Page 5 of Carter

I didn’t waste time. I hurried to the creek, half of me dying from the humiliation of being caught snooping, and the other half praising whatever deity I believed in at that time for making him act so normal about it.

Maybe he was just as crazy as me.

Maybe he followed people around, too.

The truth was even sadder than I could bear.

Three

Iwaited only minutes at the creek, sitting on the moss covered fallen tree facing the running water. Carter showed up with his acoustic guitar and took a seat next to me. I felt like I was soaring through the skies with happiness being so near to him.

This was really happening, and I felt like I was dreaming.

As I watched him tune his guitar, I asked, “How long have you known?”

His eyebrows were furrowed when he answered distractedly, “I always knew you were stalking me.”

My mouth parted in surprise. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

With a nonchalant shrug, he replied with a smirk, “There was nothing to say. You’re harmless as a fly, so I can’t say I ever felt threatened.”

“I can be threatening,” I lamely replied, affronted by how uncaring he’d been that I had been following him around for so long. I’d have liked some kind reaction out of him.

I mean, did he have other stalkers?

I glanced around quickly. He better not. I’d skin them alive.Iwas his stalker, goddammit. I earned those stripes fair and square!

“Maybe you’re threatening to someone like Graeme now,” he said with a chuckle, winking at me just then.

I went crimson, unable to hold back my grin. This guy totally had me wrapped around his finger, and I know he knew it too.

“I’m not too sure about that,” I said. “He seemed to be doing a good job hitting me. I think he might have won.”

“Yeah, he won the award for being the biggest coward and dick in the trailer park. I might just call him Cowardick from now on.”

“I think that name is perfect.”

He smiled. “You know, I really can’t believe you mauled him over like that. You can’t be stupid enough to think he was winning. You’ve got some viper blood in you, Angel.”

Angel.

It was the first time he called me that, and it wasn’t going to be the last.

“Maybe I was wrong about you being a harmless stalker after all,” he added.

I laughed and shook my head. “Impossible. I like your singing too much to want to hurt you.”

That seemed to brighten his mood straightaway. He perked up but turned his face away from me, like maybe he didn’t want me to see just how good that made him feel. I’d grow to learn how bottled-up Carter was a lot of the time. If it was mushy stuff, he checked out.

It was a little contradictory to the guy that was living it up on the edge, fighting boys left and right, and flirting with the girls like the Casanova he knew he was.

Our conversation stopped there. He stroked the strings of his guitar with his pick like it was second nature to him and began to sing. My body immediately relaxed at the sound of his voice. It was so strange hearing him from this close and not having to hide behind a bush while being mauled by insects. Icouldn’t stop my lips from forming a smile. It stayed on my face for a long while as I swayed from side to side. He sang “Thank You” again and I shut my eyes, savouring every lyric that fell from his lips.

“Wow,” I whispered when he finished.

Opening my eyes, I saw him staring out into the creek with a faraway look in his eye. I wondered what he was thinking about. What did that expression on his face mean?

“You’re an amazing singer, Carter,” I eventually told him. Maybe cheering him up would break through whatever he was feeling.

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