Wishing for Someday Soon (12 page)

I picked up, expecting it to be a wrong number.

“Hello.”

“May I speak to Katelyn?” Max's voice asked, coming across the line.

“This is she,” I replied as a smile stretched across my face.

“Hey, it’s Max.”

“I kind of figured that,” I said teasingly. “How did you get this number?” I asked curiously.

“From my iPhone when you used it last night to call home,” he said, proud of himself.

“Clever.”

“Oh yeah, I’m practically Sherlock Holmes.”

“True dat,” I said, using Kevin’s favorite line.

His laughter filled the phone line.

“Anyhow, I was calling to see if I could give you guys a ride to school tomorrow?” he asked, sounding hopeful.

“Ummm,” I said, stalling for time. On the one hand, I wanted to see him and not riding the bus was definitely a perk, but on the other hand, he was making it hard for me to keep our relationship casual. “Isn’t it way out of your way?” I asked, trying to throw up a roadblock.

“No, I actually pass your place on my way to school every day.”

I mulled over his words as I dumped the water from the spaghetti noodles down the drain.

“Okay,” I said, finally conceding.

Max whooped with delight at my words. “Great, I'll pick you guys up at eight fifteen,” he said before hanging up.

The dial tone filled my ear and I slowly put the phone back on its cradle. I grimaced at my lack of willpower. I knew I was playing with fire by letting him get so close, but I couldn’t help the draw I felt toward him. He was unlike any guy I had ever known.

***

True to his word, Max pulled up into the driveway at eight fifteen on the nose the following morning. Jim had already left for his new job as a day laborer at some construction company, so Max pulled into the space closest to the door.

Kevin and I bounded down the stairs before he could even put the vehicle in park.

“I would've come to the door,” Max said as we climbed into the car.

“That’s okay, we were ready,” I said, glancing back at Kevin to make sure he was buckled in.

The ride to school went fast as Kevin and Max chatted away like long-lost friends. I tuned out most of their conversation once it turned back to superheroes, which became a very popular topic for them the rest of the week. The daily commuting kept me in a happy bubble, discovering new things about Max every minute we were together.

We also had our math tutoring time twice a week. Staying focused on algebra proved to be a challenge, spending that kind of intimate alone time without our other friends around. I noticed small little habits he had that made him even more endearing. Like the way he would rake his fingers through his hair when he was trying to get a point across, or how he had a dozen different smiles that all kept my heart beating erratically, especially when they were directed solely at me.

“What time should I pick you up tomorrow?” Max asked as we headed toward his car on Friday afternoon with Kevin bringing up the rear.

“Um, five should be okay,” I answered, climbing into the vehicle as he held the door open for me. “Lucinda's supposed to take me shopping tomorrow, and it shouldn’t take too long to find a dress.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Before my sister headed off to college, she could make dress shopping an all-day affair.”

“Well, I’m pretty decisive.”

“Max, can I play on your iPhone?” Kevin asked as per usual on the drive.

“Actually, buddy, look on the seat beside you, in that case,” Max said, pointing to a black leather case on the seat. “It’s my iPad. I thought you might like the bigger screen better.”

“Sweeeeeeeet,” Kevin said, dragging out the word as he turned on the electronic device. For someone without any tech experience, Kevin had become a pro in the short week Max had been chauffeuring us around.

“Katelyn, look how awesome this is,” he said, holding it up so I could see the large screen.

“Neato, bud, but make sure you’re careful with that. Those things cost a lot.”

“I will,” he promised as he clicked onto his new favorite game.

“Don’t worry,” Max said, watching me keep an eye on him. “It’s been sitting on my desk untouched for the last six months. It was cool at first, but between my iPhone and laptop, I really don’t have much time for it.”

“Still, be careful,” I told Kevin.

Max grinned at me.

“What?” I asked.

“Sometimes you sound just like an adult.”

“Is that a bad thing?” I asked, feeling a slightly paranoid.

“No, it’s a good thing. Matter of fact, it’s one of my favorite things about you. I like how you never seem to worry about the things girls our age normally harp on.”

“Like what?” I asked, smiling at the way he viewed most girls our age.

“Oh you know, dieting, clothes, who likes who, blah-blah-blah.”

I laughed at his words. “Maybe I’m not a girl,” I joked.

“Oh trust me, you’re definitely a girl,” he said, shooting me an appraising look.

I felt my cheeks tinge with color at his words and glanced back at Kevin to see if he was paying attention, but to my relief, he was busy dealing with the Angry Birds on the iPad.

“You sure about that?” I asked daringly.

I watched him swallow at my words “Tomorrow night I'll show you how sure I am,” he finally answered, looking at my lips.

My heart raced. We had yet to share our first kiss, and it was slowly driving us both insane. Spending each day side by side in class hadn’t helped the situation any.

“Thanks for letting me use your iPad,” Kevin said as we pulled up to the trailer.

“Why don’t you keep it for me this weekend,” Max said, reaching back to grab it.

“Really?” Kevin asked before I could intervene.

“I’m not too sure about that,” I said.

“Trust me, it’s fine,” Max said, winking at Kevin.

“Yeah, trust him,” Kevin piped in, hugging the treasure to his narrow chest.

“That way he can text us tomorrow night if he needs to get ahold of you,” Max said, playing a card he knew I wouldn’t be able to resist.

“Fine, but you have to be extra careful with it,” I told him, closing the vehicle door.

We both waved at Max as he backed out of the driveway.

“Make sure you hide that from mom,” I told him before we headed inside. The last thing we needed was for Lucinda to see it and decide to pawn it for a carton of cigarettes or something.

“I will,” he said, stowing it in his backpack.

I checked on Lucinda before heading to my room to get my homework out of the way so it wouldn’t be hanging over my head. I found her holed up in her room, busily writing on a notebook.

“Do you need anything?” I asked, poking my head in the room.

“Just a computer,” she mumbled, turning the page in her notebook.

“I’m sure you'll find one tomorrow,” I said, reminding her of her promise to take me shopping for a dress.
 

“Yeah yeah,” she said, shooing me off like an annoying fly.

I just let the issue drop rather than push any further. When Lucinda got a wild hair to try something new, she would leap in full-force, forgetting about everything else. Through the years, she had attended every trade school imaginable, always getting right on the verge of completion before deciding the venture wasn’t for her. It was the same story with each new place we lived or every guy she hooked up with. She must have found her soul mate at least a dozen times by now. Eventually though, the novelty would wear off, Prince Charming would be toast, and we were hitting the road to another new state that would be the answer to all our dreams—Lucinda’s dreams was more like it. All I could hope was that the writing obsession would last and maybe we would stay here for a while.

***

Dress shopping the next day went surprisingly well when I found the perfect dress right off the bat at the thrift store. With the help of Kevin, I was completely buttoned up in a deep rust-colored velvet dress that seemed to accentuate my pale skin rather than wash me out further. It was longer than any dress I had ever worn, sweeping down to the tops of my toes, making me feel like I was in the Victorian era. Long delicate sleeves trimmed in old-fashioned lace slimmed down my arms to end at a point just beyond my wrist. Kevin applauded as I swirled around to show off. Flushing with happiness, I left the dress on and headed toward the shoe section.

I absolutely detested buying used shoes, but knew that my sneakers wouldn’t cut it with the dress.

“Katelyn, you look great,” Jim said, offering out rare praise when he saw me in the shoe department.

“Thanks,” I said.

I critically scanned the size sevens with no real idea what color shoes to get. Seeing multiple pairs that might work, I pulled them off the shelf and lined them up on the floor. I separated any that looked too beat-up or worn, dwindling my stack down to a forth of it where I started.

After twenty minutes of indecision, I was near despair, stressing over which pair to select.

“Get the delicate black ballet slipper ones,” Lucinda said, coming up behind me.

“These ones?” I asked, bending down to pick them up and slipping them on my feet.

“Yes, those are perfect,” she said, looking satisfied.

“Thanks,” I said, smiling at her.

She returned my smile and looked at me affectionately for the first time in months.

“Did you find a computer?” I asked, sensing where the good mood was coming from.

“Yep, an HP desktop. It looks almost brand-new,” she crowed.

“Wow, that’s great. How much?” I asked casually as I returned the discarded shoes back to the rack.

The price she quoted was definitely going to stretch our budget.

“I need ten to cover the difference from the voucher. Is that okay?” I asked, keeping my fingers crossed.

“Sure,” she said, still smiling happily.

It was partially my fault for encouraging Lucinda to write, so I felt I really shouldn’t complain about them using the majority of our cash to buy a computer, but that didn’t help the sickening knot in the pit of my stomach.

On the way home we stopped off at Wal-Mart to pick up cartons of cigarettes for both Lucinda and Jim. I insisted that Kevin needed gloves and a hat, so I shepherded him over to the kids’ department to see if they had anything. Not surprisingly, he picked the ones with Batman emblems plastered across them. On our way back to find Jim and Lucinda, we spotted a clearance section of backpacks marked down to three dollars apiece. Finding one with Batman that matched his hat and gloves, I grabbed it up.

“We can at least ask, right?” I said as he studied the backpack longingly.

Lucinda only agreed to let Kevin get his backpack once she was sure they had enough money for their cigarettes. What else was new? In the past, Kevin and I had witnessed Lucinda spend our last three dollars on her cancer sticks instead of getting us something to eat, so we were both well aware of where we ranked in the pecking order.

It came down to our very last cent, but Kevin left the store with the backpack clutched securely in his arms. He grinned the entire way home and I couldn’t help reaching over and ruffling his hair. Seeing him happy made me happy.

We arrived home moments before Max pulled into the drive. I grabbed my purse and peeked in on Kevin who was happily playing on Max’s iPad.

“Remember to keep that out of sight,” I reminded him, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. “You remember how to use the texting app too, right?”

“Yep,” he said, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“Okay, see you later, punk.”

“Bye, sis,” he said, finally looking up.

Max was just about to knock on the door when I pushed it open, making him take a quick step back.

“Oops, sorry,” I said, giggling at his quick reflexes.