Calamity Jane

Sunday is spent similarly to the previous day. But it’s only Yamilex, Hector, and I on the beach this day. The other ‘grown ups’ decide they want to go out and shop and get drunk. Yamilex has me mounted on her shoulders and she’s jogging down the side of the water, laughing. Her hands grip my legs tightly and she keeps yelling, “Hold on, Jane.” I giggle and glance back at a breathless Hector, who can’t keep up with the seventeen year old.

She screams out when he gets close and makes a dart for the water. I’m taken by surprise as we both plunge into cold, darkness, our limbs intertwining. I swallow mouthfuls of water. She kicks herself free and I let myself float a moment. My eyes are closed and my body is pushed back and forth with the current. It’s peaceful under here. I think I want to stay.

My lungs start to ache and my heart beats faster. I feel a pair of hands grabbing me. They’re surprisingly warm and before I know it, I’m back at the surface, gasping for air. I spit the water out of my mouth. I pull at my hair which is matted to my face and turn to see who’s brought me back up. It’s Hector, with an expression of shock and worry. He cusses at Yamilex, picks my legs up, and carries me out of the water.

“What? You’re an asshole,” she mutters, walking away from him. “It’s not my fault.”

“Look at her!” Hector yells. I shiver and struggle to get down to my feet. I feel uncomfortable being carried.

“You ruin everything,” she says bitterly. “If you wouldn’t be such a childish asshole I wouldn’t have dived in that water.”

Hector tightens his grip on me, silently refusing to let me down. She glances at me and then at him and turns and starts walking towards the pathway that leads to the motel. “Hey,” I cry. Hector jumps and I fall to the sand.

“Shit,” he mutters, grabbing my hand. I pull away and chase after Yamilex.

“Hey,” I cry, accelerating. I’m out of breath. “I’m supposed to watch after you,” I scream. “I promised Taylor.”

She turns, rolls her eyes, and walks a few feet towards me. “I’m going back to the motel,” she says. “I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll walk you,” I say, catching my breath.

“No,” she says firmly. “I’m seventeen. I have a key. I don’t need to be walked like a child.”

My stomach is in knots and I don’t want to let her walk away. I know if anything happened to her Taylor would never forgive me. “Fine,” I say. “I’ll watch until you walk in that door. Call me if you need anything.”

She nods and starts again, but stops. “He’s an asshole,” she tells me. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

I shrug it off, not knowing what to say. I hear padded footsteps and look to see Hector coming. Yamilex breaks off into a run, not saying anything else. I watch her and hope she looks both ways before crossing. She does. When it’s clear, she jogs across and runs to our room door. She takes the key, put its in the doorknob, and turns it. She removes the key and steps in. I breathe out in relief and watch for a good five minutes. Hector sighs impatiently. “Come on Jane,” he says.

I linger there a moment and then turn to Hector. He grabs my arm and walks towards the water backwards. “If you fall, I’m going to laugh,” I warn, placing my free hand on his shoulder. He smirks and speeds up his backwards walk.

“If I fall, you’re coming with me,” he replies with a wink. I roll my eyes and laugh when I realize he’s headed straight for the water.

He looks at me in confusion when I jerk my arm away. He looks back too late and stumbles backwards. I laugh and charge into the ocean water. He jumps up quickly, in front of me, and looks around quickly. He scans the beach and the water around us, still not seeing me. “Jane?” he calls. “Jane?”
“JANE!” he screams. I cover my mouth to keep from laughing and I go underwater and grab his leg. He jerks it away and I feel a hand grab me. He lifts me up by my arm. I laugh at him and kick myself away. “Hey come back here,” he says, grabbing my arm. I struggle, trying to free myself so I can swim. “Hey, hey, relax,” he says, grabbing me by my waist.

He lifts me up on his hip, like a father would to their child and carries me out further. “Are you going to kill me now?” I ask, holding on to him.

He laughs out loud. “I’m not a killer.”

“All killers tell their victims to relax,” I whisper, reaching my leg around and wrapping it around his other side. I place my hands on his shoulders and laugh. He stares at me with a grin.

“I‘m not going to kill you,” he whispers in my ear. “But you might be my victim.” He leans down and kisses my neck, trailing down to my chest.

I let out a gasp and grip his hair. My heart is beating so fast. The waves are crashing around us loudly. He rests his head against mine and I run my fingers through his hair, planting kisses on the side of his face. He places one hand on my chest. “Your heart is beating like crazy,” he tells me. He lifts his head back up and smirks at me. He leans in and I know he’s going to kiss me. I freak out and release him, falling back into the water. I swim a little and then pull myself up. I make it towards the shore. My face is burning.

“Jane?” Hector rushes out of the water and runs to me. “What’s wrong?”

I sit down in the sand, breathing heavily. He plops down beside me and puts his hands on my waist, trying again for a kiss. “No,” I say. I push him lightly and look to my right. “We can’t.”

“What’s wrong?” His face falls and he releases me. I swallow heavily and glance at him. I feel bad.

“Landon,” I say. “He’s um, he’s… He’s…” I trail off, not sure what excuse I’m trying to make.

“Landon and you broke up,” he reminds me. “What’s the problem? I like you. Don’t you like me?”
My heart drops. I always feel uncomfortable when someone likes me. I feel even more uncomfortable when I like someone back. I get nervous and scared and I freak out. “I um, I do,” I finally say. He smiles but I look away. “Um, that’s the problem.”

I look at him and I know he’s confused. I get up and grab my things. “Hey, Jane, wait,” he says. He grabs my free hand and leans down to kiss me. I turn away.
“No, Hector,” I say.

He lets my hand go and I refuse to look at him for the rest of the walk towards the path. He remains silent and so do I.

When we get to our motel room and walk inside, Yamilex is sprawled over her bed, fast asleep.
“It really isn’t normal for a seventeen year old to sleep so much,” I whisper, walking over to her. Hector chuckles, and I gently move her so that she’s straight. I lift her legs and place them under the bed and pull the comforter up over her shoulders. She shivers in her sleep and turns over. She looks peaceful. I place a kiss on her forehead and put the book she was reading on the dresser next to her. I flip off the small light beside her and walk past Hector, who stares at me.

“What?” I hiss, going into the bathroom before he has a chance to tell me. I roll my eyes, realizing that I didn’t even bring my clothes to change with me. I open the door, ignore Hector’s gaze, feeling my face grow red. I go to my bag, pick out some clothes and dart back into the bathroom. I change quickly, shivering from the cold air conditioning. I run my fingers through my hair, which has so many knots in it that I don’t even bother trying to get any out. I brush my teeth, wash my face, and flip the light off. When I open the door, Hector is laying on the bed, already changed. He’s wearing shorts and a v-neck shirt. He stares intently at the screen, the reflection of it dancing in his eyes. I bite my lip and go to my side, crawling under the covers. I pull my hair out from under my head and plop it down on the pillow.

Hector looks at me and turns the television off. He turns his light off, also, and I feel him slide over close to me. “You would make a great mother,” he says, whispering into my ear. I jump, not realizing he was so close. He breathes down my neck and searches for my hand. When he finds it, he holds it in his. “You would make a great girlfriend, too,” he adds.

My stomach sinks and I sigh out loud. “Hector, please,” I say, trying to remain calm. “I can’t be your girlfriend. I just got out of a relationship. I’m not ready to be with anyone right now.” I pause and bite my lip again. “And I can never be a mother,” I tell him, a tear falling down my face. I focus so long on the darkness that I can start to see his face. I sob and turn away from him.

“What do you mean?” he asks, urgently. He places one leg over mine and holds me close to him.

I squeeze my eyes shut tight. “I’m not able to have children,” I reply. “The doctor says I’m infertile because of-”

“Because of what?” he asks, shaking me gently. “Because of what, Jane?!”

“Please leave me alone.”

He lets go of me and scoots as far away as possible. “So you’re not ready to be in a relationship?” he asks, after a long pause.

“No.”

“Then I’ll wait,” he says. I scowl, because by the way he says it, I can just imagine the stupid smirk he probably has on his face.