to pull
her shirt back on just as the stranger reaches us.
“Who’s there?” A
voice demands from the top of the dune. He beams the flashlight right
at us, blinding us with the light.
I relax, shielding my
eyes from the glare. “Hell, Larry, get that thing out of my face.”
Larry lowers the beam
so I can see him, our town deputy, swinging a confiscated six pack
from one hand. “Emerson Ray,” he drawls, smug.“I should have
known you’d be mixed up in this trouble. Who's that you've got with
you?”
“None of your
business.” I growl, but Juliet steps out from behind me.
“Hi,” she waves
awkwardly. “I'm sorry, we were, uh...”
There's silence as we
all fill in the blanks of what we've been doing.
“You over
twenty-one?” Larry demands.
I sigh. This is what
happens when you give a failed football star some power: they want to
throw it around any chance they get.
“Relax. She wasn't
drinking.” I answer for Juliet. “And you don’t have to get your
panties in a twist. I'm taking her home now.”
I check Juliet's got
all her clothes back on, and then take her hand. I start up the dunes
towards the parking lot, but Larry steps in my way.
“I don't think so,”
he stops me. “You’ve got her in enough trouble tonight. I’ll
get her back to her parents.”
Larry stares me down,
waiting for me to bail—or for me to try and tell him no. For a
split second, I think about ignoring him and his uniform, and
marching Juliet right on past, but Larry reads my mind.
“Just try.”He tells
me with a smirk. “I’ve got a drunk cell at the station with your
name all over it.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Juliet says quickly. She puts a soothing hand on my arm. I don’t
even realize until I feel her touch that my muscles are tensed and
ready for a fight. “I promise, my parent’s will be fine.” she
says again. “What can they do? I bet they never even noticed I was
gone.”
I force a breath out
and stand down, even though everything in me is screaming not to
leave her alone. “Text me when you’re back,” I tell her, taking
her phone and programming my number in.
She sends me a final
shy smile, and then follows Larry back to his patrol car, but I don't
head home like I was told. I get in my truck and drive behind them,
following Larry’s car all the way back to her house.
After everything we
shared tonight, I have to see her home. I need to know she’s safe.
I leave the engine on
idle down the driveway, watching as Larry takes her up to the front
porch. The lights are already on, and when the door opens, her mom
rushes out, looks panicked. She hugs Juliet tightly and drags her
inside, but her dad stands, kidding around with Larry for a moment, a
drink in his hand. He offers one to the deputy, but Larry shakes his
head, and walks back to his car.
I wait until the lights
go out inside, and my phone buzzes with a new text.
Safe and sound xx
I exhale. Sweet dreams, I
write back, and finally turn the truck around and head for home.
Back at my place,
there's nobody waiting up. The house is dark when I let myself in,
and I'm halfway to the closet I'm using as a room when I see mom’s
door is open, and the bedroom is empty inside.
She didn't come home
again.
I sink to the floor in
the hallway and lean my head back against the wall, staring at the
dark room and the unmade bed, and everything it represents.
I've slumped here
before: waiting for her to stumble home. I don’t know how many
nights I’ve spent in this exact same spot, cursing her, and god,
and anyone else I can think of for all her fucked up failures. It
burns at me through the long night, all the guilt and failure. A
heavy fire that never seems to die away.
But this time, it
doesn't hurt so much.
I can still feel
Juliet's soft touch, still taste the sweetness of her kisses. My
salvation. Because now I know there's her goodness in the world, the
rest of it doesn't seem like such a bleak wasteland.
You're a good man
Me? A good
her shirt back on just as the stranger reaches us.
“Who’s there?” A
voice demands from the top of the dune. He beams the flashlight right
at us, blinding us with the light.
I relax, shielding my
eyes from the glare. “Hell, Larry, get that thing out of my face.”
Larry lowers the beam
so I can see him, our town deputy, swinging a confiscated six pack
from one hand. “Emerson Ray,” he drawls, smug.“I should have
known you’d be mixed up in this trouble. Who's that you've got with
you?”
“None of your
business.” I growl, but Juliet steps out from behind me.
“Hi,” she waves
awkwardly. “I'm sorry, we were, uh...”
There's silence as we
all fill in the blanks of what we've been doing.
“You over
twenty-one?” Larry demands.
I sigh. This is what
happens when you give a failed football star some power: they want to
throw it around any chance they get.
“Relax. She wasn't
drinking.” I answer for Juliet. “And you don’t have to get your
panties in a twist. I'm taking her home now.”
I check Juliet's got
all her clothes back on, and then take her hand. I start up the dunes
towards the parking lot, but Larry steps in my way.
“I don't think so,”
he stops me. “You’ve got her in enough trouble tonight. I’ll
get her back to her parents.”
Larry stares me down,
waiting for me to bail—or for me to try and tell him no. For a
split second, I think about ignoring him and his uniform, and
marching Juliet right on past, but Larry reads my mind.
“Just try.”He tells
me with a smirk. “I’ve got a drunk cell at the station with your
name all over it.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Juliet says quickly. She puts a soothing hand on my arm. I don’t
even realize until I feel her touch that my muscles are tensed and
ready for a fight. “I promise, my parent’s will be fine.” she
says again. “What can they do? I bet they never even noticed I was
gone.”
I force a breath out
and stand down, even though everything in me is screaming not to
leave her alone. “Text me when you’re back,” I tell her, taking
her phone and programming my number in.
She sends me a final
shy smile, and then follows Larry back to his patrol car, but I don't
head home like I was told. I get in my truck and drive behind them,
following Larry’s car all the way back to her house.
After everything we
shared tonight, I have to see her home. I need to know she’s safe.
I leave the engine on
idle down the driveway, watching as Larry takes her up to the front
porch. The lights are already on, and when the door opens, her mom
rushes out, looks panicked. She hugs Juliet tightly and drags her
inside, but her dad stands, kidding around with Larry for a moment, a
drink in his hand. He offers one to the deputy, but Larry shakes his
head, and walks back to his car.
I wait until the lights
go out inside, and my phone buzzes with a new text.
Safe and sound xx
I exhale. Sweet dreams, I
write back, and finally turn the truck around and head for home.
Back at my place,
there's nobody waiting up. The house is dark when I let myself in,
and I'm halfway to the closet I'm using as a room when I see mom’s
door is open, and the bedroom is empty inside.
She didn't come home
again.
I sink to the floor in
the hallway and lean my head back against the wall, staring at the
dark room and the unmade bed, and everything it represents.
I've slumped here
before: waiting for her to stumble home. I don’t know how many
nights I’ve spent in this exact same spot, cursing her, and god,
and anyone else I can think of for all her fucked up failures. It
burns at me through the long night, all the guilt and failure. A
heavy fire that never seems to die away.
But this time, it
doesn't hurt so much.
I can still feel
Juliet's soft touch, still taste the sweetness of her kisses. My
salvation. Because now I know there's her goodness in the world, the
rest of it doesn't seem like such a bleak wasteland.
You're a good man
Me? A good
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