Obscured (The Obscured Series Book 1) (15 page)

Driving
with the top down was something I couldn’t get enough of. I felt like a dog
trying to see it all, trying to watch out of both sides of the car. The wind
whipping through my hair as we sped around curves and wound through the
mountains was an amazing feeling.

We
arrived at the lake just after 10 and parked near the marina. The air was warm
and comforting, and the bright sunshine sparkled off the water. We all had worn
our swimsuits under our clothes, and we walked down onto the beach to enjoy the
lake. We swam for an hour and a half until we grew hungry, and then we ate lunch
on the dock, sitting on our towels and allowing the dry air to evaporate the
water from our skin. Afterwards we walked down to the marina. As Eli and I
walked around the store, little did we know that dad was preparing a surprise.
We came out to find him standing beside two jet skis.

“Are
those for us?” I asked.

“Yep
for the day,” he beamed.

“Oh
my gosh dad! That’s awesome!”

“You
like?”

“Like?
I love!”

“You
don’t mind sharing with Eli do you?” he asked.

“Of
course not!”

I
couldn’t imagine trying to drive one myself. I had never driven anything in my
life and I figured it was probably better that I start with something that
doesn’t sink.

“Alright,
let’s go,” my dad exclaimed. 

We
put on the life jackets and before we knew it we were speeding around the lake.
We had the jet skis until 5 p.m., and we were on the lake with them the whole
time. It was the first time I had ever been on a jet ski, and Eli confessed it
was his first time too. Eli seemed to really let loose and relax, more than I’d
ever seen him. We traded off driving, but I preferred to be the passenger. My
favorite part was jumping the waves. A few times we both flew off and landed in
the water, but then we’d both come up for air laughing.

Once
we returned the jet skis we finished off the extra sandwiches in the picnic
basket before heading home. I think we were all grateful that I had prepared
two sandwiches per person; it was a two-hour drive home and there wasn’t
anything to eat till we returned home. The sunshine had left us famished.

I
was sad to leave; it had been exhausting yet amazing and I never wanted the day
to end. I fell asleep on the way home and didn’t wake until my dad lifted me
out of the car. I couldn’t imagine how he had wedged me out of the backseat,
but he seemed to have managed.

“Thanks,
Eli...” I struggled not to doze off. 

The
next thing I knew it was morning and I was waking up in my bed. We were
expecting Eli at 12:30 to go hike around
Papago
Park—although from what Eli told me it wasn’t really a hike since there were
stairs going to the top. Either way, Eli had assured me it was beautiful from
the top.

I
rolled myself out of bed, feeling like I’d only slept a few hours. I felt
greasy from the sun block I’d worn the day before, so I hopped in the shower
before heading down to breakfast. It was already 11, but I was sure that my
parents would have breakfast waiting for me.

It
turned out that my dad was still sleeping as well so my mom didn’t even make us
breakfast. As I appeared downstairs though, she was ready and waiting to whip
up whatever I wanted for lunch. I decided on some of my favorite comfort food:
boxed macaroni and cheese. She made two boxes, knowing I’d eat a whole one on
my own. I wasn’t surprised to see dad wander in just as the macaroni was being
dished up.

CHAPTER Ten

Eli
had been right. The top of the mountain at
Papago
Park boasted a beautiful view of the city. One side gave expansive views of
desert hills while the other overlooked Tempe Town Lake, which was yet another place
I wanted to roam someday. We wandered around for a couple hours before deciding
we were ready to leave.

Our
time at
Papago
Park was fun and warm, of course. I
was famished. We decided to go out to dinner at a Mexican eatery near the park
that we had seen on our way. I couldn’t help but think that I was going to gain
weight if this visit was any inclination of how my dad and I were going to eat
during his visits. Then again, I couldn’t complain it was nice not to worry
about wasting our time together cooking and doing dishes.

Mexican
cuisine is one of my favorite foods, as there are always a lot of choices on
the menu. Plus, the atmosphere is usually so inviting. This restaurant in
particular was festively decorated, and our table was bright green with a red
lamp hanging overhead.

My
favorite dish is a deep fried bean and cheese burrito served with rice and
beans. That night the dish sounded extra delicious since I was starving. Dad
ordered a shredded beef enchilada and Eli choose a steak-filled quesadilla.
While we waited on the food we munched on the chips, salsa and beans they
provided at no charge.

Before
the meal came I headed to the restroom. Once I had done my business and washed
my hands, I opened the door and was confronted by none other than Pete. Fear
washed through me, but was quickly swept away by relief when I reminded myself
that my dad and Eli were in the next room.

“Well
well well—look who we have here,” Pete spit out, getting in my face.

“Hi
Pete, I was just headed back to my table,” I said, trying to discourage him
from continuing the conversation. I attempted to squeeze past him, but his
stocky body blocked my exit.

“Oh,
so Eli is your boyfriend now?” he asked snidely. 

“No,
I told you he’s just a friend, not that it is any of your business anyway,” I
said as I tried again to slip out of his reach and back into the dining room.
Before I could manage it, he pinned me between his arms against the wall. If I
looked straight ahead I was staring at his chest, and if I looked up my face would
be inches from his. So I chose to turn my head to the side.

I
wished there was some explanation for his actions. This was Pete. His temper
was a bigger part of him than I could have ever guessed. I knew now that it was
who he truly was, an extremely angry person who could not control his temper.
It was like he was blinded by fury. Unfortunately for me, the attack was
probably preemptive since he was there in the first place and must have been
following us. What could I do to get away from him without causing a scene? The
last thing I wanted was for my dad to get involved; I would then have to
explain to him the rest, because he would never believe it was the first time.

“Oh,
you didn’t think that I would let you get away that easily did you?” he asked,
his voice dripping with pure hatred.

“What
do you want from me?” I asked. I was at a complete loss of what to do.

“I
told you that you would regret your decision.”

Suddenly
Eli marched into view and took charge before I even realized what was happening.
In a matter of seconds I was out of Pete’s arms and behind Eli, who stood in
front of me like a shield. He held me behind him protectively.

“Just
what the hell do you think you’re doing Pete?” Eli said, trying to contain his
anger.

“Just
as promised, that’s all. Nothing that concerns you,” Pete said rudely.

“If
it concerns Abby it most certainly concerns me.”

“Is
that so?” Pete said in a challenging manner.

“It
is and you know it.”

“Whatever
Eli, you won’t always be around—trust me on that.” And with that Pete walked
away, chuckling to himself.

Almost
instantly Eli turned around. He looked my body up and down. “Are you okay? Did
he hurt you?” He seemed almost frantic with worry.

“I’m
fine really, he didn't hurt me. It just scared me. I didn’t know what to do.
I’m sorry Eli; this is all my fault. I never should have gotten you into this.”

“It’s
not your fault. You didn’t know what you were getting into and to tell you the
truth I didn’t either. He is way worse than I could have ever guessed. We’ll
have to just be more careful from now on until he gets over it.”

“Alright.”

“Let’s
get back out there before your dad starts to worry.”

“Yeah,
I’ll go out first, then you can come out once I am back at the table.”

“Good
idea, see you out there,” he said, stepping into the men’s bathroom for effect.

My
dad never suspected a thing and our meal went on as if nothing had happened. I
sat eating my food, replaying the incident in my mind. It dawned on me that Eli
had known something was amiss when he came to my rescue, yet my dad remained in
the dark.
How had he known?
My head started to spin. It was happening
all over again. How had he known both times I was in a confrontation with Pete?
It seemed too much of coincidence. I needed to ask him about it later, and this
time he would not get off so easily. I wanted something, anything to explain
what was going on.

We
got home early enough that the three of us decided to play a card game. Mom was
out again, probably with her new boy toy, and an hour and four games later we
decided to call it a night. Eli went home with promises to be there early the
next morning to take me to school.

I
couldn’t wait to soak in a long hot shower. My muscles ached from all of the
activity and hiking over the past few days. I tried not to take too long
knowing dad would be waiting to take one as well, but it felt so good. I had so
much dust and dirt on me that I felt like a new person when I came out of the
shower.

I
melted into my bed feeling refreshed and clean, and fell asleep without a
hitch.

It
was gratifying to wake up from a great night’s sleep, but at the same time I
knew that it would be my last day with my dad before he went home to
California. I hadn’t had a single nightmare since he’d been there, and I knew
it wasn’t a coincidence.

His
trip was eventful and well spent between all of our activities, and I hoped
that the next time I would still be able to come up with ideas to keep us busy
and exploring. Although, it would be nice to go on another lake trip together,
maybe even camp out. I’d be willing to bet that the lake at night was beautiful
with an abundant amount of stars in the night sky. Maybe it would be a good
idea once it got a little cooler out. I couldn’t imagine sleeping in a tent in
the heat.

At
breakfast it was clear that the atmosphere had cleared some between mom and
dad. They were back to being civil with each other, though they weren’t exactly
talking on friendly terms. It was mostly necessary communication, which was
okay with me. It certainly beat the alternative. As far as I was concerned, dad
didn’t really need to talk to her at all after the way she treated him.

After
what had happened that weekend, I was dreading going to school to face Pete. It
was guaranteed to be depressing. My only comfort was the fact that there wasn’t
a time I would be alone with him.

On
the way to school, Eli tried to reassure me that I had nothing to worry about.
It brought me back to my thoughts of how he seemed to just
know
when I
was in trouble. I didn’t want to ruin the day by bringing it up then, but I
hoped the opportune time would present itself. I would wait for it. I wasn’t
sure how Eli would feel about me bringing it up—he might be mad or frustrated.
I deserved to know though, didn’t I? After all, it did concern me.

I
arrived just before the bell rang and saw Pete sitting in the classroom. I
tried not to look at him, but I could feel his eyes searing in to me. Finally I
gave into the temptation and looked at him. He wasn’t even paying any attention
to me, and for a moment I wondered if it was all in my head. I felt silly. I
was making him out to be this big monster, and at the moment he didn’t seem to
be anything but a mouse. After that my mind drifted to fractions and
percentages for the rest of the period.

When
the bell rang, Pete was gone before I could even gather my things. Maybe he had
given up on harassing me, but something inside made me feel like I couldn’t be
that lucky. Only time would tell. I almost wished that if he was planning on
something, he would just get it over with. The waiting and not knowing was
killing me, but then again, maybe that was the point. He was trying to make me
suffer. It would be quite fitting for him.

Eli
was waiting in the hall. “How did it go?” he asked.

“Fine,”
I said hesitantly. I knew his ‘told you so’ was coming.

“Even
though I told you so, I’m glad I was right this time,” he said as he wrapped
his arm around my shoulders as we walked.

I
liked feeling of his arm around me, but I briefly wondered how Bailey would feel
about Eli and I being so close. Then I quickly pushed it out of my mind. 
I mean, that was how we always were. Nothing had changed. We were just friends,
so there was nothing to be ashamed of.

“Me
too,” I agreed.

A
few months before I would never have guessed I’d be in that position. It hadn’t
even been two months since the start of school. I had a boy for a best friend.
I had gotten in way over my head in a relationship with someone I shouldn’t
have messed with in the first place—no matter how tempting and gorgeous he was.
I had my first job, and my dad had visited for the first time. I’d never been
so busy in my entire life. Maybe it was true what they say: Californians are a
lot more chill than the rest of the world.

It
was time for me to move on with my life and hope that Pete did the same. I knew
I would always wonder what happened so long ago with Pete and the missing
football player, but I knew that I needed to let it be for the moment.