Your Secret's Safe With Me
Brings out the worst in me.
John had been watching her all night.
He didn’t know what it was that pulled him to her; she was just a girl. A girl that he had no claim on whatsoever. They were barely even friends.
Yet that didn’t stop his eyes from following her as she slipped away from the large circle that their friends had formed around the campfire. The first time she did so, she stood several feet away, talking on the phone before returning shortly to her seat next to Tim. But the second time she left, John watched as she walked farther and farther before sitting down, her long legs disappearing over the edge of the cliff. He stared at her for what seemed like hours, watching the wind whip and tease her hair as her head tipped up to stare at the moon.
The night had been uneventful, just like Lily expected it to. She was currently sitting on the edge of a small cliff -no more than thirty feet off the ground- and smoking a cigarette while the lake’s waves rose and fell over the beach below her.
She didn’t know what time it was, only that it was late; the moon was full and high above her, casting soft light on the landscape around her. For a second, she wished she had her sketchbook and pencil to draw it.
Lily was in the middle of humming an Augustana song when she heard someone approaching, kicking rocks on the ground along the way.
“Hey,” he said, taking a seat next to her and stretching his long legs out beneath him.
She didn’t bother turning her head to look at him. “Hi.”
“The moon’s gorgeous tonight, don’t you think?”
“It is,” she replied shortly.
“Are you cold?”
“John, cut the shit. I hate small talk,” Lily said.
“Sorry.” He let out a breathy laugh. “I just thought you looked lonely over here.”
All he got in response was a shrug. She didn’t give a shit about him, to be quite honest. It took a hell of a lot to get Lily Langsley to care about someone. And maybe that’s what attracted John so much in the beginning; he loved the chase. He always wanted what he didn’t have. And when someone told him he couldn’t have it, that only made him try harder.
“Fire, burnin’ me up. Desire, takin’ me so much higher, and leaving me whole,” John sang softly, breaking the silence.
“What?”
“That’s what you were humming, isn’t it? Augustana?”
“Yeah, actually,” she admitted, glancing over at him for the first time. He was wearing his usual camping attire: a t-shirt, basketball shorts, and a purple Phoenix Suns hat. “They’re one of my favorites.”
“Wow, really? I wouldn’t have pegged you as someone who listens to Augustana.”
“I’d rather you didn’t peg me as anything.”
“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that-”
“Yes, you did, John,” Lily said, cutting him off. “And it’s not a big deal. I enjoy Augustana, and obviously you do too.”
“Yeah. The band and I, we actually toured with them a few years ago,” he added, secretly hoping to impress her. She looked even more amazing up close, with her pale skin and dark black hair. She looked like she belonged right there, in that moment, forever: a child bathed in moonlight and illuminated by the stars, contrasted by the Arizona night. A perfect combination of dark and light.
“No shit?” she asked, nodding her head appreciatively. “That’s awesome.”
“I know, it was amazing. You’ll have to come to another one of our shows.”
“I’m sure Tim’ll drag me there anyways,” she replied, flashing a small smile. It was gone as fast at it had appeared.
“So you and Tim are pretty close, huh?”
“Yeah. We’ve known each other our whole lives.”
John nodded, not taking his eyes off the mysterious girl. “He’s a good guy.”
“Don’t I know it,” she whispered. “I’d probably be on the streets if it weren’t for him.”
He looked at her, really looked, and saw what no one else dared to notice. Lily was messed up. She was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, her hands were trembling, and her arms were taut with tension. She looked as if she were going to snap in half.
Instead of saying it out loud and embarrassing her -or, more likely, angering her- he asked, “You want a drink?”
“God, yes,” she exhaled, nodding eagerly.
John got up from the dirty ground and walked over to his own personal cooler that he’d packed with liquor, grabbing out two bottles. He returned to her, flopping down on the ground and handing her a bottle.
“Thanks,” she muttered, taking a long swig before pulling it away from her lips. “Don’t you want to go back to your friends?”
“Don’t you think Tim’s wondering where you are?”
“Touche,” she said as a smirk stretched her lips. “What do you think they’re doing, anyways?”
“Probably telling old stories from high school. They do it every time they get drunk together. They tell the same goddamn stories, yet they laugh like it’s the first time they’ve heard it. So I’m not exactly missing anything.”
“Sounds like them.”
“I’m just surprised that you aren’t piss-drunk, too,” John chuckled.
“Mmm,” she hummed. “I know how to handle my alcohol. And I’d rather not have a hangover while camping in a tent.”
John had the feeling that Lily Langsley was much, much more clever than anyone gave her credit for. She reminded him of a fox, with her sly smirk and wily undertone in her voice. She was secretive and mysterious and wicked, and god, John loved that.
***
“Get in the water! Come on, Lynn, get in the fucking water!” Kennedy yelled, walking up to his ankles in the chilly water before running back to the beach.
“No way! You get in the water!” she shouted from her spot on the beach.
They’d all been trying to get each other into the water, but no one would budge. It was freezing cold, and everyone made excuse after excuse to stay on the beach. Let me finish this beer, I’ll get in if you get in, Oh I just ate.
Lily smirked, seeing the way Kennedy looked at her sister. He definitely liked her. Lily herself sat on a beach towel -which was Tim’s, actually- next to the few other girls on the camping trip: Jared’s girlfriend Tessa, Trey’s girlfriend Amanda, and Dirk’s girlfriend Jordan. The three of them were talking and laughing together while Lily sat off to the side, pretending to sleep as she tanned. She didn’t feel like talking or faking a smile.
“I dare you to jump in off that rope,” John said, nodding his head towards a rope that was hanging on a nearby tree.
“No way.”
“What, you might get your hair wet?” he teased. Lily narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ll pay you ten bucks if you do it.”
“Ten bucks and you say that I’m the coolest person you’ve ever met.”
“Deal.”
After they shook hands, Lily was up, running towards the hanging rope. She could hear everyone yelling and whistling at her as she backed up and got a running start, clinging to the rope before letting go and dropping herself into the water.
She landed feet first, sliding deeper and deeper into the freezing water. It was a shock at first, but when her head poked above the surface, she only felt numbness. It wasn’t so bad.
“Yeah, baby! That’s my girl!” Tim yelled. Everyone was yelling and cheering for her as she laughed and treaded water.
“You’re fucking nuts!” Pat yelled. “I gotta get in on this action.” He ran over to the rope and repeated Lily’s actions, splashing into the water next to her.
Soon enough, everyone was flying off the rope, getting over the cold water and swimming. Instead of staying in, she snuck quietly away, ending up standing next to John, dripping water onto his towel.
“Pay up, bitch.”
He didn’t know what it was that pulled him to her; she was just a girl. A girl that he had no claim on whatsoever. They were barely even friends.
Yet that didn’t stop his eyes from following her as she slipped away from the large circle that their friends had formed around the campfire. The first time she did so, she stood several feet away, talking on the phone before returning shortly to her seat next to Tim. But the second time she left, John watched as she walked farther and farther before sitting down, her long legs disappearing over the edge of the cliff. He stared at her for what seemed like hours, watching the wind whip and tease her hair as her head tipped up to stare at the moon.
The night had been uneventful, just like Lily expected it to. She was currently sitting on the edge of a small cliff -no more than thirty feet off the ground- and smoking a cigarette while the lake’s waves rose and fell over the beach below her.
She didn’t know what time it was, only that it was late; the moon was full and high above her, casting soft light on the landscape around her. For a second, she wished she had her sketchbook and pencil to draw it.
Lily was in the middle of humming an Augustana song when she heard someone approaching, kicking rocks on the ground along the way.
“Hey,” he said, taking a seat next to her and stretching his long legs out beneath him.
She didn’t bother turning her head to look at him. “Hi.”
“The moon’s gorgeous tonight, don’t you think?”
“It is,” she replied shortly.
“Are you cold?”
“John, cut the shit. I hate small talk,” Lily said.
“Sorry.” He let out a breathy laugh. “I just thought you looked lonely over here.”
All he got in response was a shrug. She didn’t give a shit about him, to be quite honest. It took a hell of a lot to get Lily Langsley to care about someone. And maybe that’s what attracted John so much in the beginning; he loved the chase. He always wanted what he didn’t have. And when someone told him he couldn’t have it, that only made him try harder.
“Fire, burnin’ me up. Desire, takin’ me so much higher, and leaving me whole,” John sang softly, breaking the silence.
“What?”
“That’s what you were humming, isn’t it? Augustana?”
“Yeah, actually,” she admitted, glancing over at him for the first time. He was wearing his usual camping attire: a t-shirt, basketball shorts, and a purple Phoenix Suns hat. “They’re one of my favorites.”
“Wow, really? I wouldn’t have pegged you as someone who listens to Augustana.”
“I’d rather you didn’t peg me as anything.”
“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that-”
“Yes, you did, John,” Lily said, cutting him off. “And it’s not a big deal. I enjoy Augustana, and obviously you do too.”
“Yeah. The band and I, we actually toured with them a few years ago,” he added, secretly hoping to impress her. She looked even more amazing up close, with her pale skin and dark black hair. She looked like she belonged right there, in that moment, forever: a child bathed in moonlight and illuminated by the stars, contrasted by the Arizona night. A perfect combination of dark and light.
“No shit?” she asked, nodding her head appreciatively. “That’s awesome.”
“I know, it was amazing. You’ll have to come to another one of our shows.”
“I’m sure Tim’ll drag me there anyways,” she replied, flashing a small smile. It was gone as fast at it had appeared.
“So you and Tim are pretty close, huh?”
“Yeah. We’ve known each other our whole lives.”
John nodded, not taking his eyes off the mysterious girl. “He’s a good guy.”
“Don’t I know it,” she whispered. “I’d probably be on the streets if it weren’t for him.”
He looked at her, really looked, and saw what no one else dared to notice. Lily was messed up. She was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, her hands were trembling, and her arms were taut with tension. She looked as if she were going to snap in half.
Instead of saying it out loud and embarrassing her -or, more likely, angering her- he asked, “You want a drink?”
“God, yes,” she exhaled, nodding eagerly.
John got up from the dirty ground and walked over to his own personal cooler that he’d packed with liquor, grabbing out two bottles. He returned to her, flopping down on the ground and handing her a bottle.
“Thanks,” she muttered, taking a long swig before pulling it away from her lips. “Don’t you want to go back to your friends?”
“Don’t you think Tim’s wondering where you are?”
“Touche,” she said as a smirk stretched her lips. “What do you think they’re doing, anyways?”
“Probably telling old stories from high school. They do it every time they get drunk together. They tell the same goddamn stories, yet they laugh like it’s the first time they’ve heard it. So I’m not exactly missing anything.”
“Sounds like them.”
“I’m just surprised that you aren’t piss-drunk, too,” John chuckled.
“Mmm,” she hummed. “I know how to handle my alcohol. And I’d rather not have a hangover while camping in a tent.”
John had the feeling that Lily Langsley was much, much more clever than anyone gave her credit for. She reminded him of a fox, with her sly smirk and wily undertone in her voice. She was secretive and mysterious and wicked, and god, John loved that.
***
“Get in the water! Come on, Lynn, get in the fucking water!” Kennedy yelled, walking up to his ankles in the chilly water before running back to the beach.
“No way! You get in the water!” she shouted from her spot on the beach.
They’d all been trying to get each other into the water, but no one would budge. It was freezing cold, and everyone made excuse after excuse to stay on the beach. Let me finish this beer, I’ll get in if you get in, Oh I just ate.
Lily smirked, seeing the way Kennedy looked at her sister. He definitely liked her. Lily herself sat on a beach towel -which was Tim’s, actually- next to the few other girls on the camping trip: Jared’s girlfriend Tessa, Trey’s girlfriend Amanda, and Dirk’s girlfriend Jordan. The three of them were talking and laughing together while Lily sat off to the side, pretending to sleep as she tanned. She didn’t feel like talking or faking a smile.
“I dare you to jump in off that rope,” John said, nodding his head towards a rope that was hanging on a nearby tree.
“No way.”
“What, you might get your hair wet?” he teased. Lily narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ll pay you ten bucks if you do it.”
“Ten bucks and you say that I’m the coolest person you’ve ever met.”
“Deal.”
After they shook hands, Lily was up, running towards the hanging rope. She could hear everyone yelling and whistling at her as she backed up and got a running start, clinging to the rope before letting go and dropping herself into the water.
She landed feet first, sliding deeper and deeper into the freezing water. It was a shock at first, but when her head poked above the surface, she only felt numbness. It wasn’t so bad.
“Yeah, baby! That’s my girl!” Tim yelled. Everyone was yelling and cheering for her as she laughed and treaded water.
“You’re fucking nuts!” Pat yelled. “I gotta get in on this action.” He ran over to the rope and repeated Lily’s actions, splashing into the water next to her.
Soon enough, everyone was flying off the rope, getting over the cold water and swimming. Instead of staying in, she snuck quietly away, ending up standing next to John, dripping water onto his towel.
“Pay up, bitch.”