Chapter 61 Highs and Lows #2
She has all my favorite snacks and candies.
We turn on a rom-com and munch on all the goodies.
When the movie ends, I feel a little lighter, a little more human.
“Thank you for getting all of this,” I tell her.
“Well, I only showed up, Drew ordered all the snacks and told me he thought I should bring them by after he left,” she says.
“Oh, Meg, am I that pathetic?” I say covering my eyes with my hands.
“No, Annie, you love him, and he knew you’d be sad.
It’s ok to be sad when someone we love is so far away.
” “Well, thank you for being here,” I say and mean it.
“Tomorrow, we leave the house,” she declares.
“Yes, tomorrow we leave the house,” I agree.
Later, I get my first call from Drew. He sounds tired but excited about his apartment.
He lets me know he will video call me tomorrow to show me the space once he and his parents actually unpack his stuff.
He lets me know that he’s also met his roommate, a guy named Adam Perez from Florida.
Drew says he’s the catcher for the team and seems like a cool dude.
Then he asks me what I’ve been up to. I should tell him the truth, but I also don’t want to bring down his excitement, so I say hanging out with Meg.
We end the call by each saying I love you.
I sit in my empty room and vow, tomorrow I really will get out of my house, if only so I don’t have to lie to Drew.
***
A week later, a small pattern is emerging for my summer.
Drew and I text on and off each day, and either call or video chat.
We haven’t gotten to that phone sex call yet, but I’m sure it will be coming soon.
I’ve also started the part-time job I got at the end of school to help digitize all the old copies of the Reporter.
I figured it would be good to say I have been in a newsroom other than high school.
It is pretty easy, but the money is already being put to good use.
I am saving to see if I can get a round-trip ticket to Arizona to visit Drew before I start in Norman in August.
***
Almost two weeks after Drew leaves, I turn nineteen and get a wakeup call from Drew wishing me a Happy Birthday.
He tells me next year we will make sure we are together, and I make him promise.
When I make it downstairs, I’m greeted with “Happy Birthday” from Miles, Mom, and Dad.
It has been nice to have my brother home, and we have a family breakfast full of our sports debates.
I even invite Miles to join me and my friends for our plans today.
When he asks what we are doing, I have to be honest and let him know that Meg insisted on a day full of fun.
He tells me he’s game, and I give him the only information I have from Meg, which is to have a swimsuit, a towel, and to bring extra sunscreen. We both head upstairs to change.
***
I hear the horn from my room and know that it is my signal that Meg is here.
As I leave my room, I yell to Miles, “You ready?” I hear his muffled, “I’ll join you at the car in a second.
” As I go downstairs, I yell to my parents that I’m leaving, and they both yell goodbye from somewhere in the house.
When I get outside, Meg rolls down the window and yells, “Happy nineteenth birthday, Annie Marie.” Meg has always been able to make me feel so special; I’m a lucky girl to have her as my best friend.
“Thank you—Miles is going to join us, I hope that is ok.” I get into the car.
“Yeah, the more the merrier.” She grabs her phone and types a message to someone.
“So,” I start, “can you tell me now where we are going?” I jokingly plead.
Miles has joined us and is in the backseat, looking as curious as I am about the events for today.
“Guess,” is Meg’s one-word reply. I make an exaggerated thinking expression from the passenger seat as she is pulling out of the neighborhood.
“A pool?” I guess, and Meg says, “Lame.” “What about the water park?” I guess next.
Meg gives me a side eye from behind the wheel before saying, “Are we twelve, no.” This gets a laugh from Miles in the back seat.
“Well then the lake, it’s got to be the lake,” I say.
I earn a smile from Meg. “Yes, it’s the lake, but it’s not any lake day on the beach.
Tom’s parents have a pontoon boat.” “Do they have a tube to pull?” Miles asks from the back.
Meg looks in the rearview mirror, “Yes, they have the one that sits like three to four people.” “Annie, thanks for the invite, sounds like fun,” Miles says to me.
“Yeah, it should be fun.” When we get to the boat ramp, I try to fight the little ping of sadness that passes when I think about being here at night what feels like years ago with Drew.
Meg leads us to the pontoon boat. I can see Tom, Craig, Luke, Travis, a few girls I don’t know, and one guy I don’t know.
Meg gives Tom a quick hug and kiss as she boards the boat.
As I get on, I tell him thank you for taking us out for the day.
Tom lets me know it isn’t a problem and then yells, “Justin, come here a second.” The guy I don’t know comes over, and Tom continues, “Justin, this is Annie. Annie, this is Justin, my buddy from school.” Justin reaches his hand out and I shake his hand.
“So, you’re the girl we are celebrating today,” he says, giving my hand a little squeeze.
I remove my hand quickly because it felt weird, and I’m sure he wouldn’t have done that with Drew here.
“Yeah, that’s me, nice to meet you,” I say and then excuse myself to join the guys I know.
They introduce me to the girls, Amanda and Emily.
Tom gets behind the captain’s chair and we take off for the day on the lake.
We have fun swimming and tubing most of the day.
The only little hiccup is when Justin starts asking me if I’d like to go out sometime over the summer, and before I can even tell him no, Craig gets involved, not so kindly letting Justin know that I have a boyfriend.
Justin smarted off something like, “Well, if he’s such a good guy, why isn’t he here?
” “Maybe because he’s a pro baseball player, asshole,” Luke interjects himself into the conversation.
Meg joins the conversation and gets the guys to settle, but it killed a little of the easygoing nature of the day.
We all agree to head back to the boat ramp.
I tell all my friends thank you for coming and hop into the car with Meg and Miles.
“Sorry about Justin” is the first comment Meg makes when we get into the car.
“Tom said to tell you sorry, too: he didn’t realize his buddy was going to try to hit on you the whole boat ride.
” “He was kind of an ass,” Miles replied from the backseat.
“He even asked me after the whole she has a boyfriend thing if I’d give Annie his number.
I told him to fuck off and to leave my sister alone.
” “My shining hero,” I joke. I haven’t looked at my phone all day because we’d been on the boat, and Meg had volunteered to be the official photographer. I have ten missed messages from Drew.
Drew Davis
I hate that I am missing your birthday
Back from practice, have fun on the boat
Meg sent me a picture of you in a bikini
I mean it did have other people in it too
Correction now I have one of just you
Why have I never seen you in a bikini in person?
We need to fix that ASAP!
But I have seen you in red lingerie so maybe that kinda counts
Now all I can think about is you in lingerie
Text me when you're headed back home I love you
Annie
Just headed back from the lake
Drew Davis
You have a good time?
Annie
It was fun
We all tubed and Miles had an epic head first wipe out
Drew Davis
Did Meg capture that on camera?
Annie
Nope, she was also on the tube unfortunately
but I’ll remember it forever LOL
Drew Davis
I have one more surprise for you, video call me when you are in the driveway
Annie
What are you planning Dimples?
Drew Davis
You’ll see soon Angel
I tell Meg and Miles that I need to video call Drew in the driveway, because I have another birthday surprise. We all pass back and forth ideas of what could be my surprise for the rest of the drive.
***
I hit the video button and the phone rings twice before Drew’s face appears on the screen.
“Angel, you look all sun kissed. I’m jealous, I want to kiss your skin, too.
” “Annie, he knows that other people are around, right?” Miles speaks from the backseat.
“Oh, gosh, is that your brother? I was about to describe what happens after we start kissing,” Drew says, showing off that dimple.
Meg and I laugh. “Meg, thanks for spoiling our girl,” Drew says, and I point the phone in her direction.
“No problem, lover boy. Is phase two ready?” Meg smiles as she asks Drew.
“Wait, what phase two? Do you already know my surprise?” I say, looking from Meg to Drew on my phone.
“Yeah, phase two is waiting in the living room,” Drew says back to us over the phone.
“You are better at planning than you think, Drew Davis,” I say into the camera.
We all get out of the car and head towards the front door.
“Is a crazy clown going to jump out at me in the living room, because I’ll be honest, I dislike clowns, call it off,” I say to Drew on my phone.
Drew laughs over the phone. “No clowns, Angel, but thanks for the advice.” “I’ll get the door,” Miles says, and he opens the door for me and Meg.
I go into my house and there are so many flowers—I count a least five different arrangements.
“I know you got a rose at prom, but I wasn’t sure if it was your favorite, so I ordered a few kinds.
I expect a report back on your favorite,” Drew smiles.
“They are all so beautiful, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to pick a favorite,” I say as I walk around, looking at all the flowers.
“Thank you for my surprise, Dimples,” I say, looking directly at Drew on the screen.
“Oh, Angel, that isn’t the surprise, those are just flowers to celebrate my girl,” Drew says.
Then Mrs. Davis comes from the kitchen. “Oh, hello Mrs… Jennifer, it’s so good to see you,” I say as I see her.
She walks over and gives me a hug. “Happy Birthday, Annie. Now follow me.” I know I have a puzzled look, and I glance from Drew on my phone to his mom.
“Follow Mom, she’s going to show you the real surprise.
” I follow Mrs. Davis, followed by Meg and Miles.
We enter the kitchen, and there, on an easel, is my surprise.
I should say thank you, but I’m too mesmerized by it.
It’s obviously a painting done by Mrs. Davis; she has taken the photo from the state championship of Drew and me and put it on canvas.
She’s done a few adjustments here and there, but it completely captures the excitement of the moment, of the love between us.
“Oh, Angel, don’t cry,” is what finally pulls me from my trance.
I didn’t even realize I’d started crying, but I am.
“They are happy tears,” I say, looking at the phone.
“Drew, it's beautiful, thank you.” I also thank Mrs. Davis, and she gives me another hug before excusing herself. Meg and Miles both hug me and follow Mrs. Davis. I return to Drew on my phone after they leave. “When did you plan this?” “When I got invited to the draft. I wanted you to have your own Jennifer Davis painting to look at of us,” Drew says. “I will have to figure out where to put it in my room, but I can’t take it to college; I don’t want it damaged.
” The thought of anyone messing it up makes me feel sick.
“Well, I’ll get a printed canvas of the painting created that can go with you, and the original can stay safe in your room until it can be moved to join the first one,” Drew says.
I like that he is hinting that we will live together one day and we’ll have a set of our memories on our walls.
“I can’t wait, Dimples, I love you.” “I love you too, Angel,” Drew says from the phone.
We talk until my phone flashes a 5% battery warning and we both realize the time.