Lucy in the Sky (3 page)

Then he said, I'm gonna paddle out tomorrow morning sorta early. Wanna come? We can hang out on the beach after I catch a couple waves.

I glanced at Cam, who punched Ross in the shoulder and said, Dude. You can't ask my sister out with me standing right here.

And I was like OMG CAM! SHUT UP.

And Ross got his little secret smile again, and Cam cracked up while Ross tapped my number into his phone.

He's coming by to pick me up at 7 a.m. tomorrow.

I have to go dust and vacuum now.

I AM SO EXCITED. HE'S SO CUTE.

Later …

I told Mom and Dad about Ross over dinner. They were all, We've never met this young man. We don't want you running around with kids we haven't met.

ARRRRRRRRGH. They're soooooooooooo uptight sometimes.

But Cam came to the rescue and vouched for Ross, and they finally agreed to let me go on the condition that they get to meet him first.

I texted Ross after dinner: My parents want to meet you in the AM b4 we go.

He wrote back right away: KEWL. C U AT 7 =)

Now if I can just keep the chitchat to a minimum tomorrow morning we'll be set.

Later …

Maybe I was wrong about guys with pickup trucks. Guess it depends on the guy.

July 16

I am writing this on the beach. I packed my journal and a pen in the bag with my towel and a couple of magazines, a bottle of water, and some sunscreen. I set my alarm for 6 a.m. so that I would be up early enough to take a shower and put on some waterproof mascara. I didn't want to look like I'd just crawled out from under a rock when Ross got here.

He rolled up right at 7 a.m. on the dot, amazingly punctual for a surfer. He was wearing a hoodie and a cap, and I could see
the surfboard sticking out of his pickup truck in the driveway. I don't know if it was the fact that it was so early in the morning or what, but Mom and Dad were both really well-behaved. Mom smiled and was friendly; Dad didn't make any jokes that only he thinks are funny.

As we climbed into the truck, I was nervous that my brain wouldn't really work right as far as coming up with things to say. Ross was sort of quiet at first, and I felt that nervous feeling in my stomach like somebody was tap dancing in my rib cage. As we drove up the highway along the coast, Ross kept eyeing the water, like he had forgotten I was there. I felt my face get flushed, and I felt out of place, and then I felt embarrassed, and then I felt … ANGRY.

I did NOT shave my legs and put on waterproof mascara before dawn to be IGNORED.

Almost, as if he could read my thoughts, Ross flipped his bangs out of his eyes and said, This part always makes me nervous.

I laughed, and said, ME TOO! I said it a little too loudly and with a little too much enthusiasm, but he smiled over at me and said, Yeah! I know, right? It's always like will there be good waves or not??? And I realized that we were talking about two completely different things. He wasn't talking about being alone in the truck with me for the first time and figuring
out what to say. He was checking the coastline for waves.

I thought briefly about just opening the door and throwing myself out of the truck, but just as I was trying to gauge how soft the tall grass along the shoulder might be and whether I would clear the concrete and gravel part, Ross must've found what he was looking for and pulled off the road. I recognized this part of the coast. It's the place where the beach line dips in toward the highway and creates a little bay with a natural surf break. Ross eased his truck off the road and parallel parked between two other cars on the side of the highway.

He was all business, and I could tell he wanted to be in the water ASAP. He jumped out of the truck, pointed at the water, and whooped something that sounded like “hella goody nugs.” Then he raced around to the back of his truck and pulled off his cap and hoodie and T-shirt all in one swift movement.

And I forgot that I was mad.

And I forgot that he hadn't looked at me twice.

And I forgot that he hadn't probably given a second thought to how smooth my legs were.

All I could see were his p-e-r-f-e-c-t chest and his ABS. OMG.

Ross.

Has.

Some.

ABS.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and traded his board shorts for a wet suit that was in the bed of his truck under his board. I'd always seen surfers with their wet suits peeled down on the one hundred zillion other times I've driven by this surf break. (Hey! Look! I sound like I know what I'm talking about!) I always just thought that they unzipped the back and pulled down the top part because they were hot. I didn't know that they were in the process of GETTING NAKED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT under a TOWEL!

I'm not even sure how he did it so fast, but about 30 seconds after we parked, we were picking our way down the path toward the beach. Well, Ross was like scampering down, balancing a board and pulling up his wet suit and using words I didn't really completely understand to describe the waves.

He's surfing right now. I can sometimes make out which one is him. There are about 10 people out there trying to catch a wave. One of them is a girl with blond braids. Sometimes I think it would be fun to surf, but the water is so cold that it makes me shiver just to think about it. The sun is already trying to break through the marine layer, and I hope that it will so I can take off my hoodie and T-shirt and get some sun. I have a really cute swimsuit on underneath my shorts.

I wonder if Ross will think I look sexy?

I've never really done anything with a boy except kiss.

OMG! Ross just caught a huge wave and rode it all the way in!

July 16, 2 p.m.

I just got back from the beach with Ross, and I can't believe what happened. He offered me drugs. I'm not even sure I should write those words down. I mean, what if my MOM FINDS THIS??? It's so weird. I had such a good time sitting on the beach watching Ross surf, and after a couple of hours he came and sat with me. He unzipped his wet suit and pulled it down halfway. He has those little V lines that plunged into his wet suit from his abs, and I had to concentrate so that I didn't just stare at them the whole time.

We talked for a while. Or, well, I talked. A lot. More than I usually do. Ross just kept asking me about my family, and growing up here and what it was like. He kept telling me that I have a really pretty smile. Like a movie star, he said. He laughed and called me Hollywood. It's funny. Now that I think about it, I didn't really ask him any questions at all. I felt so excited the whole time that he seemed to want to know all about me, and he just kept asking me questions.

THEN!

We headed back up to his truck, and after he slid his surfboard into the back, he shimmied out of his wetsuit using
that little towel trick again. Some girls drove by in a silver BMW while he was pulling his suit out from under the towel and honked and screamed out the window. At first it made me blush, but then I thought how cool it was that I was the girl with the guy that other girls were honking at.

When we got into his truck, Ross popped open the console on the armrest between us and pulled out a little glass pipe and a lighter. He brought the pipe to his lips, sparked the lighter over the bowl, then sucked air in, causing the flame to dip into the bowl. A little cloud of white smoke floated up from the glowing embers in the pipe, and Ross held the smoke in his lungs for a second before rolling down his window a couple inches and exhaling out the crack at the top.

This weird, sweet, stinky smell filled the cab of the truck, and I knew that it was weed, but I have never smelled it that strong before. I was afraid my hair would smell like it.

I've seen people smoke pot in movies and on TV, but I've NEVER seen anybody do it in real life. I mean, I think Cam smokes pot. I've heard him and his friends joke around about it, but he's not like a stoner or anything. I felt my heart sort of speed up while I watched Ross smoke, then he turned to me and held the pipe toward me.

He asked me if I wanted a hit.

NO!

I said it fast like I was scared someone might be listening. I was just A. MAZED. that he even thought I looked like a girl who smoked pot. Then I was really worried that he would be mad at me that I didn't want any. I felt like I had answered too fast. I didn't want him to think that I didn't like him just because he smoked pot. What if he didn't like me now?

I shouldn't have worried. He just laughed and said he figured I was a straight edge but that you couldn't blame a boy for trying.

My cheeks are red again now just writing this down. I have to make sure Mom doesn't find this journal and think it's my schoolwork. Not that she'd actually read my journal on purpose; at least I don't think she would. Anyway, I'm going to hide it under some other stuff on my desk, just in case.

I like Ross. I don't want Mom not to let me hang out with him just 'cause he smokes pot.

Ross invited me to come over to the hotel where his mom works tomorrow after yoga and lie out at the pool with him.

Oh yeah, and when we were lying on the beach talking, he told me my suit was “cute.” I think he really likes me.

July 17

CAM IS TAKING ME TO MY FIRST BIG PARTY!!!!!!!!!!

IT'S ON SATURDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THAT'S TOMORROOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!

I CAN'T WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe he said yes. I heard him talking to his friend Jason about it, and he was like, If Elizabeth Archer's sister is going to be there, I'm THERE.

Elizabeth Archer is this blond cheerleader in my class at school, and she's really pretty, and really nice, but is dumb as a stump. Her older sister is a freshman in college this year, and is just as pretty, only she has red hair and was valedictorian last year. She speaks French and Spanish fluently and is on track to finish her undergrad degree in 3 years. Cam has followed her around like a drooling puppy since he was in 9th grade and she was a sophomore.

I heard him hang up with Jason and go YES! really loudly, and that's when I wandered into his room and said, If Elizabeth Archer is going, can I go?

He opened his mouth to say NO like he always does, but then he looked up at me and really saw me. He sat and sort of looked at me for a minute, like he was taking me in, and then he smiled, and said, Why not?

I jumped up and down and screamed like a moron on a game show, and he laughed and said, But only if you stop screaming right now and promise never to do that again.

I immediately shut up and said, I promise I won't get in your way.

And then Cam said the nicest thing to me. He said, You're not in the way, sis. I like hanging with you.

Which is weird 'cause usually brothers and sisters our age don't always get along, but I realized that Cam is maybe the best brother in the whole galaxy.

July 19

Last night was the party and it was really awful and really great all at the same time. God, sometimes I write stuff down in this journal that just doesn't make any sense at all. If anyone ever finds this, they'll have me committed for being a crazy person.

I'm not sure how I feel about last night. I still can't believe how it all went down. The only two things I know for sure are:

1. Pot is GREAT.

2. Ross is AMAZING.

Cam drove us to Jason's place with strict instructions from Mom and Dad to keep an eye on me. Jason's house was already pretty crowded when we got there and Cam steered us through the living room to the kitchen where he gave Jason a high five and I saw Elizabeth Archer talking to this guy with shaggy brown hair who looked a lot like … ROSS!

It was totally him, and I felt my stomach drop like I was on a roller coaster. I couldn't believe he was here too. Elizabeth saw
me and waved, and Ross turned around and got this big goofy smile on his face like he was really happy to see me. He came over to say hi to me and Cam and grabbed a couple of beers out of a cooler on his way around the island in Jason's giant kitchen. He handed one to Cam and then held one out to me.

I felt my cheeks go hot, and I glanced up at Cam like, Should I do this? Is this okay?

He laughed and said, You won't like it, sis.

Well, I wasn't about to let Cam tell me what to do for the whole night, so I grabbed the beer and took a big swig. It was cold and bubbly like soda, but as I swallowed it, the taste turned sour and sweet in a really weird way that made me start to gag a little, and I made a face that must've been really funny and a noise that felt like I was trying not to throw up, sort of an URGGGH sound, and Cam and Jason laughed as I handed the beer back to Ross.

Cam was right again. He's right about everything. Beer tastes pretty gross.

Ross got a phone call and held up a finger as he answered and disappeared around a corner toward the front door. Cam saw Megan Archer out by the pool and grabbed Jason and pushed him toward the glass doors that led out back. My face was still pretty red from the beer and the embarrassment. I was
really worried that Ross thought I was a moron now. Elizabeth patted my back and smiled her big loopy smile. She said, I hate beer too. Let's get some wine coolers.

I told her I was okay and just wanted to go get some fresh air. She thought this was a good idea and grabbed a bright red bottle of something out of one of the coolers, then took my hand and dragged me out toward the pool and over to the fire pit.

Jason and Cam were over at the hot tub talking to Megan, and Elizabeth and I sat down by this girl I'd never seen before. She was sipping a wine cooler too, and she smiled at us as we sat down.

Elizabeth introduced herself, and the girl told us her name was Astrid. Elizabeth asked her what school she went to, and she told us she was transferring to our school for her senior year. Apparently, she was sick of the Catholic school she'd been attending and convinced her dad to let her go to public school for her last year. She'd come to the party with her boyfriend, who knew Megan and was getting a drink.