Into the Darkness

“I never got to thank you for helping me out with the whole prom dress thing. It was quite funny watching Adriana’s reaction. Unfortunately she was a pain in the backside all day but I would take that over trying on dresses.”

“So it worked? I’m guessing you will eventually have to go shopping for one though, right?” he asked.

“Yes, unfortunately I do. Stupidly I agreed to go with some guy at school a few months back. I’m still kicking myself for saying yes, but hey, there’s always online shopping.”

“Who?” he asked, his voice changing tone.

“Who what?”

“Who are you going to prom with?”

“Oh. Carter, just a guy I’ve known pretty much most of high school.”

“As in the Evans kid? Good luck with that. The jerk can’t even pitch a ball right.”

“Wait, are we talking about baseball or sex? Number one, I don’t care for sports. Number two, I don’t plan to have sex with him. Not every prom needs to end in a cheap rented hotel room, except for your sister.” Whoops, wrong person to bring that subject up with.

“Please do not go into my sister’s sex life. In my eyes it doesn’t exist, nor will it ever.”

“It’s not that bad. You’ve got to get used to them being a couple. Sex is no big deal. At least she’s with one person. Most girls our age change partners more regularly than underwear.”

“Do you change sex partners more often than underwear?”

“Okay, this conversation has now hit an all-time high in awkwardness. No I don’t, but I am not like all the other eighteen-year-olds, you said t

hat yourself.”

We finally arrived at my car, and I couldn’t have been more grateful. He opened up the hood and connected the leads on the battery, attaching the other end to his car. It finally started. Hallelujah! He removed the cables and shut the hood.

“All done. Sure you’ll be okay?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine,” I said. “Thanks for all your help.”

I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. I caught him by surprise, lingering more than I should have, lost in his scent and the feel of his skin. I pulled away, the loss of contact unbearable. He sighed. Had he felt it too? Think of something else, Charlie—anything else. Why is the sky blue? What is the square root of pie? It was working. My inner self high-fived my brain.

“Don’t forget: eight tonight. It’s the continuation of the hitchhikers that went missing along Route 66.”

“You’re a twisted little one, Miss Mason,” he replied, smirking as he shut my door.

The first thing I did when I got home was jump into a steaming hot shower. I stayed in there for like half an hour allowing the water to relax my muscles. I felt extremely tense, the kind of tense that would usually be eased with a massage…mmm… My thoughts drifted again. I quickly turned off the water. How was I going to get through the night?

I was dressed in my PJs when I plonked myself on the couch, armed with my bowl of popcorn and a rolling pin. It was my safety blanket, plus it would hurt anyone who came near me. I grabbed my cell, now fully charged, and decided to text him to say thank you.

Hey Alex, it’s Charlie. Thanks so much for your help tonight.

His response came seconds later.

My pleasure. So it’s eight, what’s your weapon of choice since you’re home alone?

Rolling pin. Statistics show it does more damage than a mallet.

Remind me never to sneak into your place at night.

My bedroom is on the top floor. Unless you’re Spiderman, I wouldn’t even bother.

Or Justin?

Well then I’d have the front door wide open with a come inside welcome wagon.