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“He’s still checking you out, I see,” Gene
whispered so that only Julie could hear.

Julie looked around and found Trucker sitting
alone at a little round table in the corner. He was picking at a
leather band around his wrist. When he started writing in a book,
Julie saw a side of him she liked. He was not hanging out with the
jocks or flirting with the popular girls, but he was studying.

*******

8-8, lunchtime

Her heart beats an average of 86 times a
minute. I can see each treasured heartbeat as her blood courses
through the artery in her neck. It’s a fight with myself not to
cross this cafeteria and wrap my hand around that fragile neck, to
rub my nose down it, and take in her smell. I’m dying to kiss those
lips she is slowly nibbling on.

Trucker felt a hand rub across his shoulder.
Courtney, the girl who wouldn’t leave him alone, leaned into
him.

“Care if I join you?” Her lips ran across his
cheek as she whispered in his ears.

He slapped his journal shut and motioned for
her to have a seat. Why not? Julie wasn’t going to join him anytime
soon. Shortly after, he found himself surrounded by a load of jocks
and cheerleaders. He wanted out of there. The pressure of so many
auras, so many moods, left him dazed. He smiled anyway. It was
worth the headache, if it meant he could be around Julie.

Courtney rubbed her hand over his. His skin
crawled in disgust. He yanked his hand away and pushed it under his
leg. The only person Trucker wanted touching him was Julie. Plus,
he didn’t want any ideas running around in that vast, empty head of
Courtney’s. The bell rung, and he flipped around in time to see
Julie throwing away trash and putting her tray away. She was
laughing with a redheaded guy that made his blood run cold. She
never once glanced his way.

Chapter 3

The following month was long and horrendous.
Julie tried avoiding Trucker, but he was everywhere, even in her
dreams. She had to watch him walk the halls at school with
Courtney.

Courtney’s hair was about the same color as
Trucker’s, and it flowed down her back perfectly. Her eyes were
blue, but a darker shade than Trucker’s. She was tall, built, and
beautiful. Julie had to agree they fit.

No wonder Trucker picked her, but Julie felt
he didn’t want Courtney’s company. Julie would catch him staring at
her. He lingered whenever she was near. Her fear of him grew daily,
but also her need to be with him.

Julie’s jealously surfaced around Courtney.
She shouldn’t have cared who Trucker was with. However, she did
care. But Trucker was not good for her. No matter how her heart
felt.

*******

I should let her go. She’s happy and at
peace with herself, but something is pulling me to her. I can’t
take much more of this. I’ve tried for a month to leave her alone.
It doesn’t work. I told her hello after class today. Her smile lit
up my world. As we walked side by side to leave, her hand scraped
over mine. It was a battle with myself not to hold that small,
fragile hand in mine. Tonight, I will make my move. It’s some
bonfire everyone is excited about. I’ll go and find her. I believe
every damn student from Motlow will be there, so it would make
sense for the now most popular boy in town to show up. Here is to a
weekend with my girl or a weekend alone with my thoughts. Truck

*******

Dear Diary,

Everyone’s so excited about the weekend, but
me. Every weekend is dreadful, and as much as I hate to admit it,
it’s because I don’t get to see Trucker. After class, he walked up
to me and said, “Hello.” I saw the want in his eyes, but also the
pain, doubt, and fear. I smiled at him and I tried to speak, but
words escaped me. We walked side by side to the parking lot to
leave for the day. He walked me all the way to Tiffany’s car. I
felt like he wanted to kiss me, but unfortunately, he didn’t try. I
did discover that his favorite poet was Walt Whitman, too. He said
his mom use to read his poems to him when he was little. His face
softened when he talked about her. Something in his face made me
want to reach over and hold his hand. I have so many questions to
ask, but I can’t shake the feeling I should run. Everyone else
seems drawn to him. What’s wrong with me? Am I missing something? I
don’t know, but one look in his eyes and I know he wants to be with
me, too.

Julie Danielle Emison

It was the night of the annual bonfire at Mr.
Neal’s farm. Julie wasn’t in the mood to go, but after much begging
by Tiffany and Gene, she decided to go anyway. Gene was picking her
up around seven. She could never understand their relationship. He
never appealed to her in a boyfriend way, but he was the one person
that made her feel at peace with herself. Julie wondered all day if
Trucker would be there. He acted like he didn’t care for normal
teenage activities. Actually at times, he acted more forty then
eighteen.

The party was loud and the beer flowed
everywhere. Julie was ready to leave by the time she got there. She
looked around at the different set ups. There was a man over in the
corner grilling hotdogs. He was surrounded by a line of coolers
that were bookmarked on each end with a keg. The school’s drunk was
already stoned and doing a handstand on one, while a large crowd
stood around and cheered. Julie glanced over at the big bonfire
encompassed by loving couples roasting marshmallows and making out.
She wanted Gene to take her home, but he had disappeared.

Resigned to her fate, she fell into an empty
chair and started watching the fire burn. She rolled her eyes,
taking in all the couples snuggled up to each other and briefly
fantasized about Trucker holding her around the fire.
Ugh, come
on Julie, that’s not going to happen, nor do I want it to.
She
was always good at hiding the obvious from herself. Even though she
told herself a million times she didn’t care if she saw him, she
couldn’t keep her eyes from sweeping the place. Julie gave herself
a mental kick, and turned her focus back on the bonfire. She
watched the fire flickering around, sending shadows across the
crowds. Occasionally a log would shift, sending bright ambers
through the night sky. Julie reached for a stick then carefully
placed a marshmallow on it. She leaned back and took a deep breath
before she started concentrating on toasting it. She wanted to
block out everything around her. When her marshmallow was the way
she liked it, burnt to a crisp, she sat back to slowly blow on it.
Just as it was ready to plop it in her mouth, a large hand reached
around and pulled the marshmallow from the stick. Shocked, she
stood up and turned around in time to see it disappear into
Trucker’s mouth.

“Hey, I made that,” she protested.

“I know, thanks for making it for me. That’s
the way I like it too,” he answered with a mouthful of marshmallow
and grinned her favorite half smile. “Want a taste?”

He held up his hand so she could see he still
had some stuck to his fingers. Her mouth unconsciously opened at
the thought. He placed his fingers on her lips. The warmth from
them tingled. She closed her eyes, taking in the way his touch made
her feel. He removed his fingers as she slowly ran her tongue
across her lips. She opened her eyes, looked into his, and was
stunned back into reality.

“I can’t.” She dropped the stick and walked
away.

She had to find Gene and get out of there,
before her emotions betrayed her. She could hear some girls telling
him they would like a taste. Julie glanced over her shoulder as
Trucker licked his fingers clean, held them up, and wiggled all ten
of them.

“All clean, ladies.”

Julie clenched her stomach as a quick stab of
jealously hit her. She was mad at herself for caring and set out
searching for Gene to have him take her home. Julie found him
talking to a girl at the hotdog bar.

“Can you take me home?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure. You okay?” Gene turned and wiped
a tear from her face.

“Sure, just ready to go.” She glared over at
Trucker, who was leaned against a fence post watching her.

“Come on, let’s go,” Gene told her, reaching
out for her hand.

Walking back to the parking lot, they were
unexpectedly blocked by Trucker.

“You’re coming with me,” he said and grabbed
Julie’s arm. He pulled her toward the parking lot, blocking them
from view behind a truck. He cupped her face in his hand. The
strength and command of his will formed a bubble around them.
Everything on the outside ceased to exist. The world stood still
and all that mattered was the two of them. The fact he had such a
profound, visceral effect on her sent her head spinning. She took a
step closer to him.

“What kind of relationship do you have with
him?” he asked, breaking the hold he had on her.

Blinking out of her daze, she jerked her arm
away. “Huh?” she asked and started pulling at the bottom of her
shorts, trying to avoid looking at him.

“Yours and Gene’s?” He paused and lifted her
head, forcing her to look at him. A low, primitive rumble vibrated
in his chest. “Do you have any idea how irresistible you are when
you do that?” His voice was so enticing. His eyes bored into her
lips.

She realized she was biting them. She stopped
immediately. He traced her lips with his thumb.

“Do you know how hard it is to sit in class
and appear normal, when I glance your way and you’re doing that?
It’s maddening.” He hunched over her, his tongue traced the
throbbing vein between her neck and shoulder. She melted into him
as a warmth spread through her. She had never experienced anything
like it before. She felt his finger glide across her face.

“Julie, you need to go.” There was a warning
behind his voice.

“We’re just friends!” she said, not ready to
leave.

He radiated such raw strength her eyes burned
just looking at him.

“The hell we are,” he screamed. He gestured
at the space between them. “You feel it too. This is going to
happen.”

She fisted her hands together. “Me and Gene
are friends.”

His eyes closed. She counted each breath he
took.
1,2,3,4,5,6...
His eyes opened. The intensity of his
gaze was searing.

“Julie, leave,” he whispered. He curled his
fingers around her hand. “I need you to walk away now, but I won’t
ever let you walk away from me again.”

The tremendous power she felt the first time
they met was evident. She took an involuntary step back, turned,
and ran into Gene’s arm.

Gene griped Julie’s arm and gave her a small
shake. She fought his grasp. Numb, she wasn’t ready to talk. She
turned her head and saw Trucker talking to Courtney.

“Asshole,” she whispered to herself.

“I thought I was a pretty nice guy,” Gene
said and chuckled.

“Him,” Julie said and motioned her head in
the direction of Trucker. “Why did you let him drag me off like
that?”

“I knew you would be okay, and I figured it
was something you wanted.”

“I don’t think anybody is okay with
him.”

Gene draped his arm around Julie. “Come on,
I think it’s time to go.”

*******

Dear Diary

I finally gave in and talked to him. I was
wrong. He doesn’t want me. The minute he saw Courtney, he told me
to leave. I guess I should’ve known. Courtney can have him. He is
no good anyway.

Julie tossed the journal across the room and
pulled the elastic out of her hair. She needed a bath. The only
thing she could think of was washing him away.

“Ow,” she screamed as she kicked the side of
the tub out of pure frustration.

She had thought the bath would wash away the
lingering presence that Trucker’s touch left. Now she cringed at
the idea of losing it. Her inner voice screamed, ‘He’s Courtney’s!’
That was her undoing. She wanted him and was tired of denying it.
She wished she knew how he truly felt. She would find out one way
or another.
“
Oh, great Julie, entering psycho
territory,”
she whispered to herself as she climbed out of the
tub. She saw a piece of paper that had fallen out of her pants
pocket. She wrapped the towel around her and picked it up. At
closer inspection, it revealed obvious male handwriting.

345-2398 call me
PLEASE
.

She sat on the commode, trying to steady
herself, and pressed the paper to her chest. The fluttering in her
stomach was intense as fears bombarded her mind. She grabbed the
cellphone off the vanity. Her fingers shook so bad that she could
hardly dial the number. She leaned against the back of the commode,
as she heard the ringing in the phone.

“Speaking,” Trucker’s voice rumbled in her
ear.

She tried to speak but couldn’t. She sat
there with the phone pressed against her ear, breathing hard.

“Any day now,” Trucker said. His voice was
filled with annoyance, which did nothing to ease her nerves.

She heard the phone go silent and realized
he’d hung up. She debated whether or not she should call back. She
glanced at his note. He asked her to call, but what if he was with
her
. Determined that Courtney wasn’t going to always top
her, she hit redial. He answered immediately.

“Are you going to talk? Because you don’t
want to play mind games with me,” he warned.

“Hello,” slipped out of her trembling
lips.

“Julie?” he sounded doubtful, but
excited.

She could almost hear him grin; the tension
eased from her body.

“Yeah, Trucker, do you need something?”

“Yeah, you. Why do you ask?” A small laughed
escaped his lips.

She was so glad to be sitting down, because
her whole body felt like it could collapse. “I saw the note and
thought maybe . . .”