Girls Like Boys

On Sunday after Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Ram and I went to spend time with friends from high school. I hadn’t talked to anyone since we graduated, but apparently Ramsy had kept in touch with a couple people, and they invited both of us out. The entire group had plans to go out for dinner and then to a party at a friend of a friend’s house. After spending the last four weeks straight with Charlie, he was relatively easy to convince to let us stay the night at a friend’s house. He made us promise to text him whenever we arrived at a new place, especially if the snow got bad.

Wesley had plans of his own with his buddies for the night, but he spent the early evening camped out on my bed, watching Ramsy and pick out clothes to wear. He laid on his stomach with his head at the foot of the bed, arms folded beneath him. His blonde hair was shaggier than usual which made it wavy like Ram’s. “Where are you going again?” he asked idly, fiddling with his phone.

I glanced back from the mirror hanging on my wardrobe. “Out with Ramsy’s friends,” I repeated for the third or fourth time. “Where are you going?”

Wes grinned up at me. “Toby and Drew want to go bar hopping,” he said with a shrug. “They’re picking me up later, so I’m really just along for the ride.”

“Guess we can’t call our big brother if we get into any trouble,” Ram said, teasing. “He’ll be too drunk to come to our rescue.” She grabbed a bundle of clothes from the dressed shoved into the closet and headed to the bathroom to change. As she passed him, Wes chucked one of my pillows at her.

“She’s even ruder than before you two left,” he muttered, watching as the pillow landed on the floor and moved the door closed a little bit more.

I chuckled lightly. “She doesn’t bother me,” I said, rifling through my own suitcase. “In fact, you’re really the only one that she’s mean to.”

Wesley rolled over so that he as facing the ceiling. “Sounds about right,” he said. “But honestly though, call me if you two get into anything. I can make whoever is DD-ing drive me to get you. You’re like little sisters to all of ‘em; they’re not going to say no.”

My phone dinged while he was talking. I nodded, moving from where my suitcase sat on Ramsy’s bed toward my own and the cell phone that sat on the side table. “We’ll be fine,” I answered.

Wes sat up abruptly and swiped the phone. “What’s Travis want?” he asked, flashing the phone toward me. It was set so that it would only show who texted, not what it said. Wes swiped his finger across the screen, trying to open the text. When it prompted him for a password, he jabbed at the keyboard. It buzzed in his hand. “Who doesn’t use their birthday as their password?” he asked, annoyed.

I surged forward and grabbed it. “Give it to me,” I demanded, shoving him back by his shoulder as I tried to pry it away from him. “Wesley, let go.”

He rolled his eyes and released it, holding his hands up in surrender. “You’re so touchy,” he muttered, rolling back onto the bed so he was laying down again. “I just want to see what you two are talking about all the time.”

I shot him a glare. “Nothing,” I said.

“That’s real convincing,” he said, and reached for his own phone again. After a moment, he said, “Drew told me to tell you ‘hey’,” and then typed out his own response. “I said it back for you.”

I gave him a look and slid my phone into the pocket of my shorts. As I walked back to my pile of clothes, Ram came back into the room and threw her dirty clothes onto the floor by the closet. “What’s Drew doing?” Ram questioned, glancing to our brother and then back to the mirror and her makeup. “Cody, hurry up and change.”

I nodded and left the room, taking my stuff with me. Ram and Wes fell into easy conversation about Wesley’s best friends and what they were doing since we’d been gone. It sounded to me like they were doing the same thing as when we left. In the summer and spring, Wes worked with Charlie landscaping, and he managed to recruit a good amount of his friends every season. Drew and Toby always came back. They’d been best friends with Wes since they were in elementary school.

When I got to the bathroom to change, I opened up Trav’s text. I was nervous about him driving in the snow since he’d never done it, but he promised that if he could race like he did, he could handle a bit of ‘frozen water.’ I didn’t believe him, but I let him come anyway.

Stopped for gas in Evansville, the message read. Only a few hours left.

I texted back, letting him know that he was less than two from here, even though his GPS probably told him the exact same thing. The plan was to meet up with Travis when he got into town. I hadn’t mentioned it to Ramsy yet, but I was hoping that her plans would keep her busy, and she wouldn’t mind if Travis picked me up and brought me back later. The party was a perfect excuse for me to be out of the house when Trav got to the city.

He’d left around one-thirty this afternoon, after convincing Erick and Benji that they couldn’t come with. Ryan was still at his parents for the holiday, so Trav had to fend off his friends alone. Immediately when Travis shot them down, I got outraged Facetime calls from Benji, demanding that I tell Travis to let him ride with. I was in the middle of lunch with my family, but I answered anyway, heading to the porch the placate the guys. I could see Travis rolling his eyes behind Benji and Erick, and he told them to hang up.

“Tell Trav to get a move on,” I said, watching him disappear from the frame.

Benji sighed dramatically. “You’re always playing favorites, y’know, Cody? You didn’t even bother to ask if the rest of us wanted to go on a road trip. We could’ve brought the party to you.”

I chuckled and shook my head at the guys. “I’ve got to go,” I said, glancing back to the house. None of my family had made their way out of the kitchen to ask me to return yet, but I knew it only a matter of minutes. “I’ll be back in a few weeks. I’ll see you then, Benj. Bye, Erick!” I ended the call quickly and rounded back into the house, putting my phone away before I got to the kitchen.

I caught the look from Esther and settled back into my seat, apologizing. She and Charlie were back in the kitchen cleaning up after their dinner when Ram and I passed through, heading to leave. It was already dark out, and I watched Charlie’s nervous glance out the window. He dropped the dishes in the sink and followed behind us to the living room and front door. “Text me when you get to the restaurant,” he said, arms folded over his chest. “It’s supposed to start snowing, so be careful, alright?”

“Yeah, Dad,” I said for the both of us, following Ramsy out the door. She pulled her cardigan closer against her body as she plucked the truck keys out the pocket. It was peach colored, almost salmon, and knitted to make up for the thin grey t’shirt she wore beneath it. Her jeans were made to look distressed, but the holes didn’t go all the way through to her skin. I walked in her footsteps, trying not to get my Adidas any wetter than her peach trainers.

Ram unlocked it, and I hauled myself into the truck, sliding the sleeves of my ivory sweater up above my elbows. My jeans were sans-holes, and dark wash. It turned out that bringing clothes from Alabama was necessary, seeing as Ramsy was right, and neither one of us wanted to wear the clothes we’d left behind in our closet.

I waited until we were a few miles away before I interrupted Ramsy’s explanation of the night to tell her about my own plans. I crossed my legs on the seat of the truck and glanced to her. “Travis is on his way here,” I blurted, grimacing as she screeched out words in surprise.

“What do you mean ‘Travis is on his way here’?” she questioned, looking to me accusingly. “You aren’t serious. You know Charlie will kick your ass if you bring him to the house.”

“He’s not coming to the house,” I defended, crossing my arms over my chest. “He’s staying in a hotel in town, and we’re just going to hangout for a couple of days before he goes home.”

Ram pulled onto the main street that would take us into town. “You seriously couldn’t go a few weeks without him?” she asked. “We have plans for tonight. You’re just going to ditch me?”

I sighed. “I have gone a few weeks already,” I replied. “Most people see their friends over the holiday. Travis wanted a break from Alabama and racing, so he’s coming here. It’s not the end of the world.”

Ram looked at me dully. “Everyone is expecting you to be there tonight, Cody. What am I supposed to tell them? She ran off with her new best friend and doesn’t have time for any of you?”

“Oh come off it, Ramsy,” I retorted. “You and I both know that they won’t even care if I’m there or not. I’m only invited because they want you to come out.”

She took a hard turn. “That’s not true,” he said. “Mack asked specifically if you were coming. It’s not their fault that you have a chip on your shoulder about them and didn’t bother to keep in touch.”

I sighed and pressed back against the seat. “Mack asks about everybody,” I said lamely, unable to argue with her any further. “He’s the most social person I’ve ever met.”

Ramsy grinned despite herself. “If you want to hang out with Travis, then you need to bring him with, because you’re not ditching me tonight. We never do anything together anymore.”

“We were born together, Ram,” I retorted. “We sleep in the same bedroom, eat the same meals, and watch the same shows. I’m pretty sure you could survive without me for one night.”

She shrugged, pulling onto the street of a local restaurant. “So what,” she said. “You and Travis can stay and hang out with everyone.” She parked near the back of the lot when we found a space big enough, and then we dropped out onto the sludgy blacktop.

The restaurant itself was built like a little metal box with a sloped roof. The place was windows most of the way around and lit warmly from inside. Ram and I caught sight of our friends at the same time they saw us. The group of them stood just inside the glass doors, and they grinned at us, waving us on. Our high school group consisted of us and about seven other people, give or take. We weren’t set in stone, but these were the people that revolved in and out of my high school memories.

Mackenzy James Arlo threw the door open and burst outside. He met Ram and I halfway across the parking lot and threw his arms around us both, walking backwards with our momentum. I smiled and held onto his shirt to keep him from tripping. He wore nothing just a cut off t’shirt and baggy jeans. His shaggy hair was hidden beneath a beanie.

“Welcome back,” he said as he pulled away. He ended up at my side and dropped his bare arm across my shoulders. “We were wondering if you two were really going to show.”

“We’re here, aren’t we?” Ramsy replied, throwing the door open. She immediately greeted the rest of them as we walked up. The most familiar faces were Aimee and Daniella, who Ram was almost inseparable with in high school. Aimee looked the same, just older, and had cut her red-blonde hair starkly to her chin. She grinned at us. Danielle was tall with dark curls and darker eyes. She was always soft-spoken unless she was with Clayton, her boyfriend. Clay stood on Aimee’s other side. He was shorter than Mack, whom barreled to his side, grinning too. The distance between Clay and Daniella surprised me, but I didn’t have time to digest it as Aimee motioned to a less familiar face.

“You both remember Chloe Leighton, right?”

“It’s only been a few months,” I answered, nodding easily. The words sounded weird after I said them, because it felt like so much longer since I had seen any of these people.

Ramsy picked up the slack, offering a polite smile to the girl. “Yeah, Chloe,” she said, shoulder bumping into mine. “It’s nice to see you again. How’s things?”

Chloe smiled and tucked her light colored hair out of her face. “It’s been good. I go to Indiana State now.”

Clay chuckled from her left. “Like everyone else,” he said, looking to the group of people around him. His eyes landed on Ramsy and I. “Except you two, obviously.”

“And me,” Mack said, grinning proudly. “I think I lasted a month before I decided it wasn’t for me. I work at O’Reilly’s now,” he added, referring to the lumber store that Charlie frequented for business.

“I think I heard about that,” Ramsy said, glancing to me as she nodded. “That’s good though. At least you have something to do that doesn’t come with homework.”

The group laughed, and we all shifted as a waitress came up to us, asking how many and grabbing menus from the little stand perched there by the door. I followed in line, side by side with Mack, whom pulled his beanie off and ruffled his hair, trying to make it look semi-reasonable. I laughed at his attempt and grinned when he looked to me.

“Fix it,” he hissed, motioning to the mop of blonde hair that sat in disarray. He leaned down so that I could reach, and I haphazardously pushed the strands back into place. The sides of his head were sheared short, but his hair was still thick enough on top to be a mess. He ran his fingers through it again and again as we got to our table and took our seats.

We ended up at a round table with red, round-backed chairs. The seven of us divided around it, and Ramsy managed to be almost right across from me. Aimee and Chloe sat on her right and Daniella on her left. Mack sat between Daniella and I, and Clay sat on my other side. I shot a look to Ram, wondering if she knew anything about what had happened between them. She shrugged slightly and turned her attention to Aimee as she spoke.

“How far away is your school?” she asked, glancing between Ram and me.

“Like eight hours,” I answered for us. “It’s really not a bad drive though.”

“Dang,” Clay muttered. “I don’t know how you two managed to pull that off. When you told everyone at your grad party, I really thought your dad was going to blow up.”

Ram and I both grimaced at the memory. “I thought so too,” my sister said, shaking her head at the thought, “but Charlie has been okay. He’s a little overbearing when we see him, but that’s really not much different than before.”

I spent the dinner alternating between reconnecting with my friends and feeding Travis information about the night. He couldn’t text me back, but I watched the little ‘read’ move from text to text, so I figured he had the phone open on his dash with his GPS. While he couldn’t reply, or rebut, I told him that we were being forced to socialize with our friends, and that we had to make an appearance at Mack’s friend Owen’s party. It wasn’t until he got to his hotel that he was able to reply.

We were all piling back into our cars when my phone started ringing. Mack decided to ride with us, so he looked at me from the backseat of the truck when my phone went off, flashing Trav’s name and face onto the screen. The others were parked near us and hadn’t gotten into their cars either, so I caught their looks as I answered the call and lifted the phone in the dim parking lot.

“What do you mean we’re going to a high school party?” Travis asked in leiu of a greeting. When the picture came on, I saw him standing in an elevator, and I assumed he’d just checked into his hotel.

“It’s not a high school party,” I corrected. “It’s a party with my friends from high school.”

Travis frowned and glanced up as the elevator doors dinged. He shuffled over as though someone else joined him. “I thought I was just picking you up, and we were going out to do our own thing?”

Mack looked down at me from the truck, and I eyed him, turning away a bit farther even though everyone was already eavesdropping on the conversation. Since both of the front truck doors were open, Ramsy stood on the other side, leaning into the cab so she could hear what was going on.

“Her Alabama best friend is crashing the party,” Ramsy narrated to the others, talking across a couple rows of cars in the lot. “She didn’t tell anyone he was coming and planned to sneak off and ditch us.”

We were close enough to my sister that Travis heard every word. “Ramsy roped us into this,” he concluded, shaking his head as he got off the elevator and headed down a poorly lit hall. “I should’ve known she would find a way to ruin my vacation.”

“It’ll be fine,” I placated, glancing across the lot to my friends who were waiting for us to leave so they could follow us, and Mack, who was going to feed us directions. “I’ll give you the address, and you can meet me there.”

Travis groaned, and I heard a thump as he tossed his suitcase down on the hallway carpet. I lost sight of him as he lowered the phone to get his keycard out and open his room door. “Fine,” he said, his words muffled. “I can’t believe you’ve got me crashing a party where I'm the only one old enough to drink.

I grinned. “You’re driving,” I reminded him. “You can’t drink.”