The Crush (7 page)

“What happened last night?” I asked looking between the two of them.

“Just some bad dreams,” Wynn replied looking down at her bare feet before scooping up her discarded sweatshirt to try and dry off her drenched body.

I winced as soon as the words came out of her mouth, I couldn’t imagine the things that haunted her at night and I wished I could be there to hold her and fight them off. What was this girl doing to me? I had barely glanced at one other girl since me and Lexie had gotten together officially two years ago. This girl was flipping my life upside down
and
inside out.

“’Kay girls I need to head home, see you later,” I waved over my shoulder and scooped up my shoes before making the brief jog home. I think I ran away a little faster than necessary but I really needed to get my head on straight and it never seemed to be when I was around Wynn Wakefield.

Wynn

“What in the hell was that about?” Collins asked as we made our way back into the house and I headed towards the shower to strip off my water logged clothes.

“I really don’t know actually,” I answered back through the open door and thought about that amazing kiss that had just happened. My insides were still all gooey like a marshmallow that had been set on fire by the feel of Griers lips on mine.

I had basically poured my heart and soul out to Grier and then he had given me that mind blowing kiss, I just couldn’t get enough of him. I was already feeling the guilt for making out with him though when he was clearly with Lexie, I wasn’t that kind of girl who believed in cheating. But it had felt so right.

“Hmm,” Collins answered back through the shower curtain and I shifted it open an inch to see her sitting on the counter swinging her legs away looking lost in thought.

“Well I’m not gonna say I would mind if Lexie got kicked to the curb by Grier but I don’t think starting up a relationship like that would be a very good idea. But I’ve never seen Grier look at Lexie the way those baby blues were eyein’ you. I think you’re in some trouble.”

“Trust me, I’m not looking to come in between the two of them. That’s the last thing I need to deal with. The wraith of Lexie does not sound like fun times to me.”

“Mmhmm, well remember anytime you need a listenin’ ear I’m here,” Collins answered back and I heard the door shut behind her.

                                                                   ***************************

A few weeks went by and I began to slowly fit in around my new hometown. I had my regular customers at Wakefield Diner who came into spread the town gossip around and I had Grier to show me around town.

We often met up early in the mornings outside of Grams house before school and on the weekends. We would walk for miles up and down the beach while he pointed out his and Vances favorite spots; the old wooden fishing piers being their favorite, where they had supposedly caught a ten foot shark. I’m pretty sure he was pulling my leg with one of those fishermen’s tales that I had heard about. He even took me fishing and even with him hooking the bait for me (I really did not want to touch that slimy ickyness) he said I caught on pretty well.

He showed me the town square where the annual Shrimp Fest was held in the summer that had a small white gazebo covered with gardenias and the bay breeze managed to swirl the delicious scent all over town and we threw pennies in the bubbling fountain that had a statue in the middle of it with the towns founder.

Grier even managed to get me to try seafood which I was definitely not a fan of. He led me to a small shack that sat on the beach and just judging by the outside appearance I wasn’t sure if I would eat anything from the place but he finally convinced me to try the crawfish which was probably the best thing I had ever eaten.

He never mentioned that first day we spent together though with our kiss in the water. And he definitely kept things on a friends level which was fine by me, he was probably the best friend I had ever had. Although it was pretty hard anytime I caught him gazing at me with his deep blue eyes or heard the sound of his loud laugh which sent butterflies to flit around in my stomach every time.

He kept his distance at school though which I understood, I’m pretty sure Lexie would not approve of his new friendship, especially with me.  She still managed to get her constant barbs in about me from picking on my clothing to how quiet I was. I figured with her being the Queen Bee that she liked the own sound of her voice but apparently I was supposed to pipe in about how good she looked that day or how awesome of a cheerleading captain she was.

 I think she caught on to the attraction I felt growing between Grier and I. I often caught her glancing between the two of us when our eyes would briefly meet and then she would run her hands and mouth all over his body in front of everyone, like she was claiming him. I think I really needed to find a new lunch table I could only stomach so much.

“I am so glad this project is just about over,” Vance plopped down onto the couch next to me in Griers living room and tossed an arm over my shoulder. “I am never gonna have kids after dealin’ with this thing.”

He tossed the plastic baby like a football towards me that the three of us had been rotating around for the past week as part of our child development project for Mrs. Earlys class. We were meeting up at Griers to write our final paper that detailed each of our experiences with the babies and the boys didn’t seem to have the best ones.

“Here,” Grier handed each of us a bottle of water and pulled out a notebook to write down our ideas. “So where do you think we should start?”

“Hmm, well the thesis of our paper should probably be ‘don’t be a fool wrap your tool’ and we should go from there. That pretty much solves the problem of changing all those shitty diapers, makin’ the bottles, and wakin’ up all god damn night. You can still have your fun in the sack. I am a genius.”

I rolled my eyes at the two of them while Vance took an exaggerated bow over his conclusion and they pounded fists. “Oh yeah I’m sure Mrs. Early would really give us an A for that brilliant idea Vance.”

“C’mon girl you have to admit it was funny,” Grier managed to say between laughs until he was finally able to control himself even though I could still see the amusement in his eyes.“Ok let’s get serious so we can get this over with.”

We spent the next couple of hours working on our paper and managed to finish it even with all of Vances teasing.

“Well I think I’ll walk this young lady home, it’s startin’ to get late. Think we’re good here?”

“Yup, looks good. Mrs. Early should definitely give us an A with this masterpiece. You sure you’re alright with this douche walkin’ you home girl, I could take you.”

I looked back into those intense blue eyes that I had started to fall in love with. He really was such a good guy, Lexie was lucky to have him and I didn’t want to get in the way of that. I think I needed to start limiting our alone time together so I didn’t step over that friends line he had clearly drawn in the sand.

“That’s alright,” I nudged Vance with my shoulder. “I’m sure this goon can keep his hands to himself, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye y’all,” he said leaning against the open door frame with his arms crossed watching us till we disappeared out of sight.

“So what are you goin’ to do about that?” Vance asked as soon as we were out of ear shot.

“Do about what?” He stopped me in my tracks and placed his hands lightly on my shoulders.

“Don’t play dumb with me Wynnie, I see the looks between the two of you all the time. You two try and hide ‘em but I ain’t no fool.”

I shrugged my shoulders and lightly shoved his chest away to continue on home. “Doesn’t matter, we’re just friends, he’s made that pretty clear. And besides he has Lexie, he’s clearly head over heels with her and they’ll probably get married right after we graduate.”

Vance let out a snort before jogging to keep up with my long legs. “You and I both know that Lexie is a bitch and if Grier even considered marrying her it would be the worst mistake of his life. Don’t give up on him Wynnie, I’ve never seen him look at Lexie the way he looks at you. Whenever your around his face lights up like a little boy on Christmas mornin’ just waitin’ to open up all them presents. You’ll see it’ll all work out, I should be one of those love doctors or somethin’.”

“Yeah right Dr. Vance, I can see it now. Would you be testing out all of the clients first too?”

“Ha your hilarious Wynn. That doesn’t sound look to bad of an idea though, I think you’re onto somethin’.”

                                                    *********************************

“So you’re coming to the game tonight, right? No excuses missy, this is like one of the biggest games in this towns history.” Hallie asked during our first class together of the morning.

Hallie and I had grown pretty close since we had almost all of the same classes together. Her bubbly personality tended to mesh well with my more laid back demeanor and we got along pretty well. And she was right about being the third wheel, although Tessa and Collins didn’t mean to, they were just a lot closer and Hallie tended to get left out of things.

“Yup, I’m gonna go with Grams, mom, and Aunt Gracie. Then I’ll meet up with you three for the bonfire afterwards. I promise,” I added on at the end with the unbelieving look Hallie was giving me.

I had yet to make it to any games since I still wasn’t too crazy about big crowds even though I had made a lot of progress in my therapy sessions with Dr. Snyde. She had given me a few homework assignments that I still had to work on and figured tonight would be as good as any. It helped knowing that I would have the support of my family there with me too.

“Awesome! I can’t wait, we’re goin’ to have so much fun. You haven’t been to a party yet that’ll match one of the fires, they are epic. You still planning on stayin’ the night at my house too?”

“Yup, I brought my bag with me and stashed it in the locker room that way I don’t have to worry about dragging it around afterwards. You think you could take it home for me after school?”

I had been over to Hallies house a few times to study or just hang out. She lived in a mansion of a place that overlooked the ocean just like Grams and was just a couple miles away. Her parents both seemed like really nice people too and she seemed to have a really good relationship with them and her younger brother Toby.

“Not a problem. You’re always thinkin’ Wynn.”

The rest of the school day breezed by and you could feel the excitement in the air for the upcoming game. Football was definitely important to this town and everyone was buzzing about the scouts that were supposed to be showing up to check out the star quarterback and his wide receiver Vance who were known as the ‘Bama Brothers. I had seen Grier early that morning on our walk down the beach and I could tell he was nervous about the game, barely uttering more than a few words to me.

I jogged back to make my way through the darkened gym and into the locker rooms so I could grab my bag for Hallie, she was waiting out front so she could make a trip back home before getting ready and heading back to the stadium.

I made my way into the darkened locker room that had quickly cleared out, everyone rushing home to get ready for the game and I stuck my hand out against the wall feeling for the light switch. There we go. The overhead yellow lights flickered on and I quickly covered my mouth at the scene in front of me.

Gulf Shores very own head cheerleader Lexie Brockett straddling the lap of someone who was most definitely not the star quarterback. Their mouths both dropped open in shock before Lexie quickly jumped up untangling her limbs from some guy that I had never seen before, while straightening out her pleated  skirt and she was instantly in my face with an icy look plastered across her perfect features.

“Not a word of this to anyone. Especially Grier. No one would believe you anyways, everyone knows you’re just a pschyo, they all just feel bad for you and act like your friends because of that cousin of yours. I.Will.Ruin.You.” She bit out at me through clenched teeth and I quickly turned and left without a word back.

I really needed to keep a bottle of acid in my purse so I could wash my eyes out. My mind was going a million different places, should I tell Grier, what exactly would Lexie do to ‘ruin’ me and what was all this psycho talk about?

“Where’s your bag honey?” Hallie asked as I rounded the corner, taking the stairs two at a time.

“Oh um just go on ahead without it. I’ll meet up with you later.”

“Wynn Wakefield,” she screeched out while planting her hands on her hips and actually stomping her foot at me. “Are you trying to get out of our girls night?”

“No, not at all Hallie. Something came up and I forgot a few things at home. I’m not backing out, I promise. We can paint our nails, listen to music, and talk about boys all night long if you want,” I rambled while wringing my hands nervously. Don’t look her in the eyes, don’t look her in the eyes. Hallie was pretty good at reading people and she would know something was instantly wrong.

“Ok,” she drawled out. “If you say so. See you later.”

I managed to make my way home and meet up with Grams, mom, and Aunt Gracie who were all decked out in their Gulf Shores gear, I’m pretty sure they were more excited than half of the student body between the three of them. I self consciously pulled down on my white shorts as we made our way up the bleachers in the parents sections and found our seats.

Dr. Snyde had been encouraging me for weeks to dress like the old me and she had officially given it to me as a homework assignment. So I had pulled on a pair of white shorts and borrowed one of Collins glittery Sharks tank tops, pairing the outfit with some black wedged sandals and applying a little bit more makeup than I was used to lately. I pulled my long hair up into a high ponytail and Grams had added the finishing touch with a white ribbon that she had tied into my hair.