Stay Out

I saw him practically every Friday or Saturday at our mutual friend’s house. He would sit on the couch, his head resting against his hand, looking some what bored or just out of place. I normally sat perched on the top of the couch across the room from him, doing practically the same thing. I normally would end up with my elbows on my knees, my chin resting in my hands, staring at the floor. Tonight was different. He wasn’t there when my friends and I arrived.

“Yo, anyone seen Garrett?” someone I didn’t know asked.

“He’s on his way. He just got back from a contest,” Augie, our mutual friend, said as he came over to me, a cup in hand. “Hey Jessie.”

“Hey Aug. Thanks,” I said as I took the cup from him.

“What’s up with you and Garrett? Both of you always seem so bored when you’re here?” he asked me. I shrugged. “And neither of you can directly answer a question.” I once again shrugged. “Match made in heaven right there.” Augie walked away from me while I took a drink from the cup he’d given me. I’d expected it to be beer but it was just Pepsi and I reminded myself to thank him later. I was taking a break from drinking, just decided I didn’t need it anymore. Suddenly people cheered as the door opened. I looked over to see Garrett Reynolds coming in the door, bags in hand. He nodded to everyone, giving them a smile as he walked towards Augie, who was standing a few feet from me. I glanced over at the pair as they spoke.

“Dude, I thought we were going to chill on the party this weekend,” Garrett said to him.

“Sorry man. People just started showing up,” he said to Garrett, shrugging his shoulders. Garrett looked around and caught my eye, giving me a head nod and a smile before heading around the corner and probably down the hall to his room. I’m in most of the same classes as Garrett at school, when he actually bothers to show up. I’d known him since sixth grade and we’d always hung around each other because we’d had mutual friends. This past year, I’d grown a bit closer to him when he was actually around instead of out at contests and what not. When he hadn’t returned twenty minutes later, I swung my legs over the back of the couch and slid off. I straightened out and pulled up my skinny jeans and straightened out my v-neck I had on. I sat my cup on the table behind the couch and fixed my beanie as I walked through the kitchen and down the hall that held the bathroom, Augie’s room and Garrett’s room. I timidly knocked on the door and was about to leave when Garrett yelled for me to come in. I slowly opened the door and peaked my head inside. He looked at me from his bed and grinned.

“Hey Jessie,” he said to me as he unpacked his book bag, sitting his computer on his bed.

“Hey Garrett,” I said to him in my naturally soft voice.

“You can come in. I’m not going to lock you in here with me if you do,” he said to me with a slight laugh. I stepped into his room and shut the door behind me, amazed at how quiet it became when I did so.

“How was your trip and the contest?” I asked him as I perched on the corner of his bed, my palms pressed together between my knees.

“It was good. I placed so that’s always a plus,” he said to me as he threw his bag in his closet before he took a seat beside me. “There’s nothing like coming home though. I love being around familiar places, familiar people.” He nudged me with his elbow and grinned at me. I smiled a little bit and looked down at the floor. “How was school while I was gone?”

“Ugh, lame,” I replied. “Our English test was hard as fuck.”

“Awesome,” he commented before he fell back on his bed, pulling me with him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me towards him. I rolled onto my side and rested my head on his shoulder, laying my arm across his stomach. Yeah, I guess I didn’t mention that this was the reason I’d grown closer to him. I wasn’t sure what Garrett and I were, if anything at all, but it was nice. No pressure, just a casual, comfortable thing. We laid and talked for a while, him more about his trip, me more about school and what he’d missed. I looked at my watch a while later and sighed. It was 3:44 a.m.

“Garrett, I’ve got get going,” I told him.

“I’ll take you home,” he told me, sitting up and scooting off his bed.

“I only live six blocks away, it’s a waste of gas,” I told him. He grinned at me.

“Who said anything about a car?” he replied. He led me out of his room and out the
backdoor and around the side of the house. He picked up his bike and sat on the seat and motioned for me to climb on the front.

“No way. I do not trust you to not pull some trick and kill me,” I told him.

“Come on Jess. Have I ever hurt you before?” he asked me.

“No but that’s during the daylight. It’s night now and pitch black,” I said.

“Street lights baby. It’s all about the street lights,” he said with a smile. I sighed and
hesitantly climbed on and sat on the handle bars, facing away from Garrett. He began down the walkway and jumped the curb onto the street, rather smoothly with me on the front might I add. He pedaled down the street, turning left two blocks down. He ended up pulling some trick where he ended up riding backwards and made me scream.

“Shh, people are sleeping,” he said with a laugh. He rode up my driveway then and I climbed off the bike, turning and smacking his arm.

“You aren’t funny,” I said to him. He laughed and pulled me to him, wrapping arm around my waist. We were about eye level to each other since he was sitting down and I smiled at him.

“Come on,” I said to him, grabbing his hand.

“Where?” he asked.

“Stash your bike around the corner of the garage,” I told him. He looked confused but did so anyways, putting his bike around the corner of the garage behind the recycling bins that were kept there. I led him around the back of the house and up into my brother’s old rickety tree house.

“What are we doing?” he asked me. I simply flipped down a board and the other end landed on the slanted roof two feet under my window. I walked across and pushed open my window from the outside. I looked back at Garrett, who was hesitating.

“Come on,” I said to him.

“It’s like a twenty foot fall,” he said to me.

“Come on. I’ve seen some of the shit you do on your bike. It’s way more dangerous than this,” I told him. He didn’t move. I stuck out my hand to him and he took.

“I feel like a girl right now,” he said to me as he made it across. I laughed and pulled myself up and into my window. Garrett followed suit as I went and locked my door. He left the window open, letting the warm fall breeze drift in. I pulled off my beanie and kicked off my shoes before I went over to my bed and climbed under the blanket. Garrett came over and kicked off his shoes and did the same. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I turned into him, curling into his side, resting my head on his shoulder. I fell asleep and woke up in the morning when I heard my brother banging around in his room next door. I shook Garrett awake and he looked at the clock, which read 10:30. I took his hand after he had slipped on his shoes and snuck him down the stairs and outside. He got his bike from around the corner of the garage and came back over to me. He sat on the seat and wrapped his arm around my waist.

“I think we have a new party tradition,” Garrett said to me. I smiled at him.

“It’ll be harder during the winter. The roof is icy and covered in snow,” I told him.

“I guess I’ll just have to risk it and go through the house,” he replied. I smiled wider and leaned into him. He did the same and kissed me as my parents’ vehicle pulled into the driveway. My mom and dad climbed out of their car and looked over at us.

“Hey Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson,” Garrett said to them, giving them a wave.

“Hi Garrett,” my dad replied before going into the house. My mom smiled at us and followed after my dad. Garrett grinned at me before pulling back.

“I’ll see you later, Jessie,” he said to me. I nodded and smiled.

“Yeah,” I replied before he rode off down the street, doing tricks as he went. That’s when my relationship with Garrett Reynolds began and just like he says about the perfect session, I don’t really know where it’ll take me or when it’ll end but it’s getting there and doing it that really counts and is worth all the risks.