Linked Through Time (13 page)

The girl pulled a pack of cigarettes from her purse and slid them across the table.

Eyeing them in disdain, I shook my head. “No thanks,” I said, praying for Travis to hurry. I wasn’t sure why the girl filled me with unease, but from experience, packs of whispering girls were usually up to no good.

The girl shrugged and removed one from the pack herself. “Interesting…” She lit the cigarette. “… you being here with Travis.” She pulled a long drag and blew the smoke purposely in my direction.

It took every bit of strength not to give in and cough, but I bit hard into my cheek and let the smoke sting tears into my eyes.

“Aren’t you a little bit worried?” the girl pried, shooting me a grin that looked about as friendly as staring into the jaws of a wolf.

I gulped. What is she getting at? I knew she was baiting me, waiting for me to slip up and fall into her trap. I could envision the drool of expectation hanging from her pointy little teeth. In the background, the other three girls watched the conversation, waiting to pounce on the situation like the followers they were. “Worr-worried about what?” I said, cringing at the tremor in my voice. Don’t show them your weak spot.

The girl laughed, as though she couldn’t believe my ignorance. “Well, you know… aren’t you worried what his parents think?”

I continued to look puzzled, the girl’s words meaning nothing to me.

Her face took on an exaggerated look of pity, as though I were the town idiot left out of the big joke. “OOOOOooooh,” she said, dragging out the sound as if the answer to her question had come to her all of a sudden. “They don’t know about you. It all makes sense now.” She shot a smirk to her friends who nodded like three tiny bobble-head figurines.

Straightening in my seat, I tried to give off an air of confidence. “Of course they know about me. Travis and I have been seeing each other for at least a month,” I replied, defending him.

She looked at me with feigned sympathy. “But you haven’t met them yet, right?”

Stop talking to her! Ignore her!
My brain screamed to stop the inevitable train wreck that was fast approaching. Anything this girl had planned was obviously going to end badly for me, but I felt myself being pulled into her twisted, tangled web.

“Oh, Sarah. When are you going to learn that farm trash can’t mix with us?” She spread her arm to indicate the few others eating in the restaurant. “Travis’s mom would have a heart attack if she knew about you. I’m surprised he risked taking you out in public, but then again, he’s always had a thing about charity cases.” She laughed, a menacing, vindictive laugh. “I suppose you could be just another quest he’s undertaken, maybe a bet with one of his friends. Let me guess? He’s taking you out for a ‘fancy’ dessert and then off to Peace Park? I hope you aren’t
that
easy, Sarah, to give it up over some ice cream and pie.”

Choking on my sip of water, I spit the rest of the drink back into my glass. Suddenly, I felt so sick I thought I would vomit right there on the stark white tablecloth. Heat rushed up my neck as the fury I felt over the girl’s accurate prediction of our date sent me into a reeling stage of panic. Doubt crept into the back of my mind as I looked around the restaurant and its customers. I tried to remember back to the first night I spent with Travis at the creek, when he complained about the separation of farm and town kids, but my mind was so flustered I couldn’t remember any one clear point.

“Travis cares about me. He’s spent practically every day for the past month with me.” I struggled to come up with something witty to make the girl stop smiling her Cheshire cat smile.

“Really? Why haven’t you met his parents? Has Travis brought you to any of the socials in town? Why hasn’t Travis mentioned you to any of his friends? And why do you think he spends all of his time out at your place,
hiding
?” She fired one question after another, leaving me dizzy and confused. “If I were him, I’d be embarrassed, too – sinking so low.”

All of her questions had merit, I realized once I had time to process each individual attack. Why hadn’t Travis done any of those things? Biting the inside of my lip, I turned my eyes to the ceiling to hold back the pool of tears that formed beneath my lids. I took in the girl one last time, my eyes traveling to her neck where a golden locket hung in plain sight for all to see. Engraved in beautiful script were the letters T.K. + A.M.
Travis Kochevar plus what? Amy? Ashley? Alyssa? It had to be.

One of the girls from the corner table coughed loudly. “Anne!” she whispered.

Anne.
A plain name for such a striking girl
.

Anne looked past me, hopped up from the table gracefully, and ground out her cigarette in the ashtray.

“Don’t think you can be one of us, Sarah. Don’t even try.” She walked away, tossing her hair in contempt. She looked over her shoulder one last time, sending an icy look that froze me in my seat. “Mark my words, Travis will get what he wants and be done with you before the start of school. From what I hear, it doesn’t take long to take out the trash.”

It took every bit of strength I had to sit in my seat and not walk over to punch Anne and her little copycat robots in the face. Instead, Travis arrived back at the table, stopping any sort of scene I might have made.

Travis noticed my eyes flitting to the table of girls, a slow fire simmering in their depths. “What happened? Sarah?” He looked again between the two tables, his brow furrowing. When I didn’t answer, he sighed. “What did they say to you?” His voice had a resigned tone, as if he knew he was already set up for defeat.

I swallowed, turning Anne’s words over in my mind. I watched as the girls collectively left their table, crossing the restaurant to purposely pass by once more.

One of them sniffed loudly and said, “Do you smell something girls? I think I just lost my appetite. I swear it smells like a
barn
in here.” She looked directly at me as she passed, her eyes shooting daggers as though to permanently slash and wound. The rest laughed aloud, making a dramatic exit so as to draw plenty of attention.

Anne blatantly dropped a note in Travis’s lap, her hands brushing against his arm in a bold caress. “See you around, Travis,” she murmured. “Let me know when you’re done slumming on the other side of town.”

The door swept shut behind them; a bell tinkled in the background.

“Sarah,” Travis began, reaching for my hand. His face wore a pained expression as he brushed the note to the ground without even looking at it.

“Don’t,” I said, hiding my hands beneath the table. “Let’s just go, OK? I didn’t want dessert anyway.” Refusing to meet Travis’s gaze, I slid out from the table and grabbed my sweater. Humiliated and angry, I could only stand in the aftermath of Anne’s onslaught, wondering if her hateful words carried an ounce of truth in them.

Despite all Travis had done to earn my trust, I had only been with him for a month. What did I really know about him or his background? I’d never seen his house, met his family, or even hung out with his friends. An image flashed through my mind, of Travis’s friends at the fair –their rude gestures and faces they made in our direction. Was I a bet? Some sort of summer game that town boys played for kicks?

I envied the locket worn around Anne’s neck. I knew it was a material thing, something easily bought, but it meant Travis had cared about Anne, cared about her too much. And it was plain to see Anne still had feelings for him. Why else would she be wearing the locket?

His face a mask of sorrow, Travis left me and went to pay the meager bill. Against my better judgment, I took the opportunity to reach under the table and read Anne’s note. She kept it short, sweet, and to the point. “Call me after your
date
.” Disgusted, I ripped the paper in half and tossed it into the butter dish. Was this for real? Did Travis have another girl on the side
?
She didn’t seem too threatened, seeing us together. So, did that make me the dirty mistress?

I got up and met Travis at the door, my stomach so tight and twisted I could barely walk upright.

Travis still seemed confused and didn’t try to hold my hand on the way to his truck.

The roar of the truck engine filled the silent cab. Travis leaned his head upon the steering wheel as if it had suddenly become too heavy on his shoulders. I sat so far to the edge of the bench, part of my leg was sinking into the crack between the seat and the door. I kept my eyes trained on the giant black bull statue above The Ranch House sign.

“What did she say?” he choked out, his words muffled between his hands. “I knew it was a mistake to bring you here.”

I flinched as though he had struck me. I had never known words to have the same effect as an actual punch, but the brutal honesty in his words cut me deeply, creating an emotional scar more painful than any physical pain I had ever endured.
I trusted you, believed in you
, my heart cried.

Steeling myself for the worst, I turned and faced him head on. “Why doesn’t anyone know about us?” I asked, unsure if I wanted Travis to confirm my fears.

His head popped up and he looked surprised. “What?”

“Why haven’t I met your parents? Why don’t your friends know about us?” There. Like the elephant in the room, the questions were there, except Travis had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

“What – what are you talk–talking about?” he stammered, seemingly going over the questions in his mind. Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed. “You haven’t exactly had the time to get away, Sarah. And I wanted to make sure we would work, before I got anyone else involved.”

“Are you embarrassed of me?” I accused, smoothing my skirt with trembling hands. “I mean… I know I don’t have the best clothes, or money, but I thought… I thought it wouldn’t…” the words got tripped up on their way out and stayed jumbled inside my mouth.

“What?” Travis said, sounding as though he’d been asked the world’s dumbest question. He seemed to be stuck in a permanent state of confusion. “Sarah, I care about you. How could you not know that by now? I come and see you
every day
!” He threw his hands up and struck the roof of the cab.

“But, Anne,” I started, trying to backtrack and remember everything she said so I could lay out a clear and formidable debate.

Travis barked a short laugh that sounded bitter and tinged with regret. “Yeah, I’m sure Anne told you some things. We dated a short time. Period. I thought she was pretty and she was into me, but when I found out what she was really like, I ended it. She still thinks we’re going to get back together.”

Squirming, I began to feel slightly better about Travis but slightly worse at the thought of my juvenile outburst of jealousy and insecurity. Still, I continued, “What about her locket? The one with both your initials on it? That doesn’t seem like a casual relationship to me.”

Travis rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat. “She bought that for herself, if that tells you anything. I’m telling you, the girl’s not right in the head. She’s a spoiled little daddy’s girl who’s used to getting her way. I love
you
, Sarah. I’m sorry I brought you here, not because I’m embarrassed of you, but because I thought something like this could happen. I really wanted our first date to be special.” He reached for my hand and I relented, letting his large hands envelop mine.

“So I’m not some conquest you can brag to your friends about – you know, sleeping with a girl from the wrong side of the tracks type of thing?” I asked, already tired of giving Travis the third degree. I wanted to trust him. The way he had been there for me the past month had to be more indicative of his true self than a few words from a jealous ex-girlfriend.

One look into his anguished face gave me the reassurance I needed. “I’m sorry,” I said, “for doubting you. I should have known those girls were trying to get under my skin. Let’s just forget it and move on. Our first night can’t end like this.” Moving forward ever so slowly, I brushed a feathery kiss against his lips.

Relief flooded his face.

“I thought our night was over,” he whispered, tangling his fingers in my hair, pulling me closer. “From the look on your face, I thought
we
were over.”

Scooting across the bench, I snuggled into his arms. “How about we get out of here? Go someplace more us?” I suggested.

“Anywhere in mind?” Travis said, pulling the truck onto the quiet, empty street.

I grinned. “Let’s go somewhere we can relax. And be alone.” Running my hand up his leg, I delighted in watching Travis suck in his breath and hold it, trying to contain his emotions. My stomach tightened with excitement, knowing the two of us were heading for new territory. But this time, I felt ready.

Travis nodded. “I know just the place.”

I tried to keep my smile in place as Travis turned the truck into the gravel drive that led to the Rapid River. My face felt frozen and stiff, as though someone had poured a layer of concrete over me and it was now drying into a rigid, fake form. The rapids? Why would Travis bring me to the rapids? Images blinked through my mind. Travis and I lounging on the rocks. Travis and I playfully wrestling in the grass. A body floating in the water.

The truck rumbled to a stop, jerking me back to the present, my pulse pounding in response to the last image. Travis opened the door for me and helped me down from the cab. “I found this place the other day. After I left your house, I just drove around, still wanting to be near you, but knowing I couldn’t actually be with you. It’s perfect, don’t you think? Quiet, peaceful, beautiful – somewhere we can be alone, I think, was one of your requirements,” he said, raising his eyebrows in a teasing manner.