You Were Always on My Mind

I wake up around nine and eat some cereal for breakfast. My dad has left the house and I notice that Tim's car is missing from the driveway; they're probably at Charlie's. After breakfast, I change into some hiking clothes and head over to the Reed's house. When I enter the house, it seems as though no one is home.

"Hello?" I call out. I hear some footsteps upstairs and start to walk toward the stairs. "It's Jacob!"

"I'll be down in a minute," Sammy calls back. I sit on the couch and watch the stairs as I wait for her to come down. Sammy walks down in a pair of shorts that show of her long, tan legs and a flowy shirt that makes her look graceful as she walks.

"Do you have any plans for today?" I ask, watching as she takes the braids out of her hair and having her hair turn wavy instead of curly.

"Nope, I was hoping that we could do something," she answers plopping down onto the couch.

"How about a ride up in the mountains? Alex left his car and we can stop by the general store to get a meal for the picnic," I offer.

"That sounds great!" Sammy exclaims getting up. She heads over to the closet, puts on a pair of cowgirl boots, then grabs an old blanket, picnic basket, and her purse along with the keys to the truck. "Let's go!"

I quickly drive to the general store and get some snacks and drinks for us with the twenty dollar bill Sammy handed me. Sammy stays in the car while I shop and when I get back, she's singing along to the radio.

"In our own little world, the music is the sun. The dance floor becomes the sea, feels like true paradise to me. Baby boy, you stay on my mind, fulfill my fantasies. I think about you all the time, I see you in my dreams," she sings along to the radio, oblivious to my presence.

"Hey there," I greet. She slightly jumps out of her seat.

"Hi," she greets back acting as though she wasn't scared. Samantha continues to sing along to Baby Boy by Beyonce.

We finally reach the base of the mountain and I'm thankful that I'm taking the truck instead of Henry's car on the dirt road. The roads are wet and muddy from the rainstorm last night, so it's taking a bit longer to get up the mountain.

"Another two miles or so until we reach our little picnic spot," I tell Sammy, right before the car jerks to a stop.

"I'm guessing you didn't see the pothole," Sammy states.

"I was focusing more on how to get to the special spot," I explain while getting out of the car. Sammy gets out of the car too and meets me toward the back. As she attempts to walk around the car, she grips onto the side, trying not to slip in the mud. Since the potholes on her side, I climb over the truck bed and hop down next to her. Mud splashes all over us and Sammy just stares up at me then bursts out laughing. I look down and notice that she's barefoot, but I don't bother to ask why. The pothole isn't too deep so it shouldn't be a problem to get the truck out by pushing... My face was suddenly covered in mud and I look up to see Sammy running away.

"Really?" I exclaim. I chase after her, but we both end up slipping in a large mud puddle. We end up wrestling in the mud and we're soaked in mud within seconds. Sammy is laughing the whole time and I can't help but smile down at her. I eventually sit on top of her victorious.

"Now we have to push the car out." I get off of her and lend her a hand up.

Our hands are all slippery on the back of the car, but we manage to push it out.

"You should sit in the truck bed so that we don't completely ruin Alex's car," I suggest taking off my shirt and throwing it into the truck.

"Fine with me," she replies hopping into the truck bed. She sits on the tire bump and watches patiently as I get into the car. About a mile up, we hear a stream and stop the car on the side of the road.

"Want to try and find the river so we can wash up?" I ask getting out of the car.

"It doesn't sound far, so why not?" Sammy replies then hops out of the car handing me my shirt, "you might want to take off your shoes so that you don't lose them in the current though."

I slip off my shoes, put them in the truck bed and grab Samantha's hand. We follow the sound of water, and find a small stream. We quickly wash up and I put my now clean shirt back on. I watch Sammy out of the corner of my eye and am able to dodge a splash of water before it hits me.

"You missed me," I inform her and chase after her as she squeals and runs away. We run back toward the car, but I catch her before we're out of the clearing and toss her over my shoulder. She giggles and struggles, but I don't loosen my grip.

"Let me go!" She demands laughing and short of breath. Once I reach the car, I put her down then get in the front seat and start to drive again. The back window is open and I can hear Sammy singing in the back. I look through the rearview mirror and see her standing in the truck bed.

"What the hell are you doing?" I ask laughing at her craziness.

"I feel so free!"

"You won't feel free if you fall off."

"Fine," she replies then sits down.

About ten minutes later, we reach the picnic spot. Sammy hops out of the trunk then gets the picnic basket, blanket, and Alex's old guitar. I pick a nice, dry spot under a family of redwood trees and set up our picnic. There's a perfect view of the ocean and James Island from our little spot.

"How'd you end up finding this place?" Sammy asks leaning against a tree, looking out over the ocean.

"I went to the highest point on Little James Island and saw this empty spot. It took weeks to actually find. Eventually, I came across the small dirt road that led to this spot. I like to come up here every once in a while to clear my head and just think," I explain. She grabs a hold of a steady tree branch and leans over the edge staring down at the shore and the islands. There's a slight breeze that blows her hair around her. She turns around and smiles at me, her hair flying perfectly behind her now. She is captivating in looks and picturesque at this moment.

"We should go down to the islands some time."

"Just tell me when," I tell her with a smile.

"I hope you mean that" she says sitting down next to me with a smile. "Hungry?"

"I'm starved."

Surprisingly, we slowly eat our lunch and enjoy the peace of the mountain. We spend the next few hours just sitting around and talking.

"So what else could we do this summer?" Sammy asks lying on her back next to me.

"Well the bonfire isn't until next month, but we could always go to Port Angeles and Seattle and spend the day there. We could also have some hiking day trips to some places you haven't been to before."

"I haven't been to Seattle for a few years so that would definitely be fun. Also, I would love to go hiking maybe even along one of the rivers."

"Then we can do both," I tell her and smiles at me then starts messing around with the guitar trying to tune it by ear. I watch as Sammy plays her favorite songs on the guitar and sings along.

"Beauty queen of only eighteen, she had some trouble with herself. He was always there to help her, she always belonged to someone else. I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door. I've had you so many times, but somehow I want more."

I admire her as I watch how focused she is on playing the guitar. She looks over at me and sees me watching, then she starts to blush. Her hair cascades down her face, and I move it back behind her ear causing her to turn a darker shade of pink.

"Sorry, I'm a little rusty. I haven't played much since last summer."

"You sound perfect," I assure her. I almost lean in and kiss her then, but decide against it, not wanting to ruin the moment. As she continues to play the guitar, I snap a few photos of her on my phone while she's not paying attention.

Once the sun starts setting, we clean up and start the drive back home. Sammy takes my hand and looks at me waiting for me to return the gaze.

"Thanks for today, it was really nice being able to come up here and just relax."

"Anytime, Sammy." I smile at her, thankful that she decided to come with me. All of a sudden, the car jerks again and our hands separate.

"Should've been using your high beams," Sammy mumbles, but laughs a little.

I just laugh at her as I slip out of the car. Sammy meets up with me, this time at the back of the car and we easily push it out. We run back inside and I notice that Sammy's all muddy and shivering. I hand her the picnic blanket and pull her toward me. She's definitely not used to the cold weather up here, but she always refers to me as her personal heater. She curls up next to me, fitting perfectly against my body. Once we reach the house, we hose off in the backyard.

"Thanks again for such an amazing day," Sammy says then quickly kisses my cheek. She runs to the warmth of her home, while I stand still in shock and blushing crimson red.

I head inside my house and eat a quick yet large dinner. I get ready for bed, then join my dad on the porch.

"So was that a date then?" He asks me.

"What are you talking about?" I ask feeling the heat rise to my face again.

"I happened to see that little moment between the two of you before she went home. Plus you two kids were out for practically the whole day."

"Well, it wasn't really a date. We just hung out on the mountain and had lunch up there."

I look up and see Sammy sitting on her porch reading a book. The light from the room emanated behind her and made her look angelic. My dad notices where I'm looking then starts to roll away.

"Just ask her out on a date son."