The Game Changer (7 page)

Meanwhile Billy is sitting next to me talking, but I’m daydreaming about the image of Luke holding me so close in the water, and the feel of his lips as he whispers in my ear... I finally snapped back to the present where Billy is still talking. I didn’t realize he was sitting on my towel with me. I glance over in Luke’s direction, he is staring back, looking agitated… I am not sure why. 

I push that thought aside and turn to Billy. “I’m sorry Billy, what were you saying?”

(Jesse)

Luke must have finished his workout because he’s sitting on the bench when I arrive. My stomach flip- flops as soon as I see him, which is becoming a huge problem for me. Chills cover my whole body every time I think of him holding me so close; I was up most of the night thinking about him. What in the world is going on with me? He’s my friend, that’s it! Besides, he was being a jerk. He tossed me in the water in front of everyone!

“Hey, Luke, what’s up?” I say cheerfully as I sit down beside him. He doesn’t look like his normal happy self.

“So, how was your first trip to the beach?” he asks abruptly, without saying hello or flashing me his amazing smile.

“Well, aside from you being a jerk, it turned out okay; not as bad as I thought it would be. Everyone was really nice.”

“Yeah, it looked like everyone was being
really nice
, especially Lidell.”

I’m confused. “Who?”

“Lidell, Billy Lidell. Your new buddy,” he says in a tone of his voice that is unlike him.

“Oh, they were all nice. I had fun.” I ignore the sarcasm, quickly changing the subject.

Thankfully, his old self comes back as we talk about his upcoming trip. I forgot he is leaving on Sunday for a tournament in Georgia and a baseball clinic in Florida. He’ll be gone until the end of August and I can’t help but feel disappointed. By the sound of his voice and the look on his face, I get the feeling he feels the same way. I think he likes sitting and talking in the morning as much as I like it. It’s just some weird thing we have in common.

As we talk about only having a couple of days left to hang out, the conversation suddenly stops and there is an awkward moment of silence between us. We both stare at each other without saying anything.

“Awe, what’s the matter? Are you goin’ to miss me? I thought that after I dropped you in the ocean yesterday, you’d be glad to get rid of me for a while,” he says, breaking the awkwardness and throwing his arm around my shoulders.

“That wasn’t funny... But, of course I’m going to miss you, I’ll miss this,” I say seriously.

“Yeah... me, too,” he says with his eyes piercing through me.

My nerves get the best of me and I turn my gaze towards the bay. Luke rises from the bench and moves to the edge of the dock. As he stares out into the water, I wonder what he is thinking.  I open my book and begin to sketch while taking in the smell of the salt air, feeling the light breeze blowing in from the water and the rising sun warming me; knowing Luke is standing a couple feet away, feeling the same. I enjoy spending time with him here, doing our own thing, not having to say a word if we don’t feel like it. We’re both content, comfortable enough with each other to know that we don’t always need to speak, but appreciate having each other’s company to enjoy it with.

***

“Lori, you surf, too?” I ask as her, Billy and Matt head to the ocean with their surfboards.

“Yeah, I’ve been surfing for as long as I can remember. My dad got me started early,” she answers.

“She’s awesome too. She competes,” Cathy adds.

“Yeah, kind of embarrassing for me. I get to listen to everyone joke about how she is so much better than me,” Matt laughs.

“That is so cool.” I am impressed as I have never seen a girl surf before.

“C’mon out with us, Jess. I’ll give you a lesson,” Billy says, turning to me. I’ve gotten to know him better and he’s actually a nice guy with a great sense of humor. I also notice that he’s been hanging close to me all day. I’m about to turn him down when I see Timmy Price making his way towards us. I want to give Deanna a chance to talk to him without me being by her side.

“Okay, sure, but don’t let me drown or get eaten by a shark. I’m not that great of a swimmer,” I joke.

“Don’t worry, we’ll watch out for you,” Lori adds.

As the four of us head to the water, we pass Luke and a group of his friends, talking to some girls. For some reason, I feel embarrassed to say hi since we don’t usually hang together outside of his
house or the docks. I pretend not to notice him and continue talking with my friends until I hear Billy, who is walking closest to Luke.

“What’s up, Luke?”

“Lidell.”

“Hey, Luke,” the others chime in.

He gives a nod in our direction. “What’s up?” he replies back, hardly acknowledging us. Of course, he knows all of them, they’re Deanna’s friends. I give him a quick nod and a smile as I continue to follow them to the water.

“Jess, c’here for a minute,” he calls to me just as I reach the water. He steps away from his friends and walks towards me.

“I’ll catch up with you in a second,” I say to the others while taking a step in his direction. “What?” I ask. It is an innocent question, to which he gives me a strange response. He looks at me as if he has forgotten why he called me over.

“What do you mean... what? You can’t say hello now that you have your new friends?” he asks cockily.

“Didn’t we just do that?” I ask. After all, I did give him a nod and a smile, just as he did to us.

“Are you being a smart ass? Because if you are, I’ll have to come out there and dunk you again,” he jokes.

“Well, that might not be such a bad thing; I’m probably going to drown anyway. Billy’s going to give me a surfing lesson.” I smile, shaking my head.

“Is that right? He’s going to teach you? Who’s going to teach him? He sucks. If you wanted to learn, you should have asked me,” he says with a bit of arrogance.

“Whatever, Luke, I’ll see ya later.” I laugh as I turn away, but really I’m confused by his attitude. What is going on with him?  Is he serious, joking or being cocky? I can’t tell. Does he have something against this kid?

“I’m teasin' ya, JJ. Don’t get all bent out of shape,” he calls out as he walks back to his friends.

“I know.” I smile as I back away and head out into the ocean. I overhear one of his friends, who have caught the exchange between us, ask him who I am and why he’s holding out on them. I don’t hear Luke’s response, but he laughs and throws a playful punch at him.

I walk out to the water where Lori, Matt and Billy are standing, still confused by Luke’s recent mood swings. I dip in fast, a lesson learned from being tossed into the water by Luke. “What’s up with Luke?” Billy asks, sounding slightly annoyed. So it isn’t just me that has noticed.

“I don’t know... he seems fine to me,” I lie, shrugging it off. Billy doesn’t elaborate and I like him for that. In the little time I have known him, he seems like the type of guy that let’s everything roll off his back. I can’t see him getting angry with anyone. I’ve seen his friends bust on him, and he just goes along, laughs it off and gives it right back.

The lesson isn’t going so great. I get the paddling out part, but I can barely sit on the board, let alone stand. Lori is trying to shout directions from her board. It isn’t helping. Billy is being a good sport trying to show me how to get up on the board. Suddenly before I have a chance to realize what is going on, Luke is behind us.

“Yo, bud! Can I borrow your board for a sec; I want her to try something?”

Oh, now he’s, bud...
not Lidell
, I note to myself.

“Yeah, sure,” Billy answers, seeming disappointed with the interruption.

Luke pulls me away from him and takes us a little farther out. “First, you need to learn to get your balance. I’ll hold the board steady and you get used to getting yourself up.” He holds the board steady with one hand and holds my hand with the other, he helps me to stand, but it is a little too easy since he is holding the board so tight, it may have well been standing on the sand.

We try again, but he loosens his grip to allow for more movement. I fall a lot, but each time he catches me; not allowing me to go under. We both laugh hysterically every time I fall; he is having a great time making fun of me.

“JJ, what is wrong with you girl? You’re not even trying.”

“Yes, I am... I can’t do it... I don’t know how to balance myself,” I argue, laughing as I try to steady myself on the board.

“What do you mean you can’t balance yourself? Concentrate,” he says, laughing as he holds my hand.

After a few more tries of not really doing a great job, I realize that we still have Billy’s board and he is waiting patiently for me to return.

“Luke, I should get back over there. Billy probably wants his board back.”

“Uh, you’re right,” he says sincerely.

He drags me back to where Billy is still waiting. “Thanks, bud. I just thought if I showed her how to try and get her balance, it may be easier for you to teach her... Good luck with that,” he says sarcastically as he turns his back to us, making his way back to shore.

“No problem, thanks, man,” Billy answers. Like I said, he just lets things roll off his back.

“What’s up with you and Luke?” Billy asks bluntly, catching me off guard.

Okay, so maybe I’m wrong. Maybe not
everything
rolls off his back. “Nothing, we’re friends. Why?” I ask a little too quickly.

He starts to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“Well, I’ve known Luke a long time, and I’ve never seen him just be
friends
with a girl.”

“I guess there’s a first for everything. Besides, we’re neighbors. It’s different. We see each other every day.” Why am I trying to justify my relationship with Luke to him?

“I’m just saying, I’m not used to seeing him
be friends
with a girl. So, if there is anything more going on, I’ll back off.”

“Billy, I have no idea what you’re talking about. And, back off of what, being friends with me, too? I think I can handle more than two friends.” Now I’m starting to sound a little annoyed, or maybe I’m just flustered for some reason. Besides, who would ever think there would be something going on between me and Luke? Luke is way out of my league. I am nothing like Alexa, or the other girls I see hanging around him. Luke considers me as a friend, I’m sure of it.

He starts to laugh. “Relax, Jesse. Do you want to continue or not?”

“Yes,” I answer, still feeling flustered by the thought of it.

When I meet up with Deanna, she has a smile on her face and I figure her conversation with Timmy went well. “Give me the details,” I say.

“We’re going to meet up at the inlet on Saturday to watch the fireworks,” she answers excitedly. I am excited to go to the inlet, too. I’ve heard so much about it.

(
Jesse)

The excitement of the weekend is in the air. The streets are full with blaring music coming from the cars driving up and down Ocean Drive while their rowdy passengers yell from the windows as girls and guys walk along the street.

I like the way the town feels. I guess, since I’m new to the area, the crowds don’t bother me yet.

“Yo, girls! Come here for a sec!” a guy that looks to be about our age calls out to us as we cross the street in front of their car that is stopped at a red light. “C’mon, I don’t bite. Look, I just want to invite you to a party we’re havin’!” he pleads as he holds a blue flyer out of the window. Deanna, Lori and I keep walking while Cathy runs back and grabs it from his hand after promising that we will show up.

“We’re not really going, are we?” I ask nervously, not used to being in situations like this. Deanna laughs and gives me a pat on the back.

“It’s fine, relax. This will happen all night.”

“Do you ever go?”

“Sometimes... it’s fun.”

It’s the same scene once we reach the boards. There are people everywhere; hanging out, inviting each other to parties. We catch up with Billy, Matt and Sean at 7
th
street on the boardwalk. There has to be about ten to fifteen other people that I have never met before. They are getting ready to head over to a party on Atlantic Ave. 

Instead of joining them, Deanna and I sneak away for awhile to do some shopping. She’s looking for something to wear for Saturday. Along the way, we have more than a few guys trying to pick us up.

“This is crazy. I’m not used to this,” I say to Deanna as we head into one of our favorite boutiques.

“I know, I can tell... you look like you’re in a panic.” She laughs.

“No, I’m not!” I lie, giving her a shove. She shakes her head, trying to hide her amusement.

“We’re not really going to meet up with any of those guys, right?” I ask, referring to her telling half of the guys, ‘sure we’ll meet up with you in a few minutes.’

“No, you can calm down now. I just said it so they will leave us alone,” she says sarcastically, while holding up a pretty red halter top in front of her. “Do you like this?”