Chapter Eight

Rocky saw Julie sitting in her car in the driveway. He could hear her singing along with ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ as he and November rolled into the yard. She glanced at him then looked at her watch. “Jesus, Rocky. It’s nearly six thirty, come on,” she said. “Mom and Dad left like an hour ago.”

“Sorry,” he said. “We lost track of time.”

She got out of the car, went to the passenger side and got in.

Rocky held the driver’s-side door open and pulled the lever to lean the seat forward so November could climb in the back.

She ducked and sat back.

Rocky put the seat in its upright position and got behind the wheel.

He reached over and turned the radio down.

“Okay,” Julie said. “You’ve done this bit plenty. Just take us to the avenue nice and slow.”

He pulled the lever behind the steering wheel, putting the car in gear, and pulled out of the driveway.

“Wow,” November chimed in from the back seat. “You really are a good driver.”

“Ah, thanks,” he said.

Julie turned back. “So, November. Are you new in town or are you here with the summer people?”

“I’m here with the summer people.”

Rocky gripped the wheel, his palms suddenly sweaty.

“You here with your parents?” Julie asked.

“My mom and my brother.”

“Oh, brother? Older or younger?”

“Older.”

“Is he cute?”

“Hey,” Rocky chimed in. “I thought you were going out with Brick?”

“His name is Derek,” she said. “And we’re not exclusive.”

“My brother’s in his twenties. He’s not that nice.”

“Ooh, so he’s a bad boy?”

“Ah…well,” November said.

“I thought you had to be a preacher’s daughter to be attracted to bad boys?” he said.

“This isn’t Footloose, Rocky,” Julie said. “All kinds of girls like bad boys.”

“Yeah, well, Brick seems like a dude destined for jail. You should be all set.”

“Hey, don’t be a jerk. I’m taking you out when Mom and Dad would kill me. This is risky business.”

“All right, I’ll shut up,” he said.

“I do like Derek. I was just making conversation. Turn here.”

Rocky made the turn onto Plane Street. He glanced at November in the rearview mirror. She was once again scanning the sidewalks.

“Okay,” Julie said. “Pull up alongside that green Dodge.”

She talked him through the steps. He managed to get a good angle, but cut his wheel too late; his back tyre hit the curb.

“It’s okay,” Julie said. “Just pull back up beside it and try again. You can do this.”

She really had an amazing ability to calm him down. Going out with Mom or Dad was like riding with someone holding a ruler, ready to snap it across your wrist at the slightest wrong move. Julie managed to keep cool no matter the situation. It was something he’d picked up on when he was pretty little. It was almost like her superpower.

He pulled out, lined up with the green Dodge and tried again. This time he nailed it.

“Whoa, bro, that was smooth. I told you you could do it.” She punched his shoulder.

November leaned over the seat and kissed his cheek.

“Good job,” she said.

“Okay,” Julie said. “Now, let’s try it again.”

He managed to do it flawlessly four more times, only having to try again once.

When they pulled onto their street, Derek and his on-road/off-road dirt bike sat waiting in the driveway.

“Oh, look,” he said. “It’s Brick.”

Julie nudged him again.

“Be nice,” November said from the backseat.

Julie smiled. “I like her.”

They pulled in beside Derek and his bike and got out.

“If you two want to hang out and watch a movie, you probably have time,” Julie said. “Dad left fifteen bucks so we could order pizza.”

November was scanning the houses around them.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“No, I’d love to, really, but I’ve been gone all day. I really should get home.”

His heart dipped.

She took his hand. “Tomorrow?”

“For sure,” he said.

“Do you need a lift home?” Julie said.

November gave his hand a squeeze, before letting go and starting for the sidewalk. “No, I like the walk,” she said. “But thank you. And, Heatstroke, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Cool,” he said.

He watched her walk down the road.

“Heatstroke?” Julie asked.

“She calls me that sometimes.” He kept the story to himself.

“Hmm, well,” Julie said. “Whatever. She’s cool, Rocky. And she really digs you.”

“Hey,” Derek said, “maybe you’ll even get laid.”

Julie elbowed him. “Jesus, Derek. Shut up.”

“Sorry, babe.”

“The money for the pizza is on the kitchen counter. Order whatever you want, okay?”

“What are you guys doing?” Rocky asked.

“We’re gonna go hang out in my room for a bit, then maybe we’ll come watch something with you.”

He knew full well what went on in her bedroom; he’d heard them doing it the other afternoon before Dad got home.

“Yeah, all right. I have to bring Axel’s bike back first.”

“Okay, but right back here after, okay?” she said.

He nodded.

Julie and Brick walked into the house, Brick’s hand on his sister’s ass.

Rocky shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked rocks down the driveway.

He wished November would have stayed and hung out awhile longer. She’d seemed pretty skittish for the last couple hours. He hoped she didn’t get in trouble for being out all day with him. It would suck if he didn’t get to see her tomorrow.

He also wished there had been a goodbye kiss. Not that he had tried.

He walked his bike to the porch and then got on Axel’s and coasted down the lawn and onto the sidewalk.

It only took a couple minutes to get to Axel’s. He locked the bike up and started his walk home. He paused as a man sweating through his collared shirt stapled a poster to one of the telephone poles ahead. The guy pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his forehead before continuing down the road.

Rocky walked over to the pole and checked out the white piece of paper and saw the picture of a cute blonde who looked about his age. Beneath the black and white portrait, read:

Missing

Vanessa Winslow.

Sixteen. Blond hair, she’s 5’2, 112 lbs.

Last seen wearing khaki shorts and a bikini top.

If you’ve seen her please contact her parents, William or Mary Winslow

at the Atlantic Ocean Suites.

207-678-0909

Rocky couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen a missing persons poster outside of TV. He and his mom used to stay up watching 20/20. They had all kinds of kidnapping stories. They used to give him the creeps and make him paranoid when he was younger. As he looked at the poster, that childish fear crept over him.

He thought of how nervous November had seemed tonight. She was so cool and composed the other night on the beach. The man making his way down the sidewalk stopped to hang another poster. Rocky wondered if that was Vanessa’s father, William. He wondered if the girl would turn up. He didn’t know her, but he hoped so.

He gave the poster another look before starting toward home, a little more urgency in his step than normal. The sun would be setting soon. He didn’t feel like being out when it finally did.