Chapter Twenty-One

 

<><> Chris <><>

 

Kyle and I hear Simon’s voice before we actually see him in the darkness. By the time we make it over to the campsite, some guy is pushing Simon in the chest, but he’s not backing down. Kyle and I stop short, joining the semi-circle of onlookers. I’m instantly pissed off that no one’s trying to stop this fight considering how drunk Simon is. Even a blind idiot can see that.

“Simon, walk away.”

“Can’t, Lo. Not a chance.”

Simon glowers in anger. His eyes are blazing over – my cue to stay clear and keep quiet. Anyone who’s ever confronted Simon when he’s been in one of these moods has regretted it. When Simon drinks, he either zones out or sees red. I can never predict which person he’s going to morph into once the beer starts flowing. Tonight, he’s obviously revved up and ready to rumble.

“Hey, after I punch your face in, you’ll be needin’ that free healthcare of yours, spoiled Canadian dick.”

The guy and his friends curse a tornado at Simon. It’s getting hostile fast.

“What the fuck? You come to our country, act like a complete ass, and then have the balls to threaten me?”

“I could take you,” Simon slurs. “Bring it. Come on, go time!”

I walk in front of him and push him back. He’s acting crazy now and needs a quiet place to sleep it off.

“No, Lo,” he bats my arms away and gets right up in the Canadian’s face. “Funny, but I think your girlfriend wants me, not you.”

“No I don’t,” says a blond on the fringes.

“Why?” Simon holds his arms out. “Who wouldn’t want all this?”

Kyle and I shoot each other a knowing look. When Simon wants something, he’ll stubbornly chip away until he gets it. Time to intervene before this gets ugly. I step between them again. “Time for bed, Rocky. Over here.” I guide Simon away from the confrontation more forcefully this time so he can’t resist. I walk him away from the campsite, through the forest and over to the fire pit as Simon hurls insults over his shoulder. I hear Kyle apologize for our friend, trying to make the peace in peaceful Canada. The last thing we want are the cops showing up.

Unbelievably, Bettina and Miriam have the fire going and they’re talking like they’ve known each other forever. I’m pretty excited that they’re getting along so well. I lead Simon over to an old tree stump and sit him down. “Stay.” He slumps and grimaces in his bad temper, just sitting and stewing in his drunken misery. The blazing internal inferno he had a second ago dies out and I can probably push him over with one finger now. Crisis averted. No trips to the Canadian emergency tonight, thank God. It would cost us a fortune!

“Who won?” Bettina asks. “You’re in one piece, Simon. How about the other guy?”

Finding a second wind out of the blue, Simon hops off the stump and lifts a fist triumphantly. “Kyle, Lo, did you effing see that guy? He was asking for this!” He mock punches the air. “Cannuck Dickhead.”

“Easy, Bruiser. He could have laid you out in your condition,” Kimmy Cooper says as she, Donna, and Marcy come back through the trees.

I know the girls are friends with Kyle and Travis, but do they have to be here? I can tell it’s making Miriam feel uncomfortable. Do I tell them to leave?

“We could’ve taken him!” Simon defends.

“But why?” Kyle asks, always the calm voice of reason. “What’d he do to you anyway?”

“His girlfriend is so hot for me.”

“Delusional,” Travis mumbles.

Simon turns to me and screams, “I swear, Lo, I could have wiped the forest floor with that guy. Why’d you stop me?”

“Because you’re drunk.”

“Who isn’t?”

“Drunk and invincible, watch out world.”

“Does he always get this way when he drinks?” whispers Miriam as I sit beside her and wrap my arm around her shoulders.

“Yep.”

“And he fights?”

“Plenty of scars to prove it.”

“You don’t fight anyone just for the sake of fighting, do you?”

I hesitate, not sure if I should tell her that I also have a nasty little habit of picking fights when I’m drunk. Somehow, I think she’d disapprove. “No, not really.”

“Good. It’s dangerous, not to mention a quick way to get a criminal record for no reason. That could hurt your career later.”

“What career?” I laugh, but she’s not laughing with me.

“I’m serious, Chris.”

“I know.”

Simon fades, sitting back down on the stump and closing his eyes, hiccupping like he’s about to fall over.

“Would you help me get him into his tent?” I ask her quietly.

Miriam nods and gets up, taking my hand to pull me up too. We step closer to Simon and each take one of his arms.

“Hey, what’s goin’ on? You two taking me on a date?”

“Yep. A date with your sleeping bag.”

“No!” Simon pulls away and staggers ahead. “Not yet. Gotta go see about that girl.”

Miriam and I lock eyes. “It wasn’t really my plan to babysit him tonight…or have Donna hanging around. Sorry”

“That’s okay.”

“You want to sit by the fire again?”

“Sure.”

We sit and listen to Mia and Hannah talk about how horrible their younger siblings are, and I overhear Travis and Kyle talking about our friend Brent and how well he’s doing at University and how he was given an academic scholarship. Hearing this, I fight down a bit of jealousy. I wish I could get a scholarship and be that smart.

Donna and her little posse have their heads close together talking, looking over at me once in a while in judgment. I feel their eyes burn as hot as the fire, but I don’t return the stares. I pretend they don’t exist. I wish the ex from hell would get the fucking hint. All the good times I’ve spent with Donna have been completely erased by her psycho behavior.

“I really enjoyed Alice,” Miriam says, making me concentrate only on her.

“Happy to hear it. Would you come to another concert with me sometime?”

“Absolutely.” Miriam smiles and takes out her phone.

“Any messages from your mom?”

“No.”

“No news is good news, right? That’s what Jackie always says.”

“Here, lean in close and I’ll take our picture.”

I throw my arm around her as she puts her phone out in front of us, but nothing happens.

“I think it’s out of power and there’s no way to charge it.”

“Here,” I dig into my back pocket for my phone. “I’ll take one with mine. It still has a bit of juice left.”

We lean in with our cheeks pressed together. Then we do another one with us kissing, and then another with us laughing over the awkward angled kiss. It’s like we’re a real couple forever and I could get used to this.

“Hey, take one of my new tattoo!” Kimmy hollers, showing her shoulder seductively in the firelight. There was a time when I’d have thought that was cool, a girl showing off her tats and all, but now her behavior is a little embarrassing. I can tell Bettina and Miriam aren’t impressed, and Hannah definitely isn’t impressed since Travis used to have the hots for Kimmy. Still, Bettina and Kimmy are friends and Kimmy will always be Kimmy. Can’t fault her for knowing who she is. I’m not about to make excuses for who my friends are to anyone. I think Miriam understands that by now.

I take Kimmy’s picture and feel something tickle my forearm. I look down to see Miriam tracing a finger along my tattoo.

“Everyone here has a tattoo,” she says softly so only I can hear and I notice her tone. She isn’t admiring them, I can tell.

“It’s just what people do I guess.” Even as I say this, I know in my head she’s right. Every Tom, Dick, and Simon is covered in them now. Nothing special about something everyone has.

“My Uncle Terry could tell you some stories. He has tats covering every inch of his arms. Thing is, each one means something special and he got them along his exciting lifeline. Now, guys go out and get as many as they can just for something to do – trying to make a statement. The statement gets lost when the tattoos don’t mean anything and you have no life experience to back it up.”

“My mom is so laid back, she would probably encourage me to get a tattoo, but I know my dad would kill me. Besides, I don’t really want one.”

“My dad C.J. has tons of tats. Some of them are homemade ones he got in prison.”

Miriam goes quiet, looking at me like she’s seeing me for the first time. “Why was he in prison?”

“He was in there for drug possession way back in the day. Before Kyle and I came along. Before Jackie straightened him out – temporarily.”

“I’m sorry, Chris. That’s terrible.”

“Yeah, but whatever. Like any loyal addict, he fell off the wagon again.”

“Parents can be unpredictable. My dad is unpredictable too. Is that your only one?”

“Tattoo?” Do I say she’ll have to find out later when we’re in the tent? No, better not. “No, I have one on my shoulder blade.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a phoenix, see?” I lift my sleeve really high to show her.

“Why did you choose a phoenix?”

“Because I rose up from somewhere low. Could have been much, much lower. It’s also to remind me how easy it would be to follow in my dad’s footsteps. I don’t want that kind of life. I was following his lead for a while there.”

“Did you get into trouble?”

I hesitate, a bit embarrassed. “I almost landed myself in Juvie. The charges were dropped thanks to Jackie’s pleas and I’ve more than paid my dues. My boss Al Newton helped me out too, giving me second and third chances when no one else believed in me – not even my old man. Uncle Terry more than makes up for C.J.’s absence. Kyle and I are both in agreement about that.”

“You really love your uncle, don’t you.”

“Yep.”

Travis comes to stand in front of me. “Chris, Simon’s passed out in the grass by the truck. Help me get him to bed, will ya?”

“Here we go, more babysitting. Back in a second.” I leave Miriam to go and help my lush friend.

 

 

After putting Simon to bed in the backseat of my Bronco, Travis and I come back to the campsite. I scan the fire area, but don’t see Miriam. Movement catches my eye and I see her standing at the cooler as Donna heads straight for her. Oh shit. I pick up the pace and arrive just as Donna does.

“Hey, Chris. Still with Goody, huh? Won’t last.”

Donna’s wearing a smirky smile that triggers an adrenaline button deep within my brain. She’s challenging Miriam and testing my patience…again. I’m not sure I can stay calm this time.

“Don’t talk about my girlfriend like she’s not here.” I glance at Miriam who has a worried look on her face.

Donna laughs. “Your girlfriend? Well, you sure didn’t waste any time.”

“Goodbye, Donna,” I say, but Donna’s not going anywhere.

“You realize you’re a rebound, right?” Her eyes are squarely on Miriam as I slide my arm around her waist and pull her close, hoping my grip will protect her from Donna’s biting words.

“We’re done here. Leave.”

Donna shoots me a look and giggles before staring Miriam down. “Why should I, is someone sensitive?”

“Come on, Miriam, lets go by the fire,” I whisper.

“No,” Miriam blurts, staring Donna down like she’s got nothing to lose. “Maybe he’s my rebound, have you ever thought of that? Thanks for breaking him in for me.”

And then Miriam does something that totally floors me. She goes up on tiptoe, guides my jaw toward her and kisses me this long, deep one right in front of Donna. I hear Donna gasp in shock and disgust, totally peeved that she’s not getting the better of us. By the time we come up for air, Donna’s long gone and her existence is irrelevant. This is all that matters. Miriam is all that matters.

As we pull away, I can’t fight the smile on my face. “That was…wow…amazing!” I lace my arms around her waist and pull her into me, feeling every curve. I feel like we’re in our own private world; like nothing can hurt us, not even the stinging words of a psycho ex-girlfriend out for blood.

“I’m sorry, Chris, but it had to be done.”

“It means a lot that you’d make a stand.” I rest my forehead on hers, breathing in her air. I want to be so close to this girl, but I know it has to be slow. “That was really brave. Donna’s unpredictable.”

“I refuse to be belittled or treated like I’m just a convenient stand-in for her. This is real, what we have, isn’t it Chris? You aren’t going to go running back to her and make me look stupid, are you?”

“Do I honestly have to answer that? Of course not. Like I told you before, I want nothing to do with her.”

Lowering her chin, she inadvertently gives me a sexy glance that drives me wild. Doesn’t take much for Miriam to drive me wild. “Come here.” I lead her away from the cooler, past the tents and into the nearby woods. I guide her over to a tree, pressing her back against it and kiss her now that we’re alone. I’ve never felt this out of control before, but it’s not just my desires talking. It’s something else. I have this strange need to be with this girl all the time, to stay. Is this falling in love? She’s such a mystery, and one I want to solve.

We kiss for a long time as our bodies press together against the tree in a way I’m all too familiar with, except something’s different. I’m actually nervous, like my first time six years ago with an older, more experienced girl. Only this is slightly different from that too. I’m feeling this indescribable need to protect her and make her feel comfortable. I realize just how much I respect this girl and how special she is. I don’t want to fuck this up.

My hands encircle her waist and slip under her shirt; her skin is so smooth to my touch I’m afraid my hands will feel rough from all the manual labor I’ve been doing. She doesn’t seem to mind. She’s kissing me hard, like kissing me will keep her warm and safe. She shudders against me and I’m aware of her goose bumps. “Are you cold?”

She nods, holding my stare.

“Come on, let’s go back to the fire and warm you up.”

Holding hands, we walk back to join the others knowing things are different now. I meant it when I said I would never go back to Donna, and just saying that to Miriam was like a declaration. Honesty is my new best policy.