Gossamer (3 page)

Lexie’s face lit with intrigue, “Ooh good idea. Think you can pick us up some candles? And if you could snag a few strands of his hair that would be killer.”

I chuckled, unable to get the mental image of Dylan sneaking around the boys’ locker room out of my head.

He eyed her skeptically. “I’m not so convinced you’re joking.”

“Who said it was a joke?” She stared at him with her large brown eyes as she shrugged innocently.

“Don’t let the rest of the girls around here get wind of your plans, they may crash your party.” We laughed as he walked away. “See you later,” he called over his shoulder as he made his way to some waiting friends.

Lexie and I slid into her car. The leather seats burned my legs so I tucked my blazer under me. She reached for her seat belt, then swore pulling her hand away.

“Think someone needs to remind Mother Nature it’s supposed to be spring,” she mumbled, gingerly making a second attempt to grab her seat belt. After successfully buckling, she looked over at me.

“So, what was that about?”

“Are you two back together?”

Our sentences jumbled together being spoken one on top of the other. We laughed.

“Okay, you first. Dylan and I getting back together is a regular occurrence. I want to know about this Conor guy who, by the way, is not too shabby himself.” Lexie wiggled her eyebrows as her mouth curved mischievous.

Chapter 2

We coasted into my driveway after the short drive from school. On the way home, I filled Lexie in on the Conor details, which were unfortunately not that interesting. She went quiet, seemingly lost in thought.

I climbed out of her car, shutting the door behind me. It closed almost silently–got to love those luxury cars. I think I would just love a car period, but then again, I couldn’t complain. I guess parents who were truly affectionate, as opposed to ones attempting to buy my affection, might be a fair trade.

“Hmm,” she finally said. “Maybe he’s trying to get his ‘in’ with you for Grant.” She air quoted.

“His ‘in’?” Lexie and I made our way up the long sidewalk to my front door.

“Yeah, you know. He introduces himself with a lame excuse, then he can consider you his friend, which
then
allows him to introduce you to Grant without the fear of rejection.”

I eyed her skeptically. It seemed pretty drawn out for a simple hello, but it still got my hopes up.

I turned the key and swung open my massive front door. Like all kids from Brentwood, my house was large, much larger than any small family of three could ever need. It was expensively furnished and spotless at all times. Its pristine state stifled me. Sometimes I felt like a stranger in my own home. I preferred being outdoors and loved the unpredictable beauty of nature. It just felt right. I could relate more to the flawed beauty of a tree and found security knowing the things I saw today had probably been around for hundreds of years before and would still be there hundreds of years after.

We walked upstairs to my bedroom, the only room in the house I absolutely loved. My eclectic mix of furniture drove my mom, with her Type A personality, a bit crazy. She preferred a more refined, clean look whereas I adored antiques, like my white vanity. My mom begged me to get rid of it or let her refinish the chipping paint, but I refused. I didn’t see why something needed replacing or made to look like new to be beautiful. I loved the delicate arches surrounding the oval mirror and the intricate carvings, consisting of tiny flowers and vines, wrapping around the table. Most of all, I loved the little drawer in front with its dainty silver handle. It had a false bottom, something no longer found in modern furniture. Only my vanity knew what I placed in that tiny compartment and, like a secret between friends, it kept it safe.

I hung my book bag on my vanity chair and kicked off my shoes. Lexie stretched out across my bed. I opened the door to my walk-in closet and immediately took off my school uniform and slipped into my comfy clothes. Once in my favorite, well-worn jeans, I could relax. I kicked my uniform, then hesitated, sighing as I picked it up then hung my blazer and tossed the rest into the hamper.

I plopped down into my favorite petal pink overstuffed chair. Although not as old as my vanity, it had been a fixture in my room for as long as I could remember. Lexie rolled onto her back as she leafed through a fashion magazine she had plucked off of my nightstand.

“So, did you know five sure fire ways to land yourself your dream guy are,” she dramatically cleared her throat and began ticking them off with her fingers. “Laugh at his jokes, get in good with his boys, share a hobby, cook for him and last, but not least, let
him
be the center of attention.” She tossed the magazine aside.

“Can you believe that advice?” she scoffed. “It should be more like, show up naked, the end. What guy could resist that?”

I chucked a small pillow at her. She flipped over looking at me. “What? My process only involves one step, and I bet it would work well on any guy, including Grant.” She spoke his name in a sing-song voice.

I blushed a little. “You’re awful you know.”

She grinned. “That’s why you love me.”

She stood and stretched causing her pristine white shirt to ride up, exposing her pierced belly button. Lexie was a bit of a wild child, but unlike most kids our age she didn’t do it for attention. She did it because she loved living life in the moment. I admired her carefree attitude among many other things.

“Well, I guess I should take off. I need to get home and get out of this stupid uniform.”

She tucked a few honey blond strands of hair behind her ear. Even with her unruly mane tugged into a ponytail, Lexie was pretty. She rarely wore much make-up. Her sun-kissed skin actually looked better without it. Her light brown eyes were large for her face but it worked for her. She was beautiful in a very unique way, but undoubtedly her best feature was her confidence.

“No problem.” I stood to walk her out.

“Hopefully, Grant talks to you tomorrow.” Her ponytail bounced with each step down the stairs. “If he doesn’t, I think I will just have to find a way to make it happen.” A mischievous expression lit up her face.

I gave her a wary expression. “Just don’t embarrass me, okay?”

“Me, embarrass you?” She pretended to be taken aback.

I swatted her arm lightly. “I’m serious, Lexie.” I shot her a warning.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said as she opened the door to leave. “See you in the morning.”

“Later, Lex.” Even though our neighborhood was very safe, I made sure she was in her car before closing the door and locking it.

More often than not, my house seemed so big and lonely when I was by myself. My bare feet padded quietly on the cold tile floor as I made my way into the kitchen. I grabbed the remote aiming it at the TV, and it sprang to life. I had no real interest in watching anything, but I liked the background noise. Not surprisingly, it was tuned to the food channel. Although my mom rarely cooked, she loved cooking shows.

The lady demonstrated how to roll out and properly place a pie crust in a pan. I dug around the fridge and finally settled on some Greek yogurt. I squeezed in some honey, and then a little more. I plopped down onto a bar stool and folded one long leg under me. The lady filled her perfect pie crust with a mixture of berries. It looked delicious, making me wish my mom did cook.

With my spoon flipped upside down, I slowly licked off the yogurt, imagining what it would be like to come home to the smell of pie baking, when I heard something. Lowering the TV volume, I listened more carefully. Silence fell throughout the house. Even as I strained my ears, I heard nothing. Aiming the remote back at the television, just about to turn up the volume, I heard a loud bang again. It sounded like it came from the backyard.

Terrified to move, I peered over the bar to see out the back door. The multiple glass panes on our French doors obscured any real view. Reluctantly, I stood and took a few cautious steps toward the door. Halfway there I saw something dark run across the backyard. My heart jumped. A dog. I sighed in relief. Walking the remaining few steps to the door, I looked out noticing two small potted plants knocked over on the patio. Then, I saw a dark brown dog making its way out the open gate.

Immediately, I thought of my dad. He was infamous for not shutting doors completely. I opened the back door and walked over to the gate. The dog turned to me. I considered petting its shiny, chocolate brown fur but decided against it. If it was a stray, that might be an open invitation to hang around. So instead, I shooed the animal away and closed the back gate making sure the latch fully engaged. I walked back inside, rubbed my bare feet on the door mat then headed back to the bar to finish my snack.

Just as I finished, my mom came home carrying a small bag of groceries. “Hey, honey,” she said, juggling the groceries and her leather work bag.

I earned my nickname due to my love of honey since childhood. I couldn’t get enough of it. The sticky, sweet stuff complemented most any food perfectly.

I stood to help her and grabbed the paper bag peering inside.
Nothing good, damn
. I set it down and began to empty its contents.

“Thanks, honey. It’s been such a long day. How was yours?”

Without hesitation, I thought of Grant.

“The usual.” I kept my tone neutral. “Oh, I caught some stray dog running around our backyard.”

My mom’s face fell, and she threw her hand on her hip. “Are you serious? What is the point of paying our homeowners’ association if they aren’t going to do their job?”

“Maybe it was just lost,” I offered, not thinking it was a big deal. “I’m sure its owner will get home from work and go looking for it when they realize he’s missing.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re probably right. It’s been a long day.” She walked into the living room. I followed. She flopped down onto the couch, slid off her sensible, black heels and propped her feet up on the coffee table. I sat down on the other couch tucking my legs up to my chest, noticing my mom’s pallor. Stress lined her pale skin and her normally bright eyes were cradled by dark half-moons. She scrubbed her hands over her face then sighed.

Working for a non-profit was a never-ending job and something someone did for enjoyment not money, which was one of the reasons I wondered how my parents could afford such a large house. They occasionally mentioned some sort of inheritance, but never went into detail, remaining elusive about their past. I had never met either set of my grandparents, but had also come to realize it was a sensitive subject and stopped asking questions.

My mom leaned her head back causing her shoulder length strawberry blond hair to fall away from her face. I studied her delicate features, amazed at how different she and I were. My long, dark hair seemed severe next to her pale red. Her deep, cobalt blue eyes contrasted with my sea green ones, even more unusual was the yellow starburst in the center of mine. My petite mom only stood five two while I towered over her at five seven.

In addition I was, well let’s just say, well-developed. I filled out very well for my seventeen years–eighteen next week. I supposed my looks were inherited from my dad. Like me, he was tall with dark hair, although not quite as dark as mine. His eyes were brown, though, and his face was narrow with a prominent nose, whereas my heart-shaped face had subtle features. I guess I was one of those kids with a bunch of random genes shoved together. Thankfully, it seemed to work out okay.

My mom finally lifted her head. “Do you mind if we order pizza for dinner?”

I smiled. “No, not at all. Pizza sounds great.” I lied, because it was absolutely one of my least favorite foods, but she was clearly exhausted, and I understood her desire to order in.

“Will you call it in?” she asked through a yawn.

“Actually,” I said. “I can go pick it up.”

“Would you? Oh, that would be great, honey. My keys are on the table.” She motioned toward the kitchen.

I felt like getting out and seeing as I personally had no car, I liked any excuse to drive someone else’s.

* * * *

The pizza place was only a few blocks away so it didn’t take me long to get there and head back. The scent of supreme pizza filled my car. About a block away from my house, the smell smothered me so I rolled my windows down to get some fresh air. I took a deep breath and made a right turn when something darted in front of the vehicle.

I braked hard and realized it was the same brown dog from my yard. My heart pounded as I checked to see if he had moved in time, hoping I hadn’t turned the poor thing into doggie road kill. The clear path relieved me. Movement caught my attention, and I saw the brown dog safe on the sidewalk. He trotted around, sniffing the area. I finished my turn, intending to head home, then stopped. I pulled off to the side of the road.

“Damn,” I muttered. “I’m such a sucker.”

Concerned the dog might run out in the street again, I figured I should check for a collar. The least I could do was call the owner.

I stepped out of the car, gently shutting my door and slowly approached the dog. He seemed friendly enough. Although I’d never met an animal that didn’t like me, I preferred caution around unfamiliar pets. He turned his head in my direction, wagging his tail. He seemed harmless. I knelt and in slow motion stuck out my hand. He leaned forward sniffing, and with careful touches, I felt around the thick fur at the nape of his neck.