Chapter 6 #3
“Oh, I forgot that was there,” I said. “I did it to match the bracelet. Do you like it?” When he turned his focus from my hair to my face, I was caught off guard by how stunning the blue of his eyes was.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t noticed before. Maybe it was that I hadn’t seen them this close up?
He looked different from the last time I saw him, his cheekbones more prominent, the space below them hollower.
“Yeah, it’s cool. Maybe I’ll grow my hair out this summer and you can do it to match my bracelet, too,” he said.
He searched my face, and the prickling where his leg pressed against mine became a campfire blaze.
He tilted his head and pursed his lips. The bottom one was fuller than the top, a faint crease bisected the pink crescent. I hadn’t noticed that before.
“You look different,” Sam murmured, squinting while he examined me. “No more freckles,” he said after a few seconds.
“Don’t worry, they’ll be back,” I said, looking up at the sun. “Probably by the end of the day.” One corner of his lip rose slightly, but his brows remained furrowed.
“No more bangs, either,” he said, giving the embroidered section of hair a gentle pull. I blinked back at him, my heart pounding.
What is even happening right now?
“No, and they won’t be back—ever,” I replied.
I lifted my hand to tuck my hair behind my ear, realized it was shaking, and wedged it safely under my thigh.
“You know, you’re the only boy I’ve met who pays such close attention to hair?
” I tried to sound calm, but the words came out wearing a straitjacket.
He grinned. “I pay attention to a lot of things about you, Percy Fraser.”
THE CANADA DAY fireworks were an impressive display for such a small town. They were lit from the town dock, explosions illuminating the night sky and glittering on the inky water below.
“Do you think Charlie’s friends are as cute as he is?” Delilah asked, tossing clothes all over the floor while we got ready. The plan was for Charlie, Sam, and Charlie’s friends to pick Delilah and me up in the Banana Boat at dusk so we could watch from the lake.
“Knowing Charlie, I think his friends are probably all girls,” I replied, pulling on a pair of sweatpants.
“Hmm . . . then I’ll have to go all out.” She held up a red halter top and a black miniskirt. “What do you think?”
“I think you’ll be cold. It can get chilly when the sun goes down.”
She gave me a devilish grin. “I’ll risk it.”
Thus clad—she in club wear, me in a navy U of T sweatshirt Dad bought at the university gift shop—we made our way to the water.
We stopped dead as soon as we got to our dock and looked over at the Floreks’.
Charlie and another boy were helping three girls into the boat.
I took comfort in the fact that they were dressed more like me than Delilah, in leggings and pullovers.
Charlie brought the boat up to the end of our dock so we could climb aboard and introduced us to the group.
Delilah’s face fell when he referred to Arti as his girlfriend, but she quickly collected herself and planted her butt on the bench next to Sam.
I sat across from them, my eyes sticky-glued to where Delilah’s leg pressed against his.
Charlie parked just out from the town beach, where dozens of boats drifted on the water and cars lined the shore all around the bay.
Charlie’s friend Evan cracked a couple of cans of beer and passed them around as we waited.
Both Charlie and Sam declined, but Delilah took a sip, puckering at the taste.
“You won’t like it, Percy,” she said, handing it back to Evan.
I took advantage of the dimming light to study Sam.
He was listening to Delilah talk about her summer plans: horse riding in the Kawarthas and suntanning at a resort in Muskoka.
His hair was thick and unruly, as usual, and he kept pushing it back only for it to fall over his eye again.
He had a good mouth, I decided. His nose was the exact right size for his face, not too small or too big.
It was kind of weirdly perfect. I already knew he had the best eyes.
His whole face was nice, really. He was skinny, but his elbows and knees didn’t look as stabby as they did last summer.
Delilah was right; Sam was cute. I just hadn’t realized before now.
I sat quietly with my revelation as he nodded along to Delilah’s description of the resort pool, large hands wrapped around his knees, thighs squished against hers.
“You cold?” he asked her.
“A bit,” she admitted. She was shivering, I could see that, but when Sam unzipped his black hoodie and passed it to her, it felt like a blade had been plunged into my belly.
It struck me like a bus: I had no idea how much time Sam spent with other girls during the year. I didn’t think he had a girlfriend, but then again, the topic hadn’t come up. And Sam was cute. And smart. And thoughtful.
“You okay, Percy?” he asked, catching me staring wide-eyed. Delilah shot me a funny look.
“Uh-huh!” It came out of my mouth as an odd squeak. I needed a diversion. “Hey, Evan? I wouldn’t mind a sip of that,” I said, pointing to his beer.
“Yeah, sure.” He passed me the can, and nope! I did not like beer. I gave Evan a smile after my first gulp, then forced back two more before handing it back. Sam leaned toward me, his lips pinched together.
“You drink beer?” he asked with clear disbelief.
“Love it,” I lied.
He frowned. “Swear on it?” He held up his wrist.
“Not a chance.” He shook his head and laughed, and the sound brought a smile to my face.
Delilah’s gaze ping-ponged between us, and when the fireworks started, booms echoing around the bay, she moved onto the seat beside me, linked her arm through mine, and whispered in my ear, “Your secret’s safe with me.”
THE WEATHER HAD been perfect for Delilah’s visit: clear skies, not a drop of rain, hot but not muggy, as if Mother Nature had known Delilah was coming, and put on her most impressive outfit.
To Delilah’s great disappointment, Charlie wasn’t as cooperative, spending most of his time working at the Tavern or hanging out at Arti’s house in town.
Her last day at the lake was what Dad called a scorcher, and when we could no longer walk on the dock without burning our feet, we headed to the Floreks’ basement.
“What’s Charlie up to?” Delilah asked as the three of us trudged down the stairs with sodas and a bag of salt-and-vinegar chips.
“Sleeping, probably,” said Sam, grabbing the remote. “What do you feel like watching?” He and I took our usual spots at the opposite ends of the couch.
“I’ve got a better idea,” Delilah said with a toss of red hair. “Let’s play truth or dare.”
Sam groaned.
“I don’t know . . .” I hesitated, feeling uneasy. “I’m not sure we have enough people to play.”
“Of course we do! You can play with just two people and there are one, two, three of us.” Sam eyed Delilah like she was a poisonous snake. “C’mon! It’s my last day. Let’s do something fun.”
“Just for a little while?” I directed my question at Sam.
“Okay, sure,” he sighed heavily.
Delilah clapped her hands and positioned us in a circle on the sisal carpeting. “We don’t have a bottle, so let’s just spin the remote to see who goes first. Whoever the top end is facing starts,” she directed. “Sam, why don’t you go for it?”
“If I must,” he said from under a swoop of tawny hair. He spun the remote, which pointed vaguely in Delilah’s direction.
“Delilah: truth or dare?” Sam asked with the enthusiasm of a dead trout.
“Truth!”
Sam locked his blue eyes on her like a missile: “Have you ever bullied anyone?” I shot him a warning glance, but Delilah was oblivious.
“That’s a weird question,” she said, her bubblegum lips in a twist. “But, no, I haven’t.” Sam raised one eyebrow, but let it slide.
“Okay, my turn to ask one,” she said and rubbed her hands together. “Sam: Do you have a girlfriend?”
“I do not,” he replied, sounding utterly bored and a bit condescending. I fought back a smile that started in my fingertips, and let out the breath I’d been holding since the night of the fireworks.
After fifteen otherwise dull minutes of answering truth questions, Sam rubbed his face and moaned, “Can we put an end to this if I choose dare?”
Delilah considered this until a look of evil victory fell across her creamy face. “Great idea, Sam.” She pretended to think, her index finger on her chin. Then she narrowed her eyes at him. “I dare you to kiss Percy.”
My jaw slowly dropped. I’d been trying to figure out how I felt about Sam for days.
But the glare he was giving Delilah, like he wanted to chop her up in itty-bitty pieces, was a flashing billboard that read I would only kiss Percy Fraser if she were the last girl in the galaxy, and maybe not even then. My stomach lurched.
“What, don’t you think she’s cute enough for you?” Delilah asked, her voice as sweet as aspartame, just as footsteps came down the stairs.
“Who’s not cute enough for you, Samuel?” Charlie asked, stalking over to us in a pair of black track pants. He stretched up into a yawn that drew attention to his naked torso.
“No one,” Sam replied as Delilah said, “Percy.”
Charlie tilted his head toward her, his green eyes twinkling with delight. “Oh?”
“I dared him to kiss her but he obviously wasn’t going to. I’d be insulted if it were me,” she said, like I wasn’t sitting right beside her.
“Is that right?” Charlie smirked. “How come, Samuel?”
“Get lost, Charles,” he muttered, a high tide of blood red rising past his neck.