Fly Me Away

“So what’s the deal? You can’t just surprise visit me at school like that, I haven’t even told Pip that we’re back on yet....and what if Kelly saw? Ugh Jackson, you’re such a fool.”

I was driving around town in my beat up corolla trying to make Jackson feel bad about showing up at school. I glanced over at him in the passenger seat, he was grinning out the window looking thoroughly amused. His glorious form was completely out of place in my car.

“But we’re friends now,” he defended, “You’re friend just wanted to drive home with you.”

“And how did my friend get there in the first place? Did you walk to my school?”

“Well I didn’t drive.”

I growled, frustrated, “All I needed was a little warning!”

“Why?” he questioned, poking around in my glove box, “It’s easy enough to tell people that we’re friends again.”

“Okay don’t do that and listen to this, it’s important.” I leaned over and tried to swat his hands away from the glove box.

He obediently sat back and folded his arms.

“Right, so here’s how it is – Nobody’s going to believe that me and you are 'just friends’ no matter how much I try to convince them.”

I didn’t look away from the road, but I could feel Jackson’s eyes burning a hole in my skull.

“What makes you say that?” he asked curiously.

I shook my head stubbornly, “Because that’s just how it is.”

There was silence as he thought about it, then it was broken by his aggravated voice. “You’re not explaining this properly.”

“I just....don’t really know how to explain it. It’s hard enough for a guy and a girl to just be friends without raising suspicion, but when the guy,” I cleared my throat, “looks like you, it’s near impossible.”

“That’s completely ridiculous.” He brushed me off, staring back out the window again.

We were both being stubborn. Jackson refused to believe what I knew was the absolute truth. At that moment, all I wanted was to prove Jackson wrong, but I knew that would happen on its own. He would see how Pip, especially, would react to the news that we were socializing again. To humor him however, I would go along with his perfect ideals and constantly play the ‘we’re just friends card’ so he wouldn’t think I cheated.

This was officially a game.

“Fine, you can just see it for yourself. I’m going to Pip’s, I would appreciate it if you would invisiblize.”

He made a slight noise of agreement.

-----

“Yo Maggie!” Pip yelled. The sound was muffled by the glass of my car.

Pip was waiting for me in her driveway when I arrived. The Gallingways (Pip’s family) had a huge house. Her Dad was a super successful businessman, while her Mom stayed home and took care of the ten children. She’s quite possibly the most dedicated and effective Mother on the planet, which made her a little bit intimidating.

Jackson was still sitting in the passenger seat, and I assumed he was invisible because Pip wasn’t taking any notice of him.

She wrenched my door open and pulled me out of the car.

“Come into the lair! Half the kiddies are out doing there weird after school Shiz, so there won’t be too many disruptions,” she explained.

She was right, her place was surprisingly quiet. I assumed by half the kiddies she meant some of her brothers and sisters, so there were still a few of them running around, burning off their after-school energy.

We sat in the kitchen, mulling over random things like we usually did.

“You haven’t been here in ages Mags, what’s been happening with you lately? I feel like something’s different with you, you know?”

I jumped at Pips perceptiveness and nearly spilled the glass of water in my hand. “What makes you say that?”

“Oh nothing I guess... you’re just a little bit out of it sometimes, but I know you’d tell me if it was something major,” she added, unconcerned.

I nodded guiltily, staring down at my water. There has been a major change, and I couldn’t tell her. I glanced up to look at Jackson for reassurance. He was in the next room over, but I could see him through the door way – he was smiling sympathetically at me.

“Pippani Lyn!” a voice from the hallway called, “why didn’t you tell me my girl was here?”

A reasonably tall, confident looking boy emerged from the hall way. He had a blaze of scruffy red hair that clashed with his dark green sweatshirt and a brilliant, cheeky smile. Jackson stepped into the room and observed the new comer from the doorway.

The boy sauntered up to us and Pip jumped off the kitchen bench to punch his shoulder. “Bronco hey! I didn’t even know you were here?”

He waved her off and kept walking towards me, just like I knew he would. Pip was on the bottom of his list when I was around.

“Hello my sweet. Long time no see?” He cooed, standing in front of me with his hands on the bench either side.

My face turned an unnatural shade of red as I watched Jackson’s eyebrows slowly hit the roof.

“Yeah, I’ve been busy,” I muttered, slipping under his arm and stumbling towards where Pip was.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Jackson. His expression was either surprised or disgusted. I needed to explain that this was nothing before he got some crazy ideas.

“Too busy for me?” He jumped onto the bench were I was previously sitting and jutted out his bottom lip.

“You’re not exactly on the top of my priority list,” I said smugly.

“Ouch,” he feigned hurt, but smiled like a Cheshire cat, “I like them feisty.”

I rolled my eyes and turned to Pip for an escape route. She just stood there and grinned equally as madly as her brother.

“Ugh, Pip I’m going up to your room.”

I stomped out of the kitchen and began scaling the million flights of stairs. Pip was bouncing behind me, giggling like a school girl.

“He really likes you though Mags,” she whispered, once we were far enough away from Bronco.

“Not interested Pip.”

Don’t get me wrong, Bronco was definitely not a bad guy, and certainly not bad looking. In fact, he was one of the only guys I knew who could really pull off red hair. Though it was in need of a cut, it was that pleasant kind of strawberry blond color – but he hated calling it that. Once upon a time, me and him would have been together, had I not been a sensible coward in my youth.

We got to Pips mega messy, crazy purple/orange room and I dropped myself onto a pile of beanbags.

“It would be so cool though...my brother and my best friend....”

“No Pip, just, ugh, no!” I shoved my face into a beanbag to muffle my screams. Bronco was definitely not the one I wanted.

I sat there for a moment and calmed myself down. I could hear the sound of Pip scribbling something down on paper, then screwing it up, throwing it and missing the trash can. She did this several times over before I lifted my head out of curiosity.

She noticed and explained, “Music homework. My stupid teacher's making me compose a whole piece before next Friday. He’s dreaming.”

I sat up and started to watch Pip jotting down musical notes all over some weird lined paper called manuscript. It was fascinating how she did it in her head like that. I wanted to hear her play it out loud to see if I could make sense of it.

Slowly, more and more of the Gallingway children arrived home and the house became a circus. When the two of us eventually emerged from Pips room and headed downstairs for dinner, I couldn’t walk two steps without being tackled by a small red headed child.

“Buzz off Fran. Get a haircut Shea. Have you two always been that ugly?” Pip blurted out insults as if she had a secret supply all ready in her head; which I wouldn’t doubt.

She was the second oldest of the kids, Bronco being one year her senior. He moved out last year though and was currently living with some students on the opposite side of town, so Pip automatically became the family bully.

If you’d asked me to name all the kids, I still couldn’t do it. I’d always miss one or two of them... and they all had such...unique names...

I had experienced it several times before, but it never ceased to surprise me how tame having dinner with 12 people was. The children were all extremely well behaved, and if any of them showed signs of playing up, Mr and Mrs Gallingway would quickly and efficiently thwart their efforts.

Bronco stuck around for dinner, of course, but he wasn’t being completely perverted or anything. At least he had the decency to behave in front of his parents.

Near the end of dinner, there was a long moment of silence which was efficiently broken when Bronco shamelessly said, “So, when should we go official Maggie? I think the world deserves to know our relationship status.”

A mighty chorus of “Ewww! That’s so gross!”, “she’s way to pretty for you Bronco!” and “What does that mean Mom?” erupted from the table.

“Bronco please, don’t embarrass the poor girl,” Mr Gallingway laughed like a jolly old man with his hand on his belly. Glad he found it amusing; my face must have looked like a beetroot.

“Wouldn’t it be cute though!” Pip chirped, to my ultimate displeasure. I gave Pip’s shoulder a whack, but she just laughed along with the rest of the family. It was like they were all plotting against me. Bronco was smiling at me in a friendly way, but I couldn’t return it. I knew somebody who would be very confused by all of this...

“This boy?”

My hand leapt to my heart. Jackson was standing behind me, but I couldn’t look or reply without raising suspicion.

“You could do better,” Jackson finished.

I couldn’t help it, I had to spin around and look at him, but he’d disappeared. I groaned in frustration and stabbed a potato on my plate. Pip was casting me weird glances from my side while I viciously ate the spud, but she said nothing.

I volunteered to help with the clean-up – it was a big job after all. Bronco also agreed, thinking it would be fitting, since we were the only two people who didn’t live there that ate the food. Pip ran off, saying she’d just be in her room finishing that music thing and I should meet her up there when I was done. Thanks a lot Pip.

I gathered the plates, deciding to give Bronco the cold shoulder while I did it. He didn’t complain, like I thought he would, so we just did the work in complete silence. After a while I started to feel a little bit guilty, he was only joking and I was just blowing it all out of proportion. There was something legitimate that was bothering me though – Jackson’s behavior during dinner. Every now and then I’d check to see if he was around, but he never was.

Once the dishes were safely in the washer and the table was spotless, I flopped down onto one of the dining room chairs. Bronco did the same. He put his elbow on the table and leaned his head on his hand. I hated to admit it, but that boy really could be adorable when we wanted to be.

“I’m Sorry Maggie. You know I was only joking at dinner right?” he mumbled, giving me his best innocent face.

When baby faced guys give you the puppy dog look, you can’t help but feel bad.

“Yeah I know,” I mumbled back, mimicking the way he was leaning on his arm.

“Good,” He beamed, “Living with a million red headed siblings makes you a little bit weird. Sometimes I just don’t think before I do things.”

I had to laugh at this. Yes, he was a little bit weird, but mind you, so was Pip. I noticed that even their parents had the odd lapse in sanity.

After that, I found myself in a weird staring contest with bronco – one of those ones where whoever blinks first looses. I wasn’t sure how it happened, but it just did. It reminded me a whole lot of something Pip would do. Sort of made me think about what my brother was doing...

Bronco did something funny with his eyebrows and I blinked, just like that.

“Ha!” he bellowed.

“You cheated!” I raised an accusing finger at him and he held up his hands defensively.

Then the doorbell rang.

I automatically stood and started walking towards the door. Bronco grabbed my hand and pulled me back, “One of the little tykes will get it.”

I stumbled around a bit, then flopped back down onto my chair, “Force of habit I guess.”

“It probably won’t be for you anyway,” he laughed.

Then I glanced down and saw something peculiar – Bronco hadn’t let go of my hand. I opened my mouth to politely complaint when I heard my name being called from the front of the house.

“Maggie? Who’s Maggie? Do we have a Maggie in the house?!” One of the kids shrieked.

“Me?” I asked nobody in particular. Bronco let go of my hand and rubbed his neck sheepishly.

I stood again and headed down the long hallway towards the front door.

“Jackson,” I hissed quietly, hoping that he could tell me who was at the door for me before I got there. I couldn’t think of anybody who would come all the way out to Pip’s house to find me, and if it was my mother, I was going to run away and hide.

I opened my mouth to call him again, when I realized somebody was following me. I turned to look and saw Bronco sauntering behind me with his hands in his pockets, pretending he wasn’t there.

I groaned and dragged my feet the rest of the way – it was such a huge house. I could hear murmuring coming from the front door, but it was too quiet for me to make out. When I finally rounded the corner, I froze in my tracks.

“You. Have. Got. To. Be. kidding!” I howled.

Along with Pip’s younger sisters, Jackson was hovering in the doorway looking gorgeous. His face visibly brightened as I moved closer, which was the opposite of what mine was doing. My fists were clenched and I was sure that my feet were making holes in the floor as I walked.

How on earth was I going to explain this.