Falling - On the Banks of Lake Saint Clare (Falling - Book One) (20 page)

It was silent for what felt like an eternity. All I could hear was my heart pounding.

“Hey Alex?”

“Uh hm
m,” I managed to say.

“I love you, too.”

I hung up from talking to Michael, knowing that he had to sleep. “I love you, too,” I repeated in my head a hundred times. There were no words in the world that I could ever hear that would make me feel so elated. “Alex Dillard, you just won a million dollars!” Not even close.

I could feel the water getting cold and decided I needed to get to sleep.

I walked into the bedroom and saw Rachel wasn’t there. Hmmm, wonder where she went. I wasn’t sure if she would storm back in because I was in the bathroom too long, I used all the hot water, or that I was just in the room. I looked out the window and saw her car was not in the driveway. It was almost one in the morning. Her curfew was
midnight
. I debated telling my parents, but that would just make things unbearable for the next few weeks. I was on the homestretch of her leaving home. I rolled over and thought of Michael lying in his bed asleep, almost naked. I heard my phone go off and saw a text

Michael: What do you sleep in?

Alex: Tonite I am wearing a wife beater and bootie shorts

Michael: wow! Gnite. XXXOOO

I rolled over and smiled and fell asleep instantly.

Chapter 1
2

Abbie
and Erica had decided not to even talk about the previous night. I was glad because I knew if it was going to be discussed, it was going to be during the game, and it would end up being loud.

I saw Michael warming up on the pitcher’s mound. I woke up with a smile on my face and I don’t think it had gone away since. I watched him throw 6 perfect pitches in a row and that was just warming up.

“He’s so hot,” Erica said, watching him walk off the field.

I just ignored her, knowing
Abbie
would lecture her for me. And I was right.

“Well I tell you one thing about him, he came to my rescue last night, and without that, I might have gotten kidnapped and been cut up in small pieces and put in a burn barrel.”

And it began… So much for not talking about it.

Michael’s parents were sitting in the same spot as the other game. She turned and waved to me. I waved back, wondering if I should go sit by them. I decided to stay with my friends, knowing that I hadn’t spent a lot of time with them lately.

I saw Rachel pull into the parking lot, knowing she hadn’t been home all night. I wondered if my parents were aware. It was odd that she was at the game. She hated the ball field. It was dusty and made her “feel a mess.”

“Who wears Stilettos to a ball park?” I asked, watching her step up on the bleachers.

“Why is she here?” Erica asked. “Isn’t this uncharted waters for her?”

We watched her sitting there like she was a movie star, her dark sunglasses and perfectly styled clothes. I looked at what I was wearing, “Yep, no way we are real sisters.”

Kaitlyn
looked at me sympathetically. She always thought that I should feel like a pity case for being adopted.

Rachel turned around and saw us sitting above her. She raised her
glasses and smiled coldly.

I fought with all my might not to flip her off. “She is so fake.”

The game was ready to start but I couldn’t stop watching Rachel. Dad had asked her every game to come watch. “Uh!” she would whine, “I don’t like outdoor sweat.”

I saw Brad walk out of the dugout and toward us. “Damn,” I thought, “I don’t even want to hear him.”

He walked over to Rachel and stood against the fence. They were laughing and smiling. He looked up at me and caught me looking at them and smiled. Then he looked back at Rachel. It was his voice on the video chat last night. I knew it was a familiar voice, but at the time I didn’t care. He blew her a kiss and walked away, but looked back up at me, as if making sure I was still watching him.

Michael pitched the winning game. I was so excited for his win and that he was getting to meet my grandparents. I was hoping they were going to be at the house when we got there.

My grandmother and I had a fabulous relationship. They have a summer home on the river about a mile from our house and lived there 5 months out of the year. It was that time of year and I was so excited.

After the game, we drove over to Michael’s house so he could shower. I
lay
down on his bed and watched TV
,
listening to the water running.

He walked out of the bathroom the same way as he had the other day, just a towel, but this time walked over to bed and
la
id
down beside me. I kept wondering how securely he had the towel wrapped, and was I going to get a huge surprise, assuming it would be a huge surprise. He kissed my neck and whispered, “I really want you.”

I rolled on my back and looked at him, “How come every time I look at you it feels like I am on fire.”

“That’s not what I needed to hear,” he smiled, putting his hand on my stomach. “I guess I better get dressed, eh?”

“Probably,” I said kissing him; feeling his smooth chest
.
“Another minute and I’ll probably want the towel off.”

“What’s this?” He touched the small cut on my chin.

“Just a scratch,” I said, touching it. “It doesn’t hurt.”
             
“How’d it happen?” He asked, sounding almost like a detective.

“I’m
n
ot a hundred
percent
sure. It’s fine.” I hated lying to him.

He rolled off the bed, walked over to the closet and pulled out his clothes. It was déjà vu, me getting so turned on watching him get dressed.

“You have the sexiest body I have ever seen,” I sighed.

“You think?” He asked like I was joking
             

“Are y
ou kidding me?” I asked, wondering if he didn’t really know. “Just do a flex.”

“Like this?” He asked, moving his arms forward and flexing his muscles.

“Damn,” I sighed. I couldn’t believe his body could look better than it had before. “I love your back. I think that is my favorite part of you. What’s you
r
favorite part of me?”

He put
on
a white
button-up shirt and walked over to
m
e as he buttoned it.
“I’d have to say your hips?”

“My hips? I thought it was either boobs or butt with guys? Really? My hips?”

“Your hips drive me wild. I love them.”

“You are so unusual.”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me off the bed, “Let’s go to your hacienda senorita, por favor.”

We walked into the house and my grandmother instantly was hugging me. “OOOHHH! There is that beauty. Oh my golly what a figure you have gotten,” she said, spinning me around.

I blushed, not wanting my grandmother to be looking me over.

“You are so drop dead gorgeous. Isn’t she a beauty?” She looked up at Michael. “Dang, you are a giant!
Would
this
be
Michael?”

“Yes, this
would be
Michae
l,’ I smiled.

“It is so wonderful to finally meet you,” she said, hugging him. I forgot to warn him, Grandma’s a hugger. She looked at me and mouthed, “Damn!”

“I know! Where’s Grandpa?”

“He’s in the family room playing pool. Go do all the introducing and come talk to me. Oh, and
Linda
is here. But just for a bit,” she whispered.

I shuddered, “Oh lord help us.”

Linda
had always been a bit hateful. Well, let’s just say horribly mean; a lot like Rachel. She said anything she wanted and the older she got the worse she got. She was my grandfather’s stepmother. His father had passed away a year ago and his dying wish was to make sure she was taken care of. He left them a small fortune to go along with the torture. They bought a house with a mother-in-law house beside it and had a full staff to tend to her. But in the year, they had 23 people come and go. They just couldn’t deal with her. I told my Grandmother that
Linda
is Rachel in an older body. She never disagreed.

I gave my grandfather a kiss and Dad practically knocked me over to introduce Michael.

I saw
Linda
on the couch watching us. I thought I’d just slip past her and go back to my grandmother.

“Who is that?” She yelled as I walked by.

I stopped and said, “Hi
Linda
, how are you?”

“Who is that over there? I don’t know him.”

“That’s Michael. He’s my boyfriend.”

“You dating a negro
?” She yelled, making sure Michael heard. He looked at her and then me.

I shook my head to let him know to ignore her.
             
She kept looking at him then back at me. “You Alex?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“
He’s huge!
You know he’s going to ruin you for any other man?”

Everyone in the room looked at me, forgetting that she was a crazy mean lady that no one ever listened to until that moment. I had no idea what to do or say. I just knew I wanted to slap this old bitch in the face.

Michael winked, “I’ll be gentle,” which totally caught her off guard to the point she was speechless. Everyone always just let her rant, never said anything back.

Grandma pulled me aside, “Just ignore her. Hey, I got you some new clothes at a
b
outique in Vegas. They are on your bed. Go get something cute on for that boy of yours.”

Michael was involved in a pool game with my grandfather, my Dad looking like he was on the best date of his life listening to Michael talk basketball.

I walked into my bedroom and stopped dead in my tracks, seeing Rachel and Brad in her bed. My legs got weak and I walked backwards until I fell against the wall. I just needed to get brave enough to go in and get the clothes. I wasn’t sure if they had their clothes on and I didn’t want to look again to find out.

I decided it wasn’t worth it and I walked back into the kitchen where my mom and grandmother were drinking coffee.

“Why didn’t you change? Did they not fit?” Grandma asked, sounding disappointed.
             
“I don’t feel well. I’ll just change later.”

“Sure dear. What’s wrong?”

“Just hungry, I think.”

“Well we ate a late breakfast so we are going to go air out the cabin, unpack, and drop
Linda
off at Aunt Clara’s. She’s staying there until her kids pick her up. And they better pick her up.”

“Are you coming back tonight?”

“Why don’t you all come out to the cabin, and we can have a cook out and watch the campers get drunk?”

“Ok,” I smiled. That was our favorite thing to do. Her land bordered one of the campgrounds and she loved to people watch just as much as I did. “Oh,” she said, taking my hand, “Michael is just a dreamboat.”

“I will never argue with that.”

I walked over to Michael and my dad talking. Michael looked so serious that I could sense they weren’t talking baseball. “So do you see the problem I am having with this?” Michael asked my dad. “It’s not right. She’s you
r
daughter. Ok?”

My dad saw me and walked away.

“What was that about?” I asked Michael.

“Awe, nothing,” he said, holding my hand, “We were just having a little talk. Hopefully we won’t have to have another.”

My mom fixed lunch and Michael and me, mom and Dad, Brad and Rachel, sat at the table. I could feel the tension coming from Brad. Just the little smug looks he made at Michael. Michael seemed to be ignoring him.

“I have an announcement,” Rachel sang out while we were starting to eat.

Everyone kept eating except for Dad who was all ears and no distractions.

“I have decided that I am going to go to the community college, so I can live at home and be closer to Brad. I just feel any place further would be hard for our relationship.”

Relationship? I wanted ask. You talked to him twice and let him go all the way, I assume, and that’s a relationship? I looked at mom and could tell she was thinking the same thing as we exchanged glances.

“I think that’s a dynamite plan!” Dad was practically doing a jig. Rachel was staying home.

It felt like my entire world was crumbling down around me. I started getting dizzy and knew I really needed to eat something. I wasn’t sure I had eaten anything earlier that day. Michael squeezed my hand and leaned over, “You okay?”

I nodded, trying to get it together. I took a drink of water and heard Rachel continue, Dad on the edge of his seat, “So, I was thinking, since you are redoing my room anyway, we can tear down that wall and make the bonus room and my room all one big room. The Little Bitch can stay in the room we are forced to share right now. Brad’s
uncle
is a carpenter and he thinks it will just take two weeks to do it. I think I can put up with the Little Bitch that long.”