Feather River

That was right. It took a long moment to figure it out, but I remembered now. Jersey Boyé was my boyfriend. We had gotten together the summer before I fled to Yale. I was so caught up in my escape from Harlan that I selfishly forgot about my friends, family, neighbors, and boyfriend. The thought of anyone left my mind. As I stood staring at Jersey, I realized that I never told him goodbye and that I never planned to come back; hell, I didn’t even give a thought about breaking up with him. I just left without a word. It was official. I was a bitch.

“Right,” I finally said, “Well you’re not my boyfriend anymore –”

“Who says I’m not?” He smirked at me, tan arms folded across his chest.

“I say.” My voice was flat. His facial expression faltered, looking as if he’d just been smacked. “Jersey, you’re not my boyfriend. You haven’t been for six years. I forgot all about you until you went and reminded me. Besides you can’t possibly tell me you’ve been waiting around this whole time just for me to possibly never come back.” I turned around and sat down on my window seat again, looking out the window.

“Actually, yes. You never told me it was over. I just assumed it’d be a long distance sort of deal.” He was serious. He was actually serious. “I tried to get you to date me since we were in elementary school. When I finally had you, I wasn’t letting go.”

“If that’s the case, I cheated on you. A lot.” Though I sounded sarcastic, I’m sure he knew I was serious.

“I know that,” he sighed, running his hands over his face and through his blonde hair.

Finally, I turned to face him. “You are a fool if I ever saw one.”

“A fool for you, Raegan.” I stared at him dumbfounded as he stared back, his gaze becoming more and more intense and his face stoic.

An hour later, I found myself sitting in a white Jeep covered in dry mud driving down a dirt road. There was a silence between Jersey and I. Uncomfortable I would describe it. I watched the sun begin to set. It was only six o’ clock. He let me bring the bottle of champagne I had, the strawberries – all but three he finished off – and my Norah Jones CD. Of course, after “Don’t Know Why” he shut off the CD player; that royally ticked me off so I put my dirty shoes on the dashboard, getting dirt all over it. This caused him to be tight lipped and the uncomfortable silence ensued from there.

When we made it to the farm, there were several over cars there. This was my family’s farm. We raised milk cows, a handful of chickens and ducks, and horses. My father built a small house next to the barn and had hired help live there to take care of the place. Having quite a few cars was an unusual sight, I remember that much. I looked at him quizzically. When he did not answer my look and simply parked and got out, leaving me alone in the car, I huffed. What a jerk. Unsure, I got out of the Jeep and ran after him – champagne bottle in hand – making squishy noises as my feet made contact with the damp and soft ground. I was at least thankful Jersey convinced me to change my clothes before we left. I wore a red cotton floral tank top that stopped just above my thighs with a white braided belt around my waist, thick black leggings, and my black leather horse riding boots. Back in the Jeep, I had braided my hair to the side and tied the end with a piece of string I found in the middle consol.

Quickly I grabbed the crook of his arm, causing him to pull away from me and stop. “Don’t leave me Jersey.” I looked up at him, clearly upset.

Sighing, he placed his hand on top of my head. “Come on.” Turning, he walked on, me following closely behind him.

We were headed towards the barn. The distinct smell of manure and animal was heavy around the four-walled structure, making me want to gag. Happily enough we didn’t go inside. Jersey pulled a tarp off the old motocross bike Bobby used to ride. All I knew about the bike was that it was purple and I vaguely remembered making fun of my brother for the color. Jersey dusted off the seat and started the bike, revving it up a bit. He sat on the bike comfortably and nodded with his head for me to get on. With a sigh, I got on and slipped my arms around him, clutching the neck of the bottle tightly in one hand. I was jolted slightly as we sped off. The wind bit at my face so I closed my eyes. It had to be anywhere between three to five minutes that we pulled to a stop.

I heard voices and opened my eyes to see that we were in the huge clearing in the woods behind my family’s farm. We, as in my family and I, went camping here when Bobby and I were pre-pubescent. There were trashcans that surrounded the perimeters of the clearing, four picnic tables with two on either end, and in the center of the elliptical clearing was a huge pit for a bonfire. At least twenty people, thirty at most, were there and more arriving. There were some whistles and a group of boys occupying a table waved and called at Jersey. He got off, almost kicking me in the face and ran over, leaving me behind.

“Twat,” I muttered, getting off the bike and giving it a small kick in the wheel. I moseyed off to the side and sat on a tree trunk that was cut and smoothed for seating. I took a swig from the bottle I had been working on earlier in my bedroom and sighed. I watched for an hour as people arrived, many of whom greeted Jersey immediately.

A few groups of boys brought kegs and cases of beer and boxes of liquor. Girls carried in platters of food and eating ware. One man rolled up in an ATV pulling along a trailer carrying a grill, bags of coal, and coolers filled with who knows what. Very few of those who brought nothing consumable brought Frisbees and footballs, a couple of soccer balls as well. Someone even thought of bringing corn hole. I blended into the background, no one noticed me. I turned my attention from the people arriving to the people gathered by the bonfire pit. There were guys clearing out the ashes of the previous fire and putting down wood for the new fire. I could tell a couple of the boys working on the pit were in a disagreement, probably about which pattern they should lay the wood. Jersey appeared by the group and said something and many, if not all of the men nodded their heads in agreement; typical behavior I supposed. I watched and soon figured that they were building a pyramid fire; it was going to be at least a yard high, if not a yard and a half.

Soon the sun was gone from the sky and a gigantic fire blazed, reaching for the sky. Jersey still had not found or said a word to me and I sat with knees pulled up to my chest and an empty bottle by my feet. The fire seemed so comforting. People danced around the fire, a few boys beating drums with their hands and some girls and guys dancing around the fire and the people roasting marshmallows for S’mores. Someone at some point had brought a speaker system and hooked it up to a CD player. MGMT played loudly, a big group of people dancing to it, other standing or lying around on blankets or across the picnic tables talking away. Having enough, I glided over to the alcohol and found a yellow-capped bottle of Svedka vodka. I recognized it as a pricy bottle of vodka that was smooth: one of my favorites actually. This would easily tide me over. Carefully, I grabbed a bottle of Pepsi and made my way back to my secluded area.

I drank myself into a stupor in minutes. Surely, I would die, I thought to myself. I didn’t have a sense of a gag-reflex so throwing up wasn’t something I was used to, but even though it would be the first time, I would not be surprised if I threw up tonight from over drinking. As I slowly began to fall into my thoughts of self pity, something wet hit me. I gasped with my eyes shut tight, and dropped the empty bottle I was holding. I sputtered and finally opened my eyes to see guys playing with water guns, running around and firing at all the girls and a few guys. Instead of laughing it off like the other girls did, I felt myself getting upset over it.

Angry over my wet shirt, I got up and made my way over to the fire, swaying from side to side like a drunkard. Frowning, I bent forward slightly, hoping to dry my top off better that way. I must have looked very pathetic standing there. I felt as though everyone who could see me were talking about me, though in reality it was most likely just paranoia setting in. Looking around, I tried to spot Jersey, but I didn’t see him anywhere. After rounding the fire three times, I still hadn’t seen him at all. Through my funny vision, I could still see that the bike was still there so he hadn’t left yet. Taking another quick look around, I saw a brunette boy Jersey had been chatting with earlier just a few feet away.

“Mayday. Mayday,” I heard a curly redhead say, smirking at me. Boys were so stupid.

“Excuse me, have you seen Jersey?” I asked the brunette, giving him a pretty smile.

“Yeah I saw him earlier. He left to go to the lake. We’re heading there now if you want to walk with us,” he said being friendly. I agreed and followed him and two other boys. None of them had shirts on. The one I had spoken to wore jeans with the legs cut off at the knees. The one who said “Mayday” wore khaki cargo shorts and the other I didn’t speak to had only grey sweat pants.

It was a mile walk and soon enough we were there. A mile wasn’t much at all. There was a single light pole with a picnic table beneath it lighting the lake. The light pole was one of those used on a football, baseball, or soccer field so you could imagine how bright it was. There were quite a few girls and a some boys swimming and splashing around, goofing off. Jersey was one of them. I spotted his blonde hair bob up from the water and a laughter that was distinctly his. I stumbled slightly on my way down to the picnic table. It took a good long minute before I realized everyone was swimming in his or her underwear, some in nothing at all, making me blush.

“Jersey! Jersey come out, I want to talk to you,” I called out to him. I watched as he turned his head quickly, surprising me that he didn’t give himself whiplash. “Now, will you!”

“Go away, he’s busy!” It was a feminine voice and it was obnoxiously rude.

“I’ll talk to you later,” Jersey called back. There was laughter and then splashing sounds.

Oh no, I would not be brushed aside. I was too drunk to let anyone just brush me aside and I accept it. Therefore, I did the only thing I could think of. I stripped. When I was in my matching lacy white delicates, I got in the water, swimming out to him. I was going to drown that bitch.

“Raegan what are you doing out here? I said I’ll talk to you later,” Jersey said, exasperated upon seeing me. A girl, the one I supposed told me to “go away” swam behind him, her arms around his shoulders. Her cheeky face poked out from around his head, resting on his shoulder.

“You said you wouldn’t leave me,” I said, sounding less than intelligent.

“I didn’t say anything. Raegan, go back to the party and enjoy yourself.”

I frowned at him and without a word I turned around, kicking the water as hard as I could. I smirked at the satisfaction I had of hearing that girl shriek. Diving under, I swam back to shore quickly, easily. I used a shirt I found to dry off before tossing it off onto the ground and dressed back in my clothes. After pulling my boots on, I looked around and saw what were Jersey’s pants from earlier. Reaching in, I found what I was looking for and quickly ran off back to the bonfire. I found my way to Bobby’s bike and got on, fumbling with the keys to turn it on.

“Need some help there?”

Looking up, I saw a man. He was tall and lanky. His hair was black and stuck up at odd ends purposely for style. He wore a white tank top with “AFRICA.” printed in black font across the front and grey skinny jeans with red striped white Adidas on his feet.

“No thanks. I can manage on my own.” With that I started the bike. “Goodnight.” I kicked up the kickstand and drove off expertly. I squinted in the dark and after a while, made it back to the barn. I shut off and covered the bike and made my way to the Jeep. Struggling, I managed to unlock and climb in awkwardly into the driver’s seat.

I was going home. The drive was difficult with my drunken haze, but I managed. I drove very slowly. When I did get home it was only one in the morning. Joy. I parked his car poorly on the street in front of my house, I knew that much. He was going to get a ticket for it. I made it to the porch where I took my shoes off and slipped into the house. I put the shoes away in the cupboard under the stairs and went to my room. I showered, washing the lake grime off me and collapsed into bed in a fresh set of panties and a bra.

Seven hours later, I woke at eight in the morning, smelling the start of breakfast in the making. I found a strapless green romper that stopped mid thigh, the legs bubbled. It had three little silver heart shaped buttons. Throwing a silver belt around my middle, I slipped my feet into silver sequined flats. I lined my bottom water line with black eyeliner and coated my top and bottom lashes with black mascara. My look was complete with the addition of my glasses and a coat of nude lipstick. I ambled down to the kitchen, stretching my limbs.

“Good morning Mom-Mom.” I kissed her cheek as I walked over and washed my hands.

“Morning, Sunshine. Your mother and father won’t be joining us. Go set the table for three and play some piano for me.” Mom-Mom spoke no further about it. I briefly wondered who our third guest would be.

I set three glasses and silverware on the breakfast nook table. I set two different sized plates for each person and an egg holder. After that, I went to the library, which was also the music room. It was located on the first floor at the front of the house. The bookshelves were wooden and lined all the walls, filled completely with books ranging from different colors to sizes, thicknesses, and topics. There was red furniture, a love seat, couch, and day bed surrounding the fireplace. By the windows were the grand piano and a music stand. I took a seat at the piano and played the few songs I knew from memory.

Midway through “Roses from the South” by Johann Strauss, Jr., I heard the doorbell ring. I stopped my playing and padded over to the front door. Opening it, I was surprised to see Africa boy from the night before standing in front of me. Today he had a yellow beanie on his head, black skinny jeans on his legs and a green flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He left the first few buttons undone, showing a slight glimpse of what might have been a chest piece. His shoes were brown and seemed to be made of hemp. He had a few hemp bracelets around his left wrist as well. In his arms was a large brown paper bag.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, not letting him in.

“I see you made it home safe, but if that’s your parking job out there, you’ve got a parking ticket on your window,” he said, his voice light and friendly; he thought it was funny. He smiled, biting his lip slightly and his eyes and nose crinkled barely. It was cute, but I wouldn’t be the one to tell him that. He probably already knew anyway.

“So… who are you?” Lifting a brow, I tilted my head to the side, trying to see if I knew him.

“Reese Barlow, local delivery boy,” he replied, standing up straight as he could and sounding official. He slouched slightly. “I help Ms. Opal with whatever she needs done. I live across the street from you.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the white plantation looking house with grey shutters and roof.

“Raegan Eloise, let that boy in. Reese darling, come along. I have breakfast ready. Let’s go,” Mom-Mom spoke from the hall. She turned around, her tan dress twirling slightly around her as she shuffled back into the kitchen. I stepped aside and let him in, shutting the door behind us.

Expertly, he found his way to the kitchen and began unloading the brown bag. I could safely assume that he’s been here a multitude of times as he easily found the bread box and put the loaf of bread away. I picked up the glass of fresh squeezed orange juice on the counter and poured it into my glass, setting the pitcher on the nook’s table. Looking at the plates, I saw that Mom-Mom had placed a boiled egg into each egg holder, a bowl of several more eggs sat on the table in case we wanted more. On the smaller of the two plates I set out, she had put sliced apples, orange slices, honeydew, cantaloupe, pineapple, and strawberries. A large bowl with more fruit sat on the table too. A bowl of grits and a plate of bacon and sausages, and stacks of pancakes sat on plates on the table to fill our own plates. Mom-Mom loved to go overboard.

The three of us sat down and had breakfast, the conversation light and cheerful. I kept my mouth shut until I was pulled into it.

“Raegan, Reese moved into the house across the street a month after you left for school. I think I told you before Raegan went to Yale. He’s just a few years older than you Sunshine. He’s…”

“Twenty-seven, Ms. Opal.”

“Yes, that’s right, twenty-seven. Raegan here’s twenty-three. Reese, you should spend the day with her. I don’t need your help today. Right, that’s a good idea. Raegan, go out with Reese for the day. I want you to take him to Feather River.” With that, Mom-Mom checked out of the conversation and finished eating.

I sat there pushing the grits around in my bowl. Just great. Quickly, I finished eating and cleaned my plates, running upstairs to hide out in my room. I lay on my bed, hugging my pillow to my body. Mom-Mom meant well, but sometimes it was too much. Minutes later, my door suddenly opened. Turning my head, I groaned. Reese had just walked into my room, uninvited.

“Is that the new thing everyone’s into these days?”

He smiled down at me. “What do you mean?”

“It seems everyone these days keep entering my room without my permission.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, may I have your permission?”

“You’re already here. Well, what do you want?”

“First off, let’s take Jersey’s car back to him. I think he needs it for work.”

“Do I have to?” I asked. I sighed as he held back his smile to give me a look. “Where does he work?”

Reese howled with laughter, sitting down on the edge of my bed. “You didn’t know? Jersey’s running your family’s farm. He started working there a few months after I moved into town.” Getting up, he held his hand out to me. “Come on. Let’s get a move on. You’ll drive his Jeep and I’ll meet you there in my car.”

Getting up, I found my large red sunglasses, put them on, and grabbed my floppy white straw hat before heading out the door with this boy I’d only known a few hours. I found the keys still sitting in the ignition and blushed at the sheer stupidity that was my doing. Getting in I started the car and pulled out. A red Honda Civic sat in the street. Squinting, I saw that Reese was in the driver’s seat. A little less than an hour later we pulled up to the farm. All but two cars were gone. I supposed they belonged to the people who couldn’t make it home. Reese got out of his car and walked with me up to the little house. If I remembered correctly, there was a living room when you first walked in and a kitchen and dining area in the back. Upstairs led straight into the extremely large bedroom and a bathroom.

I looked for a doorbell before realizing that a cowbell was the only bell there was to ring. Frowning I clenched my hand into a fist and pounded on the front door the best I could. There were shouting voices inside, muffled slightly. The door was jerked open and I jumped slightly. Jersey stood there with his hair a golden mess. He had nothing but Batman underoos on, making my jaw drop. He had the most banging body I’ve ever seen. My face instantly flushed and I threw the car keys at him. They hit his chest and fell to the floor.

“What the hell? Jersey, you’ve lost it. What are you wearing man?!” Reese laughed and walked inside Jersey’s home, patting him on the back.

“Reese, I thought you were going to take me back home.” I looked at him pleadingly.

“No, we can hang out here for a little while. Hey Marcel, Grayson, Johnny; how are you all doing?” Reese plopped down on a recliner and immediately began chatting with the boys. Peeking around Jersey’s shoulder, I saw they were the three boys who walked me to the lake last night.

Staring down at me, Jersey sighed before using his foot to kick his car keys behind him, into the house. “Wait here a second. Everyone needs to get dressed.”

Wham!

He shut the door in my face. Growling to myself, I sat down on the porch step, waiting for someone to get me. It was twenty minutes later that Jersey came back to let me inside. I walked in and the boys stopped laughing at whatever they were laughing at. Suddenly, the brunette from last night spoke up.

“I didn’t introduce myself last night. I’m Grayson. That is Marcel and Johnny. We went to high school with you.” Johnny was the redhead from last night and Marcel was the light-skinned boy who did not talk to me.

“Sorry, I don’t remember you three,” I said. Quickly I added, “But it’s really nice to meet you all.” It got awkwardly silent fast. I should have just lied and said I remembered.

Suddenly Marcel began laughing. “Gay babies!” Slapping my hand to my forehead, I rubbed my face, aggravated. This was so stupid. I stood there awkwardly before having a seat on floor, crisscrossing my legs.

Somewhere during this hang out session, I zoned out and started day dreaming. God I wanted to get away from here. I wanted to be at Feather River.