Parker chuckled as the morning light rose
over his shoulder and hit my eyes, blinding me. I squinted and he moved his
shoulder to block it for me. “I don’t have to do anything special like make you
breakfast in bed or anything?”
“Why would you need to do that?” I propped myself
up on my elbow to look down at him.
“I was a jerk.” His eyes focused on mine for just
a brief moment before looking at the wall behind me.
“People are jerks sometimes.”
His eyes closed as he leaned in, pressing his
lips to mine once. “Don’t let people treat you like that,” he demanded. “You
deserve better.”
“Okay…so don’t treat me like that.” Sitting up, I
pulled the covers back and looked out the window to see the sun rising over the
rocks. “Let’s go.”
We went for a hike and ignored what happened last
night with Dusty. I knew enough to know whatever it was between them was still
brewing, but I also knew enough about Parker over the last three weeks that you
didn’t ask questions. If he wanted you to know, he would tell you. If you asked
and he wasn’t ready, he would ignore the question as if you never asked.
At the canyons that afternoon, Parker opened up
to me. “Sometimes, I don’t know how to say what I want to say, so I don’t say
anything at all,” he admitted as we sat by the pool after the hike.
I knew the feeling.
“I always end up saying the opposite when I get
angry.” I was trying to sympathize with him, but I also completely understood
where he was coming from. When I was in the second grade, there was this little
boy who constantly pulled my hair and kicked me. I got to the point where I was
so flustered with the kid, I intended to yell at him at ended up shouting, ‘I
want to kiss you!’ as opposed to ‘I want to kick you!’”
The entire class laughed at me too.
I told Parker the story as we sat there with our
legs in the water watching the ripples. He laughed and then told me about the time he peed his pants in
kindergarten because he was afraid of public bathrooms.
“Are you still afraid of public bathrooms?” I
couldn’t help but let a giggle slip.
Parker found no amusement in my giggles and
glared. “Maybe.”
I felt increasingly comfortable around Parker,
and that day wasn’t any different. Our relationship was moving fast, but it was
also exactly what I wanted. My life felt boring before, but now I was living in
the fast lane whether it was intended or not.
CHAPTER 7
Rowan Jensen
Podium
This is a three-tiered
platform where the top three finishers celebrate their performances after the
race. The winner is placed centrally and higher than the second and third place
riders.
July 4,
1997
The sun filtering in through the curtains woke
me. Though I didn’t want to get up, I did despite my lackluster motivation. I
could hear voices coming from downstairs, so I assumed the clan had arrived.
The clan being the guys from Anaheim Justin couldn’t stop talking about last
night.
On the morning of the Fourth of July, a few of
Justin’s and Parker’s buddies from Anaheim arrived for the party they were
throwing that night. This was their tradition since they usually left after the
fourth. We were informed this was a rager of a party
as well, resulting in the police being called every year. Part of me was
looking forward to it. Other than a few parties back home, I had never been
into the whole social scene, but I wasn’t opposed to it. It actually sounded
fun to me.
Parker wasn’t in the room when I woke up, but I
could hear the faint scream of a two-stroke in the distance. I assumed he was
outside. That gave me time to shower before the condo would be crowded with
people I didn’t know, or didn’t want to know.
While I was in the shower, Addy came in as if there was nothing wrong with walking in on someone in the shower.
“Hey, sugar snap,” she said, sitting on the
counter. “What’s up with your boy?”
“I’m naked you know.”
“So
over his shoulder and hit my eyes, blinding me. I squinted and he moved his
shoulder to block it for me. “I don’t have to do anything special like make you
breakfast in bed or anything?”
“Why would you need to do that?” I propped myself
up on my elbow to look down at him.
“I was a jerk.” His eyes focused on mine for just
a brief moment before looking at the wall behind me.
“People are jerks sometimes.”
His eyes closed as he leaned in, pressing his
lips to mine once. “Don’t let people treat you like that,” he demanded. “You
deserve better.”
“Okay…so don’t treat me like that.” Sitting up, I
pulled the covers back and looked out the window to see the sun rising over the
rocks. “Let’s go.”
We went for a hike and ignored what happened last
night with Dusty. I knew enough to know whatever it was between them was still
brewing, but I also knew enough about Parker over the last three weeks that you
didn’t ask questions. If he wanted you to know, he would tell you. If you asked
and he wasn’t ready, he would ignore the question as if you never asked.
At the canyons that afternoon, Parker opened up
to me. “Sometimes, I don’t know how to say what I want to say, so I don’t say
anything at all,” he admitted as we sat by the pool after the hike.
I knew the feeling.
“I always end up saying the opposite when I get
angry.” I was trying to sympathize with him, but I also completely understood
where he was coming from. When I was in the second grade, there was this little
boy who constantly pulled my hair and kicked me. I got to the point where I was
so flustered with the kid, I intended to yell at him at ended up shouting, ‘I
want to kiss you!’ as opposed to ‘I want to kick you!’”
The entire class laughed at me too.
I told Parker the story as we sat there with our
legs in the water watching the ripples. He laughed and then told me about the time he peed his pants in
kindergarten because he was afraid of public bathrooms.
“Are you still afraid of public bathrooms?” I
couldn’t help but let a giggle slip.
Parker found no amusement in my giggles and
glared. “Maybe.”
I felt increasingly comfortable around Parker,
and that day wasn’t any different. Our relationship was moving fast, but it was
also exactly what I wanted. My life felt boring before, but now I was living in
the fast lane whether it was intended or not.
CHAPTER 7
Rowan Jensen
Podium
This is a three-tiered
platform where the top three finishers celebrate their performances after the
race. The winner is placed centrally and higher than the second and third place
riders.
July 4,
1997
The sun filtering in through the curtains woke
me. Though I didn’t want to get up, I did despite my lackluster motivation. I
could hear voices coming from downstairs, so I assumed the clan had arrived.
The clan being the guys from Anaheim Justin couldn’t stop talking about last
night.
On the morning of the Fourth of July, a few of
Justin’s and Parker’s buddies from Anaheim arrived for the party they were
throwing that night. This was their tradition since they usually left after the
fourth. We were informed this was a rager of a party
as well, resulting in the police being called every year. Part of me was
looking forward to it. Other than a few parties back home, I had never been
into the whole social scene, but I wasn’t opposed to it. It actually sounded
fun to me.
Parker wasn’t in the room when I woke up, but I
could hear the faint scream of a two-stroke in the distance. I assumed he was
outside. That gave me time to shower before the condo would be crowded with
people I didn’t know, or didn’t want to know.
While I was in the shower, Addy came in as if there was nothing wrong with walking in on someone in the shower.
“Hey, sugar snap,” she said, sitting on the
counter. “What’s up with your boy?”
“I’m naked you know.”
“So
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