Love Letters

“Hey Karlee!” Roxy called from across the turf, walking over to me. “Nice play!” She patted me on the back and I smiled.

“Thanks.”

On Wednesday, the soccer team was holding tryouts and judging by how many people showed up, there were going to be a lot of disappointed faces. The coach was only picking twenty-three people and about fifty had come. Half of them couldn’t even kick the ball in the right direction, though, so it was getting difficult to find good soccer players since all of the best left last year.

Roxy rubbed her hands together. “I wonder who’s going to make it,” she said, sitting down on the bench and surveying the people doing drills while we got to take a short water break. I fanned myself with the collar of my shirt and let out a deep breath.

“I don’t know. It’s a tough call,” I said, crossing my legs. “Great, I’ve already got a bruise.”

“Don’t feel too bad. That two-hundred-and-fifty pounder came out of nowhere. Needless to say, she’s not making it after she kicked you in the shin because you managed to block the ball at the net,” Roxy replied. She looked past me now and frowned. “What’s Dalton doing here?” she muttered. I turned around and my eyes went wide.

He stood behind the fence with his hands shoved in his pockets, watching the tryouts for soccer. When he saw me looking at him, he waved. “I’ll go ask,” I said, getting up and jogging across the field. I stopped when I got to the field entrance and put my hands on my hips. “Hey, you looking for someone?”

“Yeah, you,” he replied, flashing a beautiful smile. He looked down at my leg. “Nice battle scar.”

“Oh,” I said, glancing down and trying to hide it but athletic shorts only covered so much. “Yeah, uhm . . . some girl kicked me.”

He laughed. “Why?”

“Because I blocked her play,” I replied and shrugged. “So what’s up? Why were you looking for me?”

“Well Pax told me you had soccer tryouts and I wasn’t sure if you were available to tutor me today or not so I came by to ask,” he replied. “If you can’t, that’s fine. I was just curious.”

I checked my watch. “I should still have time,” I responded. “Do you want to wait for me until we’re done here and then I’ll help you out?”

“Sure, that’d be great,” he said, smiling. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” I replied. “But give me an excuse as to why you’re here. Roxy’s going to ask me when I get back there and I’m not good at thinking on my feet.”

“Just tell her that I was asking you if we had any English homework,” he said, shrugging. “She’s pretty dense. She’d believe it if you told her that I was here to try out for the girls’ team.”

“But then she’d make some crude joke about how you’re gay,” I said, smirking.

“Touché,” he said, laughing.

“Hawthorn! Let’s go!” Coach Mason called from the center of the field. “Stop chatting up your boyfriend and get back in here! Tryouts aren’t over yet!”

Dalton raised his eyebrows at her. “Wow, intense,” he said. “Come find me when you’re done.”

I nodded and made my way back over to the field. Roxy met me halfway.

“What did he say?” she questioned.

“He was just asking about the English homework,” I recited. “Nothing too big.”

“But we didn’t have any homework in English.” She paused. “Did we?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“So did you tell him that?”

“Yeah.” I crossed my arms when we reached Coach Mason and all of the other girls. The sun was beating down pretty heavy for a day approaching fall and we had gotten many chilly days so to have a burning hot one was just out of the ordinary right now. I rubbed my forehead and sighed when the large girl bumped into me and glared. It made matters worse because she was like a six foot something rugby player and there I was, the little munchkin right beside her.

It was going to be one long practice.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Why are you still here?” Roxy growled at Dalton when we left the change rooms. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, waiting for me and I had tried to get away from Roxy—not because I didn’t like her but because I knew that this was exactly what was going to happen—but she demanded I wait for her and then we would leave together.

Dalton glanced at me and I bit my lip. “I’m giving her a ride,” he said.

“She lives right down the street,” Roxy said, grabbing my arm. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Uhm, he’s . . . driving me downtown,” I blurted, shaking my head. She looked back at me, confused. “To my dad’s work. I’m going out for dinner with my family and Dalton offered so . . .”

Dalton nodded sharply and Roxy scowled at him. “Whatever,” she mumbled, turning to me. “Can you hang out tomorrow?” she asked. “A few of us are going out to a movie so if you want to join, you definitely can.”

Dalton stood behind her making a stabbing motion at the back of her head. I resisted the overbearing urge to laugh and coughed into my fist to distract myself. “Yeah, sure. I’m up for it.”

“Good,” she smiled, turning around to Dalton to send him one last really hard glare before walking off. He rolled his eyes.

“God, she certainly knows how to overreact,” he said. “It’s her own fault. What’s she blaming me for?”

I shrugged. “It’s what we do,” I said. He looked confused. “Girls like to put the blame on the guy to make them feel bad. We like the guilt to be on you because we like receiving an apology even when we know you didn’t do anything.”

“All right then,” he said, laughing lightly. “So you ready?”

I nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Dear unknown,

Has your dad ever caught onto the ladder trick that you and your sister pull? If he hasn’t, I have to say, I’m surprised. If I was your father, I’d be questioning you immediately about why there is a ladder directly below your window but I guess he’s too busy to care, haha. Do you get worried about him being a cop? That’s a really dangerous job and I know if either of my parents had that career, I’d be thinking about them constantly, concerned if they were okay or not.

Really smart system that you and your sister created though. If I had a ladder, I would use it but my parents just kind of let me out whenever I want. They’re the type of people who are just like “are you coming home tonight?” and if I say no, they just reply with a simple “okay, see you tomorrow!” It’s good that you and your sister get along better than you used to. I hardly ever see mine and we don’t really like each other either. She has an attitude, to say the least. And she’s always messing with my hair.

The girl I like is definitely a keeper. If she knew how I felt and we were actually together, I’d never even think about giving her up. Sometimes it is upsetting, though. I’ll see her liking other guys or talking about them and the fact that she has absolutely no idea about my feelings just kind of compels her to talk to me about them. Sounds like this guy you’re interested in has some feelings for you, if I do say so myself. Not many guys ask for a tutor. We just kind of power through our classes and don’t do much else unless we really need the help. If he likes you, then congratulations! Hopefully something good comes of it.

-Anonymous.

Dear Anonymous,

Haha, nope. He has no idea about the ladder thing. It’s definitely surprising, even to me, because my sister would leave the house at like, quarter after ten and say “I’m going to water the plants!” and then walk in maybe two minutes later. You would think he’d hear the banging of the ladder making contact with the wall but I guess he just figured it was a raccoon or something. That or he’s half asleep when he comes home. The second option sounds more believable because he leaves for work sometimes as early as five and doesn’t get back until around eight or nine.

Yeah, having a cop father always makes me worry about him but he’s a tough guy and he’s pretty good at looking out for himself. My dad actually has a number of battles scars. He got shot in the leg once but other than that, it’s mostly scars and scratches. You’re lucky! He never lets me out past seven-ish or if he does, it’s because I told him practically a week in advance that I wasn’t going to be home until later.

My sister and I are really close now. I don’t think I could apologize to her enough for being such a brat when we were kids. I think everyone noticed it and frankly, I don’t know how she put up with it. She must have a high tolerance for annoying people but then again, so do my dad, my brother and my mom. I guess it runs in the family. Do you miss your sister? Maybe you two should get in contact again, give each other a call or something. Believe me, it’s a lot better to talk with a sibling that you used to despise than to ignore them for the rest of your life.

I can see where it would get upsetting for you to hear about your friend’s feelings for other guys when you like her. Maybe you should tell her? Or at least give her some hints that you’re interested. You never know, she could end up being even crazier about you than you are for her. For the guy I like, I really hope he’s interested in me, haha. I mean, I’m not obsessed like other girls are but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to him. Maybe I’ll start being more assertive or something. It’s not one of my strong suits but I’m going to change this year.

-Unknown.

P.S: I hope things work out for you!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

I flipped the corner of my book down and closed it, reaching up and turning off my lamp before settling into my bed. Right when I started to drift off to sleep, I was jolted back awake with a sudden hard tap on my window. I bolted out of bed and looked over. The tree outside wasn’t hitting it and the ladder had fallen to the ground the night before so I figured I was just hearing things and lied back down.

Then something hit it again and I growled, threw the covers off of myself and stepped out of bed. I opened the window and looked down to see Trey standing there, waving at me.

“Are you crazy?” I hissed quietly. “It’s almost midnight. What are you doing?”

“I’m bored,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Want to hang out?”

“I’m in my pajamas, Trey.”

“So?”

I glared at him.

“I’ve seen you in less than your pajamas before. Let’s go. You know you’ll give in eventually so you might as well just do it now before things get messy,” he said, raising his eyebrows like he was testing me to see how long I was going to hold out.

“What do you mean by messy?” I asked. He grabbed the ladder and brought it up against my window. I frowned. “All right, fine. But be quiet, will you?” He shook his head and climbed up anyway. I had hoped he was bluffing but Trey never bluffed so it was foolish to think he was this time. I put my hands on the windowsill and waited for him to get up to my level. He folded his arms around the edge of the ladder and tilted his head.

“Go on, get dressed.”

“You know I’m the one with leverage here, right?” I asked, furrowing my brows.

“How?”

I pushed the ladder back and his eyes went wide as he began to fall. I laughed and grabbed the edge of the ladder quickly, pulling him back to me. “That’s how. Now get out of here.”

“I’ll be waiting for you down there,” he said.

“And what if I fall asleep again?”

“You won’t wake up in a pleasant way,” he said. “I’ll be climbing back up here in ten minutes. Go get dressed or wear your pajamas. It doesn’t matter to me one way or another.” I closed the window and glared at him through the glass. He grinned at me and climbed back down. I quickly snatched a pair of jeans from my closet and a sweater, got changed and checked out my bedroom door to see if my dad was still awake. The hallway was completely dark except for a small light coming out under the door from his bedroom. I closed my door again and opened the window, climbing down the ladder. Trey met me at the bottom and offered me his hand even though I didn’t really need it but I took it anyway.

“Where are we going?” I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets.

“Are you cold?” he asked. I shook my head. “Just taking a walk, I guess. I don’t know. I wanted to get out of the house because Pax kept asking me if he could put ketchup in my hair.” I raised my eyebrows. “He was bored too.”

“No kidding,” I said, stepped out of my backyard onto the sidewalk. I paused for a second and looked up at him, my eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What did you mean when you said you’ve seen me in less than my pajamas before?”

“We’ve gone to the beach together,” he said.

“I see.”

“You had a bikini.”

“Just once. Thanks for reminding me. That thing was a hazard.”

He smiled. “I liked it.”

“Of course you did. You’re a boy. You like any girl that shows a little skin.”

Trey laughed. “That is so not true.”

“It is.”

“Hey, I said I liked you in it. I didn’t say I liked just anyone in it.”

I looked over at him, raised my eyebrows. “You know, there are boundaries to this relationship.”

He just smiled. “So is there anywhere you want to go?” he asked, rubbing his hands together. I shrugged.

“Not particularly. You choose. You pulled me out of my bedroom so don’t you have some idea of what to do?”

He shook his head. “Not even a little bit.”

“Why didn’t you just call on Ruby instead of me?” I asked. When Trey didn’t say anything, I looked up at him. His face had reddened a little bit and his jaw tightened. “You didn’t talk to her did you?”

“I couldn’t,” he said. “She told me she was too busy and that she had to go somewhere school-related. Found out later that she was just hanging out with Dalton. Why is she lying to me? I don’t get it.”

“Do you want me to talk to her for you?” I asked, poking him in the side. He moved away and frowned.

“No,” he said immediately. “I’m not a kid. I can handle it myself.”

I smiled. “If you say so.”

“Are you sure they don’t have anything going on?” he asked me. I nodded.

“I talked to him. He said she was like a sister in his mind. Not many people end up falling in love with someone they’ve considered close to a sibling their whole life.” Trey opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but then decided against it and closed it again. “What?” I asked.

“Nothing.”

“No, come on. Tell me.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not important.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow,” he said. He came to a sudden stop now and stared at the intersection. “Come on.”

He grabbed for my hand but I pulled it back quickly. “What are you doing?”

“Living on the edge,” he said, walking forward. He glanced over his shoulder at me and smiled. “You’re not scared, are you?”

I frowned. “Come on, Trey. Don’t use that peer pressure shit. That’s not you,” I said. He nodded.

“No, I won’t. You can hang out by the sidewalk if you want,” he responded, and laid down right in the middle of the intersection. He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, completely relaxed, whereas I was standing on the sidewalk watching him, tense everywhere and just wanting to pull him away.

“Trey, I don’t think this is a good idea,” I said, looking around.

“Relax,” he replied, smiling. “Everything is fine.”

Even though the intersection we were at had maybe two cars pass through it in an hour, I was still freaking out. He had to be insane to lie down in the middle of the road when he knew he could get hit. But then again, this was Trey. He lived and craved danger.

“Trey,” I whispered but he didn’t reply. He looked completely relaxed and at peace. Had he fallen asleep? “Trey!” I whispered a little louder but he still said nothing. I walked over to him and kicked him lightly in the side. He growled.

“Not nice,” he said. “Some people don’t like that.”

“Get up, man. This isn’t smart,” I said, crossing my arms.

“Of course it’s not. Dangerous never is.”

“Trey, come on. Just get up.”

“Do you see any cars coming?” he asked calmly, tilting his head to the side like he was just about ready to go to bed in the middle of the road.

“Why are you even doing this?”

“Because I’m bored,” he said. “When I’m bored, I take chances. If there’s nothing else to do, why not live on the edge a little bit? Any smart driver with their headlights on would see me lying here and stop so why should I worry?”

“You’re like a crazy person,” I said. “This is just stupid. Trey, let’s just go.”

He shook his head.

“Fine, then I’m going home.” I turned and walked away from him but when I got to the sidewalk, I stopped and looked over my shoulder. Something always stopped me from actually going through with what I considered to be a bluff. He had called it quite easily. Trey popped an eyelid opened and smiled, then tilted his head back and let out a long breath.

“Exactly. Come on, just once,” he said.

I sighed, giving up, and lied down next to him.

“You and your stupid antics,” I mumbled, to which he just grinned.

I wasn’t sure how long we were lying there in complete silence—felt like hours but I knew that it was only minutes passing—and after a short while, I saw a faint white light and sat up, looking behind me.

“Trey,” I said, tapping his arm. “There’s a car coming.”

“Relax,” he said again, not making any effort to move. The car approached faster. If anything, it seemed like it was accelerating even though it could see us from the streetlight and the driver knew we were there.

“Trey,” I repeated a little more urgently. “Come on, get up.”

He shook his head. “Just wait.”

The driver wasn’t stopping. It got closer and closer, making no move to slam on the brakes.

I started to get up but Trey grabbed my arm. He still had his eyes closed. “A little bit longer.”

It was only about three hundred meters away. My heartbeat sped up and my eyes went wide. Now I was really panicking.

“Trey!” I screamed. He grabbed my hand, leapt up and ran onto the sidewalk with me trailing behind him. He burst out laughing as the car sped by at a ridiculous pace for someone in a school zone, and gave us the finger. He doubled over, gripping his knees as the laughter spilled out of him. I, on the other hand, was fuming. I hit him hard in the arm.

“What the hell?! Are you crazy?!”

“That was priceless,” he said, pointing to my face. “You looked horrified.”

“I was!” I yelled. “That wasn’t funny! We could have gotten hit!”

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t have let that happen.”

“You waited way too long! I almost had a heart attack!”

“Relax,” he said, putting his hands on my shoulders and giving me a light shake. “It was more a lesson for you than just something for us to do when I got bored and didn’t know what else to spend my time on.”

I scowled. “How was this possibly a lesson?”

“You told me you wanted to take chances so this was it,” he said, gesturing to the road.

“There’s a difference between taking chances and almost getting killed, you know.”

He nodded. “I know. But like I said, I wasn’t going to let that car hit you. Live on the edge a little bit, Karlee. It’s exhilarating and it’ll make you want to do more than just sit at home studying like you always do.”

I glared at him, but he just smiled.

“That was really reckless of you,” I said.

“I know,” he responded. “But I don’t really care. That driver is an idiot for speeding up when he saw two people in the middle of the road.”

“Obviously but I think someone else is the bigger idiot here,” I grumbled, shoving him.

“Hey now, I was more worried about you than I was for myself,” he said. “You’re not used to this stuff, whereas I know what I’m doing.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” I mumbled. Trey laughed.

“Chill out,” he said. “You need to learn how to have fun sometimes.”

“And this was your way of showing me?”

He smiled. “Sometimes the tutor needs one of their own.”