Page 16 of Cloudless
A deep sense of satisfaction rushes through my veins at the revelation.
Ellie ignores the relieved look on Lila’s face and my obvious fumbling as her attention falls to the twins peeking out from behind Lila. “And who do we have here?”
The redness of Lila’s cheeks deepens to scarlet as she tries to compose herself. She wipes her palms on her jeans and steps aside to reveal the twins' matching curious expressions. “Oh, uh, this is my brother and sister, Jasper and Posey.”
“It’s nice to meet you two.” Her full attention shifts to Posey. “Ilovethe cheerleader outfit.”
A huge smile breaks out on Posey’s face. Her skirt billows in the air as she twirls for my sister. “Thank you! Hockey players deserve cheerleaders, too!”
“They sure do, Posey-Pop! It’s a good thing all those stinky boys have you cheering for them.” She whispers, “I bet you're the only reason they won today.” A wink from Ellie makes Posey smile wider.
Flames ignite on my cheeks from the residual heat of Lila’s eyes. I clear my throat to dispel the unwanted fire. “Um, let me get the cables all hooked up. It shouldn’t take too long.”
Jasper bounces on the balls of his feet, a huge smile set firmly on his face as he helps me gather the cables from the ground. “Oh! Can I help?”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way, Tank.”
It’s official. My sister is in love with Posey and Jasper. Their group hug lasts the duration of time to pack up the jumper cables. The stars in Posey’s eyes multiply as she gazes up at Ellie.
Satisfaction fills me as Lila’s car continues to rumble in the background. The cool night air is a relief on the back of my neck after contorting the slightly-too-short cables to restart the battery.
Note to self: Get longer jumper cables.
Our footfalls on the asphalt sync as Lila follows me to the back of my Tahoe.
Lila nervously wrings her hands as she comes to a stop next to me. “Thank you for this, Kam. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here.”
I focus on meticulously placing the jumper cables into their bin instead of Lila’s proximity. “It’s no problem. I’m glad I was here to help.” In the empty parking lot, the plastic lid snapping shut echoes like a gunshot.
The rhythmic beeping of the hatch closing in the quiet space mimics my racing heart.
Left with no further distractions, my eyes lift and fuse with hers. The unforgiving overhead lights of the parking lot cast harsh shadows across her face. Her breathtaking beauty shines despite the unflattering light.
To avoid breaking the spell cast between us, I whisper, “Would you like to go to The Penalty Box with us for dinner tonight, Sunshine?”
Her shoulders slump as her gaze falls to the ground. “Oh, um, thank you for the offer, but we’ve gotta get home.” She shrugs as her eyes come back to mine. “We’ve still got homework to get through before school tomorrow.”
I nod as I shift on my feet. “Can I take you out to dinner later this week, then?”
Her hopeful eyes shift to steel determination before they fill with anguish. She lowers her chin and whispers, “This isn’t a good idea, Kam.”
She looks back up at me, and the force of her gaze nearly knocks the breath from my lungs. My voice is quiet in the darkness. “Why not?”
She shakes her head as a deep crease takes root between her brows. “It’s not fair to you. I can’t open myself up to a relationship right now.” Her eyes plead with me to understand. She glances back to where our siblings still stand near the back of Lila’s car. Posey’s hands wave around her head as she tells a story too far away for us to hear. “They need me right now, Kam. And I barely have enough headspace to get through the day. Relationships add a layer of complexity I’m not capable of handling right now.” She turns her face to hide her unshed tears. “And you deserve better than that.”
I know their dad isn’t in the picture. I’ve gathered that much from my conversations with her and everything Jasper said during camp.Does that mean her mom isn’t in the picture, either? Are we at a place in our newfound friendship where I can ask?
I tilt my head to the side as I study her. Frustration like I’ve never known before surfaces at the realization that too few puzzle pieces are at my disposal to piece together her story.
With unwavering resolve, I arrive at my conclusion. I can feel my usual smirk bloom as the gears spin in my head. “I guess I’ll just see you around, then.”
She blinks away tears as a forced smile pulls at her lips. “Yeah, I’ll see you in class, Kam.”
My eyes never stray from her back as she stiffly makes her way over to her car and ushers the twins into their seats.
My feet move with a mind of their own as I walk toward my driver's side door. A blanket of quietness and calm settles over me as I close myself in my car.
Ellie’s eyes are as loud as any words she could say as the Tahoe sways with the closing of her door. Our bubble of silence stays firmly intact as the red car vanishes into the night.
