Solo (5 page)

A door slammed and a frantic voice yelled, "Holy crap! Are you all right down there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I looked up at the dark silhouette of a person. "I just slipped."

The guy slowly made his way down the slippery slope. "I'm so sorry; I didn't see you."

"It's really all right." I reassured him as I wiped mud and leaves off my sweatshirt. "Nothing's broke."

 When he reached me, I recognized the guy from study hall, Lucas Andrews. Of all the people in this town, it had to be him.

"Here, let me help you up." He reached for my hand.

"Um, thanks." I hoped he wouldn't notice my hand was trembling.

He placed my arm around his neck and then put his arm around my waist. "Are you sure nothing's broken?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." I willed my body to stop trembling from being so close to him.

"Are you cold?"

"No, I guess I'm still just a little shaken from the fall," I lied.

Carefully, we made our way up the steep incline. It was like walking up a water slide, almost impossible.

"I'll take you to the town clinic if you want to get checked out," he suggested.

"Really, I'm fine. I think I'd know if something was wrong. Thank you for your help. I really need to go."

"Please, let me give you a ride," he insisted.

"That's okay. I don't take rides from strangers." I tried to ease my nerves by concentrating on picking the leaves out of my hair.

"Well, I'm Lucas Andrews, and you are?"

I looked at him blankly for a second. "I'm Eliana—Eliana Davis."

"Well, Eliana Davis, I practically killed you a few minutes ago. The least I owe you is a ride."

I looked at him, and then looked at the time on my phone. It was seven o'clock. I only had thirty minutes to get back to my grandparents' house. "I guess it'll be okay." I wiped some wet leaves off my sweatpants before he helped me into the truck.

The silent ride felt uncomfortable, so I said, "Thanks for giving me a ride."

"It's not a problem; it's the least I can do." He looked at me with a half smile. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure." There was no denying he was still nervous about the almost fatal accident. "You look familiar. Are you in any of my classes?"

Lucas grinned. "I think you might be in my study hall."

I was mortified. I had hoped he wouldn't recognize me. "Oh, okay." I stared out the passenger window trying to hide my blushing face. Other than my occasional directions, the awkward silence returned.

When we pulled into the driveway, I said, "Thanks again for the ride. Maybe I'll see you around." I tried not to make eye contact.

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll see each other at school. Have a good night." I could tell he was still grinning by the sound of his voice.

I walked to the house and Mom met me at the door. "Who's that?"

"Oh, just a friend from school, he saw me walking and offered a ride." I didn't want to worry her with the details of my fall down the side of the mountain. I knew that would put a stop to my evening runs.

"Why do you look like you went swimming in a mud puddle?" Mom asked.

"Oh, I slipped on some wet leaves." I couldn't believe how many little white lies I'd been telling.

"Must have been some slip."

When I turned and saw my reflection in the hallway mirror, I gasped in horror. My face was hidden behind thick smudges of mud, and tons of leaves tangled in my ratty hair. No wonder Lucas Andrews had smirked. How had he held his laughter in? I was staring at "Swamp Thing" in the mirror.

"Sorry, I'm so late for dinner," I muttered.

"That's okay; I put a plate in the microwave for you. I'll heat it while you clean up."

"Thanks Mom." I climbed the stairs, hoping to find a pressure hose. It took three shampoos before the water rinsed clean. I knew I had tons of hair, but I hadn't known it could store so much mud and grime.

After eating my reheated dinner, I finished my homework and finally sunk into the cozy comfort of my sheets. This horrendous day was almost over. I promised myself I would never have another day like this as long as I lived. No matter what the weather was like, tomorrow could only be a brighter day.

"Good morning, Mom!"

"Good morning?" my suspicious mom replied. "Who are you, and what have you done with my daughter?"

I sat at the table reaching for toast and homemade strawberry jam. "Oh, come on, Mom, the sun is out and the sky is clear. I have a great feeling about today."

"Could this have anything to do with the young man who dropped you off last night?"

"Can't a girl just have a good morning?"

"Sure, but it's just never
you."

"There's a first time for everything." I wiggled my eyebrows at Mom. "Do you know where I put my iPod?"

"I don't remember seeing it when you got home."

"Oh, no!" I jumped up and ran to check my hoodie pockets. "Please be here! Please be here!" I repeated the words as if saying them would miraculously make my iPod appear. No luck. The pockets were empty. I knew where the iPod was; in the cab of Lucas Andrews' truck.
I hope he doesn't think I left it there on purpose.

When I pulled into the parking lot at school, I started searching for the F-150. There it was, in the same spot as the day before. I thought I caught a glimpse of Lucas walking toward the building.

"Lucas!" I yelled, jumping from my VW.

He didn't hear me. When I walked into the building, he was no where in sight. Casey, on the other hand, was bouncing down the hallway.

"Hey, Eliana," she chirped. "How are you doing this morning?"

"Um, I'm actually doing great. I don't feel so new today."

"Well, that's a good thing, right?" Casey's smile was infectious.

The morning seemed to go okay. Sasha actually ignored me during Chemistry; making it easy for me to pay attention to the teacher. I hoped this would become the norm. I guess Sasha realized I wasn't worth her time or effort since she couldn't get a reaction from me. One thing was for sure, I wouldn't stray from my plan. No matter what Sasha tried, I would avoid her at all costs.

At lunch I sat at a table in the courtyard with Casey and the rest of the group. Although the sun was still glowing, there was an occasional bone chilling breeze. Lucas kept popping into my head. I looked for him around the courtyard, but he wasn't there. I tried to ignore Sasha while Emily and Jack joked with me. I noticed Evan gawking at me. The guy was starting to seriously give me the creeps.

On my way to gym, I realized I still hadn't seen Lucas and wondered if he was still at school. I selected a locker in the locker room. "Good idea." Casey joked.

"Thanks," I said while securing my old combination lock. "No repeats of disappearing clothes."

I figured we would have our softball lesson today, but it turned out to be another free day. Of course, I chose to run laps and asked Casey to come along. While we ran, I notice Sasha and her friends working on some kind of dance routine.

"So, is Sasha the dance team captain?" I asked.

"No, we don't have a dance team. They're on the cheer squad. The blonde girl, Rachel, standing next to her, is the captain. Sasha's actually the co-captain this year."

"Wow, she must be really good," I said, not really meaning it.

"Well, Sasha and a few of the other girls plan to perform at the talent show this year."

"Are you dancing with them?"

"Ha—no, I like to dance, but not on stage. How about you, do you dance?"

I didn't want to lie to Casey. "Well, I used to, but it's been awhile."

 "Maybe you could join them?" Casey turned her head and smiled at me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Not likely."

The whistle interrupted our jog and conversation. I didn't hesitate in moving toward the locker room. Walking past Sasha I cordially gave her a smile, reminding myself to kill her with kindness.

I was in a good mood because it was time for study hall. I changed back into my clothes, relieved they were still there.

"See ya later, Casey." I headed out the door.

Casey stopped me and handed me a folded piece of paper. "Here's my number. Give me a call if you ever want to hang out."

"Sure, maybe we could do something this weekend."

"That'd be great," Casey grinned.

The closer I got to the library doors, the more the flutters rose in my stomach. "What's wrong with me?" I muttered. "Stick to the plan, Eliana." I knew I couldn't get into a relationship, but I was having a hard time convincing myself.

 I inhaled a long, deep breath, and entered the library. There he was, reading a book. I couldn't decide whether to walk up to him or sit and see if he would approach me. I decided to take the plunge and walked over. I acted like I was clearing my throat.

"Um, excuse me." I spoke softly because I didn't want everyone in the library to hear our conversation. I was already nervous just talking to him; an audience would send my nerves over the top.

Casually, Lucas looked up from his book with an irresistible grin. "Oh, hello, Eliana—Eliana Davis. How are you feeling?"

The fact that he'd remembered my name threw me off. "Hello, um, I'm doing fine. I was just wondering if you'd happened to find my iPod in your truck last night?"

There was a short pause while he pondered my question, even though it was obviously a "yes" or "no" answer. "I didn't see one there last night, but after study hall I'll check between the seats for it."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it." I hesitated, hoping our conversation would continue. Since all I got was silence and a smile, I moved toward the table that I'd claimed the day before. I pulled out my books and started doing my homework. I wanted to finish it all before the bell rang. That way, I'd have extra time to run before dinner. The perfect weather would make for a perfect run.

I tried hard not to look over at Lucas, but I couldn't keep myself from occasionally glancing his way. My thoughts wandered while I stared at the back of his head. Why hadn't he tried to talk to me? Did he want me to walk to his truck with him?
Concentrate Eliana, get your work done. You're only here for a year.
That thought got me focused again.

I finished my homework with ten minutes to spare and started packing my bag, trying to make some noise so I could get his attention. He didn't flinch.

I laid my head on the cool table trying to figure out why I cared if he talked to me. It wasn't like I was interested in dating. I guess if I
did
decide to date, he would be the
only
guy in this school I'd even consider. The sound of the bell broke my concentration.

Lucas stood and walked out of the library without saying a word to me. I made a quick stop at my locker and hurried to the parking lot, hoping he hadn't forgotten to check for my iPod. To my relief, his truck was still there. He stood beside his door talking to Sammy Alvarez and a few other guys I recognized from some of my classes.

I decided to go to my car first so I could put my bag away. I tried to look busy, but fifteen minutes passed and they were still talking. I wanted to leave so I could go jogging. I walked to his truck because I didn't have the patience to wait any longer. His conversation trailed and his friends walked away as I approached.

"We'll see you next week at practice," Sammy said, and then glanced at me with a smile.

"All right," Lucas replied. Then he turned toward me. "Well, Eliana Davis, we need to find your iPod."

"Yeah, that's what I'm here for."

"Let's see." Lucas climbed into the cab of his truck and started looking around. I really hoped it was in his truck, if not, it was lost in the mud forever.

"You're in luck." He pulled the iPod from between the seats on the passenger side.

I sighed with relief. "Oh, thanks. You don't know how much this thing means to me."

"Well, I'm glad we found it." When Lucas handed me the iPod, I got a good look at him. I couldn't believe the color of his eyes. Were they blue or green? When the sun hit them, they turned aqua, the color of the ocean. I tried hard not to stare.

Lucas threw me his irresistible grin again. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Oh, um, nope. That's it." My cheeks burned and my heart felt like a jack hammer. "Thanks again!" I hollered, walking back to my car. I was too afraid to turn around and see if he was watching me. I made a decision that I wasn't going to talk to him anymore. I hated how stupid I felt every time I walked away from him. I'd never been so tongue-tied by a guy in my life.

I pulled into my grandparents' driveway a little after four. There still wasn't a cloud in sight. The afternoon was perfect for a run. I sprinted up the stairs to change into my running gear.

"Eliana, is that you?" Mom called from the kitchen.