44. Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Sloane
April 1993
I 've always gone on spring break with my family, but this year, I'm going with Maggie, Beth, and Annalise, and we’ve settled into the cool, air-conditioned condo. Beth and Annalise's moms are good friends, and are our chaperones, except they are staying in a different condo to give us some independence since it’s our senior year.
After their moms leave us with a kitchen full of food for the week and strict instructions, Beth and Annalise scurry into the master bedroom which they are sharing. Moments later, they dash back into the family room holding bottles of liquor. "We packed a few special items!" Annalise practically squeals as she bounces from one foot to another.
I feel my eyes go wide. “How did you get that?”
“Older brothers have their perks,” Annalise says with a smile.
Beth sets her bottle on the breakfast bar and dashes back into their room. When she comes back, she has two cases of beer. "Gotta get these into the fridge."
"Oh my gosh, how big is that suitcase?" Maggie asks.
Beth smiles wide as she opens the fridge and starts loading the cans into it. "Hopefully big enough that we don't have to ask anyone to buy us more."
Annalise joins her in the kitchen and locates the blender. "Margaritas or daiquiris?" she asks us, her eyes sparkling.
"Um, daiquiris?" I reply. Since I don’t really drink, I’m not sure which would be best, but my mom has let me taste a strawberry daiquiri and it wasn’t bad. I’ve heard stories about tequila, and they usually don't end well. That stuff can mess you up.
"I think I'll stick with water," Maggie says softly.
"Oh, no you don't!" Beth says as she puts the last can of beer in the fridge and shuts the door. "It's senior year spring break. We're gonna have some fun!"
I smile at Maggie and sense that she's uncomfortable. "Just have a couple of sips and see if you like it."
She seems to relax and says, "Okay, but you girls aren't going to get me drunk."
I walk over to the pantry. "Your moms were so nice to stock us up. We have more than enough food for a week." I turn to my friends. "I can make some cheese and crackers."
"Yes, please," Annalise says as she gets ice from the freezer. "And chips and salsa. I'm starving."
Once the drinks and snacks are ready, we take them out onto the balcony. I look at my watch after I take a seat. "It's four-thirty. What's the plan for tonight?"
"I'm so tired of driving," Annalise says, "can we just order a pizza?"
"Great idea," Beth says. "We can eat it on the beach."
"And watch the sunset," I add.
"Sounds good to me," Maggie says, then takes another sip of her strawberry daquiri. "This is really good."
"Just take it easy," I tell her. "You don't want that rum to hit you." She smiles at me like she's doing something she shouldn't do, but is enjoying it. I know she's out of her comfort zone, but I’m so glad she's having fun. As I watch the water glistening under the low afternoon sun, I can't help but think of Ky and how great it would be if he can make it here. I'd love to rest in his arms while watching the sunset.
"Sloaney, you've got goo-goo eyes," Annalise says. "Are you thinking about Ky?"
I smile as my cheeks heat up. "It's that obvious, huh?" My friends nod and giggle at me. I take a sip of my icy drink. "I'll understand if he can't get away from work, but it would be so amazing if he could come for even a day. He's just two hours away. That could totally be a day trip, right?"
"Oh yeah," Beth says. "I'm sure he'll make it happen. He could leave in the morning and be here before ten."
"And, if he can't stay the night, he could leave at ten and be back by midnight," Annalise says, then leans forward and grabs a cracker and a piece of cheese.
I don't want to get my hopes up, but they're right. He could totally make it happen.
"Does he work on the weekend?" Maggie asks.
I shrug. "It depends."
Annalise sits up and smacks her hand on the glass patio table making everything on it jump and rattle. "Girl, call that boy up and see if he's working this weekend. If not, see if he wants to come here tonight. Then he can leave tomorrow night and be back for work on Monday."
"I don't know," I hesitate. "He said he would try, and I don't want to call him right after I get to town." I think for a moment. "Besides, maybe he doesn't have the money for a hotel and just doesn't want to say anything."
"Oh my gosh, Sloane, he can totally stay here," Beth says.
"But your mom said-" she cuts me off.
"My mom isn't going to know," she replies. "Besides, you yourself said you're not ready to have sex with him, so it would be totally innocent."
I think about what her mom said about drinking and hormones. Plus, she very specifically just told us this would not be okay. “Maybe some of the guys would let him stay with them?” I suggest, knowing that Beth and Annalise would talk to their guy friends who are staying nearby.
Beth nods. “Yeah, I’m sure we can figure it out.”
"You should call him,” Maggie says before taking another sip of her drink. Her tongue sounds a little thick like the rum is already affecting her.
I pass her the plate of cheese and crackers. "Here, have some of these." We all start to giggle. "I suppose I could call him."
"Yes!" Annalise says. "Call the boy. I bet he'll be here in under two hours once he hears from you."
With that, I hop up and run to the kitchen to call Ky. I know I have a little liquid courage, but I also have butterflies in my belly because he could say no. I dial his number which I have memorized and look at my watch as it rings. It's just after five o'clock here.
"Hello?" a gruff Southern accent sounds from the other end.
"Hi, Mister Carter, this is Sloane. Is Ky available?" I ask his dad.
"Oh, hey, Sloane," Ky's dad says kindly. "I think he just got out of the shower. Hang on."
Why did he have to tell me that? Now I'm imagining Ky as he towels off. I shake my head. Beth's mom was right, drinking and teenage hormones are dangerous. I set my cup down so I stop drinking as I wait nervously.
"Hey, Ba--Beautiful," Ky says, correcting himself before he could get the word, babe, out of his mouth.
"Hey," I practically sing. "We got to Florida!"
"Awesome," he says, and his tone is one of amusement. "How many drinks have you had?" He laughs light-heartedly.
I giggle. "Like three-quarters of a daquiri," I reply as my insides flush with warmth. "It would be so amazing if you were here. In fact, my friends and I were talking and since you're just a couple hours away, do you think you could come down here tonight?" I don't let him answer yet. "We could spend all day together tomorrow. Maybe even catch the sunset together before you have to go back."
"I wish I could, but I've got, um, a family thing tonight.”
"Oh," I’m struck by his lack of details of this family thing. "Do you think you could come after? It can't go that late, can it?"
"I don't know," he says. "Give me your number, and I'll call you, but I don't want you to wait around to hear from me. It's your first night of spring break. Go enjoy it."
I give him the number written on the little slip of paper underneath a skinny piece of plastic on the phone. "There's no answering machine, though."
"Okay," Ky says. "I mean, I really don't think I'll be able to make it tonight. It would be late if I could…"
I wait for him to finish, but he doesn't. This is silly, I think to myself. If he wants to see me, I'm closer than ever. "No worries. You go spend time with your family and let me know if you're able to switch shifts to come down here." I want to make my point, so I add, "We're closer than ever, so hopefully you can make it work."
"Me, too," Ky says softly.
I don't want him to say the 'L' word so I quickly say, "Awesome, well call me and let me know. We're going to head out and grab pizza and watch the sunset."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye," I say then place the phone firmly back in its cradle. I inhale sharply and will myself not to cry. It seems that this would be a perfect opportunity to see each other since we’re so close. He never mentioned a family thing before, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s telling me the whole story. Maybe I’m just letting my imagination get the best of me, or maybe he’s not as interested in me as I thought he was.