Love Me Back (7 page)

“Isn’t he Mr. Proper?  Just like his daddy.”  She says loudly putting liquid black eyeliner and five coats of mascara on.

“Please Mom, it will just take a second.”  I beg.

“Alright, give me a second.  I have to get dressed.”  She shoos me out of the bathroom. 

I go downstairs to wait with Trent for my mom.  Trent has never seen her like this.  He is used to Jack’s mom version, which was more toned down than Madeline’s mom now.  My mom frequents bars out of Belcrest city limits meaning a lot of people in town don’t know her extracurricular activities, making me happy.

My mom strolls down the stairs fifteen minutes later and my head falls when I see what she is wearing.  Her skirt is barely covering her ass, she has red high heels on and a tight black blouse showing her bra.  Her bleached blond hair is damaged and stringy.  I bite my lower lip in anticipation of what is to come.

Trent gives me a despairing look and turns to my mom. 

“Hi Mrs. Jennings.  I just wanted to let you know I am taking Madeline out for the night.”  He puts his hand out for her shake.

Thankfully she shakes it back.  “It’s Ms. Jennings now.”  She corrects him.  “Have fun you two.”  She nods her head towards both of us.

“I will have her home by midnight Ms. Jennings.”  Trent assures her not knowing that she could care less.

“Ok, but I won’t.”  She giggles and then straightens up quickly.  “I just mean I won’t be waiting up for her.” 
Did her motherly instincts kick in thinking she just told two hormone crazed teenagers they had the house to themselves tonight?

“Well we should get going.”  I pull on Trent.

“It was nice seeing you again Ms. Jennings.”  Trent waves goodbye as I drag him to the door.

“You too Trent.  Give your dad my best…and your mom.”  She adds.

Finally we are out of the house and my body relaxes.  I can’t get to Trent’s truck fast enough and away from my mom.  He opens my door helping me to get in walking around to his side.   When he climbs in he takes my hand in his squeezing it tight.  He always has subtle ways of telling me he understands and is there for me.  The tears in my eyes are in danger of falling and that is the last thing I want on our first date.

“So, where are you taking me?  If you expect to cop a feel your date better be good.”  I joke changing the mood to fun instead of serious.

“After what I have planned, you might give up the whole package.”  Trent smirks at me.

“Uh huh.  Tell me?  What is going to make me want to strip my clothes off and scream take me?” 

“It’s a surprise.”  He finally starts the truck backing out of the driveway.

Twenty minutes later Trent pulls up to a pumpkin farm.

“Why didn’t we just go to Ghords Pumpkin Farm in Belcrest?”  I ask

“I didn’t want us to be bothered.  I knew if we went there we would end up hanging out with our friends.”  He gets out of the truck and I wait for him to come and get me out.

He grabs my hand leading me towards the haunted hayride.

“Oh no you don’t” I pull away trying to walk the other way.

“Come on” he tugs me back to him.

“Trent…” I sigh at him.  He knows I hate anything scary.  Sitting on a barrel of hay in the pitch dark waiting for people to jump out at me making me scream is not my idea of fun. 

“I won’t let go of you.”  He puts his hand up placing his other like it is on a bible.

“Promise?”  I ask him.

“Promise.”  He responds.

“And you won’t try to scare me either?” 

“Promise.  Now come on.”  He puts his arm around my waist bringing us closer.  I love his smell of cotton and soap. 

I begrudgingly follow him.  Trent knows I don’t live on the edge like him.  I never enjoy scary movies or roller coasters.  Even the high dive at the park district pool is too much for me.  I like to feel in control and those things make me feel anything but. 

Trent has pushed or in his words persuaded me to do all of these things our whole life.  I did them willingly as long as he was there and he always was.  He held me tight during the horror movies, held my hand on the Eagle when we went to Great Adventures and always waited at the bottom of the pool when I jumped off the high dive.  It all terrified me but with Trent there to hug me after made it worth it.

I walk up the wooden steps to find my own barrel of hay death wish.  I tuck myself in one of the corners close to the tractor in the front.  Trent sits next to me squeezing my hand reassuring me.  I smile up at him, how could I not.  Those eyes alone make your lips turn up.

The trailer is full of high school kids from a nearby school.  I don’t know any of them and they don’t know us so Trent’s plan worked. 

I jerk forward when the tractor starts to move forward and my heart starts beating faster.  Trent automatically pulls me closer to him.  As all the people swing from trees coming at us I clinch harder to him and he pulls me closer so by the time we get back to the start I am in his lap.  His arms are firmly wrapped around my waist with my face in his neck.

“I assume this is why you wanted to take me on a haunted hay ride?”  I lift one eyebrow at him.

“Maybe” he shrugs his shoulders.

“Uh Hum.  For that you owe me some apple cider.”  I slap him on his muscular shoulder prancing in front of him to get off this hell on wheels.

He catches up to me fast wrapping both his arms around my waist again pulling me back to him.  “I will buy you whatever you want as long as you ride me again.” 

I push him away with my hand. “Remember the bet, only a date.”  I laugh.

“Hey I can hope can’t I?”

We sit down on a hill with our apple cider and kettle corn. 

“So tell me why you quit football and went for soccer?  I ask.  Since I wasn’t around when he made his decision I had been curious to know.

“I don’t know.  I played my freshman year and it just wasn’t there.”  He looks down sipping his cider.

“What wasn’t there?”

“My arm, I didn’t have it.”

“Ok, I am so confused, didn’t have what?”

“The Basso arm.”  He tosses some kettle corn up in the air catching it in his mouth.

I knew what he meant.  Doug and Gabe had been quarterbacks for the Belcrest football team earning both of them scholarships to state.  It was a running joke that between the three Basso brothers there would be a Basso starting quarterback for ten years at State between all three of them.  Trent stopped that once he switched to soccer.

“Maybe you needed more time?” 

“It wasn’t there for me.  I always had the speed so they moved me to running back but I hated it.  My friend asked me that winter to play on an indoor soccer team.  I fell in love with it and to my surprise was pretty good at it too.”

“Pretty good?”  He was better than pretty good. 

He flushes red shrugging his shoulders.

“I bet you still have the arm” I lean back on my elbows extending my legs.

“I don’t throw anymore Maddy.”  He picks at some grass tossing it aside.

“Come on, you choose the bet?”  I coax him.

“That’s tempting.”  He raises his eyebrows cocking his head to the side deciding my fate.  “Alright, if I can throw this piece of popcorn in your mouth you have to kiss me.”

“Ok, I guess I should start licking my lips to get them moist.”  I know he will get it my mouth.  “Do you want to me to stand up or lay down?”

“Stay just the way you are.  You look comfortable.”  He stands a little away from me getting ready to toss the popcorn down towards my mouth.

“Come on hot shot” I urge him on.

“Hot shot?”  He questions.

“Well…”

“Open up Maddy.”  He practices throwing the kernel a couple times.

I open my mouth as big as it can go.  I might want this kiss more than him at this point.  He throws the kernel and it lands smack dab in the middle of my tongue.

A smile comes across my face not only because I get to kiss Trent again but I knew he could do it.  He has the infamous Basso arm but he also has something unique, the speed of a cheetah.

“You ready to pay up Jennings?”  He cocks his head.

“I’m ready Basso.  Remember, only a kiss, keep those hands to yourself.”  I joke while Trent leans down crawling up my body until his lips touch mine briefly.  I close my eyes in the expectation and he kisses me firmer and more urgent.  Our lips open and he grazes his tongue across my bottom lip.  We groan into each other’s mouth as our tongues mingle together.  Trent slowly stops the kiss by lingering over my lips until his lips are off of mine.  I lay on the grass hill full of goose bumps and longing for another bet.

Chapter 8 – Present Day

The cell phone beeps waking me up from a surprisingly blissful sleep in my new bed.  Reaching for my phone I am awed again at my newly decorated bedroom.  My phone reads seven thirty in the morning making me wonder who on earth is interrupting my ‘vacation’ on the first day.  Seeing whom it is I should have known.

Good morning Madgirl!  Hope you had a good nights sleep.  I will be there at nine.  Gabe

Nine? – Maddy

What?  No good morning? – Gabe

Yes Nine.  Dress fitting today. – Gabe

Why would you be going to the dress fitting? – Maddy

Tux fitting at the same place.  All groomsman and bridesmaids going together. – Gabe

I can meet you there no worries. – Maddy

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I have the truck from last night. – Gabe.

Shit.  I forgot Trent drove Ian and me home last night.  Thank god Ian was with us to keep things platonic.

I am assuming you just realized you have no option here.  So, see you at nine.  – Gabe

Uh…

See you at nine. – Maddy

I roll over for another half hour sleep only to be interrupted by a knock on my door.

“Go away, this is my vacation.”  I scream, throwing my pillow at the door.

“Madeline?  It’s mom.”  My mom says from the other side of the door.

“Come on in.”  I sit up against my headboard.

My mom walks in smiling while she looks around my room.  “Do you like it?”  She asks.

“Mom, I love it.  It wasn’t necessary though.”  I say hoping she doesn’t hear the lying in my voice.

“Yes it was Maddy.”  She sits on the edge of my bed.

“Thank you mom.  How did you afford all of it?”   I ask playing with my comforter.

“As much as I wish I could say I did all this for you.  I couldn’t have afforded it.  It was a gift from someone.”  She stares down at the ground.  Since she can’t face me I know it is some new guy in her life, probably a married man cheating on his family.  Although it makes it bearable for me to stay here this week, I don’t want my mom to owe anyone much less a male who I am sure already called in his payback.

“Whoever did this, please tell them thank you.  It helped me a lot coming home.”  I confess.

“Well, I better get off to work.  Have fun at the dress fitting.  Will I see you tonight for dinner?” 

“Sure mom.”  She is going to make dinner again.  Who is this woman and what did she do with my mom?  “Um…Mom?”  She turns around in the doorway.  “Thank you”

She nods her head shutting the door behind her.  She knows what I am grateful for. 

After the door clicks shut I lay in my bed staring up at the white ceiling thinking about last night.  Gabe enters my mind and chills run through my body.  Trent is always my Basso brother.  We are meant to be together or so I thought once upon a time.  From the way Trent acted last night I know he wants us to rekindle whatever we had but how many chances are we supposed to give this fated love?

That word fate rang in my ears.  I jump from my bed looking through my new dresser drawers finding nothing.  Running over to my closet, I fling the doors open in a panic.  All I find is a closet full of my old clothes, things I will never wear again.  Bending down I look at the floor crawling on my hands and knees searching for it praying no one threw it away.  Accepting defeat I push myself back leaning against my bed looking into my closet.  I knew I should have taken those things with me but I left in such a hurry.

Then I see an outline of the box in the top right hand corner of the closet.  Standing on my tippy toes I reach with my hand as far as I can get it barely getting a corner.  My fingers find the top edge enabling me to scoot it closer to me until I can get it.  The flower box with stickers all over it is lighter than I remembered.  It takes me back to my innocence.  Walking over to the bed I sit Indian style hesitant to open my past.  My hands rest on either side of the lid as I contemplate if I should open this Pandora’s box.  Before I can second guess myself I rip it off and I can’t stop the smile from forming on my face.

My MASH book is on top.  Mackenna and I had filled so many but this is the only one I kept.  It was my last year with her.  Flipping through the pages, Trent’s name fills every page.  Mrs. Trent Basso is written on the cover, the back and I imagine pages in between. Picking up the book, I notice the loose-leaf paper under it.  It has been folded and refolded at least ten times.  I put it in my hands holding it against my heart.  My eyes close remembering that day in the driveway when Mackenna handed it to me, saying it was a good one.  When I drove away with my parents reading the MASH she gave me I was speechless.  I wondered then as I am now, is there something as fate?  Or is it all coincidence and luck of the draw?

A half hour later Gabe rings my doorbell.  Since I took a trip down memory lane, my hair is wet.  Pulled back in a ponytail and I threw on capris and a t-shirt with my favorite flip flops.