9. All the Changes
WESLEY
Three Months Later
Steppingoff my father’s private jet in Savannah felt like stepping back in time. The air was clearer here, smelling of fresh mown grass and the rainstorm that passed through every afternoon in southern Georgia. The plane had only barely stayed behind the dark clouds on the way from Atlanta. Summer felt agonizingly long but now that I was on my way to River’s Run, I could breathe a sigh of relief on returning home.
Home. I hadn’t realized how much I had grown to love everyone in Smithson County, although Chief Hillsborough might be excluded from that list. My heart raced at the prospect of enveloping Aunt Shirley in a bear hug, eating dinner at The Comfy Cushion while Marla forced me to eat seconds, and telling Mr. Hendricks about the different restaurants I visited while on tour with my father.
Most of all, I couldn’t wait to see Celeste. I tried to send her postcards whenever I could with a phone call sprinkled in here or there. My father always had a pressing need for me to attend a meeting or photo opportunity with him whenever I managed to get Celeste on the phone. His pompous behavior grated my nerves the entire trip and I struggled to keep my anger in check. It was only by picturing Celeste’s green eyes, kind and hopeful, that I managed to bite my tongue. She saved me from more than one outburst over the past three months.
I was about to surprise her by arriving two days ahead of schedule after an unexpected disaster in the Hong Kong market sent my father in a tailspin and he headed over to China to sort it all out. We had barely spoken more than ten sentences during our visits to Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. The only time he found me useful was when I was able to serve as an interpreter for those speaking Spanish in his presence, something he reminded me was only possible because of the private education I had received in Atlanta. He made it clear that his expectation was for me to attend Montmeri Academy and that my time in River’s Run was an indulgence that would soon be coming to an end. I dreaded the day that happened.
Phillip, one of my father’s assistants, was charged with delivering me back to Aunt Shirley and it was evident how annoyed he was at the task. He followed me off the plane and all but gagged in disgust. “They call this an airport?” he asked, his British accent dripping with disdain.
“You really don’t have to go with me the rest of the way,” I offered, silently praying he would take it.
He frowned at me, his bushy brown eyebrows angling in a way that made his face comical. “Your father would be most displeased with me.”
I shrugged. “Dear old Benny boy isn’t here, now, is he?”
Phillip’s face registered shock at my disrespect. He could give Mr. Hendricks a run for his money when it came to manners and etiquette. “I gave Mr. Madden my word that I would safely deliver you to your aunt, so deliver you I shall.”
Rolling my eyes, I continued along the tarmac to a waiting Cadillac with a paid driver standing next to the back passenger door. The man nodded curtly to Phillip and me before holding open the door for us. A male airline attendant carried my duffle bag over to the trunk that the driver opened remotely. As soon as we pulled away from the plane, Phillip pulled out his phone and started responding to emails and calendar notifications to manage my father’s schedule. He didn’t say another word to me for the entire drive to River’s Run, which was fine by me. We could both be irritated with the other’s presence in silence.
The familiar sights of Smithson County came into view and I found myself bouncing on my seat as we turned onto Main Street. “Just pull up here before we get to The Comfy Cushion,” I instructed the driver.
I jumped out of the car before the driver could make it around to open the door for me and snatched my duffle out of the back, slinging it crossbody over my back. My mind was whirling with imaginings of this moment, of seeing Celeste’s face light up, how she would run into my arms, and the next few days we would spend swapping stories of our long summer apart.
The bell chimed over the door as I entered the restaurant and Marla squealed in delight as soon as she laid eyes on me. “Wesley Madden, you didn’t tell me you were coming early!” she cried, coming around the counter to fold me into a warm hug. “Why, you’ve grown another four inches!”
A few other patrons called out hello’s, along with Jesse on the grill line, but I didn’t see the one smiling face I expected. My eyes darted around for her, standing on my toes to peer into the back kitchen.
To my surprise, Marla’s face dropped slightly. “You won’t find her here,” she said. Her voice was barely above a whisper as though she didn’t want to be overheard.
“What? Where is she?”
Marla pursed her lips and glanced behind her before nodding towards the door. “She got a job as a lifeguard this summer down at the pool. Just head on over.”
A lifeguard? What?
I was so confused as I shuffled out the door in a daze. Why would Celeste work anywhere other than The Comfy Cushion? She loved that place more than anything since it represented her mother. Besides, we were too young to start thinking of jobs, right? Why was she working in the first place?
The River’s Run community pool was a couple blocks from my aunt Shirley’s house, only a five minute walk if I cut through back alleys like Celeste taught me. It was normally packed all summer long as people tried to beat the stifling heat but didn’t wanna risk the ticks and leeches that thrived in the creek. If you were under 16, you had to have a parent or guardian present so Celeste and I had avoided it in the past. Her dad was too busy at the restaurant and Nana and Aunt Shirley were too old to lay out in the sun like that every day. Still, it was a decent enough place, with an end deep enough for a diving board along with a kiddie pool that led into a splash pad.
I arrived at the pool and Travis Emerson, a boy from class who didn’t typically annoy the hell out of me, was manning the entrance. He greeted me cheerfully, squinting up at me from under his bright red hat.
“Yo, Wes, my man!” He held up his hand to slap a high five with me. “Haven’t seen you all summer! Cee said you were going all over the world or something.”
Cee? Only Maggie ever called her that. I tried not to grind my teeth in irritation, but his overfamiliarity with Celeste felt like a torrent of ice water shooting down my spine.
“Yeah, dude,” I sighed. “Where’s Celeste?”
Travis turned and pointed towards the small shed that served as the lifeguard headquarters. “She should be in there. Hey, man!”
I didn’t wait to pay him the entrance fee or get a designated wrist band to indicate my age before I took off across the concrete patio. The rules were already broken anyway since I still had on my sneakers, jeans, and polo shirt my father insisted I wear to travel. Travis could go ahead and suck a fat one if he thought I was going to wait another minute to see Celeste.
A tall girl with long brown hair and the perfect sun-kissed tan was walking out of the shed in a tight red bikini that perfectly displayed her round breasts and perky ass. She had a pair of black sunglasses tucked into the hair on top of her head, and it felt like a Baywatch rerun as I watched her pull the glasses down to shake out her hair before sliding the glasses onto her face. The closer I got to her, the more familiar she looked…
“Oh my god, WESLEY!” the girl shrieked before hurtling herself at me.
“Celeste?!” I didn’t remember my voice getting so high pitched, but maybe that was what happened when shock turned on the autopilot function.
She pulled away from me beaming while my mind felt like it was being twisted by a corkscrew. “What happened to your hair?” I finally managed to ask. It sounded so stupid to say out loud that I nearly kicked myself.
Celeste only laughed before pulling the long locks over one shoulder. “Maggie and I went to Savannah for the day and paid to have it chemically straightened, just for fun. Don’t you like it?”
What had once been a wild mane reminiscent of a bison now resembled the wannabe models that hung out around the rich men at my father’s parties. Celeste’s hair had a shine to it that I had never noticed before, and with it being so straight, the length was approaching her waist. It looked incredible, drawing even more attention to her high cheek bones and dainty nose.
“You…you look…” I stammered. She had grown a few inches over the summer, bringing the top of her head to my chin. And her curves…
Celeste had always been beautiful to me. This was something else entirely. She looked like a woman. The word “sexy” flashed across my mind and I felt my ears redden as though Celeste was going to read my thoughts.
“It’s not permanent.” She shrugged as if my reaction didn’t really matter. “Desiree told Daddy it cost too much for me to maintain, so I doubt I’ll be able to do it again.”
My mind was still trying to force my body to deposit blood somewhere other than my dick and it took a minute before I registered what she was saying. “Wait—who is Desiree?”
At this, her entire face fell. “We have a lot to talk about, Wes.”
Celeste talked to Travis and another lifeguard before slipping on a pair of tiny black shorts and a thin white tank top. Rage boiled through me as I caught Travis eyeing her backside appreciatively and I nearly clocked him across his jaw to make him stop, but I was too caught up in the view myself.
She had changed so much in the three months I had been gone. Even her body language was different, like she was surer of herself and confident in who she was. Yet there was a nagging feeling in my gut that she was holding something back. Our connection had changed, and I wasn’t sure I could handle that.
We fell into step quietly as we exited the pool. A million questions were buzzing in my head and I didn’t know where to begin. Meanwhile, Celeste seemed content at my side, her shy smile in place as she looked at everything but me. I realized belatedly we were walking in the opposite direction of The Comfy Cushion and started to turn around, but her hand darted out to grab my elbow.
“Don’t,” was all she said. Celeste turned down my aunt Shirley’s street and greeted my aunt, who was sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch with her Bible.
“Why, Wesley!” Aunt Shirley crooned. “You’re home early!” She stood up to give me a hug and I tried not to show my surprise at how frail she felt. Had this summer been that hard on everybody?
“Couldn’t go another day without seeing my favorite auntie,” I teased her. She had never given up on me, even with all the trouble I seemed to cause at school, and that made her rank a lot higher on the list than anyone I knew back in Atlanta. Poor Aunt Shirley was too old to pay attention to the little things, though, which made sneaking over to The Comfy Cushion or Celeste’s house the easiest thing in the world. I would never get a better set up than this and I didn’t want to risk losing it.
“I’m gonna go on up and show him his surprise!” Celeste announced with a grin.
Shirley smiled airily as she sank back into her rocking chair. “Oh yes, dear, go on up!”
“My surprise?” I repeated as I climbed the stairs after her. I had to keep my eyes on my shoes because the sight of Celeste’s round ass that close to my face had me fighting a semi, which probably wasn’t the best way to greet the girl I had been dreaming about all summer.
She led the way into my room and I was brought up short. It had been transformed. There was a new queen size bed with a metal bed frame and huge down-filled pillows. The bedding looked brand new, replacing the weathered quilt that Shirley had on the old bed. The dresser had a facelift and was no longer chipped with peeling lacquer, but instead boasted a bright red color that matched the stripes in the bedding. A desk replaced the nightstand with a single door on the right hand side that resembled a locker.
The best part was all the black and white photographs hanging on strings from the ceiling. Celeste had recreated her tower and showcased all the memories we had made in River’s Run since my arrival. There was a photo of me with her family at the first Fourth of July barbecue, another of us sitting at the counter of The Comfy Cushion drinking out of a milkshake with two straws. I stepped further into the room, examining every photo. Some were candid shots we had taken with Maggie. There was one from the eighth grade dance, our first formal school dance, where I had my arm around Celeste’s waist and Nana could be seen in the corner raising a finger at me in warning. She had all my favorite moments on display and it took away my ability to speak.
“Do you like it?” Celeste asked tentatively from the doorway. Her green eyes looked apprehensively around the room at all her handiwork.
“You did this…for me?” I gulped, feeling too many emotions at once to articulate where my mind was.
She nodded. “Maggie and Daddy helped, of course. They’ll both want to have a party to celebrate now that you’re back.”
Without thinking about it, I crossed the room in two strides and kissed her. My hands circled her tiny waist and molded her body to mine, and I was lost in how perfectly her lips aligned with my own. Celeste didn’t hesitate, wrapping her arms around my neck and pushing her breasts into my chest. I could feel her nipples starting to pebble through her bikini top, creating a tender friction against my chest. Wild images rioted through my head about taking them in my mouth, laying her down on my bed to cover her body with mine. Nobody would disturb us up here because Shirley hadn’t stepped foot in my room since the day I moved to River’s Run.
Celeste moaned and I used her open mouth as an advantage to invade my tongue against hers. Our kiss deepened as I pulled her tighter against me, wanting to memorize the way her body felt when it pressed against me. Letting one hand slowly sink down, I cupped one of her ass cheeks in my hand, firm and tender at the same time. There was no hiding the erection I was sporting now, but Celeste didn’t seem to mind. Her hips grinded forward before she suddenly gasped and broke away, breathing heavily.
“I’m so sorry!” she whispered. Her face registered horror and guilt, like she couldn’t believe what had just happened between us.
“This has been a long time coming, don’t you think?” I asked. Air was finally returning to my lungs and I panted like after one of my locker room brawls. A stiff tent had formed in the front of my jeans, like it had almost every night the entire summer, only now the girl of my fantasies was finally in front of me and her kiss was a million times better than anything my dreams invented.
Celeste looked dumbfounded. “It has?”
My cock softened as my heart bottomed out. “Celeste, you have to know how I feel about you! Do you honestly think I could ever like another girl more than you?”
“But we’re best friends!”
“I don’t just wanna be your friend!” I burst out angrily. “I’ve always wanted more than that!” Shaking my head in frustration, I slumped onto the bed, my shaggy hair falling down in front of my eyes as the shield I needed it to be. Nowhere had it ever crossed my mind that Celeste wouldn’t feel the same way. That she didn’t feel the same deep-seeded connection I had since the moment we met. No matter how I tried to frame it in my mind, I always came up empty because the possibility of me without Celeste couldn’t possibly exist.
Her rejection hurt.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Celeste cross and uncross her ankles. Her fidgeting feet gave away her anxiety. “Hillary won’t like it,” she finally said, her voice small and apologetic.
“Hillary?” I repeated in confusion, jumping back to my feet. “Like Hillary Stanbrooke? What the hell does she have to do with this?”
Celeste’s eyes were round and filled with tears. She had never been on the receiving end of my rage before and although I knew somewhere deep down that I needed to get it in check, I was too hurt and pissed off to care.
“She’s about to become my stepsister,” confessed Celeste.
My jaw dropped as I tried to process that information. “Your dad is…” I trailed off, the statement too ludicrous to fathom.
“Marrying Desiree Stanbrooke in a few weeks,” she finished for me.
So that was the Desiree she mentioned back at the pool. Hillary and her twin brother Jeremy were treated like royalty at our school. She had won several beauty pageants, including Miss Georgia Peach Teen, and her brother was the all-star of the eighth grade football team. He was already slated for varsity when our freshman year started next week.
“But he wasn’t even dating her when I left!” I cried.
She nodded tearfully. “I know. They went on their first date the day after you left. Daddy hasn’t…been himself.” Her voice cracked as her words dropped off.
None of this made any sense. I couldn’t get my mind to catch up. Mr. Hendricks was the most careful, considerate person I had ever met. He hadn’t expressed any interest in dating again after losing Celeste’s mom. Well, that I had heard anyway. I guess a grown man wouldn’t have to admit something so personal to his daughter’s best friend. But still, there was a small part of me that felt just as betrayed. I respected the hell out of her dad, which was more than I could say about most other adults in my life. It was really out of character for him to do something so impulsive.
I slammed my fist on top of the dresser, making Celeste jump. “Hillary can fuck off! I don’t like her, Celeste. We’ll deal with her and your dad, I don’t care!”
She gave me her usual small smile, albeit a bit more watery than usual as she brushed the tears from her cheeks. “Let’s go find Maggie and head back to the restaurant.”
This wasn’t at all how I pictured this moment going. I expected the same kind of fireworks as our last kiss, for her feelings to be as powerful as mine. This was all wrong. I grabbed her hand and pulled her back against me, tilting her chin up to force her to look in my eyes.
“Tell me you don’t feel the same as me,” I snarled. “Tell me you haven’t wondered how kissing me again would feel since that first time in July.”
A twinkle sparked in her eyes as the arm I wasn’t holding snaked around my waist and sealed our bodies together. My cock was starting to get hard again. She felt so warm and so right.
“I would never lie to you like that, Wesley,” she murmured. “You’re my person, right?”
Her soft smile tugged at my heart and I felt instant relief. I gently ran my fingers along the side of her face to weave them through her hair and pull her closer. Placing a tender kiss on her forehead, I whispered, “For my whole life.”
She looked up at me and nodded. “For my whole life. But things are different now. You’ll see.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but thought better of it. Celeste wasn’t the type of girl you rush things with. Just like everything else with her, she threw me off kilter. But this discussion was definitely going to be revisited later. I wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.
We left the room and said our goodbyes to Aunt Shirley on the front porch, who reminded me to call if I ended up staying over at Celeste’s for the night as I had in the past. The prospect was something I was eager to explore, but from the way Celeste’s face fell, I knew that was no longer an option. Still, she didn’t stop me as I wove my fingers through hers, walking in companionable silence side by side.
Maggie had found a job babysitting this summer, which she hated, but Celeste said they paid her a lot more than what Celeste made as a lifeguard. They spent a lot of their free time over in Savannah, the closest city to River’s Run, since Maggie’s mom was dating a man who lived out that way. Celeste said their original plan was to start saving up for a car, but after they both started earning money, they found it far more enjoyable to spend it on clothes and makeup.
I tried to laugh with her as she told me stories of their shopping excursions, but I only felt guilt eating away at the pit of my stomach. My dad had given me two new credit cards with unlimited credit at the start of the summer in addition to the access I had to my checking account with an obscene amount of money from being a stock shareholder in Madden Enterprises since birth. My father had never even so much as batted an eye when I bought something, no matter the price. Why would you when money wasn’t an issue? I had no idea what it meant to live on a budget or have to save up for anything. It had never occurred to me to save up for a car because I fully expected my dad to provide one as soon as I got my learner’s permit. He might be a douchebag, but he never withheld from me financially. Money was his solution to every problem, and his wild son was his biggest problem to date.
“Wesley!” Maggie squealed as she threw her arms around me in the backyard of the Ross family. They lived one street over from Aunt Shirley and were one of the few families in Smithson County who had a lot of money. Both Mr. and Mrs. Ross were attorneys who preferred country living and wanted to restore an old house in their spare time. They commuted to Savannah a few days a week for court, but predominantly worked from home in their crumbling southern farmhouse. They had three kids who howled as they chased each other around the yard while we stood there talking to Maggie.
I laughed as I hugged her back. “This doesn’t really seem like your scene,” I joked as I dodged a Nerf bullet that hit her square on the head.
She shrugged. “Turns out, anything with money is my scene. Hammond, STOP EATING GRASS!”
Celeste and I both exchanged a look, mine filled with alarm while hers was full of mirth. She tried to hide her laughter behind her hand, but Maggie joined in right away.
“They’re heathens, I swear!” she sighed dramatically. “So are y’all heading over to the diner?”
We nodded and she promised to meet us there as soon as the Rosses returned. Celeste and I started to walk back towards the gate when Maggie called me back to her.
She leaned in really close and poked me in the chest. “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you and make it look like an accident!”
My eyes widened, not at her threat but the fact that she knew something. “How did you know?”
Maggie rolled her eyes and clutched a hand over her heart. “You wound me! You seriously think I wouldn’t notice the hearts in the eyes of my best friend?!”
Jealousy made me bristle a bit. “She’s my best friend,” I corrected in a huff.
She quirked an eyebrow in a way that told me how stupid she found the statement to be. “Not if you’re gonna go making her fall in love with you!”
It was my turn to roll my eyes. “It literally just happened!”
All I got was a swat to the arm in return. “Don’t hurt her!” Maggie warned again before pushing me towards a confused-looking Celeste.
As much as I didn’t want it to, Maggie’s shrewd assessment burgeoned a bubble of hope in my chest. We might only be starting high school, making it way too early for us to fall in love, but sometimes you just know. High school sweethearts stayed together all the time. And one thing was for certain—I was in this for the long haul.
With that happy thought in mind, I clasped Celeste’s fingers through mine again, beaming at her. For my whole life, I vowed to myself.