for coming to pick me up, I appreciate it.” I say and buckle my seat belt.

“It’s my pleasure.  You’re mom went shopping with the girls and isn’t back yet.  Maybe we should talk about getting you a car.  This isn’t like where you came from.  We don’t have public transportation here.  And I don’t like the idea of you walking everywhere.”

“A car would be useless because I don’t know how to drive.” 

“Really?  Getting your driver’s license is a rite of passage for every teenager.  Have you taken any driver’s ed classes?”

“Took driver’s ed last year and got an A.  I have the certificate they gave me showing that I passed the class. I didn’t’ get to go driving because we just didn’t have the money for me to get it or be on mom’s insurance.”

“What do you say I pick you up after school tomorrow and take you to get your permit?”

“I’d love to; thank you so much!”

Today, the team has a short practice; just before the game.  I am so worried about Alex’s knee after the accident last night.  Monte and I have become close friends and I know that I can count on him to look out for Alex on the field.

“Alex is still having problems with his knee?” Monte asks.

“Yes, he thinks it’s just a little sprain.”

“He didn’t let on to us; what about today’s game?”

“The nurse looked at it and said it might be a sprain, and if he can stay off of it for a few days to rest it, he should be alright to play next week,” Mike says.

“What about today’s game?” I ask.

  “Alex, of course, asked her to wrap him up so he can play.” Mike reveals.

“Even if he gets through today’s game do you think it will heal?” I ask.

“If you can help to make sure he stays off of it this next week, but don’t tell him we said anything.”  I looked at them and pretended to lock my lips and throw away the key. 

“So, Soph, you want to go with everyone to a party tonight to celebrate our victory?” Alex asks a little later when he joins us.

“I don’t know, Alex, I have a really big test coming up on Monday and I need to get some studying done.” I say. 

“I can help you study tomorrow. Fridays are reserved for parties; it’s a well-known teenage law.” He smiles, showing me his dimple.  Alex has a way of charming me into doing things. 

“Oh, really?” I cock an eyebrow at him.

“I swear.”  He makes an x on his chest with his fingers and puts his hand up.

  “Alex, it’s because I’ve been studying with you lately that I need to study for this test. Remember what happened Tuesday?”  Alex looks insulted and then thinks back to the make out session we had on the couch after we threw our textbooks on the floor.

“Ok, I obviously can’t study with you, so what if I promise to let you study tomorrow and then we go out after you’re done?” 

We stop talking when Jake and his girlfriend, Kass, sit down at our table.  “So, who’s ready to par-tay tonight?”  Kass asks and Jake kisses her on the head. 

“We have one party pooper in the group.” Alex points at me, putting me on the spot in front of Kass. She may be Jake’s girlfriend, but I don’t really know her that well.

“What kind of party is it?” I ask and look at Alex.

“Please forgive her, Kass, she knows not what she says.” His hands are clasped together in a pleading gesture.

“I’ll let it slide since you’re new here; she is the ultimate queen of parties.” Jake says. “And this is going to be the party of the year,” he continues. 

“Only until the next party Kass throws.” I say, earning a respectful nod from Kass.  “Alright, alright, I’ll go.” I throw my hands up in surrender. 

“I think I like you, Sophie, and I have decided you and I are going to be best buds.” She takes my phone off the table. “Now we have each other’s numbers so we can make plans without these losers being involved,” she says, chiding the guys.