Chapter 11 Many Death Wishes
Many Death Wishes
The next day, I wake up trying to feel optimistic despite the fact that I’m going to spend the summer tolerating West in my favorite place in this town.
I’m stepping outside the gate, ready for work, when an awful but beautiful black motorcycle passes me, and it is not quiet. It was like whoever was riding it was doing it on purpose.
“Stop making noise, you moron!”
I get to the library grumpy and throw my things on the table.
“Is everything okay, Maddie?”
“I’m just grumpy. Some idiot with a motorcycle made sure to make extra noise with it!” And it looks like the sound came back. “Listen! He came back! The nerve!” And then the sound stops abruptly. Finally.
West enters the library with a motorcycle helmet. You gotta be kidding me.
It maddens me even more how good-looking he is holding that piece of junk.
“Good evening, ladies.”
“Why the need to make so much noise, West?”
“Right back at you. Do you make it your habit to yell at strangers in the road?”
“Maddie!”
“Well, he was doing it on purpose!” I point at him.
“Maybe…” If only I could wipe that permanent smirk off his face…
“Kids…” Miss Patty sighs and comes back to the computer on the usual table.
“Who in his perfect mind would give you a motorcycle?”
“That would be my dad. But don’t worry, it’s temporary. My birthday’s on the fifteenth, and then I will have my own, and it will be noisier.”
I groan.
The day passes by, and when we get out of the library, he reminds me, “Where’s my ice cream?”
“Your what now?” I question, hands on my hips.
“My ice cream. A reward for helping you with the never list.” He steps forward, and his scent, I couldn’t even begin to describe because it’s so inherently him, makes its way into my body, making me lose all my balance.
“Unless…” He throws me that dirty look, suggesting I would trade something for ice cream.
I get out of his field of vision, and he follows me. Because, of course, he’s following me.
“I know you’ve thought about it!” He catches up to me as I move to the ice cream shop.
Maybe I have thought about it, or without wanting to, dreamt about it, but that will stay with me until I’m in the grave.
“Shut up before I regret buying you ice cream.”
He chuckles and finally stands beside me.
“I love how you take care of me and my needs.”
I throw him a glare, and he winks at me.
We walk across the main square, and on the other side is O’Conneley’s Ice Creams. I go to Linda and say, “Hi! How have you been?”
“Great.” And she gets out of the counter to hug me, but something huge is blocking.
“You’re pregnant?!” I ask excitedly.
“Yes! Seven months. And I’m also engaged.” She responds, showing me the ring in her left hand.
It’s her essence. Elegant and discreet.
“Oh my god! You’re kidding?! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Jesus, you sound like a dying dolphin…” Jake cringes beside me.
“That’s great!” I continue, ignoring Jake. “You and Patrick were always my fairytale couple.”
Linda is ten years older than I am, and she would babysit my sister and me through the summer, when my dad would have dinner with his friends, like the Wests.
And Patrick was the West’s babysitter, so we would go to each other’s house, and eventually Linda and he got together, and they were the cutest. Made the romance books and movies real.
“When will the wedding be?”
“We want it to be before this little girl is born, so we were thinking about next month. We are starting to send the invitations, and you and Jake are obviously getting one.”
“Great. I’ve always imagined how your wedding would be…” I say, hopeful and dream-like.
“You’ve always been a hopeless romantic, Maddie. What will you have?” She asks, pointing to the ice creams.
“It’s not for me, it’s for this guy.” I clarify, pointing to Jake and sighing, just because his presence is annoying.
“Sorry, Jake, I haven’t talked to you yet.
Everything alright? Where’s Amanda?” She sincerely asks, wanting to know, and I snort, trying to hide the laughter.
It’s funny, because everyone in this village knows that they haven’t left each other’s sight since they met at the beginning of every summer since they were thirteen.
“They haven’t laid eyes on each other yet.” I grin.
“Ha ha.” Jake responds.
“Oh.” Linda smiles, embarrassed.
“It’s okay,” Jake says. “I would like one ball of strawberry ice cream.”
She takes the spoon and serves him. I pay, say goodbye to Linda, and we get out of there. I direct us to the village’s board. It’s where all the important information about what’s going on in the village is.
I see that the annual fair is to be held a month from today.
“Brown!” West startles me. “There’s gonna be a talent show on the main stage at the fair, a month from now.”
“So…?”
“So, you should sing.”
“No way, West. I don’t like singing in front of people, let alone singing in front of the whole village.”
“Oh, come on! I’ll sing with you, so it’s less frightening.”
“In what world is my being next to you considered not frightening?” I rhetorically ask, and he rolls his eyes.
“You’re right, I wouldn’t want to be turned into stone…“ I walk faster, and he catches up. “Brown, we can sing any song you want.”
“Any song?” He does know how to get my attention.
“Yep.”
“Okay, I will try to do it if we sing… I don’t know yet, but I’ll tell you.”
“Let me know when you figure it out, and I’ll start practicing.”
He is so excited that it seems endearing. I suppress a laugh, and he smiles. We’re staring at each other until someone starts to talk to him.
“Jakey! Didn’t know you were in town!”
Amanda Devadhikar. That spoiled rich girl.
She owns the only mansion in town. Wondered why she hasn’t put her claws in Jake yet.
But wait! What is this? She has another boy attached to her hip.
I turn to Jake and see that he is so confused and definitely looks hurt.
I don’t know if I’m sorry for him or if I’m happy for him.
He finally finds his voice.
“Yeah, I came early to spend time with grandma. Who is this?” He asks casually as though he doesn’t care, but I know he cares.
A lot. The two of them have dated every summer since they were thirteen.
You can’t forget someone like that, even though he dates many, many girls throughout the school years.
“This is my umm… Callen.” The boy smiles, but Jake’s not finding this funny.
“West, come on, my dad needs help with the lawn.” I say, and he takes the hint.
“Goodbye, skan- I mean, Amanda.” I send her a fake smile, and she pretends not to have listened to what I just said. I grab Jake’s hand and lead him through the street until we reach my house.
“I can’t believe you, Brown.” He says, smiling. “You were going to call her a skank, weren’t you?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” I roll my eyes innocently.
“You didn’t have to, you know.” He is looking at me. “She didn’t even do anything wrong, I mean, we are not together, but I just expected-”
“Don’t get me wrong, both of you are skanks, I just stated a fact.” I cut in, explaining that it wasn’t like I suddenly liked him.
“I’m not a skank.”
“Skank, slut, whore, whatever helps you sleep.” I dryly say. “Because it just can’t be normal, the amount of different girls at school that put their tongues down your throat, every single day.”
“Seems like you have been counting, watching me much?” He winks. I snort and stick my tongue out in a disgusted way.
“It’s a little hard not to, since half the time you choose the locker next to mine for your makeout sessions.” His face drops, and I glow inside. I remember what we were talking about and finish the conversation.
“Besides, our parents are best friends, in some weird, unspoken clause, I felt like I had to.”
“Acquaintances.” He states proudly, smiling smugly, and I deny.
“No, no, just forced proximity.”
“You know that’s how every great love story starts.”
“In your dreams.”
“Maybe.”
Oh my god.
“Goodbye, West.” I’m about to open the gate when I realise that my fingers are still stuck in his. I look at my hand, break it from his like it’s disgusting, and clean it on my clothes. And then blush hard.
“Oh, you are never washing that hand again, are you?” He laughs, and I choose to ignore him and get in. Also, my cheeks are burning up. “Those red cheeks make my day, Brown!” And he winks. I shake my head and sigh.
“Goodbye, West.” I repeat.
He starts to go to his house, and when he is almost reaching his gate, he shouts, “Love you, pain in my ass!”
“Stop that!” I shout, warning him, but smiling.
I go to the living room, where Allison is watching TV.
“Why are you goofy smiling?”
Am I? Just be normal.
“I’m not!”
“What happened with him?” She arches an eyebrow. This girl knows everything inside my mind ever since the day we met.
“Nothing. But you won’t believe what happened! I was buying him ice cream because he actually helped me with something, and we ran into Amanda, but she’s not alone!”
“You’re kidding!”
“No, she had some guy attached to her hip, and Jake was skeptical because he assumed that they were going to date and asked who that person was, and then she said, This is my uh, Callen.”
“That slut!”
“That’s what I said! I mean, I almost called her a skank…’”
“You what?!” She narrows her eyes. “Oh, because no one messes with your boyfriend…” She attacks me and ruffles my hair.
“Shut up! It’s not like that.”
She stops and turns very serious.
“You know what he needs? A night out with Riden and us. Maybe we could go to that club here!”
“You know what… Why not?”
It’s about time.
“Really?”
She starts to laugh so hard.
“What?” I question.
“You’re so smitten with him.”
“You are so tiring, Allison.” I turn the other way and act casual. “We should maybe go a week from now, because I have some stuff to help my dad with. Just call Riden and tell him, please.”
She evil-laughs, and I try not to smile.