Windswept

The three boys who stood in front of me had a very country charm about them. All of them were handsome, with tan skin. The two standing in the back had lighter hair than the one who stood in front. His hair was dark brown, and even underneath his ball cap, I could tell that his eyes were bluer than any I'd seen before. "Hey, don't be rude to her. She's new 'round here."

"How did you know?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Blue Eyes smiled. "Well, you certainly don't look it, and judging by the way you dress --"

"What is wrong with the way I dress?" I snapped, crossing my arms.

The boys laughed, and Blue Eyes, whom I took to be their 'leader' of sorts, shook his head. "Nothing, it's just... you're in Missouri, lady, and your," he paused, "your little Calvin Klein shorts are probably not the shorts you're going to want to wear."

I scowled, and pushed my way through them and out the door. In other words, back into the blistering heat. Stupid country boys don't know anything, do they? Ugh!

"Hey, wait!"

"Why? So you can make fun of me some more?" I seethed, continuing to walk down the blazing sidewalk. Even through my sandals, the ground was blistering hot.

"Just stop for a sec, okay?"

I did, and turned to see Blue Eyes, his cap removed and running towards me. "What do you want?"

He stuck his bottom lip out, like he was pouting. "Aww, why so cranky?" When I didn't laugh, he sighed, and continued. "I'm sorry. Really. Us Deercreek kids don't have no social skills."

Mentally, I was shuddering at his murder of the English language. "You mean to say that you don't have any social skills."

"Yeah, that's the one." Blue Eyes grinned, but I shook my head.

"No. If this is an attempt to be nice to me, I'm afraid I'd have to tell you to mind your own business." A gust of wind blew down the road, and for a moment, I forgot that it was one hundred and two degrees out here.

Blue Eyes stared at strangely, then said, "well, I s'pose I could try, but that'd be awfully hard."

"What do you want?" I asked him again.

"What's your name?" He replied.

I clenched my jaw, and scolded myself for even thinking about chewing on my lip. It was a bad habit that I knew I mustn't do. "Why?"

"I'm just wondering," Blue Eyes laughed. "A pretty girl like yourself has to have a pretty name to match."

I paused, and let myself smile, but only for a brief second. "My name is Valentina. Do you have a name?"

Blue Eyes smirked, and put on his ball cap. "It's nice to meet you, Valentina. My name is Ben."

"Ben. It's very..." I pondered for a moment, feeling slightly light headed from the heat. I pressed the back of my hand to my forehead and took a deep breath. "Simple," I finished.

"If you say so," he said, looking at me strangely. "Are you alright?"

"I really don't know?" My knees started to shake and I lost my balance for a brief moment. "It's this damn heat," I mumbled. Ben wrapped his arm around my waist and supported my weight.

"Here, I'll help you get home."

"No, I'm alright," I protested, pushing him away. I could still feel his fingers on my waist as I walked away, trying to keep myself in balance. I scolded myself; I was a ballerina, and ballerinas never lose their balance. I felt light headed as I walked, and before I knew it, I was stumbling again.

"Okay," Ben said, grabbing me around my waist, "I'm taking you home. I wouldn't want your grandma to blame me if you get hurt."

"You know my grandma?" I mumbled. Or at least, I think that's what I said. I was so dizzy that I could hardly see anything. It was spinning and blurry now. My stomach was churning, ready to spill whatever I had last eaten, which hadn't been much. I could hear Ben laughing at me as he carried me down the sidewalk. My legs weren't moving anymore, and I focused just enough to realize that he was carrying me like a bride. "Put me down!" I yelled. "I can go by myself!"

"I really doubt it, princess," he said. "You don't even know what you're saying."

"Shut up," I snapped. "Don't talk to me." I squeezed my eyes shut, pretending that I was in the studio back at home, practicing the ballet solo that I had choreographed for my audition in the fall. Dad expected only the best from me, which was why he was pushing Julliard on me. I have been dancing since I was three years old, and there was no way that I would miss that audition. I let my head fall sleepily on Ben's shoulder. So tired. Why was I so tired? Ben started speaking, but I couldn't make out any of the words. Then, I was being laid down on something soft.



Opening my eyes, I concentrated on my surroundings. I was back at Grandma's, lying in her living room on the couch. I could hear voices from the kitchen, making out Ben's and Grandma's voices, along with clinks of glasses full of cold. I shivered, and sat up.

"She's probably just got heat exhaustion."

"Could be. She's not used to this kind of heat."

"Where's she from?"

I lifted my hand to my face and wiped sweat off of my cheek. It felt cool in the room, and I wondered when Grandma's air conditioning had kicked on. There was a cool wash cloth on my forehead, and as I sat up, I removed it. My hair was wet now, with loose strands from my bun flying about my face. I felt fine now, and trusted myself to walk across the room into the kitchen.

"There she is!" Grandma smiled, and took the wash cloth from me. "Seems like you let the heat get to you, huh, darlin'?"

I took a deep, sleepy breath. "Yes. I suppose." I sat down at the kitchen table, across from Ben. He smiled at me, and sipped from his cup. "What are you drinking?"

"Iced tea," Grandma said. "Want some?"

"No." Truth be told, I really did. But I needed water more than sugary, caffeinated tea. "Just water, please."

"You alright now?" Ben asked, tilting his head to the side like a puppy dog. His hat had been removed, I just noticed, and now that the sun wasn't blinding me I was able to get a good look at him. He was much more handsome than I had thought at the diner, with clear skin, a small round nose, and pink, thick lips. When he smiled, his straight, white teeth showed. I stared at him longer than I had intended to, though, because he grinned at me, wrinkling his nose.

"I'm fine," I said quickly. Glancing over at the clock displayed on the oven, I pressed my lips together. It was already past seven o'clock. I must've been sleeping for at least an hour.

"Ben here brought you home and you were passed out." Grandma took her seat beside me, sliding a big glass of ice water towards me. I took it eagerly and drank it in big gulps. I hadn't even realized how thirsty I was until now.

Ben didn't say anything, but I knew he was just dying to tell her how I almost fell down twice within five minutes. We stared at each other, and I was disgusted. He sat there smiling, like he had just saved a princess from the fire-breathing dragon.

"I could've made it on my own," I said.

Ben laughed quietly. "Well, Mrs. Hertz, I should probably get getting home now. Ma's pro'lly worrying about me."

Grandma stood up, and walked with him to the front door. "Come over any time, Ben. It's always so good to see you." I finished off my water before she came back into the kitchen, and made a mad dash to my bedroom. "Val! Don't you run away. Come in here."

I pivoted on my heel with a huff. "What, Grandma?"

"Next time, don't be so rude to that boy. He's a nice one."

Rolling my eyes, I told her, "well, tell him next time you see him that I'm so terribly sorry for my rudeness." And with that, I walked down the hallway, locking myself in my bedroom.